When bands are in the studio recording a song, do they usually have to do many different takes of the song?

Question

Why or why not?

Answer 1

Two ways of recording.. All together at once, or individually then laid over in different layers (tracks). The latter is preferred as it is easier to correct timing when merging. There are some instances when the band is soooo tight with one particular song, that they can pull it off in one recording. We have a band, and watching it be recorded was a blast.
We did it in layers... good question!

Answer 2

Ok As A Musician & someone who has recorded in the studio many times, Before Digital recording Bands Did do Many Takes because everything had to be spot on perfect. That was because editing Tape was a far more difficult & time consuming process, But now with the digital recording studio being the norm & The ability to Cut & paste Parts You only have to get things done right once & you dont even need to record a song in full if there is 3 verses, 3chorus & a Bridge You only have to run through the part once Then you just Cut & Past the parts where you want them & you may not want to believe that but that is how 90% of modern bands do things these days thats why you never hear a mistake or a natural vibe in modern music if you listen to stuff from the 60's 70's & 80's you can & will hear little sonic flaws, Bad notes that were left in missed beats, You dont hear that anymore Thats kinda why todays music doesnt have the same charm That music of those analog eras have. Hope this was helpfull

Answer 3

When recording, you are looking for a performance that best captures the intent for that song - some performances are better than others. It will almost always take a few times to get things ironed out, both technically and performance-wise.

Let's say the band is recording and the third take is pretty good. Most producers will keep that one but then do another take right after it - who knows, it may be better, it may be worse. All this is to get the best performance to build on.

99% of all band projects are recorded as a band playing - why replace instruments if you don't have to? Go for the feel of the performance. I have been a professional engineer for 14 years and have never recorded a project by starting with drums and adding one instrument at a time. Usually a 'core' band is recorded - drums, bass, guitars and a vocal. If something NEEDS to replaced, then it can, but why not go for a complete performance if possible?

Answer 4

Hey, Ok Like My Buddy Marc said in the last answer, Yes & No. My Band Late Model Jesus, still does multiple takes in spite of the digital studios we use, we also record Live but our studio has 4 rooms so we are isolated from each other but we hear each other the the Cans (Headphones) so We record Live but yet we have the isolation so that we have minimal to no bleed,I will generally do a scratch lead Vocal & scratch Guitar track & Then Replace Them later in the session but The Bass Player's bass lines will be kept same goes for the drums & Lead Guitar, we can then Layer More if desired after the bsaic tracks are laid. I dont believe in cut & paste so even though we have that option I still make sure that most of our work get done in Pre production. That means Going to band rehearsal 3 or 4 nights a week working only on the 14 songs we intend to track until we know every little nuance evry fart & squiggle that each song has, this goes on for 6 months before we book our fisrt 10 hour block of recording time, I say on the avrage we do about 10 takes of each songs basic tracks to find the one with the most honest sound & best Vibe. Then I go back & rerecord My rhythm guitar track because the scratch/guide vocals will have bled into my guitar amps track, from there we start work on lead Vocals & then backing Vocals, after that the sweetening adding any addition Percussion(Shakers,tambourines,bongos whatever) Keyboards, Harmonies away from the basic BV's,Strings and the such . My band is recording our debut album (Although this is our 3rd attempt as the first album we recorded in 1984 while with Sony/Epic was scrapped & we wre dropped (We found later we were signed as a tax shelter thing most labes need to sign about 20 new acts they can then drop & cite as a loss for taxation reasons they do that every year) The 2nd attempt was in 1991 for Esquire records & just as we finished the recordings The Lable Folded, So Hopefully the 3rd time is the charm.
Look for it later this year or early 2008

The Band is "Late Model Jesus" & the album Title will be "Pizza Train" look for it Produced By Joe Caravella & Chip Z'Nuff

Answer 5

I once recorded a cd w/my school's concert choir and we had to do many different takes of the song. So, yeah. If one thing, even the tiniest thing stands out it has to be redone. When I recorded if one person stood out just a little more than the rest, it was re-done. And if one note doesn't sound right from anybody that's in a recording studio, the whole section- do-over!

Answer 6

I've heard that it usually takes several attempts to perfect, but there are probably lots of exceptions to that rule. I did find it very interesting (and impressive) that the only original demo tape that made it to "hit" status on the radio is "That's Just The Way It Is, Baby" by The Rembrandts (the same group that sings the "Friends" theme song). The record company didn't think it could be improved by re-recording and it was apparently a good decision.

Answer 7

That's not true. When you record, you generally want the song to be as good as it possibly can be in an artificial environment. Sure, you could lay down a live recording and leave it at that, but the imperfections that inevitably occur are easily ironed out in a studio setting, as you can record and rerecord as often as is necessary to get it perfect.

If it was that easy, an album recording would be done in a few weeks, as opposed to the months it usually takes.

When me and my band enter the studio, we lay down a live recording with the instruments on their various channels, then rerecord each instrument over that initial recording as we go, as said above.

Answer 8

Before multi-track recording (pre mid-60s), bands would set up in one studio and record multiple takes because of the restrictions of the recording technology. The Beatles, for example, recorded their first album, Please Please Me, in one 12 hour session, which is why Lennon's vocal on 'Twist and Shout' (last track recorded) is really harsh-sounding. He’d sung his voice to shreds. By the time they recorded Rubber Soul a few years later, 4-track recording had arrived, but they still set up in a studio and played multiple takes. The point of multiple takes is being able to choose the take with the best sound and fewest mistakes. However, in his earliest recordings for Sun Records (mid 50s), Elvis Presley would do multiple takes and then choose the best sounding take, regardless of any mistakes. He considered the vibe of the song to be far more important than it being note perfect.

The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was recorded on two, new-for-the-times 8-track recorders, and took more than eight months to record and mix down from the 16 tracks to two stereo tracks (an unheard of amount of studio time). Each part of each song was recorded individually, which gives the producer absolute control over the sound of each instrumental and vocal performance. At around the same time, the Beach Boys were doing the same thing with their album Pet Sounds (which included the vocally complex single Good Vibrations). Both Peppers and Pet Sounds are so complex in their construction that neither could have been done as 'live takes'. By the mid 70s, Queen's Freddie Mercury was using 48-track recorders to multi-track his own voice dozens of times on the same recording, creating a virtual ‘choir of one’

These days, the only reasons a band would have to record all together in single takes would be lack of cash (studio time can be very expensive) or because they want to capture their live sound. The practice of playing separately is still the most common way of recording. When a band plays all together, their microphones may faintly pick up the other instruments, making it harder to set volume levels and add post-production effects. A new band recording for the first time may work in live takes, with some post take additions, but if they are successful enough to release multiple albums they are likely to want to explore the possibilities and clean, separate sound that individual take multi-tracking has to offer. Many bands sound great on their multi-tracked studio recording but cannot emulate their studio sound in live performance. That is, they sound great on their album but suck live. This has mainly to do with lack of musicianship, but also some of the complex studio effects, such as digital pitch correction of poor vocals, cannot be reproduced on stage. One notable exception is Wolf Mother. They sound far better live than they do in the studio, as their songs are about the energy they produce when playing together and suffer when they play individually in the studio.

Hope that help...

Answer 9

Usually, recording many different takes is a way to:

1) replay and choose which take sounds better
2) go back and edit if necessary
3) try things a bit differently and experiment
4) the more takes that are recorded, the more options there are in the way of editing...and choosing which take sounds best.


I hope this helps.

Answer 10

Generally they play at different times. The drummer goes first, the bass goes second, the keyboard goes third the lead guitar goes fourth ect. This is what they mean by laying down tracks. Sometimes they do it because of mistakes and sometimes they want to try different versions.