How to be consistent in studio performance?
Every time I hear myself playing in a studio recording setup, I feel like my playing is inconsistent in terms of tempo and dynamics, regardless of the instrument (drums or guitar).
I know I can improve my tempo by practicing with a click but there are always some volume inconsistency between two successive hits or picks. In the case of guitar recording, sometimes I can accidentally hit open strings or get noise.
How else can I improve?
(2)2 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
I agree with Dr Mayhem that practice is important to solving the core issues you raise.
However, in terms of dynamics between successive picks/hits, some compression might help you. In short, a compressor will even out a signal by attenuating the volume over a certain threshold. These are commonplace in any studio (in fact, if you ask me, they tend to be overused nowadays).
Those two problems you describe (mishitting strings and inconsistency in volume/tone) are only fixed by practice. Lots and lots of practice.
They are things you can get away with in a live environment, but they do show up in a studio where every mistake is very evident.
I had the same problem - I love gigging, but the first time I went into the studio I was incredibly disappointed in myself - I sounded terrible: out of time, many mistakes etc.
But the solution was to practice - I used a metronome to practice consistent alternate picking (this was the biggest problem I had) and worked out a couple of complicated chord sequences to practice over and over at steadily increasing speed.
Now I love the studio - I always want to improve, but my notes now sound like I want them to.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.