Guitaranddrummer
New member
the boombox has an input of "phono", while the mixer has 1/4" inputs for 4 tracks and also RCA 's for each track. it then outputs the mix in single 1/4" or dual rca jacks.
help!!!!
help!!!!
Low end ****update****
- Thread starter Guitaranddrummer
- Start date
Since you have a built in mic, I don't think you can plug a mixer into your deck. "Phono" may be for headphones, in which case it's an output, not an input. You're doing this all yourself, so the mixer shouldn't be a factor unless you want to record more than one input at a time, which I wouldn't recommend with what you have. My advice is to forget about the mixer, at least for now.
Put a blank tape into the recorder side of the dual cassette. Plug headphones into the Phones jack, hit record (with some boom boxes you have to hit the record and play button at the same time), get behind the drums and have at it (make sure you hear the drums in the headphones). Stop the tape, take it out and put it in the play side of the tape deck and rewind it to the start of the recording.
Put a second blank tape in the record side, press pause, press record (or rec/play). It will be ready to go, but paused. Get your guitar on (still using the headphones) and press Play on the first tape and Pause on the new tape to release it and start the recording. You should hear both the drums you recorded and the guitar you're recording in the headphones. When you're done, the second tape will have both drums and guitar on it. Switch tapes, cue the drum/guit tape to play, and start recording on the first tape using blank space (don't tape over the original drum track, you may need it again before you're done). Now you'll be hearing the drum/guit on the play tape and you can sing into (near) the built in mic on the boom box and you should hear your voice being recorded with the drums and guitar.
This process is not strictly multitrack recording, it's called sound on sound. Using a built in mic will introduce hiss right away (and probably clicking noise from pressing buttons), and the more "tracks" you add, the more noise will be introduced. It is far from ideal, but it can be a lot of fun, and it's really the music that counts more than the quality of recording. I'd rather hear Bob Dylan recorded with this setup than Celine Dion recorded in a state of the art studio. Don't fret about the mixer, you may find a use for it down the road if you can't find a way to use it with the box you have now.
Experiment and have fun!
Oh, and you don't have to keep creating a new topic. Hit "Post Reply" at the bottom of the screen to keep this topic in one thread.
[This message has been edited by Howlin (edited 06-30-1999).]
Put a blank tape into the recorder side of the dual cassette. Plug headphones into the Phones jack, hit record (with some boom boxes you have to hit the record and play button at the same time), get behind the drums and have at it (make sure you hear the drums in the headphones). Stop the tape, take it out and put it in the play side of the tape deck and rewind it to the start of the recording.
Put a second blank tape in the record side, press pause, press record (or rec/play). It will be ready to go, but paused. Get your guitar on (still using the headphones) and press Play on the first tape and Pause on the new tape to release it and start the recording. You should hear both the drums you recorded and the guitar you're recording in the headphones. When you're done, the second tape will have both drums and guitar on it. Switch tapes, cue the drum/guit tape to play, and start recording on the first tape using blank space (don't tape over the original drum track, you may need it again before you're done). Now you'll be hearing the drum/guit on the play tape and you can sing into (near) the built in mic on the boom box and you should hear your voice being recorded with the drums and guitar.
This process is not strictly multitrack recording, it's called sound on sound. Using a built in mic will introduce hiss right away (and probably clicking noise from pressing buttons), and the more "tracks" you add, the more noise will be introduced. It is far from ideal, but it can be a lot of fun, and it's really the music that counts more than the quality of recording. I'd rather hear Bob Dylan recorded with this setup than Celine Dion recorded in a state of the art studio. Don't fret about the mixer, you may find a use for it down the road if you can't find a way to use it with the box you have now.
Experiment and have fun!
Oh, and you don't have to keep creating a new topic. Hit "Post Reply" at the bottom of the screen to keep this topic in one thread.
[This message has been edited by Howlin (edited 06-30-1999).]
Forgot to metion something. What I would do is record your drums..ect first as ddescribed above. THen when you are down to the vocals and guitar, but them through the mixer...assuming you can sing and play at the same time. Everytime you switch tapes, you will loose sound quality...so this will preserve it a bit. This is just my suggestion, but any of the other methodes mentioned will work as well.
Dom Franco
New member
I suggest that you buy or borrow another cassette deck or boom box with "real" inputs. PHONO will give you a distorted signal because it is made for a record player and has an amplifier stage.
A boom box with RCA jacks labeled CD in
would work perfectly and can be purchased at Wal-mart or Target for less than $50. Save your pennies!
Dom Franco
A boom box with RCA jacks labeled CD in
would work perfectly and can be purchased at Wal-mart or Target for less than $50. Save your pennies!
Dom Franco
Brad
New member
I like Howlin's idea but I think you might run into a problem. Maybe, maybe not; it all could depend on that dual cassette deck with built in mic. I had a similar deck at one time; when I had a tape in the "play" deck ready to go, the record deck sensed that the recordable source was internal and therefore cut off the built in mic - hence, I could not do sound on sound. I was able to make it work with two separate decks though.
John In NJ
New member
I messed around a lot with very similar equipment for a while, and I think I may be able to offer you some good tips.
One thing that has been overlooked thus far is that you don't have to combine your two signals or tracks at the same time. You CAN mix them down; your stereo cassette deck is a 2-track!
It is kind of an involved process that requires a lot of re-plugging and an additional playback deck, but if you're dedicated and you can rustle up another deck with a stereo out, it is definately worth it for the extra control over the signals. But if you don't have another deck, I would suggest just buying a tascam Porta02 or a fostex x14; it would be most likely only be a little pricier, and much more useful.
STEP ONE: Doing your drums.
Plug your microphone into the mixer on any channel and run the mixer to your deck.(NOTE: The "phono" jack is WHAT YOU NEED if you are using a radio shack line mixer; these mixers are not amplified. if you go to the store and tell them you need an amp for it, they are going to sell you a record player amp that has the same exact function as the built-in one on your deck!)
Give the kit a few bangs to test your level; you can use the headphones but I recommend just running the tape for a few seconds and listening to the playback. Repeat this until you have a fairly loud signal with no distortion.
Now lay down your drums, keeping in mind that you may want to click your sticks to cue in the other instruments later.
After you are satisfied with your drum track, unplug everything!!!! It's the only way to avoid horrible tangles and setbacks.
STEP TWO: Bass or what-have-you....
Put your tape of the drums into the playback deck. Run the Left output into channel 1 (or either one that says left) of the mixer. (Make sure that the "stereo" switch is on!)
Plug your rock guitar into channel two of the mixer (or any right channel).
Run the stereo output of your mixer to the corresponding inputs of the deck. Play the tape and your instrument at the same time while listening to the phones. Adjust the two channels to a comfortable mix, this mix is not permanent, so just make sure you can hear the drums well enough to keep time and you'll be fine. The two instruments should be panned left and right; if they aren't, then check all the cables. Getting them on seperate tracks is the key to mixing them later.
Now give it a shot; hit record on the recording deck and play on the drum playback. lay down your new track. Now UNPLUG EVERYTHING!!!!!
STEP THREE: mixing the tracks.
Take the tape that you just did and put it in your playback deck. Run both stereo outs into the mixer and the outs of the mixer to the tape deck. Put on your headphones(you may have to hit record/pause on your deck to get any level out of the phones).
Flip the switch on the mixer to the MONO position. Play the tape back and note that you can adjust the levels of the 2 instruments seperately, and that they are not panned left and right (did you flip the mono switch?).
When you get them how you like them, record it, go back to STEP TWO, and add more instruments (be reasonable because it will get very muddy; each track is a new generation recording of each previous and the quality lessens).
hey, If you want to get fancy you can try synching two tape decks (making them play at the same time) and run them both into your mixer, essentially turning it into a 4 track!
Hope this stuff helps, I remember reading so many books as a kid and not really finding anything that applied to this sort of thing.
Good luck,
John
One thing that has been overlooked thus far is that you don't have to combine your two signals or tracks at the same time. You CAN mix them down; your stereo cassette deck is a 2-track!
It is kind of an involved process that requires a lot of re-plugging and an additional playback deck, but if you're dedicated and you can rustle up another deck with a stereo out, it is definately worth it for the extra control over the signals. But if you don't have another deck, I would suggest just buying a tascam Porta02 or a fostex x14; it would be most likely only be a little pricier, and much more useful.
STEP ONE: Doing your drums.
Plug your microphone into the mixer on any channel and run the mixer to your deck.(NOTE: The "phono" jack is WHAT YOU NEED if you are using a radio shack line mixer; these mixers are not amplified. if you go to the store and tell them you need an amp for it, they are going to sell you a record player amp that has the same exact function as the built-in one on your deck!)
Give the kit a few bangs to test your level; you can use the headphones but I recommend just running the tape for a few seconds and listening to the playback. Repeat this until you have a fairly loud signal with no distortion.
Now lay down your drums, keeping in mind that you may want to click your sticks to cue in the other instruments later.
After you are satisfied with your drum track, unplug everything!!!! It's the only way to avoid horrible tangles and setbacks.
STEP TWO: Bass or what-have-you....
Put your tape of the drums into the playback deck. Run the Left output into channel 1 (or either one that says left) of the mixer. (Make sure that the "stereo" switch is on!)
Plug your rock guitar into channel two of the mixer (or any right channel).
Run the stereo output of your mixer to the corresponding inputs of the deck. Play the tape and your instrument at the same time while listening to the phones. Adjust the two channels to a comfortable mix, this mix is not permanent, so just make sure you can hear the drums well enough to keep time and you'll be fine. The two instruments should be panned left and right; if they aren't, then check all the cables. Getting them on seperate tracks is the key to mixing them later.
Now give it a shot; hit record on the recording deck and play on the drum playback. lay down your new track. Now UNPLUG EVERYTHING!!!!!
STEP THREE: mixing the tracks.
Take the tape that you just did and put it in your playback deck. Run both stereo outs into the mixer and the outs of the mixer to the tape deck. Put on your headphones(you may have to hit record/pause on your deck to get any level out of the phones).
Flip the switch on the mixer to the MONO position. Play the tape back and note that you can adjust the levels of the 2 instruments seperately, and that they are not panned left and right (did you flip the mono switch?).
When you get them how you like them, record it, go back to STEP TWO, and add more instruments (be reasonable because it will get very muddy; each track is a new generation recording of each previous and the quality lessens).
hey, If you want to get fancy you can try synching two tape decks (making them play at the same time) and run them both into your mixer, essentially turning it into a 4 track!
Hope this stuff helps, I remember reading so many books as a kid and not really finding anything that applied to this sort of thing.
Good luck,
John