Recording screw ups- What not to do...

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The fat one always watches us.
Member Since: Nov 08, 2002

Ok I'll start off with mine
the basics- How many times have you said-
1)"that was the best solo I've ever played" should have hit record so other people could hear it too

2)"this piece of crap effects unit- It's not working" (spend 20 minutes checking cables, replacing pickup batteries) oh, I had the guitar plugged into the foot pedal hole....not the input

3)"everyone's sleeping, I'm going to quietly record in my headphones" so you turn stuff on, make sure the guitar is up all the way- put on the headphones and let'er rip..... the noise is huge and the wife starts yelling, the kid starts crying- the headphones must be plugged in you see or else the monitors are live as heck.....

4)" I'm going to play some guitar" so you set everything up, and for the life of you cant find a pic....

5)"Stupid multi-track program, what the heck!!!" trying to balance the sound, moving a track to the right, that just makes it worse, the left seems louder- mess with 4 other tracks now its all messed up- take headphones off in disgust- only to find that the headphones were on backwards

6)"that's the best keyboard playing I've ever done" but when you listen to it back there are several chair squeaks, one soft cough, and a few clicking type sounds on the track....Crap- left the stupid vocal mic's on the whole time! track ruined

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Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Feb 07, 2007 10:58 am

twice i've done field recordings and forgot to press the big red button.

First one was a total loss, second one was 50% loss. After the first time, I thought to myself: "Sheesh, I'll never do that again".

I think I need to put sticky notes saying 'PRESS THE RED BUTTON".

-------------------------------

Thinking I was removing a selected part of a track, but actually deleted the whole track, of a vocal, after 1.5 hours of trying to get it right in one take, and finally having a great one.

-------------------------------

Just a few days ago, retubed my amp, and after fiddling with problems, had everything in good shape, should be perfect, flip off standby, turn up amp, guitar, hit chord . . . nothing. CHeck over settings, look in back of amp . . . nothing. Drummer says "shouldn't your guitar cord be plugged into the amp?".

d'oh!


Ne'er ate 'er
Member
Since: Apr 05, 2006

Feb 07, 2007 11:08 am

Innovations that should have won the Nobel Prize for their inventors:

1. The 'undo' feature for software.

2. The 'mute' feature on the TV remote.

3. Duct tape.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Feb 07, 2007 11:19 am

I have a very narrow margin of time to spend playing electric guitar during my lunch hours at work. I rush home, shove a sandwich in my mouth, and run to the guitar. Very short on time, so any little glitch becomes an emergency in a hurry.

Turn on the amp, let 'er warm up. Turn off the standby switch. No sound. Check the connctions between the output section and the attenuator. Check the connections from the attenuator to the speakers. Check the connections between pedals and amp. Check the connections between pedals. Guitar cable is plugged into the pedals. WTF?!?!

Oh, I guess I need to plug the other end of the cable into the guitar.

Me is smart.

The fat one always watches us.
Member
Since: Nov 08, 2002

Feb 07, 2007 12:14 pm

at home i mic my acoustic and go straight in sometimes- I played the song. I listend to the track and it was realllly weak. so i turned the direct line in up on the mixer. did the song again- same thing. doh, didnt plug the direct line into the guitar

Answer:On a good day, lipstick.
Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004

Feb 07, 2007 12:33 pm

Quote: Drummer says "shouldn't your guitar cord be plugged into the amp?".

Bwahahahahahaha!


The vocal mic on during a take is one that seems to get me a lot. I should check....


Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006

Feb 07, 2007 02:55 pm

"Ahhh, that was a great drum take, let's crank up the buffer, apply CPU intensive effects and get a good mix with the guitars before doing vocal takes".

*20 minutes later* "Wow, sounds pretty good, let's lay some vocals over that!"

*10 minutes later* "OMG, that was the greatest vocal take ever!! Let me add some compression and we'll see what it sounds like"

"Strange is seems to be a little off time.... and slowly getting worse.... CRAP!!! DAMN YOU BUFFERS!!!"

Cone Poker
Member
Since: Apr 07, 2002

Feb 07, 2007 06:27 pm

"Anyone want some rum"

Eat Spam before it eats YOU!!!
Member
Since: May 11, 2002

Feb 07, 2007 06:50 pm

"I need to free up some hard drive space"

and

Accidently switching from 48khz to 44.1 khz mid project.






Cone Poker
Member
Since: Apr 07, 2002

Feb 07, 2007 07:10 pm

telling your friend "Nah take your time, It's not like you're paying for it"

Pinnipedal Czar (: 3=
Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004

Feb 07, 2007 07:46 pm

I'm notorious for forgetting to arm the track, and then punching in the take that ends up being lost forever .

There's no crying in recording .

Eat Spam before it eats YOU!!!
Member
Since: May 11, 2002

Feb 07, 2007 09:30 pm

but theres a 'c' 'r' 'i' and an 'ng'


...sort for like how there no 'I' in 'team' but there's an 'm' & 'e'

Typo Szar
Member
Since: Jul 04, 2002

Feb 07, 2007 11:03 pm

Not a huge problem, but pretty dumb on my part, i like to end up arming like a whole bunch of random trax while i record, adn ill be like.. y does it sound weird????

Frisco's Most Underrated
Member
Since: Jan 28, 2003

Feb 08, 2007 12:46 pm

yeah, i tend to forget to unarm a good take and arm another track, and then record on two tracks accidentally, thereby recording right over the take i wanted to save, and ending up with two tracks of the same overdubs!

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Feb 08, 2007 01:00 pm

Eww I hate that Coolo. Yes I have my issues with arming tracks.

I need to combine my knowledge of computer programming along with my knowledge of home recording and make a multitracker for the home recordist.

First feature on the list: a GIANT track arming button. So big you can't miss it! And it'll blink. And maybe it'll have arrows that all point to it.

Too bad I don't know squat about digital signal processing or else I'd start this project today!

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006

Feb 08, 2007 01:12 pm

I think that would be cool, maybe with a big waaaoooooggaaa noise too.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Feb 08, 2007 01:29 pm

LOL captain...nice onomatopoeia :D

Yes, and it could be shipped with a USB-powered red flashing light like TV cops use on the dashboards of their unmarked cars

Eat Spam before it eats YOU!!!
Member
Since: May 11, 2002

Feb 08, 2007 01:46 pm

but it won't work in vista...

Answer:On a good day, lipstick.
Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004

Feb 08, 2007 04:26 pm

Tadpui:

In this politically correct age, you should be careful about using words like "onomatopoeia" too liberally. There may be some who are hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobic, and you might upset them.


Pinnipedal Czar (: 3=
Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004

Feb 08, 2007 05:33 pm

You may be on to something, Tadpui .

Especially the USB recording-in-progress light . That's right smart, if at all possible . I'd buy it !

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Feb 08, 2007 10:05 pm

OK TallChap, I'll watch my mouth from this point on. LOL, is that even a word? I hope it is because I'm going to have to work that into a sentence. You know, I haven't used onomatopoeia in a sentence since 9th grade :-D

Bwahahaha, I just googled it and got the definition. Firstly, congratulations for spelling it correctly and everything. But even better, nice usage of it in a sentence :)

Hue, I'll be sure to send you the first USB-powered recording-in-progress light off the assembly line. Would you like that in "forgot to arm the track red" or "no cable plugged into the microphone amber"? :-D

Pinnipedal Czar (: 3=
Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004

Feb 08, 2007 11:24 pm

Red would probably be more applicable, in my case... thanks !

Cone Poker
Member
Since: Apr 07, 2002

Feb 09, 2007 02:14 am

weird words: Sometimes I won't tell my friend about something that happened to me for 14 days, just so I can say "so a fortnight ago..."

anyway, I was recording my friend last night and I could not remember to arm the friggin track. Perfect take and then I had to be like "okey, good practice, now lets record it" and he would be like "uh..." and I would reply "Yeah sorry dude, I didn't hit the arm buttons..."

Also, for some reason the damn DAW would not rewind, so I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure that out. It would rewind, and then when i hit play instead of playing back from the beginning it would play from the middle. Probably put a marker somewhere on accident.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Feb 09, 2007 10:25 pm

Try this one. I have more often then not re-arranged for someone who is using GM sound to compose or start a piece of music. Multiple track's. Import all the tracks as I usually do. Then start assigning synths and patches, channels and general routing. Hit play and nothing happens. Check for my midi signal and all is good and blinking. WTF???

Open the tracks data to find that there is a GM reset which switches off all my software synths. Now do this repeatedly every time you load a project like this. You would think after this many years I would have learned.

Another is on a desk the size of mine there are way too many buttons to accidentally hit or simply forget to reset, which tend to mute everything else. Then you spend an hour checking every damn cable in the place looking for what might be wrong because you can see the meters all bounding and the signal is there.

Ooops, that damn button again!

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Feb 09, 2007 10:38 pm

And for you guys with track arming issues. Sonar has always had multiple lights that tell you something somewhere is armed for recording. One of them is right next to the controls so you cannot miss it.

Pinnipedal Czar (: 3=
Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004

Feb 09, 2007 10:50 pm

Loki, I'm dyin' !

About the Sonar Noize... sooo true . Hell, the whole damn track lights up when it's armed in wave-view . I have absoluely no viable excuse .

Typo Szar
Member
Since: Jul 04, 2002

Feb 11, 2007 10:08 am

I think the thing that makes anyone feel dumb is the fact they have no excuse to make the mistakes they make, well thats y i feel dumb about it atleast. coz when my friends r saying "y did u arm all those trax" i cant say "oh coz sonar doesnt remind me to unarm them"i just have to say im made a booboo

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