Red=Bad?

[Rhino_Rick]

So I'm going to be recording again real soon.

Last time I tried to record some thrashing distortion guitar (punk ska, baby), the distortion was sending my cards levels into the red. I turned it down a lot and it didn't help much. How much does this affect things? I always know not to push the big red button in cartoons, so how bad hitting the red in recording?

Also, I've heard that compression can make or break a mix. When would I use it? Why would I use it?

Thanks,
-Rick, Detroit

[SPINSTERWUN]

You have some reading to do... young grasshopper.

http://www.studiocovers.com/articles.htm

spin

[Seanmorse79]

To answer your question, yes ...RED=BAD ....very very bad...

If you have the equipment, you should probably be recording the guitars through a mic, into a mixer, and into your sound card. This way you can play as loud as you want, and adjust your levels with the mixer & your computer's line in level.

Guitars (especially distorted ones) generally compress themselves, so you probably won't need to much on the front end, but you'll want to compress other things (especially vocals) including your final mix.

Sean
-also from Detroit (well, the suburbs)

[detuned6]

Well, if you like digital distortion and noise and overall speaker cracking-push to the reds.

[Rhino_Rick]

I LOVE speaker-cracking and digital distortion.

That's what I'm going for--my artistic liberty, y'know? :P

I'll have an Aardvark Q10 and a bunch of SM58's and 57's for the session. I don't have the cash to put up for a mixer yet, but the Aardvark should take care of most of what I need, right?

Thanks, I'm going to go dive into that article.

Also, if anyone can explain to me exactly what compression does, I'm awfully thirsty to know. Use it on vocals, sounds good, but how much and will it take away the natural quality at all?

THANKS!
-Rick, Detroit

[Seanmorse79]

You might still need the mixer for the Q-10 ...I'm not familiar with it, but if it only accepts line ins, you're hosed. Some of them have only a couple of pre's, and that's all you'll be able to use without a mixer.

[Rhino_Rick]

I hope not or I'm S.O.L.

I went to those links.. WOW.. Lots of great information, Spinsterwun. I'm going to hash through it all again and keep learnin it.

Got the compression thing down.. HOW NEAT!

Hehehehe.. Wish I would've thought of that.

Thanks guys..
-Rick (trying to keep his levels out of the red from now on)