Reply To: singer/acoustic gtr tracking with inexperienced artist

[timmymacParticipant]

Ha! +1 on "performance is everything". Can't argue with that, but to go a little deeper, don't you think that great performances are a product of great timing (among many other things of course)? And I don't mean locked to the beat like a machine, rather having a good sense of timing/feel that a musician develops through practice and performing with others that have good timing. I rather encourage the artist to spend some time practicing the song and getting the timing sussed out instead of trying to force it in the studio. With that said, I've done a few things in a pinch for newbies to the click. Replace the click with a drum machine with kick and snare, and maybe a little hi-hat. I've found that to be a bit more natural to listen for some. Be sure to mute the drum machine during playback to check the artist's timing. Also, I'll sometimes play my bass along with them, but have to be careful not to push my feel on to them.