Need help optimizing my setup!!

[SonOfGod]

Hey all,

I play in funk/reggae band and weve been playing for about 6 months now, but no matter how much I play with they settings on the amps and shit, I can't seem to get the sound I want. The same goes for when I record (I record on a BOSS Micro BR digital recorder). Is there any major things I should know about optimizing my recording and live sound? Preticularly vocals?

 

[WhiteStrat]

Jesus--is that you?!?

Seriously, we'll need a bit more info. You say you can't get the sound you want. So we need to know what sound you want, and what sound you're getting.

And welcome to the board. Normally we say "New guy buys the beer," but I'm thinking maybe you can just turn some water into wine?

WS

 

[SonOfGod]

Really, I just find it hard to have all the instruments and vocals blend together smoothly, right now it always sounds too crisp or too bassy. I also concered about the guitar by itself, as the chords I play always seem kinda rough and not clean enough. Its kinda hard to explain

facebook.com/pages/The-Green-Scene/146596092053927

Here, under videos, are some of our recordings. As you can see, there a complete train wreck, and i really dont know how to resolve it. It just doesnt seem right overall.

 

[guitarplayr82]

Really, I just find it hard to have all the instruments and vocals blend together smoothly, right now it always sounds too crisp or too bassy. I also concered about the guitar by itself, as the chords I play always seem kinda rough and not clean enough. Its kinda hard to explain

facebook.com/pages/The-Green-Scene/146596092053927

Here, under videos, are some of our recordings. As you can see, there a complete train wreck, and i really dont know how to resolve it. It just doesnt seem right overall.

Can you tell us how you are recording the band? What mics are you using/do you have available to use? Are you recording everybody separate or are you all playing the song together live? If you are playing live, what is the micing configuration?

As for the guitar, can you post an example of the sound you wish to achieve and the amp/guitar/pickups/pedals you have?

 

[AngeloG.]

How about a sample, recording? Or saying more about what you want to do.

 

[jjjtttggg]

I listened to your youtube tracks. Pretty cool music, but a little sloppy (not really meant as a criticism, they're live tracks, so you expect it to be a little loose). Am I right in thinking these were done with a recorder sitting in the middle of your rehearsal room or some such? I think this stuff would sound really cool recorded properly. If you're just recording the band straight to a stereo mic recorder, your only means of mixing, blending, panning, etc. is to move your instruments around and turn them up or down. Which is gonna sound like what it is, a band in a room, with a mic in the middle. Not saying that can't sound good. There was a time when that's the way it was done. My only suggestion in that regard is practice your songs more so you all stay together a little better, and then listen back to the track a few times after several short sound checks, to make sure the levels are right.

If you're looking to do something on the next level your going to need to multitrack it, which is going to take a little more hardware than your Boss micro recorder. Actually, I just looked at it and see that's a 4 track setup. That opens up some possibilities (much of the Beatles stuff was done of 4 track tape machines.) How did you go about the recordings you've done?