What Do You Record First In A New Song

[drangal]

Modest "music maker" here. The process that really works for me is to first record the "main part" of the piece, the one that seems most defining, and make it sound as close as possible to the final result.
This allows me to establish a kind of "signature sound", and from there I bring in the rest always in relation to it, often starting with the rhythm section to quickly set the groove of the piece.
I find this to be a logical workflow and I feel really in control of my mix with it.

[christopherharv]

INTERACTION! The biggest drawback of modern recording techniques is they miss the live interaction between musicians. When the drummer is the sole beatkeeper and there is no click, there are subtle tempo fluctuations that add subtle tension (faster) and release (slower) that you just don’t get with a grid.

[GeoffBosco]

When i heard him give this advice the first time, i knew instantly it was a game-changer.

[splashesin]

It is an ensemble effort. Working out how to be tighter as an ensemble can be done, several ways, when everyone can get a general idea of where we are going.

[OrchestraUnderGround]

Always great advice ! You rock, love watching your contact .

[SoJesusChristMusic]

Melodies and vocals and midrange stuff it’s typically easier to use as a foundation vs something on the hi or low end. Now some tracks might begin that way…but most in my opinion would use midrange as the foundation negates them it’s easier for the lows and highs to kind of follow along. I’ve heard many songs with only a vocal and piano or vocal and synth or vocal alone or vocal and some kind of melody that is breathtaking. The lows and highs are often times a bonus…depending on song and or genre

[girkgirkus]

And of course getting the tempo map down before that, in pre-production if necessary. And getting the drummer and bass player to agree on that tempo map haha before the scratch.

[peterbrown]

Well i always put my drum loop..because i write with drums

[JimsMusicJourney]

I always write and record at same time. Bass first, then drums and then guitar. Those are my fundamentals. Then the vocals, lead guitar and harmonies for lead guitar. Last comes a solo. But I am not recording a band, just myself. When I was in a band we did do a scratch track with everything isolated so we could plug in various instruments as we went along. Bass then drums then guitar then vocals, lead and solo.

[Mgooy]

Me after closing this video after 5 seconds, pulling out some DJ decks:
Alrighty then

[mikehartley]

Drums are essential for the scratch in my opinion. A singer needs to sing in time.

[andrewgyselings]

For a rock/indie/alternative song, would not playing to a click be beneficial? I know the click is great for pop and dance. But for rock I sometimes feel like a slave to the grid.

[Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

As a singer, I've always found knowing that the drums will be in time, and not following me to be what gives me freedom. I don't want the drummer speeding up because I'm attacking the beat, or slowing down when I'm trying to be laid back. It really annoys the hell out of me! I've had drummers talk about the slow bit or fast bit in a song. There is no slow bit or fast bit! You're keeping the time, the rest of us can attack the beat, or lay back behind the beat, but your job as a drummer is to be constant! I need to know you're not following me, and that hit will come in on time no matter what I'm doing, only then am I free to be expressive!
What's the difference between a drummer and a drum machine?
With a drum machine, you only have to punch the beat in once!
So I definitely prefer to have the beat to sing and play along to, fills etc can come later, but solid timing is essential.

[homaralexander]

Soooo. By scratch, you mean singing song lyrics first.

[illsubrecords]

This is subjective imo. A technical deathmetal band would probably sound best recording the drums to the band live and then rerecording the guitars and vocals with punch ins.

[WholeFoodPlantPeople]

How important is it to have exact timing on recording? My scratch tracks with lots of feeling don't have exact time.