Dr. Varney
Pimp
Uh, where to start?
Hello!
I'm one of these people who love pressing buttons and moving faders about. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I know I can learn.
Okay, I started with a physical mixer, just for listening. It's a Behringer UB1204fx-pro. Not a bad little mixer. I bought for cash, second hand. I had it to basically route my guitar into my home audio amp - so I could listen to myself play.
Then things started to develop, when I bought myself the E-MU 0404 soundcard, to make it possible to record on the computer.
I'd tried it with Audacity, but syncing two tracks together was fraught with latency.
I run a small theatre here, in Britain. We've designs on becoming The Midland's premier horror theatre, which is an easy challenge. We have talented actors and musicians, great scripts and my background, which is in TV and theatre makeup, props and sets makes all of this viable. This is the first time I have sole directed a musical though.
I know I can do this, it's just the learning curve that defeats me now. My soundcard came bundled with Cubase, Sonar, Ableton + the usual stuff. I think it's going to be good enough for us to cut our practice tapes so we can deliver our ideas to the live band.
Physical instruments I have here are a Yamaha Pacifica electric 6 string, a Roland PC180A MIDI controller and my partner in crime has a keyboard with MIDI outs. I'm also doing up an old bass guitar, which needs the switches and pick ups soldered and a nice new paint job. I run on the cheap, but hey... I like fixing things.
The problem is coming to terms with the terms... Sends, aux, alt 3-4 busses, pre-fader listening, control room, main out and all that - completely greek to me and all my software interface and physical mixer represents an alien artifact/time machine or something.
I've tried pushing buttons and moving sliders - sometimes with horrific results (I presume feedback) and now I'm just plain scared of it. It looks at me, as if I'm some kind of idiot.
I'm the sort that picks things up quickly, once I've got a plan. Like, I learned Photoshop inside out and built my own computer. Learned how to set up my guitar properly and I build compressed air systems and very basic electrical circuits for animatronics, etc and I know a little bit about home audio. But I am really foxed with this sound recording business, at first blush.
Obviously, I appreciate there is too much to explain, probably, for a single thread. I know Rome wasn't built in a day - so can anyone sort of point me in the right direction? Recommend articles, newbie threads in here or even books I could buy, which would set me on the right path towards basic recording?
Any starter tips for a new-born chicken like myself, would be most graciously appreciated.
Many thanks
Dr. V
Hello!
I'm one of these people who love pressing buttons and moving faders about. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I know I can learn.
Okay, I started with a physical mixer, just for listening. It's a Behringer UB1204fx-pro. Not a bad little mixer. I bought for cash, second hand. I had it to basically route my guitar into my home audio amp - so I could listen to myself play.
Then things started to develop, when I bought myself the E-MU 0404 soundcard, to make it possible to record on the computer.
I'd tried it with Audacity, but syncing two tracks together was fraught with latency.
I run a small theatre here, in Britain. We've designs on becoming The Midland's premier horror theatre, which is an easy challenge. We have talented actors and musicians, great scripts and my background, which is in TV and theatre makeup, props and sets makes all of this viable. This is the first time I have sole directed a musical though.
I know I can do this, it's just the learning curve that defeats me now. My soundcard came bundled with Cubase, Sonar, Ableton + the usual stuff. I think it's going to be good enough for us to cut our practice tapes so we can deliver our ideas to the live band.
Physical instruments I have here are a Yamaha Pacifica electric 6 string, a Roland PC180A MIDI controller and my partner in crime has a keyboard with MIDI outs. I'm also doing up an old bass guitar, which needs the switches and pick ups soldered and a nice new paint job. I run on the cheap, but hey... I like fixing things.
The problem is coming to terms with the terms... Sends, aux, alt 3-4 busses, pre-fader listening, control room, main out and all that - completely greek to me and all my software interface and physical mixer represents an alien artifact/time machine or something.
I've tried pushing buttons and moving sliders - sometimes with horrific results (I presume feedback) and now I'm just plain scared of it. It looks at me, as if I'm some kind of idiot.
I'm the sort that picks things up quickly, once I've got a plan. Like, I learned Photoshop inside out and built my own computer. Learned how to set up my guitar properly and I build compressed air systems and very basic electrical circuits for animatronics, etc and I know a little bit about home audio. But I am really foxed with this sound recording business, at first blush.
Obviously, I appreciate there is too much to explain, probably, for a single thread. I know Rome wasn't built in a day - so can anyone sort of point me in the right direction? Recommend articles, newbie threads in here or even books I could buy, which would set me on the right path towards basic recording?
Any starter tips for a new-born chicken like myself, would be most graciously appreciated.
Many thanks
Dr. V
