I am working on a new Gospel CD project and overdubbing steel guitar tracks...
I start to play a lick that I have played a thousand times before (live and on previous recordings)
AND The RED LIGHT comes on and I muff it!
I stop playback reset to punch in and again the RED LIGHT SYNDROME strikes
Is is some kind of mental block? There is really no pressure (I have recorded professionally in major recording studios where time costs >$100 and hour)
Well I am just venting... cause after I take a break, get a cup of tea and come back later I get the part right and I love it...
Dom
Some people get up tight when the red light goes on. One way to look at it is "If I mess up only a couple of people hear the goof and we fix it." Playing live if you mess up hundreds hear it and no way to fix it. That seems to get me more relaxed in the studio.
Live playing is more forgiving tho' the mistake is forgotten and you are on to the next riff- but a bad part on a record is always there to hear over and over.
When I was recording at home with my acoustic guitars that little red light rendered me useless
which was really stupid because I was the only one in the room.
I was worried about making mistakes so much that it made me make mistakes.
I finally just moved the mics, turned around and faced away from the equipment and computer. It worked for me.
"Performance anxiety" I found out is very common and varies widely in severity.
Still made me feel kind of dumb.
I have stuff.
I try to make music with it.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
But I keep on trying.
interesting...A seasoned pro in the studio will say..
"Hey run the recorder on this "...a NON seasoned player gets all up tight...in the scheme of things , the psychology of it all says we are not ready to record or not "rehearsed" or not confident. Think Softball or Baseball..we can't wait to get to bat or have a ball hit to us....we are confident...even if we make an error or strike out !
Practice at home thru a recorder or record over tracks as often as you can...you can delete them and start over...recording at home builds confidence to play well and is excellent practice...playing the same thing over and over and over...it prevents noodling and defines the practice time...
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
I have had success with several ways of overcoming the red light syndrome.
For me the problem really is only when punching in on a difficult lick that requires my full concentration. So instead of sitting there with bar and picks at the ready and waiting for the time to punch in my lick, I will open up a whole new track and play the whole song through and sometimes it helps to work on a different part of the song, or a completely new song and come back to the punch in later.
Practicing the lick over and over does help of course, and there patience comes into play... if you have the time!
Thanks to all of you who have responded, the forum is a great resource for help and ideas.
When possible I use a new track and start playing from the beginning and not worry about a punch in or out situation. Or start several bars ahead on a new track, then another then another until I have it right, and copy and paste or drag and drop depending on your software.
Dom Franco wrote:I have had success with several ways of overcoming the red light syndrome.
For me the problem really is only when punching in on a difficult lick that requires my full concentration. So instead of sitting there with bar and picks at the ready and waiting for the time to punch in my lick, I will open up a whole new track and play the whole song through and sometimes it helps to work on a different part of the song, or a completely new song and come back to the punch in later.
Practicing the lick over and over does help of course, and there patience comes into play... if you have the time!
Thanks to all of you who have responded, the forum is a great resource for help and ideas.
Dom
What DAW are you using?
Most DAWs have an auto punch feature.
You should be able to set punch points then hit record and go.
I always use auto punch, but the above still applies. Not only with Steel Guitar, but also vocals and any other instrument, punching in is not natural.
Sometimes the volume, attack, tone, feeling and timing is hard to match with the rest of the track.
Often it works out just fine, but on solos, Lead vocals and important hooks I am very critical and strive for perfection.
So my main remedy is to redo a larger section, or the whole song so the flow is more natural.
I grew up punching in on tape where you had to get it right as you were erasing what was already there so I am pretty comfortable with it. When I punch on Pro Tools I often put the track into input so I can play ahead of time while the punch happens at the correct time...
John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar
