setup time for live tracking (4 piece rock band)

[hithere]

hey guys been interested in doing some live tracking at a studio with my 4 piece. Drums/2guitars/bass.

was told it can take 2 to 4 hours, is it possible to be done in a shorter time? am trying to save some money

[Matt R]

Originally Posted by hithere

hey guys been interested in doing some live tracking at a studio with my 4 piece. Drums/2guitars/bass.

was told it can take 2 to 4 hours, is it possible to be done in a shorter time? am trying to save some money

It all depends on the studio, gear, cable runs, technicians experience...

I could be up and running in 30-40 minutes on that in most cases, but that's assuming a perfect scenario.

[newdigitaluser]

Originally Posted by hithere

hey guys been interested in doing some live tracking at a studio with my 4 piece. Drums/2guitars/bass.

was told it can take 2 to 4 hours, is it possible to be done in a shorter time? am trying to save some money

how well can you play
how much are you going to perform

you could do a full cd in 60 minutes
if you can play everything straight through without errors

add the time it takes to move in gear and set up
AND
the time it takes to tear down and move out gear

i dont see you doing it in less than 2 hours
more likely 4 hours would be ambitious
cause nothing ever goes perfectly

40 hours could be too little if you go perfectionist or golden eared once you get started

want to save money?
then DIY at home with your own gear

[hithere]

sorry, I forget to mention in the actual post, just the SETUP time, not tracking or anything else, I felt like 2-4 hours seemed a lot to put 2 57s on guitar amps/di a bass and mic up a drum kit...

[NathanEldred]

IME 2 hours is easy to burn through for the setup of the studio (you'll be doing your setup simultaneously which will only take 30 minutes) and also headphone mix. The more time you spend in initial setup getting everything sounding great (mic choice - which isn't always paint by numbers btw, mic positioning, isolation choices, drum tuning, amp choices, etc) will save you triple that time in mix. A lot of young/inexperienced bands/musicians think their stuff sounds great, but a lot of flaws are revealed when put under the microscope. Not always, but in my experience this is more common than not on the 'local' level. Slap up the mics 'gorilla' recording is always an option, and probably will only take 45 minutes, but its not going to be the best for yours or the studios presentation & reputation.

[newdigitaluser]

Originally Posted by hithere

sorry, I forget to mention in the actual post, just the SETUP time, not tracking or anything else, I felt like 2-4 hours seemed a lot to put 2 57s on guitar amps/di a bass and mic up a drum kit...

2 hours seems good for setup and tear down your gear
IF you dont have to tune drums replace strings etc.
or waste time looking for something you forgot

should not take them more than that to put mikes in place
run cables do a sound check and otherwise get ready

why not ask them why they need so much time ?

[Sultan of Swing]

I do this sort of thing quite often, and I try to keep it to about an hour. What I am referring to is hauling in equipment, making the choices of mics and placement that Nathan mentioned in his post, tuning up, basic headphone mixes. At that point the musicians should be able to start running through a song. Certainly, some further adjustments might need to be made, but at least the musicians aren't standing around waiting for the engineer to get things together.

A couple of things that keep setup time shorter at my studio: I own a good drum set and suggest that bands use it. My drum set is in good tune, with good heads and hardware. Usually the client goes with my set, but they are welcome to bring their own cymbals, kick pedal, and snare drum. If the drummer really wants to use his own set, it's fine, but plan on adding 30-60 minutes for setup, tuning, mic placement, etc. A second thing I do is try to find out in advance who plays what, who sings, what kind of guitars and amps they have, what kind of sound they are going for, etc. That way I can be somewhat organized when the band walks in the door, and that saves everyone time. Communicate with the studio about the previously mentioned things and also about your expectations for the recording. Are you making a record, or is it a band demo to find some gigs? As an engineer, I would approach the situation differently depending on your answer to that question.

I often get asked if the clock starts ticking when the client arrives, or after setup. My answer is when you arrive, because the engineer does some of his most important work during the setup. Having said that, I do build some flexibility into my billing. With your situation, you should be ready to record in two hours, or less than that if the studio has a drum set ready to go. You've made it clear that you are on a smaller budget. If you want to make a unique statement or do a bunch of experimenting, that means more time and money. So communicate before your session, and if the studio is organized it should go well.