Recording our own music- WHERE TO Start???

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wanted to add, once you were able to take each track by track into sound forge or cool edit, you would then need a program do mix them together.

Acid is a good one or the others on this thread.

And basically the only other way to do it is get a stereo plug for your PC. Like RCA cables (right and left) from the mixer to the PC adapter. The adapter would have the two RCA ends and the standard headphone jack (small).

Really cheap actually. but they will blend on the mix ot the PC>

If you want individual tracks to work with, you have to do th eabove.
 
ok, i understand what your saying about going track by track -- but aren't you supposed to record all 4 parts in one take onto a mixer then send them track by track, or take 4 separate takes / dubs?
 
Protools is overpriced nowadays.

If you can afford it, get an RME Interface for your PC (Multiface or Digiface, depending on the surroundings). They have the best A/D and D/A converters available in that class, and they´re very safe; I know braodcast engineers who use them for live streaming.

Above mentioned Cubase is a good option for a sequencer. Yes, you can download it. Just like lots of other software, like software samplers, synthesizers, etc.

Basically, I like to work on analog equipment too. The mixers are very easy to handle, because you have direct access to every parameter. Anyway, if you can´t afford a good desk, mix it directly on the PC.

With microphones, there are lots of possibilities, depending on your budget. I assume you want a vocal recording microphone? Don´t buy a dynamic one like Shure SM 58 (even if Bono´s known for it), they ´re for live gigs. Good studio microphones are Neumann U 87 or U 89. Some producers like the AKG 414, it´s not my favourite because to me, it sounds too neutral, in a way. If you can´t afford to spend a grand on the mike, get a cheap option like a Rode, or a cheaper AKG (they´re pretty good). Anyway, be sure to get a condensator microphone with a large membrane, not a dynamic one. Also get a mic stand. If you need to record electric guitar and take it to a mixer directly (without setting up a microphone for recording a specific guitar amp), get a DI box.

Usually, it is a good option to have some effects (FX) hardware. You can take it around the world. Get one of the cheaper T.C. electronics, those are very fine FX processors, real value. I got a T.C. M 2000, and I can´t complain.

Be sure to set up some decent monitoring. You can use a good hifi set for a start, place the speakers right and left, create a stereo panorama so you actually hear what you ´re mixing. If you got some money left, get studio monitoring. Active speakers are a practical option. Get some earphones, too.

Usually, it is nice to work on sytthesizer hardware. You got different options there, depending on the style of music you want to create. Last but not least, you can also get a hardware sampler. All Hiphop works with an Akai MPC because of those lovely buttons, but an EMU has better filters; its up to you to decide.

That´s it for a start. If you want relatively decent recording, budget around 5k. That´s surely cheaper than one of the (big) ProTools systems.

If you´don´t have a clue how to work with the equipment, book a studio. Be sure to have everything well prepared, don´t waste studio time.
 
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Thanks " whenhiphop" for your post, but it was too late I already bought a Samson C07, but they sell for 169$, and I bought mine for 50$ so I couldnt pass it up. Do you know anything about this mic? Is it any good, do you know anything that I should use with this mic? Thanks
 
discothequeLP said:
ok, i understand what your saying about going track by track -- but aren't you supposed to record all 4 parts in one take onto a mixer then send them track by track, or take 4 separate takes / dubs?

I am having trouble following what you are asking, so be patient with me, just trying to help.

If your concern is to take an existing recording, say one that is done outside of the PC, and put it on the PC so that you can add stuff to it, then I would say you could certainly do it either way.

if the tracks are on an external mixer (meaning external to the PC) then it doesn't matter if they are recorded at one time or not. I play on my multitrack by myself, I am not in a band, so I overdub all the tracks etc. And if you are in a band I suppose you could do it 'live' in one take but it really doesn't matter .

This is assuming I am not totally confused as to what youa re asking. The "master" recording, as it exists on the mixer/multitrack whatever you use, will have to tranferred to the PC track by track. (as this seems to be the only way???)

So, I'll try another angle to see if that can help:

Now technically, you could put the whole thing on there, in one shot, but you would not be able to seperate the (for example) drum track from the bass and so on. It would be one audio track on your PC. So, basically it's useless to do so. Because, the whole point of putting it on your PC woudl be to work with each track seperately.

My guess is you are asking for soemthing that I wish existed, and it very well might be I simply have not heard of it.

That would be to take the "master" from the multitrack/recorder and put it on your PC as individual tracks, and do it all at the same time. I don't know how this can be done, so that's basically the problem. I wish it could be done. Maybe there is some other person on this forum who can help with that.

I guess the probelm, as it seems is that the audio goes into the PC as all one stream, so the PC isn't "smart" enough to divide it, as it reads it all as basic audio.

I don't even know if i am helping, because I am looking for the same device you are, and hopefully someone will read this and contribute an opinion.

Didn't mean to hijack the original thread here, but we are all interested in the same things. :)
 
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discothequeLP said:
ok, i understand what your saying about going track by track -- but aren't you supposed to record all 4 parts in one take onto a mixer then send them track by track, or take 4 separate takes / dubs?

you can record all of your tracks straight onto your computer (at least that's what my friend and i do) then mix them using whatever program you've chosen to use. some people like recording them on a mixer then trasfering them to a computer track by track but having never used this method i don't know exactly how you'd go about that.
 
U2DMfan said:


I am having trouble following what you are asking, so be patient with me, just trying to help.

If your concern is to take an existing recording, say one that is done outside of the PC, and put it on the PC so that you can add stuff to it, then I would say you could certainly do it either way.

if the tracks are on an external mixer (meaning external to the PC) then it doesn't matter if they are recorded at one time or not. I play on my multitrack by myself, I am not in a band, so I overdub all the tracks etc. And if you are in a band I suppose you could do it 'live' in one take but it really doesn't matter .

This is assuming I am not totally confused as to what youa re asking. The "master" recording, as it exists on the mixer/multitrack whatever you use, will have to tranferred to the PC track by track. (as this seems to be the only way???)

So, I'll try another angle to see if that can help:

Now technically, you could put the whole thing on there, in one shot, but you would not be able to seperate the (for example) drum track from the bass and so on. It would be one audio track on your PC. So, basically it's useless to do so. Because, the whole point of putting it on your PC woudl be to work with each track seperately.

My guess is you are asking for soemthing that I wish existed, and it very well might be I simply have not heard of it.

That would be to take the "master" from the multitrack/recorder and put it on your PC as individual tracks, and do it all at the same time. I don't know how this can be done, so that's basically the problem. I wish it could be done. Maybe there is some other person on this forum who can help with that.

I guess the probelm, as it seems is that the audio goes into the PC as all one stream, so the PC isn't "smart" enough to divide it, as it reads it all as basic audio.

I don't even know if i am helping, because I am looking for the same device you are, and hopefully someone will read this and contribute an opinion.

Didn't mean to hijack the original thread here, but we are all interested in the same things. :)


Think of it like cooking. If you make a vegetable soup, mix all the vegetables together, smash them into bits and pieces, add salt, pepper, onions and garlic, you won´t be able to separate the original ingredients once you have thrown them together.

The only option for re-creating single tracks out of a finished mix is excessive filtering. There are some FX machines that can filter the main voice out of a stereo mixdown. They´re not used regularly, because remixers tend to prefer the multitrack masters with the single tracks (not the stereo mix) - just like a cook would prefer to make a tomato sauce by using tomatoes, not ketchup, so to say ;)

Sure, you could also filter the kickdrum out of the mix by using a very steep lowpass filter (sth. like 6th order which means -36 dB per octave) and set the frequency at around 80 Hz, however, the "kick" part of the sound, which is probably at around 220 Hz, would be lost; or if you set the filter frequency up at 220 Hz, other instruments will not be completely filtered out.
 
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macphisto23 said:
Thanks " whenhiphop" for your post, but it was too late I already bought a Samson C07, but they sell for 169$, and I bought mine for 50$ so I couldnt pass it up. Do you know anything about this mic? Is it any good, do you know anything that I should use with this mic? Thanks

I think (hope) you mean the Samson CL7, couldn´t find a C07 in my list. Or do you mean the C01?

If you got the CL7 mic for 50 bucks, that ´s a perfect deal.

It ´s a condenser mic, so you chose the right kind for studio recordings. I think it has a HiPass filter with 12dB per octave at 100 Hz. If you record a voice (especially a female one, not a very lowdown rap voice, so to say), you can use that option, as it will eliminate very low frequencies that are not part of the voice, but rather of the surroundings. However, if your studio is in surroundings of total silence, you don´t need that option.

Some musicians like to record all the frequency spectrum (without using the HiPass), also if we can ´t consciously "hear" it... meaning that also a woman ´s voice could have some mirror frequencies below 100 Hz that do, in some way, influence the perception of the signal. However, if your studio is in a city or near to a road, I would recommend using the filter, if you record a high frequency signal.

That said, it is a vocal microphone. Not exactly a mic built for recording a bass. However, if you record a bass with that mic (simply because you don´t have ten specialized mics for every occasion) be sure to switch off the filter option, as the frequency range up to 100 Hz is important for that instrument.

You may also find a switchable 10dB Pad. That means the SPL is reduced when you use that option. Turn it on if you got a signal with a very "high volume", for example if you record a trumpet, or a very strong male/ female voice (including shouting, crying aloud and the like). For a whispering voice, you won´t need that option. It is used to avoid that the microphone itself produces a dostorted signal because of too much "volume input".

I could write another few paragraphs about how to set the mic up in specific recording situations, but you better find those details in a well - written engineering book (for example, in above metioned example of recording a trumpet, you wouldn´t want to place the mic directly in front of the trumpet, but at the side; how to record acoustic guitars - you´d probably need a second mic for that, etc.)

Before you start recording, take enough time to experiment with the location of the instrument in the room (depending on reflections, there is always one place in the room where it sounds best) and with the microphone position.

If you have a technical data sheet, look at the frequency range of the mic. 20 Hz to 20 kHz would be great, however, at that price it will rather cover something like 50 Hz to 18 kHz.

Oh, and use the "spider" and a mic stand.

That ´s all I can think of at the moment. Hope that helps.
 
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whenhiphopdrovethebigcars
thank you so much
my bad, it is the CL7, thanks for all the info. I am planning on recording an acoustic guitar, so what kind of microphone should i get to record my acoustic? And could you explain to me why I cant record an acoustic with this mic? Also what is a spider? I got a mic stand, but i dont know what else Im going to need for the microphone? Do I need a pop blocker filter? I dont even know what those are used for? Thanks seriously for your help, and if you can think of anything else Ill need please do tell. Thanks
 
macphisto23 said:
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars
thank you so much
my bad, it is the CL7, thanks for all the info. I am planning on recording an acoustic guitar, so what kind of microphone should i get to record my acoustic? And could you explain to me why I cant record an acoustic with this mic? Also what is a spider? I got a mic stand, but i dont know what else Im going to need for the microphone? Do I need a pop blocker filter? I dont even know what those are used for? Thanks seriously for your help, and if you can think of anything else Ill need please do tell. Thanks

Sure you can record an acoustic guitar with the CL7. It´s just that for a very good studio recording, one tends to use 2 microphones for an acoustic guitar: one that ´s directed at the neck, one at the resonance hole. Then you have flexible stereo signal (widen the panorama on the mixer), and you can experiment with the sound: the microphone at the neck will rather have a stringy sound, the one at the resonance hole a full sound. However, you can also make very fine recordings with one microphone. Try a position around 20 - 50 centimeters from the middle of the neck, slightly in the direction of the hole, for example. Experiment, and you will find the best position.

A spider is a spider mount. It´s a shockmount, eliminating shock. You don ´t have the mic directly attached to the mic stand, but attached to the spider mount that is attached to the mic stand.

You will need a pop blocker filter, especially for vocal recordings - the reason is it eliminates the hard "P" sounds - try recording lyrics like "pretty popcorn plops to the top" - its gonna sound awful - Ps have to sound nice and smooth :D but don ´t bother about buying a pop filter. Classic studio solution: rather take a wire and form it to a circle. Then ask a girl for a stocking she doesn´t need anymore (a fine silk one would do), and affix it round the circle of wire, covering it (just once - you don´t want to filter anything else, a thin stocking will do). This will make a perfect pop blocker filter, place it bout 30 centimeters in front of the mic when recording.
 
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My advice is to find a drummer who's dad has set up a recording studio in his basement. Worked for my band.
 
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