TRACKING
When a project finally reaches the recording stage after days or possibly weeks of planning and preparations, it should become clear to the team if their pre-production time was spent wisely. At this point, professionals with strong organisational skills should be able to perform their tasks with little or no surprises.
As the multitrack device starts recording, the production team must be working at their highest level of concentration. At this point, having multiple pairs of ears and eyes in the studio is an invaluable asset, as this allows engineers to dedicate their attention to the running of equipment while producers evaluate the quality of performances, etc.
Continuous Two-Track Recording
Ideally, a two-track recorder should be set to record everything that happens in a session, i.e. a recording device should run from the sound-check stage straight through the end of a session. Such recordings may capture spontaneous ideas, dialogue and other unexpected outbursts of creativity that may add sparkle to a production. Engineers may use the monitor mix recording device or place an inexpensive, portable stereo digital recorder in the middle of the live room for such purpose.
BASIC TRACKING
Most productions are initiated with the recording of a rhythm section, a process commonly referred to as ‘basic tracking’. This derives from the importance of creating a strong foundation over which more material, e.g. vocals, can be subsequently added. Standard basic tracking sessions commonly incorporate the recording of at least drums and bass, although some may include other instruments, e.g. guitars, keyboards, etc., as this may encourage artists to interact and play as if they were performing live. Recordists must pay particular attention to microphone choice and placement in circumstances where multiple instrumentalists share the same recording space, i.e. they must audition and evaluate the suitability of microphone ‘leakage’,
The following are a few points to be considered by the production team during tracking:
• Always try to record a reference tuning note from all instruments in isolation (when applicable).
• Avoid interrupting takes – encourage musicians to ignore small mistakes and keep playing.
• Never engage talkback during a take (unless a performer requests guidance through a difficult passage).
• Do not be afraid to ‘ride’ the faders in case a channel appears to be approaching the clipping point (attempt to ride the faders as fast as possible without making such changes noticeable).
• Be supportive of the performers immediately after each take is finished (consider using ‘gated’ talkback).
• Never let the performers detect a sense of panic in the control room (whether caused by equipment malfunction or time-related concerns).
• Never give the performers the impression that people in the control room are engaging in unrelated activities during takes, e.g. having conversations, telling jokes, etc.
• Be aware of your role and its boundaries, e.g. artists may welcome criticism from producers, but not from engineers.
• Be ready to respond to requests to improve the cue mix, although you should not let the performers make the team run in circles.
• Consider everything that the performers have to say regarding their circumstances, even if they seem to be transferring the blame for their mistakes or looking for a ‘scapegoat’.
• Learn from mistakes, apologising for them in a clear and professional manner and avoid repeating them at any cost.
• Record drum ‘samples’ at the end of each session (in case drum replacement or extra programming is needed).
Refer to the pre-production section of this book for some extra advice on tracking, e.g. record bass amplifiers with an accompanying DI signal, record MIDI data alongside keyboard audio signals, etc.
Recording Direct to Two-Track
Certain conditions may lead engineers to opt to record directly to a two-track machine. Such approach is not uncommon in chamber music production where the channel count is small and a mixing stage is not necessary. Engineers recording directly to two-track must ensure that the stereo image of the recording is truthful and well balanced.
Compression vs. Gain Riding
In cases where the dynamic range of the material is evidently greater
Compression vs. Gain Riding (continued)
than that of the recording medium, recordists may have to choose between ‘riding’ faders and using a compressor. The use of dynamic range processing is common for the recording of sources such as vocals, where changes can happen too quickly and too often to be controlled via fader movements. Engineers must still consider how they would approach fader riding in order to set a compressor attack and release functions appropriately, i.e. the compressor should ideally ‘mimic’ what a human would do or what a human would ideally try to do (if the required attack and release are too fast).
‘Gated’ Talkback
The use of a ‘gated’ talkback function enables instant communication between live and control rooms, allowing all members of the team to hear each other’s comments when the transport of multitrack machine is not engaged. Such mechanism must be used cautiously and under no circumstances should negative or derogatory remarks (humorous or not) be made in the control room.
As a quick way to generate a gated talkback function, when using a DAW, operators may create a track containing a steady tone, e.g. 1 kHz spanning over the whole duration of a song. The output of this track can be fed to the key input of a ducker applied onto the talkback channel. This way, whenever the transport of the recorder is engaged, the steady tone will reduce the level of talkback (ensure the range is set to maximum).