Recording junk

[fooman]

Ever do a project where there was a weak link in the band that was so bad that it made you work twice as hard and made the band sound like garbage?

I just finished a bunch of sessions with a band and one of them has the worst sense of timing ever. The person cannot play the instrument. I have to really take advantage of Sonar's Audiosnap feature with this member of the band.

The biggest problem is that the 'main' two guys in the band want the performances to feel real and not have much edited. How do you possibly explain to two hard-headed individuals that the end product will in fact sound like it was played by a 3 year old no matter how great the rest of the band is if I'm unable to at least get the timing of the drums corrected?

Something else. They came in, and will continually say "don't worry it's not a professional recording". This really gets me angry because I know that if the band is prepared I can put out decent material that can compare to higher-end studios in town that charge much more. I tell them that the project is only as 'pro' as the effort that the band puts forth. I can't turn junk into magic. Impossible. Magic has to take place to come across on 'tape'. Just stuff like basic vocal overdubs are being looked at as 'maybe if we want to', rather than icing on a solid cake (the songs are good already and I enjoy hearing them). That icing often makes the song what it is in the end. Put in the time and effort to make a creative tune and you will get a creative inspiring result.

How do you talk to ppl like this?
I don't want to put out a crummy recording with MY name on it as well if they are simply too lazy to put forth an effort to create great, creative music.

I'm sorry if this is ranting. I had to get it off my chest.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by fooman

How do you talk to ppl like this?
I don't want to put out a crummy recording with MY name on it as well if they are simply too lazy to put forth an effort to create great, creative music.

I'm sorry if this is ranting. I had to get it off my chest.

Don't worry about your name being listed on the crummy record, there is no reputation to lose. I don't mean this as an insult but rather as a reality check, if the band is as bad as you describe them to be (and I don't doubt your judgement) then you can be sure that no potential future client of yours will hear it.

Are you the producer of the band? I think it's very important to establish who's doing that job before you start any project. If you are hired as an recordist/engineer then it's your job to record and engineer and not to produce.

[DontLetMeDrown]

I agree that there is no reputation to lose unless you are secretly Chris Lorde Alge. I'm sure everyone who has heard that band knows how they really sound. I have had similar experiences, and the kind of feedback I would get about the recording was something along the lines of: "Hey I heard what you did with [insert band name here]. It sounded MUCH better than I was expecting. Not because of you, if you know what I mean..."

I don't say anything negative. I just think to myself, "YUP- I know what you mean"