What I hear vs. What I record question.

Mindcore

Mindcore

New member
Here's a question based on just not knowing any different.

I mic, or go direct from my guitar to my mixer, mixer to computer running Sonar 3

When I play, and hear what I'm playing through my monitors, its nice, loud, full, etc. So I hit record, then play it back. Its not quite as loud, not nearly as full, and sounds a little far away.

So I double track, mess with the track using eq, additional effects, etc. Until it sounds like it does when I monitor.

This obviously can't be the way its done. What suggestions can you offer as to why I'm not recording what I'm hearing.

If this question is as broad as nebraska, feel free to tell me that too :)
 
How are you monitoring? Are you sure the computer is getting the same thing you are listening to? Just to test, plug you monitor into the send that is going to the computer. Does it sound the same?
 
I'm using a AP 2496, I'm sending my signal from my buss outs to the computer, and then back out from the card to channel's 7&8

Maybe I'm hearing the main buss sound, and the 7-8 channel sound together, hence twice the signal, but only recording half of it?

I'll try swapping it as you suggest and see if there is a differance.

Thanks
 
Mindcore said:
I'm using a AP 2496, I'm sending my signal from my buss outs to the computer, and then back out from the card to channel's 7&8

Maybe I'm hearing the main buss sound, and the 7-8 channel sound together, hence twice the signal, but only recording half of it?

I'll try swapping it as you suggest and see if there is a differance.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Or the other factor, if you're hearing it 'in the room' (as when miced) and/or you are hearing a more direct path during tracking.
And it never hurts to get the path as short as possible.
 
Mindcore said:
When I play, and hear what I'm playing through my monitors, its nice, loud, full, etc. So I hit record, then play it back. Its not quite as loud, not nearly as full, and sounds a little far away.
So I double track, mess with the track using eq, additional effects, etc. Until it sounds like it does when I monitor.
This obviously can't be the way its done. What suggestions can you offer as to why I'm not recording what I'm hearing.
Click to expand...

I hope everybody reads your post. This is *exactly* the way its's done! With all of the variables in microphones, instrument pickups, preamps, instrument dynamics, recording levels, speaker frequency response, on and on and on... IMHO it's rare that what you record will play back sounding the "way you want" without adjusting, and doubling, and eq, and compression, and (insert several other things here)... And that's just the initial tracking step.

The effect grows when mixing several tracks, from several sources. The whole is not the same as you think the sum of the parts should be. Again, you have to adjust. Then play your final on a home stereo system, a boom box, a car stereo, an iPod, over radio, over internet... all sound different. sheezzz!

After a while, you will become accustomed to how your unique setup sounds. Maybe you will adjust your equipment to make the initial track sound more "like you want". Or, you'll learn how to adjust things while tracking so you get it closer to begin with and you won't need to tweak so much. And, you'll just know what you need to tweak and do it without even thinking.

Your experience is not unusual.
 
Thanks for the reply, I messed with the reccomendations above today, made no real differance.

It just made sense to me, that what I'm hearing should be whats being recorded. Knowing now that that is not the case, well I can get back to recording! In the end, it winds up pretty much like I want, just figured if there was an easier way to get there, why waste my time?


Thanks
 
I think that A/D conversion has a lot to do with the way it’s recorded. Also to reduce latency don’t audio cards hardwire the in to the out there for bypassing any processing so you don’t actually hear the processed sound. I know in cubase you have the option to monitor through cubase or not monitor through it. If you monitor through cubase you hear the processed signal the way you will hear it when it recorded but you will notice some latency. If you chose not to monitor through cubase you will hear the signal as if you were coming out of you mixer and not the true sound. At least that’s what I have noticed from my experience.
 
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