No. 99.9% of the time, it's a really bad idea to do it that way.


You will get way too much bleed from the speakers, especially if you're using a condenser mic. The result is that you can also add comb filtering and phase issues within the tracks since they are picking up the music you've already recorded. The slight delay introduced by the process (not just latency in the computer, but actual speed of sound issues, speaker to mic, added to the latency over several takes) will put the track bleed out of phase slightly. Remember that sound travels approx 1 foot per millisecond. So if there's 6 feet from the speaker to the mic, you just added a 6ms delay to the bleed. With all the bleed being recorded, you will have a mess down under the tracks.

Use headphones when you are tracking with a mic and keep your headphone volume as low as you can to avoid bleed. This gives you nice, clean, quiet, tracks to mix.

If you want a "live feel" go for that using other methods.... such as not fixing the small timing and note issues. You can also add reverb for a live feel to the room. And.... yep, you can even add canned audience sounds.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.