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DEMO Screaming Cattle - Part 3 (Sep 19, 2007)
For a while now we're busy with our first home-recordings. It's coming together, as they say.

For anyone who wants to try this themselves, here's how we did it.

1. record a backing track. This is a rough recording, using a pair of stereomic's, placed strategically in your rehearsing room. Play the song as you normally would, but use a rythm guide (metronome ?) to make sure that you keep the correct beat at all times.

2. Once you have this, you can start recording each instrument separately. Just route the backing track, together with the rythm guide (if the musician wants this as well) through the headphones of the respective musician. Why the backing track? So he/she knows the correct structure of the song. Of course, if you have written down your song completely on music sheet, than you can use that. But a backing track is good to get a 'feel' of the song as well. Your playing music, not just notes...

3. Best (and hardest) is to start with the drums. Then bass and/or rythm guitar. Then lead instruments and finally vocals. Get yourself a good mixing software and mix everything down to a stereo-file. Final step = mastering, but as you can read all over the net, this is one of the hardest parts in recording. Don't underestimate.

Just a tip for recording drums, with a minimal of micing: use the 'recording-man-technique'.
(a) one condensormic vertically above the snare, at a height of two drumsticks
(b) one condensormic opposite the hi-hatt, directed towards hi-hatt/snare. Make sure that the distance between kick drum pedal and each of the condensormic's is the same.
(c) one dynamic mic for the kick drum. Play with the position to get a good sound
(d) one dynamic for the snare. If you pick the snare up at the bottom than you get a great 'snare-y' sound. Picked up from the top, is a more dry sound.
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DEMO Screaming Cattle - The Sequel (Feb 15, 2007)
Finally, after much debate, we decided to get a digital recorder instead of diving in a studio.
Now we can do our own recordings, although they will be of lesser quality than those done in a studio, but they'll be a whole lot cheaper.

Yesterday the thing arrived. Can't wait to try it out.
It's a Fostex MR8HD. Anyone used this thing before?
It seems to be quite user-friendly, or idiot-proof as I like to call it
So it should work out perfectly for SC
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(2 replies, Latest reply: Feb 15, 2007)

DEMO-recording Screaming Cattle (Nov 22, 2005)
The idea is finally becoming more real: Screaming Cattle is going to record a demo.
Did some research for a good studio, being reasonable price/quality ratio.
Still not clear on the playlist, though. We're wondering if we should put a calm/quiet song on it, since it's been a long time we played one of those on stage.
For now the list consists of

12 Bar Boots
Dessert Sun
Kom op ermee
Weelchair Bob
She Could've Been a Blonde

and as a sixth, calm song: Zwaarden en Broden ??

How long will we need to record 5 (or 6) songs + do the mixing? Hopefully not more than 2 days in total.
Other questions to answer:

1. what are the issues to tackle before we dive in the studio? i.e. solos, alternative instruments (kazoo, flute), what about backing vocals --> with or without male voice...?

2. are we going to design and print a CD-booklet? with lyrics or not, in English or Dutch, colour or b&w...?

3. selling at what price ?

4. adding any live tracks from previous recordings on stage? e.g. Pindakaasj, Trouble in The Barn...

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(10 replies, Latest reply: Nov 23, 2005)

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