Snehankur

Anderton
You're overthinking it. Please come to my "Recording on the Fast Track" seminar if you'll be at this year's Summer NAMM.

Will we have the video posted?
Regards
Snehankur

That's up to NAMM.

Happens to me all the time too. Having a really quick "forget this take and start over" routine also helps. I generally have to do a few takes even if I thought I prepared enough. 

MarioD
The dreaded red light syndrome! A very command illness!  Been there - done that - still have it!
 
What I find that helps a lot is to not look at the computer screen while you are recording.  During a count in turn around and just play with the music.  YMMV.
 
 
 

That's a really good idea. I'm going to try that. Thanks
 

psych psych

The OP wrote:
"Sheesh ... and this is more than likely in the wrong forum."
 
This question does indeed belong on this forum...because the resolution resides within Sonar.
 
My first "studio" was a VestaFire 4-track recorder. You may recall that 4-tracks like this used regular cassette audio tapes, and recorded each stereo track as a separate track, and on playback played both sides of the tape at the same time for the total of four track. Trouble was that you had only about two chances to get a track right, or the degradation of the media on that tape track ruined the whole tape.
 
I can't get nervous any more about bad takes. Between the essentially unlimited number of takes Sonar allows, and the ease of comping, I think the whole thing is -well- a cakewalk.
 
I do all my personal recording on a loop because I know I want multiple takes. I had a difficult 4-bar section last year that required THIRTY takes before I was happy! I kid you not.
 
The trick is getting out of a "performance" or maybe more accurately "rehearsal" mentality when recording. My wife has this problem...She has a wonderful classical voice - Ten times better than mine - But she will stop singing during a session if she perceives a momentary problem, like a missed note or wrong word...then I yell "Keep singing!..Keep singing!".
 
I responded to a post a while back with a trick I use to combat fatigue, but will repeat it here because it might also help with the head game. I will often not record a tune in a linear manner. Here is how I may record "Row, Row, Row Boat" as the backing track is playing in the background:
 
TAKE1:
"Row, row, row your boat"
<no singing, only backing track>
"Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily"
<no singing>
TAKE2:
<no singing, only backing track>
"Gently down the stream"
<no singing>
"Life is but a dream"
 
I then stitch them together to get the complete tune.
This helps me catch my breath, but also allows a couple seconds to think about the next phrase.
 

SBLS,
 
It could be worse.
 
You could be me.

rbecker
I responded to a post a while back with a trick I use to combat fatigue, but will repeat it here because it might also help with the head game. I will often not record a tune in a linear manner. Here is how I may record "Row, Row, Row Boat" as the backing track is playing in the background:
 
TAKE1:
"Row, row, row your boat"
<no singing, only backing track>
"Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily"
<no singing>
TAKE2:
<no singing, only backing track>
"Gently down the stream"
<no singing>
"Life is but a dream"
 
I then stitch them together to get the complete tune.
This helps me catch my breath, but also allows a couple seconds to think about the next phrase.

 
This is something I do as well, and I find it useful.
 

Anderton

rbecker
I responded to a post a while back with a trick I use to combat fatigue, but will repeat it here because it might also help with the head game. I will often not record a tune in a linear manner. Here is how I may record "Row, Row, Row Boat" as the backing track is playing in the background:
 
TAKE1:
"Row, row, row your boat"
<no singing, only backing track>
"Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily"
<no singing>
TAKE2:
<no singing, only backing track>
"Gently down the stream"
<no singing>
"Life is but a dream"
 
I then stitch them together to get the complete tune.
This helps me catch my breath, but also allows a couple seconds to think about the next phrase.

 
This is something I do as well, and I find it useful.
 

Likewise.
 
I build up harmonies and/or double tracks using a similar system.

Hello All, I have multi-track recorded a practice session with our Behringer Xair18 with the software that came with it, Tracktion 5. Now I imported the tracks into sonar x3 and would like to use it to split the tracks into separate song files, keeping the tracks. Does anyone here know how to do that in Sonar, so that it does not make a copy of the full tracks for every song, it is a waste of disk space. I should have asked this question years ago when I first encountered it.
 
 
 
Sonar X3e
HP Pavilion P7-1233w 16G Memory
Windows 10 Pro
1 Plextor 128 SSD as StartUp
2 Seagate 1 TB Drives
M-Audio 1814
Peavey StudioMix
Behringer Xair18
Event BAS 20/20 Old style

rbecker
The OP wrote:
"Sheesh ... and this is more than likely in the wrong forum."
 
This question does indeed belong on this forum...because the resolution resides within Sonar.
 
My first "studio" was a VestaFire 4-track recorder. You may recall that 4-tracks like this used regular cassette audio tapes, and recorded each stereo track as a separate track, and on playback played both sides of the tape at the same time for the total of four track. Trouble was that you had only about two chances to get a track right, or the degradation of the media on that tape track ruined the whole tape.
 
I can't get nervous any more about bad takes. Between the essentially unlimited number of takes Sonar allows, and the ease of comping, I think the whole thing is -well- a cakewalk.
 
I do all my personal recording on a loop because I know I want multiple takes. I had a difficult 4-bar section last year that required THIRTY takes before I was happy! I kid you not.
 
The trick is getting out of a "performance" or maybe more accurately "rehearsal" mentality when recording. My wife has this problem...She has a wonderful classical voice - Ten times better than mine - But she will stop singing during a session if she perceives a momentary problem, like a missed note or wrong word...then I yell "Keep singing!..Keep singing!".
 
I responded to a post a while back with a trick I use to combat fatigue, but will repeat it here because it might also help with the head game. I will often not record a tune in a linear manner. Here is how I may record "Row, Row, Row Boat" as the backing track is playing in the background:
 
TAKE1:
"Row, row, row your boat"
<no singing, only backing track>
"Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily"
<no singing>
TAKE2:
<no singing, only backing track>
"Gently down the stream"
<no singing>
"Life is but a dream"
 
I then stitch them together to get the complete tune.
This helps me catch my breath, but also allows a couple seconds to think about the next phrase.
 

The late Dusty Springfield, it has been claimed, would work on her vocal recordings one short phrase or even one syllable at a time, the final released track being composited, the old-fashioned way with a razor blade and adhesive tape, from multiple short clips. The engineers and producers of the 60's, 70's and 80's would have sold a fair proportion of their souls for the technology we have access to.

Playing live and recording are two quite different things. Live you can get away with all kinds of sloppiness and even really bad ideas so long as you move on quickly because the atmosphere compensates. Recordings have to stand up to repeated listening.

On the other hand, Bo Diddley's recording of "Before You Accuse Me", complete with off-key singing and "interesting" guiar break is regarded as a classic. A modern producer would probably have listened to it once and said "OK chaps, let's call it a day. Come back when you're awake and sober and we'll try that again."

PS Not for nothing do they call me Mr Take 93 :-)