Studio Drummer – DAW Recording – ‘What You Played Is What You Played’

*WHAT YOU PLAYED IS WHAT YOU PLAYED.*

 

In fact, on most formats of tape machine, especially the highest end of multi tracking tape machines, you couldn’t ‘punch in’ either or there were very limited areas where one could punch in to a track.  It would have to involve silence or an actual pause in the music.  It was often a very pressure filled setting.

 

I was working with Bob Rock the famous producer/engineer, recording drums for the second Idle Eyes record at the infamous Little Mountain Sound studios in Vancouver.  It was the center of the world for rock recording in the 80’s.  Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, David Lee Roth, the Cult etc recorded huge albums there.

 

 

It was also a world famous studio for drum sounds.  Fantastic drum sounds, so much so that artists would come from around the world just for that sound.  But Bob didn’t like to punch at all.  It had to be full takes for him.  That shows you just how much things have changed in the world of recording.

 

A funny little story there – we were just finishing up that record when a bunch of very rock and roll looking dudes show up at the studio and Bob says to us “Yea that’s this band Bon Jovi, I have to record their record next week and I just feel burned out right now.”  That ‘album’ was Slippery When Wet which sold about 10 million copies and launched Bon Jovi and Bob Rock into the stratosphere.
 

On this topic of full takes, I remember on an album for WEA records we were having trouble with a certain tune that just wasn’t feeling the way the producer wanted.  Again it was entire takes of the song over and over. 

 

Today it would just be done in sections and edited together or by punching in on sections, but not in those days.

 

It was an added dimension of pressure that the session musician had to learn how to handle.  The anxiety at times could be literally overwhelming.  However, it is a very good exercise even today to at least practice playing songs as entire takes.  If you’re in a recording situation I would strongly recommend that you push to record this way as well. You may very well be expected on a recording session to be able to read down and play an entire take.

 

Of course the producer and the artist are going to ultimately dictate how things get laid down.  But if you are given a say in the matter and are comfortable with it then I would recommend doing it this way.

 

Stay tuned for more posts on this topic!