Drum Tracks: Should You Record Them First Or Last?

It can be difficult to decide precisely when to record drum tracks for your project in relation to the other instruments.

Drums are recorded either first or last most of the time, so I want to address these two options specifically.

There are arguments for both choices, and I think either can be a good one. The point is to understand the options so you can decide what is best for your music.

Why not just record all of the instruments at the same time?

In a perfect world, many composers and songwriters would prefer to rent a studio capable of recording multiple instruments (think inputs, separation, etc.) live, with thoroughly rehearsed musicians ready to record as an ensemble.

In the real world, this process is too expensive and impractical for today’s budgets.

The intimidating prospect of paying and organizing the schedules of multiple session musicians (for rehearsals as well as recording), and paying by the minute for a for a well-equiped studio, leads many to record instruments separately.

Let’s explore the option of recording the drum tracks first.

If your arrangement has been worked out during pre-production, you can have the drummer read a chart or listen to MIDI drum parts you have created.

However if your process is going to be more “organic” and you are not entirely sure what the arrangement will be, it is important to have the session drummer play with space. That way you can have room sonically to let the other session musicians come up with great parts.

You don’t want to have a busy drum track that doesn’t leave space for a great vocal lick or Wurlitzer melody you may come up with later.

Some people like to record as they write, which is not for me to promote or criticize.

The point is, if you record the drums first and don’t have your arrangement fully thought out, the drum parts need to be spacious for the benefit of your process.

There are obvious advantages to recording drums first. Certainly session musicians feel more inspired tracking to drums rather than just click and a loop or programmed drum part. Performances are likely to be more energetic that way.

When drums are recorded first, everyone gets to play to the specific drummer’s pocket. If every musician tracks to click that means it is all in time — but the music can be more in the pocket if drums are recorded first for all to track to.

There are also advantages to recording drum tracks last.

The big one is the opportunity for maximum musicality from the drummer, in terms of the actual parts.

A great session drummer can really shape your composition, as well as accentuate subtleties. Both of these concepts can be achieved more easily when the drummer tracks to the (mostly) finished product.

When tracking last, the drummer can accentuate big guitar hits that were not present earlier in the process, or add some nice subtle interplay to vocal riffs during an outro.

These are the types of things that listeners associate with tight, well-rehearsed musicians. Recording drum tracks last can “trick” the listener into thinking they are hearing a live recording of musicians who have performed the material many times.

Essentially, the more information the session drummer gets from what he hears, the more specifically musical he can be.

You can weigh these options and decide what is best for your music. Good luck and make sure you enjoy what you are doing regardless of your logistic decisions.

Article Compares Drum Samples To Custom Drum Tracks

eDrumSessions founder Shay Godwin has written an article comparing the use of drum samples to custom drum tracks from an online session drummer.

Drum samples are good for composing and pre-production work.  As for using them for final drum tracks, this is not advisable.  Certain styles of music can use drum samples without suffering badly, but most musical situations require real, custom drum tracks.

Read the full article.

Morrissey To Sue NME Publisher IPC Media

Morrissey has long been at war with NME magazine, who accuse him of being racist.  This accusation is based on Morrissey’s statements on British cultural identity.

NME has intimated that Morrissey is racist repeatedly since he wrapped himself in the Union flag at a show in Finsbury Park.  It is  baffling that this w as viewed

as racist imagery.

Now Morrissey is taking NME’s publisher, IPC Media, and former editor Conor McNicholas to court for libel.

I’m taking sides on this one.  Go Morrissey, sue their pants off and get them to shut up.  He probably won’t win, but at least he will make a point.

Read more here.

Online Drum Tracks: UK Commercial With Session Drummer Shay Godwin

eDrumSessions founder Shay Godwin recently recorded drum tracks for a UK television ad now airing.

The ad, for GoCompare (UK auto insurance company), is comedic in nature and references the movie “One Million Years B.C.” The feel of the music is shuffle, ironically sounding more like an American shuffle than a Brit-pop shuffle.

Online recording studio eDrumSessions.com is increasingly called upon for studio services by overseas production houses writing commercial music.

Session drummer Godwin recorded the drum tracks online for client Yellow Boat Music, a U.K. commercial production house. These sessions are done remotely, with producer Paul Cartledge communicating in real time via Skype, and listening in on the drum tracks recording session live via NiceCast.

Most commercial recording sessions involve two to three versions of the same song. This is done for different edits of the commercial. Only two edits were done for this session.

This commercial features opera star Gio Compario.

It is becoming common in these modern times for musical collaborations to take place between different nations because of the internet. Online recording studios are becoming an industry mainstay, due to cost-effectiveness of international collaboration that was once extremely expensive due to travel costs.

Here is a press release about the commercial, in which both session drummer Godwin and Yellow Boat Music are mentioned.

Online Drum Tracks: Aquarian Drumheads And eDrumSessions.com part 2

Thanks for checking out Part 2 of my article on Aquarian drumheads and their uses for my online drum tracks.

In this installment, I will discuss Texture Coated with Power Dot heads, Jack DeJohnette Signature heads, and Super Kick 1 heads.

Texture Coated with Power Dot heads feature a reinforcement dot on the bottom side of the head. On heavy-hitting online drum tracks, I can wail on backbeats with full confidence it the durability of the head, yet sensitivity is not sacrificed one bit. This is a great achievement. Often, reinforcement dots can completely kill the responsiveness of the drum, to the point of “choking” the sound. This is not so with Power Dot heads from Aquarian, which respond to even light orchestral-style playing.

I don’t always hit hard enough to reach for these, but I keep some in my arsenal for certain online drum tracks. If I am doing a hard rock thing, I’m gonna beat the drums hard. With the Power-dot reinforced Texture Coated heads, I can confidently do so. Some would use a double-ply head in this situation. That is fine, I just am personally not into double-ply heads.

The Jack DeJohnette signature heads have the best combination of warmth and clarity I have ever experienced. They are actually black in color, and have a dark tone to them. They are very articulate, despite their dark tone. I have used them for quite a few online drum tracks.

Lastly, I will address the Super Kick bass drum heads I use. These feature a brilliantly designed internal muffling ring that keeps the sound in control. I often will play with nothing inside my kick drum for a nice open sound. The Super Kick heads take extra ring away without killing the tone. The most I ever use is a towel inside the kick. This is often simply so that a mic can be placed inside the bass drum for online drum tracks. The Super Kick allows just enough control of the bass drum overtones, while still leaving it open-sounding.

Hopefully this article helped explain my basic approach to head selection when recording your online drum tracks. Read more articles on this site on the subject of online drum tracks.