Home Recording

[CorporateGoth]

It seems that a few of you out there are musicians... so perhaps you could give me some advice. I'm about to purchase a digital multitrack and was wondering if any of you out there had any tips on home recording. Ive done a few things in a studio, but Ive never been in control of the boards, etc.... Any little gems of knowledge out there?

[killerkat]

im shit with technology, but we used to get our cd's recordered and made on one program and they turned out pretty good for demos,i think it was pretty expensive though, a friend of our drummer had it.........i don't know how that would help........haha.......sorry...

[the_plague]

I just bought a new computer and plan on using Acid Pro 5. i'm going to loop the drums (check out beta monkey..I just ordered their double bass mania) I have a line 6 pod for the guitar. the rectified sounds are the shit! there's lots of other good stuff i'm sure, but this is what i've decided to go with. most of the music is complete so i'll be getting on with the recording real soon. i'll be glad to share what i learn and destroy with everyone.

theplague

[Morning Glory]

I thought about getting a digital mixing studeo for the computer... but then I decided that'd make me an asshole, and wouldn't prove anything for my musical abilities. anyone can lay down a drum beat on a program, that doesn't show you know how to make music. so i've just been doing it the the old fashion way, laying down the tacks on a mic, and then mixing them togther. it's a pretty slow process cuz I don't know guitar, so i'm having trouble recording those parts, i might just slop it togther just to get all the parts and a feel for the sound.

[TheWalkingGlitch]

I've heard good things about Reason as far as software goes. Hardware is trickier... all I know is that our rig is home-cooked and resembles Frankenstein, but it does the job well enough.

[SindelChaos]

My boyfriend is going to college for recording technologies. He told me to tell you this.

"I advise that you go for something with a high bit depth and high sample rate (16 bit 44.1k and up). How much are you willing to spend? What kind of music are you recording? How many tracks do you want to lay down at once? I need more info on what you are looking for before I can advise any further."

Send me a private message and I'll give you his messanger info. You guys can chat on there about it.

[jynxed hero]

I'm interested in home recording as well. Anyone have any experence with the Digi 002?

[MistressJennifer]

It seems that a few of you out there are musicians... so perhaps you could give me some advice. I'm about to purchase a digital multitrack and was wondering if any of you out there had any tips on home recording. Ive done a few things in a studio, but Ive never been in control of the boards, etc.... Any little gems of knowledge out there?

Here is my tip, not sure if you would agree. Don't buy anything... The technology changes so fast that by the time you buy it, there is something better. Just find a good, reasonable priced studio and record there. Make sure you are well prepared when you go in.

Or try to get a really good deal at a famous studio. Either way, it is expensive. Just try to get the best product for your money.

Of course you might disagree, I have spent SO much money on my own studio and it never came out as well as when I just went in to someone else's studio. And you don't have to do all the technical stuff.

[One Eyed Cat]

It seems that a few of you out there are musicians... so perhaps you could give me some advice. I'm about to purchase a digital multitrack and was wondering if any of you out there had any tips on home recording. Ive done a few things in a studio, but Ive never been in control of the boards, etc.... Any little gems of knowledge out there?

What are u looking to mix exactly?

OEC

[morbid_lady]

my brothers band uses 'cool edit pro' to record there music, it sounds pretty good and seems to be pretty easy to use.

[CorporateGoth]

Wow....lotsa responses... ok
1. I am looking at a Boss/Roland BR1600CD. 16 track (like 256 virtual), COSM modeling, 8 input, with mastering and onboard CD burner, 16/24 bit.
2. I am planning on recording everything on live instruments (no looping, if we cant pull it off recording, how can we pull it off live?). I may use the COSM on my guitar parts, depends on how my Peavy sounds. Also, the drummer wants to trigger his bass drums to get a more consistent sound, the rest of the drums will be mic'd. Bass player plans on running out of the balanced XLR output from his Ampeg.
3. Im sure that 5 different people would give you 6 different answers on what we sound like, but they would probably all end in ____metal. We've got some songs that I think are as heavy as they come, and we've got some I could hear on the radio (course I could hear Slayer on the radio too). I'd like to think we have elements from Slayer to Pink Floyd in our music without really sounding like anybody else (but then I guess no one thinks they sound like someone else).
4. Yeah I know..Ill never keep up with technology... I just want to actually be in control of my (our) music and the recording process. Like I said, Ive been in a studio, but I dont really like working off of someone else's schedule (i.e. producer, engineer, available time in a studio, etc.). Also, I know zero about running a mixing board, or really anything having to do with the actual recording process. My past experience amounts to showing up and playing when I was told to. I want to learn about miking, running the board, mastering etc.

I appreciate all the responses and hope this clarifies what I am trying to do. Like I said earlier, any tips would be appreciated.

[One Eyed Cat]

16 track will certainly work for what you're doing. Run it clean once then post what it sounds like as compared to what u want. It's a different ballgame than playing live.

OEC

[the_plague]

i'm using loops because I can't find a drummer with adequate double bass ability. unless i find someone who can play like slayer, c.o.f. or fear factory i have no choice. i just spent 600.00 for exclusive rights to some artwork by a well known photographer. i am leaving no detail to chance. besides it all comes down to the music....either it's good or it's not. the recording is just a technicality.

theplague

[adorn_shadow]

I used a analog 16 track samick mixer plugged into my computer whih is armed with Cubasis Pro. I got some really nice and clear recordings on it but I had a hard time getting the drums perfect, I think it was the microphones, If you are planning to record drums, go out spend 200 bux rent some amazing drum mics and everything else will just fall into place. Maybe get some sort of compression if the mixer doesnt already offer that., But Mics Make all the difference

[SindelChaos]

adorn_shadow has the right idea. I'm looking at what you're about to purchase out of a catalog professionals use and I don't think you will get what you want out of the Roland BR1600. If you're really going to mic up a drumkit, your 8 tracks will be consumed and that's all you'll be able to lay down live. I've recorded on the old bosses, but they aren't anything really special. On the surface, they are nice, but they aren't up to paar with Roland's other stuff. Like I said before it all comes down to how much you are willing to spend.

If you have a decent computer, get Digi 002. With Digi 002 you can lay down more tracks and it's professional/industry standard. With Digi Design products they will keep you informed with upgrades and such, so you won't be left with an ineffecient recording medium. People will completely blow off recording studios that don't have ProTools.

Don't go with a studio because that is just way too much money unless they are really pro about it. If you don't really know what you're doing, and they know it, they are going to fuck you over as much as they can. If you do resort to studio recording, make sure you have everything down. The more time you take, the more money they make.

That is really the best advice I can give.
-Sydney-

[SindelChaos]

Oh one more thing, no matter what you decide, you should order through Sweetwater (sweetwater.com). They're professional, their prices are great, and you get your own personal sales rep who looks out for your best interests. They work 24/7 and know more about the recording industry than almost anyone. Plus, they have decent insurance plans and you get free express shipping.

[adorn_shadow]

I've heard of sweetwater before. cant say much more than that asides from I've heard of them. Protools is amazing but you need about 32 years of university experience to use it lol! cakewalk I find didnt sound that great, cubasis was really good, same with nuendo. Takes awhile to get used to the controls but they are alright. The sound blaster live platnium pro is a great little box set to get started with I got it about 4 years ago for about 400.00 canadian. has the cpu faceplate, and all the programs.

[SindelChaos]

Protools is amazing but you need about 32 years of university experience to use it lol!

They have 2 day certification programs at Digi Design for protools. It's not that different from Cubase, but it's a lot closer to Sonar. I am quite familiar with it and have attended one of the best schools for recording a year and a half. I have books on it that go through it step by step for everything you want to do. It's really not that difficult. If you have a problem, it's really easy to navigate with the books.

-Sydney-

[CorporateGoth]

If you're really going to mic up a drumkit, your 8 tracks will be consumed and that's all you'll be able to lay down live. -

I'm not trying to record the whole band in one take. I figured when I do the drums, 1 track for bass drums (which if I understand correctly will go into the midi input since they will be triggered off his pedals), 1 for snare, 2/3 for toms, 1 for hi hats, and 2/3 overheads for cymbals. Guitars may take 3 tracks (2 rhythm and 1 lead), 1 track for bass, which leaves 4 track for vocals and effects. As far as the drum mic's are concerned, thats already been taken into consideration. Since I'm footing the bill 4 the multitrack, the drummer is covering the mic's and triggers. He's got his eye on a full set of drum mics (couldn't tell you the brand) and triggers (I think he said Alesis). I'm pretty sure the machine has onboard compression, but I'll double check that.
The drummer says he wants to try setting up in our bathroom (its a ridiculously large bathroom.....aprox 12x14). Seems like that would make for ALOT of echo to me. I figured vocals in a walk in closet. Guitar/Bass are going to be direct more than likely, so location doesn't seem to be as important.
I really do appreciate all the responses. I'm not sure how I'm going to run things just yet, but whether I take anyones advice or not I do appreciate the pointers. Sometimes I'm just bullheaded and have to do things the way I need to. This is especially true with my music.

P.S. Thanx for the tip on Sweetwater... I'll check that out!

[funkatron]

I'll preface this by saying that you need to structure your studio with equipment that allows you to be as productive as possible. If you're not comfortable with certain methods required by a particular approach, don't go that way.

If you're comfortable with computers, I would probably advise against buying expensive outboard equipment (like dedicated all-in-one recording units) and just get a decent PC (something well under $1000 would be fine, if your current setup is not so hot), a solid audio card (an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 can be had for about $100 and has a midi interface), and a small but decent outboard mixer (check out the Mackie 1202). Even if you add in the cost of a solid all-in-one recording package (like Sonar or Cubase), I think you'll find that you'll come out ahead.

Beyond price, the big advantage that a PC will have over dedicated hardware is the immense flexibility of software-based music creation and recording. If you want more control over the EQ on a particular track, just swap out that 3-band EQ plugin for a 6,8, or 10 band EQ. Need more tracks? Just add them. Your limit will be the power of your machine, and even a $600 box from dell could handle almost anything you throw at it in a typical recording situation. The drawbacks, though, include a workflow that may not be as smooth (especially if you're used to physically interacting with more traditional recording setups), more stuff that can go wrong (is it the software? is it the mic? is it my mixer? is it the sound card driver?), and a generally higher learning curve.

I'll make the same offer as others that if you want to discuss it further, feel free to PM me or otherwise drop me a line.