How to get down songs

[Jack Simpson]

Hey, I don't really know much at all about recording. I got a Tascam MF-P01 Portastudio and I am trying to learn how to record some stuff. I play guitar and I run my ESP through a Crybaby, a Stereo chorus, into a Mesa/Boogie DC-10 amp head through a Crate cabinet. I have two mic stands and a Kustom Mic. I have a Dual cassete deck to mix down to and a big hi-fi home audio system to monitor it. I also have a Zoom 505II for effects. Where do I go from here? Do I need to get a mixer? Any feedback would be appreciated.

[dr.colossus]

depends on what you want to record, if its just the guitar then maybe a pre....if you want to record multiple mics then you need a mixer. perhaps give us a little more info on what results you'd like to achieve and what sort of stuff you'll be recording, then we may be able to feed of some more specific suggestions

[Jack Simpson]

Thanks for the reply, I am recording hard rock. I play guitar, there is another guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. I am just recording by myself right now, with drums (which are in a huge warehouse) and guitar, which is in my room. I am wanting to get a sound that sounds professional. Not of the highest quality of course but something close. When I mixdown the whole thing it is just not as loud as your standard recordings you hear on the radio.

[The Green Hornet]

Yo JP:

A while back, I read a post by someone who explained what the radio folks do to make their sounds sound so "big." So, you won't get to that stage with just a tape deck. You will probably need a fairly good digital recorder and the capacity to mix down to a CD for that "full" sound we all love to hear.

I have a pretty good Sony dual tape deck and before I got my Yamaha 2816, I mixed down to it from an MD8 -- I found that if I pushed the input signal right up into the REDs, I could get a pretty copy. But, if you overpush the REDS, you will get distortion, etc.

Since you are recording a "group" of folks, you need multiple mics and some good gear to capture and balance your group.

I think you have some work to do but keep playing and recording.

Green Hornet

[Slackmaster2K]

Here are the proper steps to getting a good recording:

1) Forget about sounding professional and forget about the radio. With your gear you cannot get a professional sound. With your experience you cannot get a professional sound. There is more science involved here than you can imagine. On top of that, learning to record is in many ways a similar process to learning an instrument. You cannot ask "how do I play guitar professionally" just as you cannot ask "how do I make professional recordings." You do not have to have a mega loud mix to sound loud on the radio. Intelligent people do not judge music on the radio by how loud it is, and it's less irritating to turn up than it is to turn down. The radio station limits the piss out of your music for you. And while it's hard for all of us to comprehend, our music isn't going to be on the radio any time soon.

2) Record some stuff. Decide what you like about what you've recorded. Decide what you don't like. Try to develope critical descriptions of what you're hearing that are as *quantifiable* as possible. What don't you like? Why don't you like it? What was it supposed to sound like? What do you like? Why do you like it? (don't overlook that last one)

3) Start reading. The net, books, it doesn't matter. Even if you don't know what the hell you're reading, read it until you at least get some terminology down so that you can have a discussion with somebody who knows more than you do.

4) When you can actually some specific questions....start asking like crazy.

5) Buy better equipment.

6) Repeat steps 2 - 5 for the rest of your life. By the time you die, you should have made at least one nice recording.

Slackmaster 2000

[blackbuck]

Hey, I was in a similar boat about a year ago. Do what slackmaster says... alot of it is experience. Just be sure to do alot of research.... specifically you can research here about micing techniques for your cabinets, how to get better sounds from vocals, what equipment..... mixing, mastering....



A few things I learned:
1. I have found a POD invaluable. I know that may not be the most popular idea but I love the damn thing.
2. Get a pre amp, and a compressor for vocals. A little use of these and my vocal takes really improve.
3. Know your equipment. It takes time.
4. I've been recording with software lately and find it easier and more powerfull than using my simple 8track. Probably would have been cheaper to start that way, although recording a full band is easier with the 8track.
5. If you don't already know, recording order is generally drums, bass, guitar, vocals. Sometimes you do more than one at the same time.
6. Use "scratch tracks". Basically, once you get the drums down pat, lay a reasonable bassline, guitarparts, and vocals over it. Then work on getting the bass right..... then work on the guitar.... then vocals. This way if anyone is cueing off the other performers they will still have their cues.
7. Don't expect the first recordings to sound very good! It takes time to know what you need.

[Leeking]

wow, good stuff slackmaster... now THAT is good advise.

indeed, like learning the guitar, recording requires learning process too.... but it's a fun and addictive one!

[matty_boy]

And it can really piss off a wife/girlfriend.

[charger]

Slack, that should be required reading on this forum. Perhaps you can design a reversed tattoo, so when newbies wake up in the morning, they can read it on their chest in the mirror while brushing their teeth.

Really really good advice.

[brokenwindow]

Our band has had songs on the radio..

A friend and I were supposed to play live on the radio a few weeks ago, but the date got pushed back...A few acoustic tunes..

[Blue Bear Sound]

Slack... that advice should be the first entry of the FAQ!

Good job!!

Bruce

[atomictoyz]

In addition to Slackmaster 2k's ponit number two (2).

My band used to make rehearsal tapes, using 2 mics and a one four track recorder. We put the mics out in front of the band to get a stereo image of what a listener might get in a live situation at a gig. We dinked around with the distance from the band FOS or FOH monitor positions and distance between until we got something that sounded pretty good, like a decent bootleg.
We then left 2 tracks open for vocal overdubs and lead guitar work if needed or applicable. Certainly gave us more information about performances and sonic quality. It was good enough for us to petition for gigs and a nice reference for recording studios to hear the live performance to better understand the bands aura. Try to remember that the purpose of the recording often dictates the cost and complexity of the process. What are you going to do with what you record?


Peace,
Dennis

[Tom Hicks]

Great post,Slack!You said a lot of things very clearly.
Tom