How are drums recorded for a song?

Herzeleid

Member
Do you need to count the measures of the verses, choruses, and bridges in when to switch grooves ECT.?

How do they do it?
Drums first?
 
Do you need to count the measures of the verses, choruses, and bridges in when to switch grooves ECT.?

Do you mean in sessions work?

It varies depending on the instrumentation, type of music, and the recording engineer's preference.

I've recorded:
- In the same room, at the same time as the rest of the group
- In a different room, at the same time as the rest of the group
- After the group had recorded their songs to a metronome/click track

I've never recorded drums before anything else, but there's no reason that someone couldn't.

As for the song, wouldn't you either know the song (if it's your band) or have sheet music in front of you? Usually if you're recording materal you've never heard before, there would be a lead sheet, or an actual drum part...
 
The process and technique varies widely, assuming the drums are cut live at all (you'd be surprised how many bands with a drummer program some/all of the drums for their albums.)

Often, it's a question of what's most comfortable for the players, and efficient for the session, but it's extremely rare that a track is cut live by the full band anymore, I think my last sessions like that were in the '90s.

If a band has a persnickity guitarist for example, it's probably not best for them to try and record with other players who can quickly get a great take, as long as they don't have to keep stopping and starting. Such players should agonize about their parts later, without forcing the other guys to keep repeating the process just to get a good take on his behalf.

But if a band is on a budget, and won't have a lot of time in the studio, then they need to rehearse diligently, and maybe try recording as a band. It can certainly be done, but in this age of perfection supplied by producers and in turn demanded by the listeners, it's risky, and tends to encourage settling on everyone's part.

Drums first? I do that all the time, no problem, as long as I'm comfortable with the parts. I always write out the arrangement and specific parts as a roadmap.

Drums last? I've done a bunch of those as well. As long as the track itself doesn't have any egregious hiccups, the drums will fit right in. You'd never know.

Bermuda
 
As far as counting the measures to know when to change, I will assume that is pretty commonplace, it is how I have always recorded. However, I do know a band that had the drummer get one great take of the verse groove, one great take of the chorus groove, and one great take of the bridge groove then spliced the whole thing together in pro-tools and made a song. So technically its not necessary to count the measures.

In all of the low budget bands I have been in the goal was to get a good take as quickly as possible so we rehearsed our asses off. By the time we got into the studio we could all get our takes in one of two tries.
 
The process and technique varies widely, assuming the drums are cut live at all (you'd be surprised how many bands with a drummer program some/all of the drums for their albums.)

Often, it's a question of what's most comfortable for the players, and efficient for the session, but it's extremely rare that a track is cut live by the full band anymore, I think my last sessions like that were in the '90s.

If a band has a persnickity guitarist for example, it's probably not best for them to try and record with other players who can quickly get a great take, as long as they don't have to keep stopping and starting. Such players should agonize about their parts later, without forcing the other guys to keep repeating the process just to get a good take on his behalf.

But if a band is on a budget, and won't have a lot of time in the studio, then they need to rehearse diligently, and maybe try recording as a band. It can certainly be done, but in this age of perfection supplied by producers and in turn demanded by the listeners, it's risky, and tends to encourage settling on everyone's part.

Drums first? I do that all the time, no problem, as long as I'm comfortable with the parts. I always write out the arrangement and specific parts as a roadmap.

Drums last? I've done a bunch of those as well. As long as the track itself doesn't have any egregious hiccups, the drums will fit right in. You'd never know.

Bermuda

^This. It's also not uncommon for a guitarist, bassist, or keyboard player to play along without being recorded to help the drummer find his/her way through the arrangement.
 
Be ready for anything. I always sing to myself and can do it alone (assuming there's no room for improv), but it's nice to have someone play the skeleton of the song (assuming they can play to a click and aren't a distraction).
 
I'm working with a friend now and what we do is once we have a basic skeleton of the song worked out, we will record drums and a scratch rhythm guitar track. If the scratch guitar is good, we will keep it. We will then add Bass, lead guitars, additional rhythm guitars and percussion. Often with us, the lyrics and vocals are worked out last (that's just how we roll). There are a few tunes we have recorded that i could have played differently had i known what the vocal parts would be but all in all it has worked really well.
 
I think sometimes a little "something" about "performance" is lost when drum tracks are layed down to just say, a single scratch guitar track or something. I much prefer a performance with more energy that will end up on the mix. Usually I like to have my guitar and bass player go direct in and record along with me, then we just scratch their tracks if we need to, or better yet use them. Also nothing wrong with enhancing those tracks with overdubs and blazin solos, right?
 
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