Posted on Mar 26 2018 01:56 AM
Joelman wrote:
I found my biggest problem was when my brain would start thinking about what I was doing, or worse, what I'm not doing.
Or at a point, think to myself, damn that sounds good, and then mess up the next few notes.
I'm not a young guy anymore and I find my muscles start getting tired and it can cause a mistake.
Several times I get all the way through a great track, and mess up the last few notes in anticipation of finally gettingg a clean effort.
I don't know how to edit this garageband app yet, so if it sounds good, it was a good take completely.
Recording is a different animal from playing live. You'd be surprised that some of the hit songs we hear have been sliced and diced and sometimes by a gaggle of editors cutting each note taking a month of work after the artist has finished the tracks.
Is there latency on your DAW setup going in and coming out by the time you hear it? Are you hearing your guitar fast enough to be able to sync with the rest of the tracks? Not all DAWs are created equal and a latency issue can make for a frustrating experience and bad feelings about one's abilities.
Doing a solo top to bottom is not easy for most and even if you practice it, it's like surfing. You hang ten and coast or wipeout.
You fall off, you get back on again..and again.
Getting the parts to sit with the track and sound musical is the goal not how fast you can get done with the task.
And as you listen back you will see where you would like the note to hang or cut out at specific spots. So either you punch in that part again or you use editing tools to stretch or shorten the note. Or use a tuning plugin to get the part to be in tune. Welcome to the 21st century.
Doing recording by yourself, unless you have automation down, for punch in/out cues you need a second pair of hands to punch yourself in and out fixing all those notes that bother you. Enter your assistant.
It's not unusual to do the parts many times until you get it right.
As many as it takes actually if you want it done proper.
If you need inspiration watch La Bamba the movie where producer Bob Keane tells Richie to do the part over and over again until his brother wants to slap Keane.
Like anything, recording takes practice. Practice DOING IT. In short we all have to pay our dues.
Have to stick with it is all. Choose easier songs perhaps at the start.
But overall, no pain no gain.
And.. no shame if you don't get it the first dozen or so times.
April Birthdays 
