do your tracks get over used?

[Tom Wolverton]

I've recently had this happen in a few recording sessions: I go into the studio and lay down some tracks, either steel, dobro or Weissenborn. It's usually a song that is about 75% done and I play along on a few open tracks. I give the producer a lot to work with. I'll put in licks all over the place - on verses, intros, and solos. When I do this, we have a "gentleman's agreement" that he is to use only a small portion of all that I gave him. I typically request that he use it sparingly, say 10% or 20% of it and delete the rest.

Then when the song is done, (or the CD is out), I hear it and it has *way* too much of my playing on it. I'm all over the place and it sounds like I'm over-playing. Way more than I would have done in a live situation. This irks me to no end.

Are we not to trust these producers (or engineers)?
Should I simply give them just one track and only play exactly how I would play it live. What happened to taste and restraint?

Anybody ever have this happen?

[Mark van Allen]

Tom, that's a great question, and kind of goes along with other threads where producer/engineer decisions on tone and balance are discussed.
It varies somewhat from session to session for me, but I find many producers requesting a pad only track, just chords and not too much movement, followed by a busier fills and movement approach, and then one where they say "just go crazy, there might be something we want for a signature lick". Several of each, then I'm at their mercy at mixdown.
I always try to play in sections of phrasing, so if they drop bits in from different tracks it won't sound jerky or like something impossible to play.

Fortunately most of the engineer/producers I work with have very good taste and an understanding of what steel guitar does and sounds like.
Occasionally I hear a bizarre playback, but it usually serves the song.

[Jason Hull]

Should I simply give them just one track and only play exactly how I would play it live.

Yes!

[Tony Prior]

well this can be a two headed monster..

If you played a session, adding phrases all over the place as requested, then got paid, you are now out of the picture. The producer can and will use as much or as little as they like as it's his/her call.

Now, if they are using some of those same "sample phrases" to additional songs, thats a different deal, unless you were paid to give them "stock phrases".

I am fortunate to have a few E Session clients, I generally record a track which is to my liking ( after instructions of course) perhaps some extra fills here and there , but once they have the final wav file, it's there's to use as they see fit. If they overdue it, it's on them, not me.

On the reverse, I did 8 tracks for Muzak, they left out my best stuff ! They used a few of the exact same phrases( copy/paste) throughout a few of the songs. I found it boring as all get go but they loved it..and I got paid very well thank you very much !

As musicians, we are paid to play , not paid to produce. Try not to get attached to the final product.

just my take

t

[Jack Stoner]

I used to be the "staff" steeler for a studio in Kansas City, Mo. Most of the time I would get called into add steel to existing recordings. Some, when they were finally mixed, would have a lot of steel on it, some I would wonder why they called me in (but paid me) as there wasn't any or very little or the steel was way down in the mix.

But, I was paid by the producer and that was the end of my involvement. This was back in the "tape" days, so there wasn't any issue of cutting and pasting licks like there is today with the computer software.

I'm currently working on a (traditional country) CD project for a singer, that I recorded and also played steel/lead/bass on. I've got to watch myself on the mixes that I dont' get too much steel on them.

[Dom Franco]

I have had some producers use way too much of my steel, and in several cases they used 2 or 3 tracks of me all at once in the final mix... Crazy and it's obvious that they had never listened to country music.

I have also been paid very well, when all they wanted was a few harmonics or a little slide here and there.

I have rarely been satisfied with the final mix of any ot the recordings I have played on.

But it is good to get paid, and then once in a while be able to hear my steel parts being played on the radio or YouTube...

[Tom Wolverton]

Try not to get attached to the final product.

t

Yep! This is good advice. Thanks to all for your comments.

[Gary Shepherd]

Just be an "artists". (Draw a check.)