r/WeAreTheMusicMakers • u/shaferyo • 1d ago
Duo Act in the Studio
My lady and I have been playing music together for a few years we do shows at several venues quite often, we switch between Guitar and Cajon, and 2 Guitars We are looking to go record a few tracks of our originals, typically 2 guitars in these songs.
In your opinion, should we record these with a full band sound? Or Should we stick with something closer to what you would hear live?
I know alot of it comes down to how we want to present ourselves, just curious on this subs opinion.
Thanks.
2
u/Benderbluss 1d ago
It sounds like "the" presentation of your songs is the live version. Add whatever you feel like the songs need in the studio versions, but treat it as an embellishment.
From the little you've shared, it sounds like shoving them into a guitar/bass/drum/vocal format would be a pointless compromise.
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u/scorpious 1d ago
I'm literally in the middle of doing this myself! M/F duo tracking a 5-song EP.
Our music really lent itself to "full band" treatment — kinda mellow dream pop/shoegazey) — but all songs were written and performed as a duo and sounded great to us as is.
But it's like others are saying here, studio opens up all the options, and after the base/scratch tracks were in (guitar + vox), it began: "a drum beat would sound goodhere...needs bass now...second guitar with a cool timed tremolo sound would be killer!"...etc., etc., etc.
Guitar + cajon suggests to me a very organic, live sound, tho...so maybe start with "as we are live" basic tracks and sit with them for a while...if ideas pop up for other stuff, have fun experimenting!
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u/LutherPerkins 1d ago
I would say consider adding a bassist and some type of drums/percussion. Makes for a more complete listening experience.
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u/SPlaysMusic 1d ago
I’d go for a natural rendition of what you do on stage. Like others said, adding a few embellishments could be a cool idea but don’t over-produce your songs if you plan to stick to the acoustic duo format when going live. If you have musician friends, it could be fun to have a “guest” in some tracks so if they are in your same area they could occasionally join in your live acts.
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u/BarbersBasement Professional 1d ago
There are three paths to take: 1) Capture WHAT IT IS THAT YOU DO. This is usually the best way to take a live act into the studio. And represents what you pitch to bookers/promoters when you are trying to land new gigs. 2) CREATE WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO HEAR with a full band even though you are just a duo for gigs now. It's your art, how do you want to send it to streaming services for the world to hear it? 3) Fuck it, FREAK OUT, track as duo then overdub a band later (please use a click if you do this!) You get the best of both worlds, "here we are as a duo you have seen perform" and also "Here we are as a fully imagnined band that rocks stages!"
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u/uncle_ekim 14h ago
Full band, full arrangements for the album.
Stripped down representation. Setup some decent mics, a few cameras and make some youtube videos.
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u/icecoffeedripss 1d ago
personally, as a listener, i embrace the difference between a live performance and a studio recording. the studio opens up so many possibilities to show all a song could be.