Recording a Band at Home

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okmusic

New member
Hi everyone,

We're a classically-trained instrumental band (violin, keyboard+amp, drums, somtimes cello) and we have been recording ourselves with a ZOOM Q3 Handy Recorder -- the mics on it have so far been pretty good, and we've been recording a lot of a sessions whenever we have the chance to meet.

Here's a sample that's representative of what we've done so far:

http://musicisok.bandcamp.com/track/good-morning

This recording is straight, with little to no mixing or editing done. Right now all we're doing is setting the recorder up front (it has a cross-shaped condenser setup built in) and playing towards it as a group.

We started small but the band is getting a little more serious now so we'd like to make sure that we have the best recording quality possible. Since we do a lot of improvisations, we're planning on making a LOT of recordings, so we can't really afford to keep on going back to a professional studio. And since we all have fairly busy schedules it needs to be something that can be set up relatively quickly. I'm willing to fork in a few bucks for a microphone, but I just wanted to make sure that it would be a considerable improvement to what we have now. I'm hoping that individual micings should not be necessary because we have performed long enough with each other to understand how to balance the sound with each other.

Any tips or suggestions that you think might help us get closer to a professional-quality recording? It feels "close" but I think it could be better, and I was wondering if there was anything that could be done without having to run to a professional engineer every time. Would better mastering do this for us, or is the purchasing of new equipment going to be necessary?
 
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Other than one part that drifts seriously out of time, I like the piece you gave links to. It's a good improvisation {I must admit, I like what I always refer to as 'waltz time'} and it starts cooking.....then it ends ! Too soon. Still, it's meant to be a good thing, leaving the punters wanting more.....
 
okmusic said:
..This recording is straight, with little to no mixing or editing done. Right now all we're doing is setting the recorder up front (it has a cross-shaped condenser setup built in) and playing towards it as a group.
Click to expand...

My first reaction was a combination- why mono? (or very nearly), and the odd levels at the start ('plucks way up front in the begining, later blend back for example, then two things. As it goes on I am reminded (thank you :)) that mono does have it's own charm (much as black and white photo).
And this on the Zoom-
Auto Record Level automatically adjusts audio levels during recordings
A feature', but for what you're doing perhaps one to be avoided.

By the way, welcome in. :D
 
Wow, that's from a Q3? That's really great quality for a camera! Of course, it is made by Zoom, so that explains a lot.

I would suggest micing the drums differently - more on the snare, less on the hi-hat. To do this you can either pull the camera away from the hi-hat and hook a mic up to the snare and run it through an amp so the recorder hears the snare better. Or you can do the most professional, ideal solution which would be to drop some money on an interface and a few dynamic microphones, maybe a condensor or two for the room. You can then really experience with microphone placement and mixing to get that real professional sound you're looking for. It would be a logical next step for you. It's even what I did - I started by recording my band with a single microphone plugged straight into the soundcard of a laptop, and then moved up to micing each instrument, etc. I know it's not really what you're looking to do, but you can ramp into it slow. Maybe start with two fifty dollar microphones and a $100 interface so you can record into your computer. As you learn more about the multitracking world you can make upgrades to gradually improve your sound, but I can tell you that even going with two fifty dollar mics would greatly improve your sound and may even satisfy your needs enough to the point where you won't have to upgrade for a while.
 
I enjoyed this piece, too, and I liked the comment from Mixsit about the "charm" of a an almost-mono mix.

However, I can't help but imagine how it might come alive with even a simple, but wider stereo image--as mentioned above. A couple of condenser mics on either side of the performers would add dimension and make the recording more interesting.

A suggested in an earlier reply, the simplest way to do that would be to buy two low-to-medium cost condenser mics and mic stands (do some research and then check Ebay, for example); then feed the two mics into a PC or Mac audio interface. You can record stereo into some shareware or freeware audio software. You can then experiment with mic placement to get a wider sound of the whole room.

Thanks for posting the song.
 
On top of having a small recorder we have been playing inside a fairly cramped attic in one of my friend's house, and the mic is sitting there pretty much right next to us. That's why there probably isn't too much stereo differentiation even though the recorder is a stereo mic. Although maybe as some people said, there's a certain charm to it because it has a kind of intimate sound that you don't hear too often.

The good news is that we're going to be playing in a different room soon so maybe just pulling back a little might help with the quality.

Thanks everyone for the comments! There's another rehearsal this week so maybe I'll come back with the results after we experiment with things a bit.
 
You know, a thought strikes me.
If you got a standalone (12~16 tracks) recorder or an 8 input interface of some sort (they often come bundled with recording software) and 7 mics, You could do wonders with your recording. You could mic the drums with 3 or 4 mics and as you all have a good musical balance and understanding, you could get some good recordings, especially as you aim to do alot of pieces.
Just a thought.
 
peterNH said:
I enjoyed this piece, too, and I liked the comment from Mixsit about the "charm" of a an almost-mono mix.

However, I can't help but imagine how it might come alive with even a simple, but wider stereo image--as mentioned above. A couple of condenser mics on either side of the performers would add dimension and make the recording more interesting.

A suggested in an earlier reply, the simplest way to do that would be to buy two low-to-medium cost condenser mics and mic stands (do some research and then check Ebay, for example); then feed the two mics into a PC or Mac audio interface. You can record stereo into some shareware or freeware audio software. You can then experiment with mic placement to get a wider sound of the whole room.

Thanks for posting the song.
Click to expand...

Hello Peter no one has welcomed you to the forum, let me be the first!
In your user name does the NH mean that your from the Shire?







:cool:
 
"Best quality recording" is going to be elusive in an amateur home setup, but you can cover the distance with some intelligence and distance.

Consider investing in a modest multi-mic setup for your space, either with a computer-based DAW or a standalone recorder. Get some advice while you're setting up the mic-ing and getting the basics of recording... Prepare for a great deal of trial and error as you're getting your bearings...

(Then consider sending your tracks off to a pro to be mixed & mastered. You'll save a ton over the studio time for recording, and a good mixer will be able to do some cleanup as you're learning.)

Gotta pick your battles!
 
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