[Harp-L] Chaptering while recording



I discarded my first response to the original question because it was too similar to the excellent responses already showing up in the posts. Probably not as excellent.

In any case we haven't really discussed chaptering, and why one would do it. Here's my feeble response.

CHAPTERING FOR COMPOSING
The only time I wish I had some kind of chaptering in my hand recorder (I currently use an Olympus D-10, which is a lo-fi note taker) is while I'm composing. I just blaze full speed ahead for a long stretch in full faith that something interesting will happen at some point. I'd love to mark places just after something that actually sounded interesting. I'd also love to have a foot pedal to do that with, as I mainly compose on guitar.


So instead I just dump the recording into the computer and actually listen back to everything. That's a really good thing because all kinds of surprises - worthwhile stuff - crops up that I never would have heard if I'd had chapter marks to go to. I'm just lazy enough that I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to.

CHAPTERING FOR RECORDING IN THE STUDIO
Samplitude, my choice for recording software, has perfectly terrific chaptering capabilities during playback. A single, assignable, hot key lets you mark, by incremented number, every take or every acceptible take during playback. I'll often do dozens of harp takes over a four-bar guitar loop. It's vital, though time consuming, to listen to the entire group all the way through. Then it's a snap to delete the regions that do not contain useable candidates for the keeper. That usually leaves me with a few really nice takes. I can a/b them until I decide which one is the keeper. This is standard recording technique. It's just that now that we can work at home without paying close attention to the clock, we can really put the hours in on this. And digital representations of wave forms makes it infinitely easier, faster and more fun than cutting tape.


CHAPTERING REHEARSAL RECORDINGS
Never done it. Might be a good idea. Mark the passages that need work, for instance.


But if you're recording your rehearsals you should be listening to them all the way through anyway, to hear what's working and what is not, and THEN focusing on what is not.

Until very recently I was never able to listen to rehearsals and jams recorded with a single mic because they sounded so much worse than the live music did. I couldn't really tell what was working. The best example of all is to be heard in the Beatles movie Let It Be. In the first half of the movie they filmed the Beatles working their ideas up while the music was recorded with a single mic, and the music just seems awful.

Then they finally start recording with mics in place, and it suddenly sounds like the Beatles, even though it's still just workup takes.

I wish that I could suddenly sound like the Beatles.

Now we have these H2's and their cousins, and rehearsals and gigs are suddenly very listenable. And I STILL wouldn't chapter rehearsals, because if you record 'em you should really listen to them later. By you I mean me - you should do what you want.

And the idea of having to break concentration during a gig just to hit the chapter button makes me shudder.

I shudder easily, though.

K




******************************************************************************** Hear Ken Deifik's Song Collection "Music For Small Audience" at http://www.HarmonicaGuitar.com ********************************************************************************





This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.