Love the video! As far as recording bass vs. guitar first, my philosophy would be whoever wrote the songs should record first. There will inevitably be small details that the people who didn't write the song will get wrong during tracking and the songwriter will correct them. If the songwriter doesn't record first, now he's walking into a session that has small mistakes here and there and he's arguing about whether or not they need to re-record things, and it's a big mess. Thanks Jordan!!
Dude!! I have to say. Your tutorials are absolutely the best. The funny thing with the tape trick is that I literally held my finger on a ringing string while a client was recording their part. Tape is going to be a life saver from now! You’re a champion! Thank you again for all the gold you’re putting out!
From me I have one "hack" ... Always adjust tunning of a guitar to specific frets and strengh of picking in perticular part of song. How often we have perfectly tuned guitar? In most cases we have precise tuning for 0 fret and maybe 12th. Also when You playing dynamic parts the strings have a litle bit shift in tone when play harder (specially for lower notes). I know some people have problem with picking in the same way when they are adjust tuning and when they play. By the way, Great Stuff Man! I learned a lot from You :)
good tips. To your last point, there is so much value in checking the intonation of the guitar/bass prior to recording. As simple as tuning the open string, then checking the 12th fret tuning of that string to ensure they are both in tune, and adjusting the intonation screw if the 12th fret note is off. There's nothing worse than recording a solo or riff on the higher end of the neck, only to find out much later during mixing that something is very off in that part due to the intonation being out of whack.
The doctor plugin is good for some things, it's good to know what a plugin is doing, for example, if you have a phase problem in the mix, maybe you don't know which of all the plugins is generating that problem or, in the case of the Pultec, you know which curve of eq it is doing, beyond the ear it is good to learn how a plugin works well
The only drawback with heavier strings is that you get a muddier low end. People often think the opposite is the case. But light strings actually have a tighter low end.
I switched from 12s to 9s or 10s a while ago. I made my sound so much tighter and direct. Heavy strings are not the solution to everything ! PRS even said, that using lighter strings is comparable to using a tubescreamer :)
Muting the headstock: oddly, after ~25 of guitar playing, I first noticed this on my acoustic guitars, only 2 years ago. And once you hear it, it's hard not to unhear, and at first I thought: maybe it's just me, so I tried other people's guitars and same thing. I started putting a cloth around and now it's way better
I never considered how recording bass after the guitars would assist in getting the tuning intonated right. I learnt the hard way in the 1970s that bass was not good when laid down early on over-dubbing techniques. It just gets very muddy. Old strings don't intonate well. Interesting video and channel.
Something overlooked is muting the springs for the whammy. A piece of foam in the cavity does wonders. I wondered why I was getting a feedback sound, in a DI track. Foam at the headstock, foam and tape on unused strings, still a high pitched ring! It was the springs in the cavity on the back of the guitar. Out of sight, out of mind.
The advice about damping the strings is good, you can also damp the strings beyond the bridge too. Not so sure about the advice on heavier strings though. Tony Iommi uses very light strings and they don't seem to hurt his tone! One give away of an amateur guitarist is not pushing bent notes quite far enough and consequently having them sound a bit flat - heavy strings make that more likely. David Gilmour style minor third bends are pretty much impossible with heavy strings too if that is a style consideration.
Great hacks! I inadvertently do about half of this. But I would say, for me tracking drums is the easiest instrument. Electronic kit, light touch quantise, done... 😊
All great advice for heavy music. Some of these are less true depending on style but that almost goes without saying. I am curious to try recording guitar before bass. This is an issue I've had and it's validating to hear others have struggled too!
I'm doing mainly electronical music but use lots of live instruments also, I've came to notice that I really like having most of the song done to record a live bass guitar impro on it and it's always phat and just sleeping in everywhere.
Using your mixing cheat sheet, it comes in like my bible for mixing ❤ Also, the little tips you give in your video's enhanced my mixing skills greatly 💥 Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 🙏🙏🙏 Superb!!
Where I'm from everyone has strings too big! Gotta try and get people to play lighter on strings that have some brightness. Also never seen anyone track bass before guitar. I found that odd. Nice video
I've been doing that harmony trick for quite some time. I'm terrible with harmonies. I've been using alterboy to create the harmony I sing along to, then correcting the take in melodyne, ( backwards to your approach, but similar results.)
Excellent vid here! Question. When you record your guitar tracks with an SM57 mic in front of a 4x12 cab, how loud do you crank your amp? Some people swear by “the louder the better” especially using an old Marshall JCM800 but, I’m not sure about that. I must say, all of your vids are awesome man! Keep them coming!
Great tips, I personally disagree with using thicker strings though. From the in-depth comparisons I've listened to it has no objective benefit to the tone and it makes playing so much less effortless and sloppy to be dealing with thick strings. A relaxed and effortless performance will always beat whatever drawbacks there might be to lighter strings in my opinion...
What are your thoughts on using Melodyne to create vocal harmonies from the lead vocal that never get re-recorded? If they're tighter harmonies, can you really tell a difference in the mix of the manufactured vs an actual tracked harmony? Do you know if this is ever done at the professional level? I imagine it could speed up the process tremendously in some cases, but don't want to get in the habit of thinking that way if the high level pros don't do it themselves.
Been using a solar with an evertune this year. Pretty much solves pitch related problems while playing but I find some people are turned off from it because they are'nt used to how perfect it sounds. Side note, Ola Englund said he likes light gage because heavier string kill chugs by making em more muddy in his last swola go figure 🥴
Yes! I record tons of vocals for my songs and this tip works really well! Let's ignore the boomers who say it's cheating, I don't care and knowing you I'm 100% sure you don't too
I never understood why guitar cabinet manufactorers don't just paint the outline of the speaker cone and diaphragm on the grill of the cabinet so you wouldn't have to faff around with a flashlight when micing a cab.
6. Tune guitars and bass to the key of the song, so that if the song is in the key of C, don't tune open strings. Tune the strings so that C is in tune on every string or whatever note is most played on the song. 7. Tune guitars and bass after recording one track for the song before you record another track for the song. 8. If some part is borderline too difficult, play it 5 or more bpm slower and speed it up later. No need for 200 takes.
Fake harmony track! Awesome idea! Also, I track the bass after guitars and pianos - so much better as I also write and record my own songs and sometimes I can improve the bass line as well.
Don't try to put tape on my guitar, or it will end up with your finger without the rest of your hand that'll hold those strings 🤣 Joke aside, get a wrap and foam. And nice session footage from 20 years ago 👍🏼
I don't agree with the tip for using thicker strings. This just justifies the sloppiness of the guitarist. And on the other hand, thicker guitar strings steal some great harmonics of the notes and make the sound more dull. It would be great if guitar players spend enough time beforehand to uplift their technique instead of put thicker strings. With proper right hand technique even with the light strings your strings will stay in tune no matter how hard you hit them (the hit should be directed IN the guitar, somewhere in the direction of the pickup instead of pulling a string along the other strings. Kirk Hammet is a good example of hitting the note along the others that's why his open E always sounds much higher)
As the recording engineer, is your job to correct the playing of a guitar player? Or is it to get the best results for the song? Another question- if a vocalist was super pitchy, would you try and teach them how to sing in the studio in 1 session? There are certain things beyond the engineer’s control, one of those things being skill level. You can help in some ways, but many things can’t be taught over night. But you CAN control the end result, and that is the most important thing! Do whatever it takes to make something sound pro. This guy cut his teeth working with local bands and making them sound great in the studio no matter what level of musicianship he was given, and that quality led to label work with big clients. At the end of the day you have to choose what battles are worth it, and within reason, I don’t think spending the extra hours to help a musician play something right is worth the time when I can get to the same end result (if not better results) through tips like these.
Im' agree with everything except with the strings gauge, I'd thinks it's preferible guitar scale length long over string gauge cause strings with heavy gauge at Drop A or E low make a bass sound that rest definition to the whole mix and if you have a lenght scale like baritone you can keep the tension without upper the gauge of the strings.
![เบิ้ล ปทุมราช - สาวสอง ( มีมี่ของอ้าย ) ft. ตาต้า,ต้องเต [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mqlMjnP08XI/mqdefault.jpg)
The vocal harmony hack is pretty convenient
Love the video! As far as recording bass vs. guitar first, my philosophy would be whoever wrote the songs should record first. There will inevitably be small details that the people who didn't write the song will get wrong during tracking and the songwriter will correct them. If the songwriter doesn't record first, now he's walking into a session that has small mistakes here and there and he's arguing about whether or not they need to re-record things, and it's a big mess.
Thanks Jordan!!
Dude!! I have to say. Your tutorials are absolutely the best. The funny thing with the tape trick is that I literally held my finger on a ringing string while a client was recording their part. Tape is going to be a life saver from now! You’re a champion! Thank you again for all the gold you’re putting out!
Love the vocal harmony hack. Very cool. Thanks.
That harmony trick is gold, thank you!
From me I have one "hack" ... Always adjust tunning of a guitar to specific frets and strengh of picking in perticular part of song. How often we have perfectly tuned guitar? In most cases we have precise tuning for 0 fret and maybe 12th. Also when You playing dynamic parts the strings have a litle bit shift in tone when play harder (specially for lower notes). I know some people have problem with picking in the same way when they are adjust tuning and when they play. By the way, Great Stuff Man! I learned a lot from You :)
Straight to the point, and good demonstration. Those tips are very helpful especially for beginner/intermediate recording enthusiasts. 👍
good tips. To your last point, there is so much value in checking the intonation of the guitar/bass prior to recording. As simple as tuning the open string, then checking the 12th fret tuning of that string to ensure they are both in tune, and adjusting the intonation screw if the 12th fret note is off. There's nothing worse than recording a solo or riff on the higher end of the neck, only to find out much later during mixing that something is very off in that part due to the intonation being out of whack.
The doctor plugin is good for some things, it's good to know what a plugin is doing, for example, if you have a phase problem in the mix, maybe you don't know which of all the plugins is generating that problem or, in the case of the Pultec, you know which curve of eq it is doing, beyond the ear it is good to learn how a plugin works well
For number 1 I use a couple hair ties and a little pick and pack case foam behind the nut to always have those strings muted.
The only drawback with heavier strings is that you get a muddier low end. People often think the opposite is the case. But light strings actually have a tighter low end.
I switched from 12s to 9s or 10s a while ago. I made my sound so much tighter and direct. Heavy strings are not the solution to everything ! PRS even said, that using lighter strings is comparable to using a tubescreamer :)
I think what he is saying is that its better to cut frequencies using heavier strings rather than boosting with lighter.
Muting the headstock: oddly, after ~25 of guitar playing, I first noticed this on my acoustic guitars, only 2 years ago. And once you hear it, it's hard not to unhear, and at first I thought: maybe it's just me, so I tried other people's guitars and same thing. I started putting a cloth around and now it's way better
I used tape for taping off frets in the past but I never thought about at the nut. Gosh that makes so much sense! Thanks!
Love this Jordan 👍🏻 your recent videos have been fantastic for me
I never considered how recording bass after the guitars would assist in getting the tuning intonated right. I learnt the hard way in the 1970s that bass was not good when laid down early on over-dubbing techniques. It just gets very muddy. Old strings don't intonate well. Interesting video and channel.
Great idea for the vox harmony with Melodyne. These are all really useful hacks.
All great tips, thank you. Love using the melodyne harmony trick!!
Something overlooked is muting the springs for the whammy. A piece of foam in the cavity does wonders. I wondered why I was getting a feedback sound, in a DI track. Foam at the headstock, foam and tape on unused strings, still a high pitched ring! It was the springs in the cavity on the back of the guitar. Out of sight, out of mind.
the ability to harmonize is a dying art.
the melodyne was gold and the tape was platinum, thanks
I don't do guitar recording but man, that was quite informative !
The melodyne "hack" is very interesting too ! Thanks
The advice about damping the strings is good, you can also damp the strings beyond the bridge too. Not so sure about the advice on heavier strings though. Tony Iommi uses very light strings and they don't seem to hurt his tone! One give away of an amateur guitarist is not pushing bent notes quite far enough and consequently having them sound a bit flat - heavy strings make that more likely. David Gilmour style minor third bends are pretty much impossible with heavy strings too if that is a style consideration.
Great tips -- thank you east coast Canada friend
Some sound tips there, thanks. Notmally use a duater through the strings at the top of the neck, does the job but does look awful for photos 😂
Harmony trick is a game-changer!
Great hacks! I inadvertently do about half of this. But I would say, for me tracking drums is the easiest instrument. Electronic kit, light touch quantise, done... 😊
Dude these are all solid! Rad video. Thanks for doing it.
All great advice for heavy music. Some of these are less true depending on style but that almost goes without saying. I am curious to try recording guitar before bass. This is an issue I've had and it's validating to hear others have struggled too!
I'm doing mainly electronical music but use lots of live instruments also, I've came to notice that I really like having most of the song done to record a live bass guitar impro on it and it's always phat and just sleeping in everywhere.
Good stuff! Also, what's the name of the song in the harmony tip?
Underrated video
Using your mixing cheat sheet, it comes in like my bible for mixing ❤ Also, the little tips you give in your video's enhanced my mixing skills greatly 💥 Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 🙏🙏🙏 Superb!!
Love this hacks from Hardcore Tracking course!) Thank you, Jordan!)
ive totally dealt with the bass one, and the other ones as well but the bass one especially
Where I'm from everyone has strings too big! Gotta try and get people to play lighter on strings that have some brightness.
Also never seen anyone track bass before guitar. I found that odd. Nice video
love this. More of these please
I've been doing that harmony trick for quite some time. I'm terrible with harmonies. I've been using alterboy to create the harmony I sing along to, then correcting the take in melodyne, ( backwards to your approach, but similar results.)
I love you man your a genius
Excellent vid here! Question. When you record your guitar tracks with an SM57 mic in front of a 4x12 cab, how loud do you crank your amp? Some people swear by “the louder the better” especially using an old Marshall JCM800 but, I’m not sure about that. I must say, all of your vids are awesome man! Keep them coming!
#1 also applies to the Tremolo springs in the back of the guitar, if it has them.
Great as always
Congrats on only being 2k subs away from 100K!
1:25 Just asking for a friend, does that "someone's finger" still need to be attached to that someone?
Do you find you need to tape the bridge? I’m finding taping up on the headstock doesn’t always get rid of it but taping the bridge as well does
wow I never knew these tips, thank you :)
Great tips, I personally disagree with using thicker strings though. From the in-depth comparisons I've listened to it has no objective benefit to the tone and it makes playing so much less effortless and sloppy to be dealing with thick strings. A relaxed and effortless performance will always beat whatever drawbacks there might be to lighter strings in my opinion...
What are your thoughts on using Melodyne to create vocal harmonies from the lead vocal that never get re-recorded? If they're tighter harmonies, can you really tell a difference in the mix of the manufactured vs an actual tracked harmony? Do you know if this is ever done at the professional level? I imagine it could speed up the process tremendously in some cases, but don't want to get in the habit of thinking that way if the high level pros don't do it themselves.
I’ve used Nectar 3 for harmony’s. Sounds good.
Been using a solar with an evertune this year. Pretty much solves pitch related problems while playing but I find some people are turned off from it because they are'nt used to how perfect it sounds. Side note, Ola Englund said he likes light gage because heavier string kill chugs by making em more muddy in his last swola go figure 🥴
Yes! I record tons of vocals for my songs and this tip works really well! Let's ignore the boomers who say it's cheating, I don't care and knowing you I'm 100% sure you don't too
Bass is the glue...always track them after drums and guitars...
I would most likely redo guitar or bass parts with tuning problems...or even better, make sure to tune before tracking.
I use a loosely tied sock to silence the strings I don't use.
This PURE GOLD!
so good! thanks
This is awesome!!!
Any chance of a video about mixing ska punk! Please 🥲
I figured out the harmony hack by necessity cuz I’m not a singer at all but needed some harmony on my song😂
I never understood why guitar cabinet manufactorers don't just paint the outline of the speaker cone and diaphragm on the grill of the cabinet so you wouldn't have to faff around with a flashlight when micing a cab.
why not a fret wrap instead of tape? just curious
Melodyne the bass 😉
6. Tune guitars and bass to the key of the song, so that if the song is in the key of C, don't tune open strings. Tune the strings so that C is in tune on every string or whatever note is most played on the song.
7. Tune guitars and bass after recording one track for the song before you record another track for the song.
8. If some part is borderline too difficult, play it 5 or more bpm slower and speed it up later. No need for 200 takes.
Dude, number 6, no.
@@kyleritter3074 Care to explain why not do what 99% of the professionals do?
Off topic. What kind of version of cla10 do you use. Are they active or passive? Thanks!
Actually using CLA10's? Great tips, especially tape.
Grab your free Mixing Cheatsheet to learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes: www.mixcheatsheet.com
great tips
Fake harmony track! Awesome idea!
Also, I track the bass after guitars and pianos - so much better as I also write and record my own songs and sometimes I can improve the bass line as well.
Melodyne the Bass.
Why manually crafting a harmony vocal track if you can just change the pitch of a duplicate altogether
Don't try to put tape on my guitar, or it will end up with your finger without the rest of your hand that'll hold those strings 🤣
Joke aside, get a wrap and foam.
And nice session footage from 20 years ago 👍🏼
And guys, use painter's tape not packing tape on your guitar. Better yet, get a fret wrap.
also record guitar DI tracks
Where can I get a hoodie J dawg?
Dude. Duuuuuuuuuude. I been recording for 30 years not knowing this
I don't agree with the tip for using thicker strings. This just justifies the sloppiness of the guitarist. And on the other hand, thicker guitar strings steal some great harmonics of the notes and make the sound more dull. It would be great if guitar players spend enough time beforehand to uplift their technique instead of put thicker strings. With proper right hand technique even with the light strings your strings will stay in tune no matter how hard you hit them (the hit should be directed IN the guitar, somewhere in the direction of the pickup instead of pulling a string along the other strings. Kirk Hammet is a good example of hitting the note along the others that's why his open E always sounds much higher)
As the recording engineer, is your job to correct the playing of a guitar player? Or is it to get the best results for the song? Another question- if a vocalist was super pitchy, would you try and teach them how to sing in the studio in 1 session? There are certain things beyond the engineer’s control, one of those things being skill level. You can help in some ways, but many things can’t be taught over night. But you CAN control the end result, and that is the most important thing! Do whatever it takes to make something sound pro. This guy cut his teeth working with local bands and making them sound great in the studio no matter what level of musicianship he was given, and that quality led to label work with big clients. At the end of the day you have to choose what battles are worth it, and within reason, I don’t think spending the extra hours to help a musician play something right is worth the time when I can get to the same end result (if not better results) through tips like these.
Don't forget to fix the intonation after changing the guitar strings
Im' agree with everything except with the strings gauge, I'd thinks it's preferible guitar scale length long over string gauge cause strings with heavy gauge at Drop A or E low make a bass sound that rest definition to the whole mix and if you have a lenght scale like baritone you can keep the tension without upper the gauge of the strings.
👍🏻
I've been playing guitar for 15 years and I've never heard that "ring" in my life lol
What the hell did you do?
🤍
Hack number 1: You have long hair? Use your scrunchie! 😁
if a singer can't sing the harmony means he's not prepared to do a record.
Great tips