Too Many Broad Strokes?

If I had access to some decent drum patterns, I'd probably do the drums first, then the guitar/vocal track. I could use a click track - but if there's one skill I have been blessed with, it's pretty good timing, so I don't bother. I probably would if I was going for a really good recording, but with the equipment at my disposal, all I can manage is a rough-sounding demo, unfortunately.

I was doing something similar to what you were doing, minus the vocals. I would record an acoustic track just playing the open chords as a guide and then go back and record over it. Now that I have Addictive Drums (which is awesome I must say and well worth the money), I find that I do a lot better to lay down at least a rough drum track first. If I have a riff I'm wanting to write a song around, I'll record the riff and play it back on a loop, then open up the AD interface and start listening to the built-in beats. When I find something that fits, I delete the riff and layout the drums and then play the guide track to that. Much easier than playing to a click track and with the MIDI drums, you HAVE to play the guitar parts exactly on time. I do the same process for the chorus and other parts if I want different beats during those parts. At some point in the process, I'll go back and cut bits and pieces out of the drum track and insert fills or change the beat a little. One of the things I like about AD*, which took me a while to realize they were even there, is that each beat has 10-15 variations. For example, you find a beat and you can have it w/ 8th note closed high hat or 16th note ride or plain, etc.

Going back to what blue was saying, another issue I've found with my "strummedly strum" (if I may borrow your oh-so-appropriate term, Chris) method of playing when I go from single guitarist to "full one-man-band" (in quotes because I'm using the term band very loosely), is that because I treat silence like it's the plague, it makes it difficult to punch in and fix parts of the track. I pretty much force myself to play the whole track for every take and just hope I get it right. Of course, that pressure makes it more likely that I'll screw up.

* I realized after typing AD in here a couple of times how much of my life involves those two letters. Most importantly, I'm a DAD, I use Addictive Drums which I abbreviate AD, at work I write code that interacts w/ Active Directory which we abbreviate AD, I have A.D.D. (I just took my medicine an hour ago which is probably why this message is so long) and I seem to use A and D chords a lot more than others, usually A is the first chord I play when I pick up my guitar.
:roll: Sorry for going so far off topic.

I went through an exercise a few weeks ago and have been working on it a bit here and there since then. It's called "Sing Me Back Home", and was done really slowly too. No full chords and some accent notes here and there. It's had iterations of ringing bass notes and 2-3 note chord strikes, pauses, etc, etc. This was a pretty horrible attempt, but it was a very early one. http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6685873 (the beginning is horid :evil: )

It does make for a good example of what I've been trying to work on some. It has gotten better. This is the song I can make my wife fall asleep with on the first verse. (I sing too, but horribly and not on the above recording.)

Sounds pretty good Roy, the chord progression and laid back feel kinda reminds me of Pearl Jam's "All or None"

You're WAY too kind, but thanks. I think it's an old Merle Haggard song. This version was inspired from a piano version I saw on You Tube done by Keith Richards of all people. It was about 1/2 speed of the original. Horrible voice and painful to listen to piano, but the whole vibe was way much cool. Brought me back to the, well, it just brought me back.

With this stupid illness, I've had some free time lately as I sleep less than I was. Along with my quest for single guitar arrangements, I've added scales (again), improv (lead), a bit Blues You Can Use book and this playing less than full strummy techniques in soft and hard music. Trying to get well rounded. I have to do what I'm capable of at any given time, though.

Babbling, I am. Pass the Adderall. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

So, this less-than-strummy technique we are speaking of. Does it go by a name?

also having a big boomy dread...you have discovered a secret of recording. I lay off the E and A and pay attention tho the thinner strings. the end result sounds like a balanced acoustic guitar.

also having a big boomy dread...you have discovered a secret of recording. I lay off the E and A and pay attention tho the thinner strings. the end result sounds like a balanced acoustic guitar.

This -- and the need to use careful distribution in frequency of instrument voicings -- might be the reason someone created Nashville tuning.

good point. last night I was watching a DVD with a Nashville guitarist teaching licks. he talked extensively about sometimes not using the lower strings, altering a pickup so as to lower the output for the three low end poles, but increasing the output for the three high string poles (he had Seymour Duncan make this hybred pickup) and using custom sets of strings. (mixing gauges).

This is certainly off topic but one issue I'm having is recording directly into Pro Tools via my MBox. I plug my Taylor straight into the MBOX and record. Sound is absolutely terrible. I have to EQ it just to get it tolerable. Anyways, you quickly begin to realize the importance of having to mic an acoustic (in seveal places) just to get a good recording.

I was getting better sounding guitar when I recorded directly to a little hand held digital recorder!!! What I think I'm going to do, going forward, is to play the acoustic through my amp and mic it close to me while I'm playing. Wuddaya think?

A friend of mine who used to be a studio engineer told me he always mic'ed acoustics by aiming the mic at the 8th fret. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to.

Nick, I listened to Lost Summer Days...like it alot! Gave a listen to your other stuff too. Good thing I use headphones here at work!!! :lol: (re: your song, "I'm gonna......") Bravo for saying what needed to be said!

Roy, I listened to that a while back. Indeed, that's what I'm talking about! Good stuff BTW!

I'm going to record at home this weekend. Will have to see what comes of it. Also will be jamming with a few friends. I'm hoping I can just play and have fun and not spend too much time trying to play perfect.

I record my non eletric resonater with a wide diaphram condenser mike. it is above the guitar about a foot. it is aimed between the bridge and neck joint. pretty much where I pick. not bad results.
for my electric/acoustic I plug into a DI box then the digital interface. I have two pickups inside the guitar. one is a mike the other a piezo under the bridge,. I found by setting the mix in the guitar at 90% piezo and 10% mike I get clear distinct highs and the boom is gone. when I have the piezo less than the mike, which is my usual setting, I get boom in the mix.
it pays to play around with acoustics and mikes and room etc..etc...
I also tend not to strum hard on the bottom strings. I almost aim past them.