I'm very new at recording. My basic setup is a Yamaha MG10/2 mixer into a Tascam DP-01 hard disk recorder. (No computer, except for backup.) Things I'm micing: guitar amp and vocals. Things I'm recording direct: bass, drums, synth organ/piano. My question involves recording tracks while listening to previously recorded ones.
For the stuff I'm recording directly, I can play the existing tracks through the monitors while I record new ones. But when I'm recording through a mic, I can't play the existing tracks through the monitors, because the mics pick them up. Therefore, in this case, it looks like I have to turn off the monitors and listen through headphones, and make sure the headphone sound doesn't leak into the mic that's recording the new track. Is this right, or am I missing something obvious?
I guess the other part of this is: how do I monitor the vocals and miced amp when I'm recording them? If I'm listening through headphones, I still hear the singer and the amp itself. Are there 'phones that effectively seal these sounds out, or do I have to record a sample to set levels, record a take, and wait until it's over to see what further adjustments have to be made?
And, while I'm at it: the original two tracks were recorded with dynamic mics: a Sennheiser e609 on the amp and a Shure SM57 on the vocal. The SM57 is just for these initial guide tracks; I'll be using a condensor for the "real" vocal. I recorded them simultaneously to two tracks of the DP-01, with one panned left and the other right. Each picked up a fair amount of the sound the other was supposed to get - lots more than I expected. The SM57 was pointed away from the amp and off to the side. And I would expect that, when I replace it with a condensor, the problem will be worse, since, from what I've gathered and seen, condensors are more sensitive to noise beyond what they're supposed to be recording.
Acoustic isolation seems out of the question - I'm recording in my garage, half of which is taken up by my '76 Fiat Spider (which is waiting for me to have the money to fix it, which will never happen if I keep starting on expensive hobbies like this). I'm prepared to do strictly one track at a time, listening on headphones when recording miced tracks, if that's what I have to do. Since I'm doing everything except some of the vocals myself, it's not that big a deal. But before I commit to that, I just want to be sure I'm understanding things right.
Thanks for any and all help,
Nathan
http://walpow.com
For the stuff I'm recording directly, I can play the existing tracks through the monitors while I record new ones. But when I'm recording through a mic, I can't play the existing tracks through the monitors, because the mics pick them up. Therefore, in this case, it looks like I have to turn off the monitors and listen through headphones, and make sure the headphone sound doesn't leak into the mic that's recording the new track. Is this right, or am I missing something obvious?
I guess the other part of this is: how do I monitor the vocals and miced amp when I'm recording them? If I'm listening through headphones, I still hear the singer and the amp itself. Are there 'phones that effectively seal these sounds out, or do I have to record a sample to set levels, record a take, and wait until it's over to see what further adjustments have to be made?
And, while I'm at it: the original two tracks were recorded with dynamic mics: a Sennheiser e609 on the amp and a Shure SM57 on the vocal. The SM57 is just for these initial guide tracks; I'll be using a condensor for the "real" vocal. I recorded them simultaneously to two tracks of the DP-01, with one panned left and the other right. Each picked up a fair amount of the sound the other was supposed to get - lots more than I expected. The SM57 was pointed away from the amp and off to the side. And I would expect that, when I replace it with a condensor, the problem will be worse, since, from what I've gathered and seen, condensors are more sensitive to noise beyond what they're supposed to be recording.
Acoustic isolation seems out of the question - I'm recording in my garage, half of which is taken up by my '76 Fiat Spider (which is waiting for me to have the money to fix it, which will never happen if I keep starting on expensive hobbies like this). I'm prepared to do strictly one track at a time, listening on headphones when recording miced tracks, if that's what I have to do. Since I'm doing everything except some of the vocals myself, it's not that big a deal. But before I commit to that, I just want to be sure I'm understanding things right.
Thanks for any and all help,
Nathan
http://walpow.com
