Basic rules of recording for a newbie

E

Exilon

New member
Hey.

Creating and recording music is something I'm pretty new at.
I use FL Studio, and sometimes REAPER with my Line6 GX to record guitars.
It's all great, I enjoy composing stuff.. but I think I need to know some basic rules..
I don't really know how to make a proper mixing, although I do my best on every project,
I don't exactly know what's the function of effects such as compressor, limiter
(I don't use them).
If I could be given any advices, I'd appreciate it!
Here's two of my projects to let you know how I do.

www10 . speedyshare . com/files/26899438/download/zgafgafg.mp3
(I know the kick is too muffled here, I was experimenting.)

www . speedyshare . com /files/ 26956985 /123.mp3

Also, how to make them sound better?

Thanks in advance.

(Forgive me my english - I come from Poland.)
 
First basic rule is to have monitors you can trust. You can't judge anything correctly if you can't hear it correctly.

Second basic rule is to make it sound good. You have to have a strong opinion of how it should end up, and some sense of how to get that result.

If you think the kick is too muffled, then make it the way you want it. For that kind of music there aren't the kinds of expectations there would be if it were something more traditional, like acoustic folk or jazz. Find similar music you like and use that as a reference point. Have you heard Zappa's compositions for Synclavier?

Compressors and limiters reduce the difference between loud and quiet. Gates and expanders increase the difference between loud and quiet. There are various parameters to fine tune how they work.
 
Generalized questions as this are often really hard to comment on as they are so open. One could talk about Compressors and limiters, Editing Techniques and so on for hours. What I would recommend is get a good book like Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies by Jeff Strong. You can find it on Amazon. This will give you great introductory knowledge so that you can start to fine tune your recordings. You will also find that you will have ALOT more questions than answers, BUT it will give you the knowledge to know what questions to ask and how to ask them. Just keep in mind that specific questions are easier to answer than general ones. Hope this helps!
 
Okay, here are some basic rules for noobs:

1) Read all your manuals and supporting documentation.
2) Register your products and join the support forums for each.
3) Get one piece of gear at a time and learn how to use it before you get another.
4) Don't worry about "best" gear right now. Learn how to use what you've got.
5) If you know someone who is recording music successfully, consider putting together a rig like theirs. They can offer you hands-on support you can't get here.
6) Join HomeRecording.com and lurk before you ask questions that have been answered many times.
7) Be patient with yourself and others.
8) Don't be discouraged by your early efforts. They are merely a baseline.
 
great post ^^^^^


read as much a you can, Ive found magazines such as Computer music, music tech, and future music invaluable to begin with.....go through the walk throughs they have, read the articles..learn how other producers are doing it...
 
Get better drum samples and learn how to do beat style drumming, would be my advice, before worrying about recording too much...
 
Supercreep said:
Okay, here are some basic rules for noobs:

1) Read all your manuals and supporting documentation.
2) Register your products and join the support forums for each.
3) Get one piece of gear at a time and learn how to use it before you get another.
4) Don't worry about "best" gear right now. Learn how to use what you've got.
5) If you know someone who is recording music successfully, consider putting together a rig like theirs. They can offer you hands-on support you can't get here.
6) Join HomeRecording.com and lurk before you ask questions that have been answered many times.
7) Be patient with yourself and others.
8) Don't be discouraged by your early efforts. They are merely a baseline.
Click to expand...

kcearl said:
great post ^^^^^


read as much a you can, Ive found magazines such as Computer music, music tech, and future music invaluable to begin with.....go through the walk throughs they have, read the articles..learn how other producers are doing it...
Click to expand...
Amen to those two ! And to Phriq too.
It's virtually impossible to answer your question in one punt here because it involves so much reading, learning, trying, rejecting, learning more, asking pointed questions, trying again, rejecting, learning more, etc, etc, etc.
Patience and persistence shall get you to the ball.
 
Ooh, also: YouTube has a video of somebody doing just about every goddamn thing you can imagine. For software use and ITB processing/editing techniques it is a great resource.
 
Supercreep said:
Ooh, also: YouTube has a video of somebody doing just about every goddamn thing you can imagine. For software use and ITB processing/editing techniques it is a great resource.
Click to expand...

Do you have any more information on how to find this video please? Thanks in advance!
 
Jerun said:
Do you have any more information on how to find this video please? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

This was meant as 'no matter what you are trying to learn, YouTube will have a video covering it'.

There is no single YouTube video covering every aspect of recording...
 
Here's a few basics that often don't get mentioned to beginners:


Gear

(01) Handle your cables properly. Wrap them properly. There are several different "correct" ways to wrap cables, but there are DEFINITELY "wrong" ways too. If you treat your cables well, they should last you a long time.

(02) Handle your mic stands properly. There IS a right way to do this: when adjusting placement, loosen the mic stand, adjust it, and then re-tighten. NEVER force your mic stands to move when they're tightened. If you treat your mic stands well, they should last a long time.

(03) Zero out your volume levels when not in use (at minimum for master volumes). That way you're turning up from zero every time to approach your gear. It will minimize your chances of a sudden loud burst blowing your speakers (or worse, you EARS).

(04) There's no such number as "too many" spare cables, stands, adapters, guitar strings, guitar picks, drum heads, reeds, batteries, fuses, tubes, or storage media (CD's, DVD's, tapes, whatever you're working with).


Studio

(05) Be as tidy as possible with your cables. If you trip on one you'll likely hurt yourself and also have a good chance of seriously breaking whatever expensive item the cable was plugged in to.

(06) Make sure you have a decent chair. Spend a little bit of money on it if you need to. You're gonna be spending a lot of time in that chair working on projects.


Work Habits

(07) Most of the time, the biggest limitation on how good you can sound will be your own skills. Never assume a piece of gear is holding you back until you've PROVEN it to yourself by finding it's limitations. It's very tempting to try to "buy" your way into better sound, but until you honed your skills, all you'll be doing is racking up expenses.

(08) Take notes. Take pictures. Make some record of what you're doing, and what you've already done so you can look back on things and learn from them. Your notes should be complete enough that you can read over them and have a general idea of what was happening in that session. You'll thank yourself down the road.

(09) Back up your recordings. On computer, backup all your data. If you're working with physical media, at least get unmixed rough versions of your songs on different formats (even computer). Things can fail, and you want to at minimum have a record of what things sounded like. Worst-case scenario, you can then try to replicate things later on the new format.

(10) NEVER assume you've "got it." There is ALWAYS something to learn, and it can come from virtually ANYONE. Experience is not a good indicator of what you can learn from somebody. The moment you start to think you're on top of things is the moment you start to get left in the dust by your colleagues.
 
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