When to record?

[Lew Bear]

When a song is first written and comes together, its so tempting to just record it straightaway in the excitement, but is it the best thing to do?

For instance, when songs are first written they're usually quite basic and then have extra little nuances added over time. The more you jam it, the more you add and so it grows into something bigger and more impressive the longer you leave it. The danger in that though is thinking its never finished and then never recording it

When do you decide its time and how do you decide?

[john starcluster]

know what you mean man.

the more you play a song the more natural it sounds, the more it flows, the more you find little things to do.

i don't know, record after two weeks, a month.

[Lew Bear]

I'm glad you replied John as you were one of the examples I've got outside of what I've experienced first hand

Blaine is a really good song. I'd always liked the version you'd recorded before Spratton, but seeing how it had developed when you played it at Spratton really blew me away.

That version is incredible and gets a 5 star rating on my player

Which I guess leads me to another thought, that maybe instead of worrying about when to record it, maybe its more important being ready to rerecord whenever it reaches such a stage

[ayewrite]

i feel the opposite .....the more you play and work out a song the more sterile it becomes.....write it and record it as soon as possible ...thats the way i see it.

[Badnames Left]

I'm trying to keep it simple. Real simple. When I have just written a song, or most of it anyway, I'm getting those kicks and feelings you all know about. That's when I have to hurry, because after a while it becomes trying instead of just getting lost in the moment and accidentally creating cool things.

I'm struggling now with many similar "how to to this right"-things, and of course I know that the first time I record a song, it's not going to be as good as it could. Next time I record, I'm just gonna keep my tracker recording all the time while the "feeling" lasts, and play the song like 3-10 times in a row, and not being bothered by any kind of stress about it. I'll just pretend that I'm jamming for fun (which I am too), but afterwards, if I'm lucky, I can hear cool stuff from take 3, and more cool stuff from take 2134 etc. If I'm reeeaally lucky, I can just choose the best of them and make that to be the song it was supposed to be. If not, I just got to remember the parts which felt good, and try to implement them all to the final recording.

I'm not even close to a professional, but that's how I see it. For now at least.

[arellspencer]

I record as soon as the song is finished. I like to get a version of the song useing just guitar and vocal or pianner and vocal. I like the freshness of a new tune and so that's why I record as soon as I have it arranged. Then sometimes I'll go back and re-record useing fuller arrangements. but I like to get it down as soon as possible. thanks for lettin' me share RLS

[Brother Dan Palmer]

Hey there Lew - songs do develop over time, but I only find that out with the passage of time and with playing the song. In the meantime, what to do . . .? Personally, once I'm happy with the lyric, I like to do a quick demo, for a couple of reasons.

First, I want to capture the excitement, the groove, and the emotions that inspired the song in the first place, which are especially focused at that time while the song is fresh. (Sometimes the original idea gets lost or gets muddled with the passage of time.)

Second, a lot of creativity happens in the studio which adds to the live performance. The act of recording makes me more aware of everything I'm playing and singing. I occasionally refer back to the original demo at later times.

Thirdly, I can then check the song out from the listener's stand point. A lot of little lyric changes happen during this listening process which sometimes lasts for a number of weeks, sometimes only days or hours. During this time, I can play and sing along with it and develop new guitar ideas, harmonies, and really get to know the song from the inside out.

Finally, once it's recorded, my mind is free to begin creating the next song(s).

Some songs that I'm really excited about when they first develop don't stand up in the long run, but sometimes I return to them and take elements and ideas from them for something new I'm working on. Other songs get better and better as I play them, and those are the ones that go on my list for the next project. When recording a 10-song project, I like to have at least 15 if not 20 songs ready to go, because some work out a lot better than I expect, and sometimes a song that I really like doesn't make the cut because it doesn't fit in or feel right with the rest of the project.

In the end, this can be a tough issue, but if it turns out to be a great song, it's not going to go away, and I want to document the development of it. Later, when I get the chance to sit down and listen to the rough demo followed by the pre-production version followed by the radio-ready cut, they're all different. Frequently, it's the very first version that I prefer, even though the production is not nearly as good.

I hope that doesn't raise more questions than it answers . . . LOL . . .

Keep up the good work!

[Steven Jackson]

I wait and let it sit for awhile, usually at least a couple of months.
I think by that time you are comfortable with the song and know how it sounds.
Also in that amount of time I might change it a little here and there.

[Virginia Evans]

I record right away because I don't write musical notation. So I have to record it in order to keep a record of it...otherwise I might get it confused with the other songs I've written. Sometimes if I haven't played a song in a long time on my guitar, I actually have to go back to a recording to know what my approach was ;)

This is not to say that I feel I have to stick with the original arrangement. I change things when I want to. And I'm fine with someone else I'm collaborating with suggesting changes as well. When I write something, it's for voice and guitar only, so if other instrumentalists are added, it's not unusual to add some room for them to express themselves.

I don't think there's a "right way" to do this. Sometimes it's fun to go back to an old song and see if I can find a new approach. And sometimes I mess around with something endlessly and then decide I liked the original version the best.

[Jo2]

I don't record as often as I should. Doing it more often would result in two things: I would become more familiar with how I want things set up as well as the use of my recording equipment, and I wouldn't be sitting around fretting about how many songs I need to get done. At least getting a demo out of the way is a good feeling, and the details can be worked out later.

[Hank Redman]

I have the benefit of owning my own studio, so I can record whenever I see fit, but our (my wife and I) approach is this.

1) She is the lyricist (I can't write words) so she works the old fashioned way. Pen and paper
2) Depending on the musical styling she is looking for (guitar or piano based) she may have me write the music, or she goes ahead and writes it herself
3) During step 2, we always use a handheld recorder to capture our ideas as we are working them through. Often we do in "on the fly" - meaning we just start playing standard structures and singing melody over top. Some things work out... some really don't and we keep what we like and toss what we don't and keep vetting this way...
4) Once the song is written to our satisfaction we jam it through on the handheld recorder for posterity and then let it sit for a day or 2 so we can come back to it with fresh ears.
5) After letting the song sit, we give it a listen. Sometimes that idea that you thought rocked in the moment turns out to be a flop and you need to rework it.
6) Then we do a rough cut in the studio. An acoustic demo if you wish... This is for our records so
-- A) you remember how the song goes
-- B) you can pop it into MP3 if you want to send it off to a friend for review
7) When we have enough to put together a CD, we go through the list to see which ones make the cut and which ones don't. You would be amazed at how many songs after having sat for a few months waiting to be recorded (full on) just don't measure up anymore.

Personally, if you are planning on working on a CD rather than just recording demos for your own purpose, you really should wait. To record a CD over an extended period can make it sound disjoint and more like a "compilation" than a coherant CD. I try to have the same musicians play on all of the songs so it sounds like the songs all belong together on the disc. Too many times I have CDs come across my desk that have different musicians playing on different tracks and it saddens me that it usually takes away from the fluidity of the disc.

I guess in summation:

Demos... record 'em as you write 'em.
CDs... plan carefully and only hit the studio when you are ready. You can save money in the long run and have a more pleasant experience when you know what the entire vision of the disc is.