tips...024.
A REAL RECORDING SESSION WITH POWERTRACKS.(cont.).
before explaining back up vocals,
and how we might do that.
i would just like to discuss track counts in songs.
and there are lots of arguments about this these days.
some people seem to need a huge amount of tracks and plug ins,
(thus needing v powerfull pc's.)
while others can produce a song with just a few traks.
in this CEFE band song...we are already up to tr 21.
(with a few tracks in between blank, just in case we want to add
further tracks to the bed traks. which can often occur.
for example.later on mebe its decided to add a rhythm keyboard trak
to the CEFE bed traks.)
all i can state is my own opinion on this issue.
as follows.

i really start to question myself and the song if i need more than 40 tracks.
cos i really believe that one should be able to get a song presented
within 40 tracks. thus..if i find i need more,
i start to question whether my approach to the song is correct.
(i beat myself up regularly..lol.)
the other issue is, and ive seen it with friends, .the issue of loosing control of the song.
mebe it IS TIME..now that more powerfull pc's are out on the market for the ptw
devs to consider upping the ptw trak count from 48.
but from what ive seen some people might find
(particularly folks new to recording...).trying to control for
example 80 traks becomes quite a burden.
(ive seen people loose control of a song with large trak counts.)
in summary...the issue is , one cant see the forest for the trees and looses perspective
of what the song is about.
thus...even though my new dual core is capable of lots more than 48 tracks,
i still insist on keeping myself max in a song at around 40 traks.
and heres something to think about. (and i dont wish to anger anyone.)
a senior engineer in a big studio once said to me,
"if you need a huge number of traks then i suggest you didnt get your original
source bed tracks properly recorded". meaning one is trying to make up for
errors committed earlier in the early tracking stages.

in summary..its difficult. the most difficult thing to accept is ,
mebe the song needs some re arrangement. or a different tack taken with it.
in summary, i take it as a clue that if i need huge track counts in a song.
ive done something wrong in my approach to the song.
but if you find you need more than 48 tracks....you can always mix down n reimport say bed traks
to free up traks. particularly if u have an older lower power pc.
8 core pc's are now coming out. but they are expensive.
ive heard tales /rumours of loads more cores.
thus just be carefull when u decide to spend your hard earned money.
cos this whole multi core initiative on the part of computer companies
is just the start of something major imho.

next i'll be covering back up vocs.