Newbie Home Recording/Studio Advice

diggy_dude said:
Reaper doesn't support many control surfaces natively. If you have a nice hardware multitracker, I'd use that for tracking and then export the track files to Reaper. The advantage of standalone units is that they're self-contained and don't require futzing around with configuration and setup.
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Yeah, but it does support Mackie Control Universal protocol, which alot of the control surfaces can use.
 
Once again very helpful replies thanks all!

I believe the HD16 comes bundled with Cubase LE. I will read the manuals and give it all a go! It will probably be a lot easier to record all the instruments in the studio directly into the multitrack and take the unit home and connect it to my Mac. Ill see how the integration to Cubase LE behaves also.

I should be OK in recording directly to the multitrack and then importing the WAV data to seperate tracks within Reaper. I used Reaper a few years back for VST drumloops with guitars and vocals and found the software to be very good.

Thanks.
D
 
drbabbers said:
Once again very helpful replies thanks all!

I believe the HD16 comes bundled with Cubase LE. I will read the manuals and give it all a go! It will probably be a lot easier to record all the instruments in the studio directly into the multitrack and take the unit home and connect it to my Mac. Ill see how the integration to Cubase LE behaves also.

I should be OK in recording directly to the multitrack and then importing the WAV data to seperate tracks within Reaper. I used Reaper a few years back for VST drumloops with guitars and vocals and found the software to be very good.

Thanks.
D
Click to expand...

Good luck. Let us know how it works out for you.:cool:
 
I now have the HD16 and have started with the basics and I am reading the manual! :) Should be fun!

Can I ask a really 'noob' question... I have a Master Out set of outputs, which I presume are RCA white/red connections. I want to be able to listen/monitor the recordings via external speakers. My question is do I need to buy speakers WITH an amp, or will they work straight from the HD16? From reading the manual I *think* I need a dedicated amp.. and the HD16 doesn't have a built in amplifier.. although I maybe totally wrong..

Thanks!
D
 
When you record something from an external device (studio-in-a-box, tape cassette, ADT, whatever), you must realize that when you send that recording through your interface to your computer for editing, mixing, mastering, it won't be what you think. All those separate tracks you recorded for your separate instruments/vocals on will NOT appear in your computer as the same separate tracks to edit. It will show up as a file that COMBINED all your separate tracks from before. In other words, you can't call the imported file into your software recording program (Reaper, Cubase, whatever) and expect separate tracks to work with like you had in the beginning. It will be one file that combined everything (almost like a "bounced" feature when you combine every track to a single, stereo file). So anything you do EQ-wise, effects-wise, will affect the ENTIRE recording.

If I'm wrong, please correct me on this, anyone. Maybe there is a way to send each track separately to your computer from an external recording device to import into your program as separate tracks. I've never been successful with this. I guess unless you record one instrument/vocal at a time in your external recording device, send that track via your interface to your computer program, save it as a file, do the same thing for each track your record, then import each recorded file from your hard drive into separate tracks in your program to work on separately. Then you could bounce them all together after mixing. But that WILL NOT work if you record your 3-piece band all at once and expect to send that data to your computer as separate tracks to work on. You are stuck wit one, combined file.

Mike Freze
 
Thanks for the advice. From what I have learnt so far, I think the multitrack is all I am going to use! I should be able to do everything I need on that 1 piece of hardware. The hardware has a lot of built in effects I can apply to tracks, so I will have play about when we do our 1st recording.

I managed to get the HD16 to communicate with Cubase LE4 all OK, only thing is I can't be bothered to learn Cubase just yet! I want to start basic and gradually progress.

From what I understand with this kit, I can USB it and mount it has a HDD to my Mac, then take across each track and replicate the same track layout in Reaper for the final mix and edit... Hmmm we will see!

D
 
On another note, I am reading through the manual of my HD16 and I have a newbie question regarding 'stereo'.

I understand on my hardware I can record 2 separate mono tracks and then 'stereo link' them together. Am I right in saying that is the equivalent of 'double tracking' a guitar? Or is that me simply recording a guitar twice and adding it to the same mono track?

Thanks!
D
 
Mike Freze said:
When you record something from an external device (studio-in-a-box, tape cassette, ADT, whatever), you must realize that when you send that recording through your interface to your computer for editing, mixing, mastering, it won't be what you think. All those separate tracks you recorded for your separate instruments/vocals on will NOT appear in your computer as the same separate tracks to edit. It will show up as a file that COMBINED all your separate tracks from before. In other words, you can't call the imported file into your software recording program (Reaper, Cubase, whatever) and expect separate tracks to work with like you had in the beginning. It will be one file that combined everything (almost like a "bounced" feature when you combine every track to a single, stereo file). So anything you do EQ-wise, effects-wise, will affect the ENTIRE recording.

If I'm wrong, please correct me on this, anyone. Maybe there is a way to send each track separately to your computer from an external recording device to import into your program as separate tracks. I've never been successful with this. I guess unless you record one instrument/vocal at a time in your external recording device, send that track via your interface to your computer program, save it as a file, do the same thing for each track your record, then import each recorded file from your hard drive into separate tracks in your program to work on separately. Then you could bounce them all together after mixing. But that WILL NOT work if you record your 3-piece band all at once and expect to send that data to your computer as separate tracks to work on. You are stuck wit one, combined file.

Mike Freze
Click to expand...

This is not true for all combo units. The Tascam 2488 can import and export individual track files as can the ZOOM R16. I don't know about others as I've only looked at these two particular units. The HD16 may very well have the same abilities.
 
drbabbers said:
On another note, I am reading through the manual of my HD16 and I have a newbie question regarding 'stereo'.

I understand on my hardware I can record 2 separate mono tracks and then 'stereo link' them together. Am I right in saying that is the equivalent of 'double tracking' a guitar? Or is that me simply recording a guitar twice and adding it to the same mono track?

Thanks!
D
Click to expand...

I think, in ZOOM parlance, this is akin to bouncing 2 mono tracks to a single stereo track..so yeah, your double tracking scenario would be correct.
Also to answer your monitoring question, you'll either need to buy powered monitors or use a stereo amp to push unpowered monitors to listen to the output of the HD16.
 
Thanks for the excellent clarity. I 'get' most of this stuff, it is just applying it in the real world!

I understand as well that I can apply a panning effect with 1 mono track? Does this sound right? Or am I better off linking 2 mono tracks?

Another newbie question.. in 3 piece band, what should I record in stereo?

D
 
drbabbers said:
Thanks for the excellent clarity. I 'get' most of this stuff, it is just applying it in the real world!

I understand as well that I can apply a panning effect with 1 mono track? Does this sound right? Or am I better off linking 2 mono tracks?

Another newbie question.. in 3 piece band, what should I record in stereo?

D
Click to expand...

Yeah, you can pan a mono track left or right. I'm not sure what happens to the panning assignments when you link them, tho. Probably need to dig that out of your manual. lol

As for recording the three piece...the drums would benefit from a stereo spread a bit. Visualize the drum kit as you pan individual channels. The Kick is in the middle. The hat, just a bit off to one side. Toms moving R to L...etc. It's basically recreating the physical location of the parts of a drum kit as you track each one.
If the HD has some stereo FX, it might very well be that you can take a mono channel, throw a stereo verb or something at it, and have a stereo return from the FX processor. The R16 works like this and I imagine the HD does as well.
 
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