Live recording- first song! :D Need audio engineering help.

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wesleyadora

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Hey, I'm 15 years old and my friends and I have decided to make a band- we have a two guitarists (one vocalist/guitarist), a pianist and a drummer.

So, we have finished creating a song and want to record it but before trying to make a studio version trying to spend a lot of money on valuable equipment we have decided to try make a live recording, but I am wondering how we can do this on a relatively tight budget. The drummer's family owns a church and therefore we have access to several dynamic mics and a few speakers.

I am only unsure of how to record all this to be able to import it into a computer. As well as this- are there any specifics that we need to know for this, such as certain gear we will need to do this or important software I will need to download onto my PC.

Two live covers I enjoy the sound quality of and would like to attempt to emulate are: if you type into youtube "king the kid somewhere in neverland cover", or "dayilght maroon 5 king the kid". The videos are live recordings and I admire the quality.

Thank you!
 
Do some extensive reading. Other than the 'dynamic mics and speakers' (?) what equipment do you have? PA system? Guitar amps? Anyone have a stand-alone recorder or recording software (DAW)?

Basic equipment needed to record a live performance to a computer:
Microphones (plus stands, cables, etc)
Audio interface (converts audio to digital to send to computer via USB or firewire)
DAW
headphones (if you are going to add vocals after recording instruments, for example)
Monitors - for mixing

If none of you have ever done this before, chances are that your first efforts are going to sound pretty crappy. There is a learning curve.

Alternately, practice so that "live" your band sounds good, then use a portable recorder like a Zoom H2N to record the live performance with its built-in mics, then transfer the recording to the computer.
 
Hi Wez!
A church eh? Do you have access to the building for practice/recording?

I don't mean the main area of worship but churches usually have some decently sized side rooms/halls that are a good starting point for a decent recording acoustic (any room that is wood panelled is excellent!) .

If have even a modest computer it will be powerful enough to capture a stereo track (but DO give us details!). The main thing you need to buy is an Audio Interface and my reccy would be for the Steinberg UR22. There are dozens of others at the price but someone would have to come up with a damn good argument against the Steiny IMHO!

But yes, read a lot and look up "co-incident stereo". Do not, at this stage (if ever!) think about multitracking!

Oh! And where in the world are you?

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Hi Wez!
A church eh? Do you have access to the building for practice/recording?

I don't mean the main area of worship but churches usually have some decently sized side rooms/halls that are a good starting point for a decent recording acoustic (any room that is wood panelled is excellent!) .

If have even a modest computer it will be powerful enough to capture a stereo track (but DO give us details!). The main thing you need to buy is an Audio Interface and my reccy would be for . There are dozens of others at the price but someone would have to come up with a damn good argument against the Steiny IMHO!

But yes, read a lot and look up "co-incident stereo". Do not, at this stage (if ever!) think about multitracking!

Oh! And where in the world are you?

Dave.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much!

In Sydney, Australia. Yeah it's quite an old style church however the stage and technology is modern- like pentacostal churches (e.g Hillsong) so it has a nice chapel-like acoustic sound.

So basically, I plug the dynamic mics into the audio interface using XLR cords and the audio interface into my macbook pro via USB, where I will have installed a DAW to receive the audio from the dynamic mics?

:)
 
mjbphotos said:
Do some extensive reading. Other than the 'dynamic mics and speakers' (?) what equipment do you have? PA system? Guitar amps? Anyone have a stand-alone recorder or recording software (DAW)?

Basic equipment needed to record a live performance to a computer:
Microphones (plus stands, cables, etc)
Audio interface (converts audio to digital to send to computer via USB or firewire)
DAW
headphones (if you are going to add vocals after recording instruments, for example)
Monitors - for mixing

If none of you have ever done this before, chances are that your first efforts are going to sound pretty crappy. There is a learning curve.

Alternately, practice so that "live" your band sounds good, then use a portable recorder like Zoom H2N to record the live performance with its built-in mics, then transfer the recording to the computer.
Click to expand...

We have mics, xlr cables, usb cables, garageband on my macbook (are there any others you would recommend for macs?), guitar amps, bass amps, PA system. Would it work to just plug the dynamic mics into an audio interface (I might need to purchase) and straight into my macbook pro via USB?

I was also considering just playing live and recording with the Zoom H2N...it's relatively cheap and easy to use!
 
Oz eh?
Had you been UK I was going to offer to loan some kit.

The Zoom has a good rep but you already have most of it! The mics the recording device, all you need is an interface and the UR22 is cheaper than the Zoom and vastly more flexible (also has MIDI. You will need/like that, trust me) . An even better interface is the Native Instruments KA6. With that you could record the stereo mic, main signal but also take a feed from the PA mixer to the additional two line inputs and do a bit of post tracking balancing.

But you main aim should be to get a good, live balance for the band as heard out front. Do you have a trusted person who will give you constructive criticism of your sound? Once your musicianship is good enough it is simply(!) a case of finding a place in the church where you sound best and plonking the stereo pair there.

I would also suggest that you invest in a pair of small diaphragm capacitor (aka condenser) microphones. The Behringer C2s get a good rep.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Oz eh?
Had you been UK I was going to offer to loan some kit.

The Zoom has a good rep but you already have most of it! The mics the recording device, all you need is an interface and the UR22 is cheaper than the Zoom and vastly more flexible (also has MIDI. You will need/like that, trust me) . An even better interface is the Native Instruments KA6. With that you could record the stereo mic, main signal but also take a feed from the PA mixer to the additional two line inputs and do a bit of post tracking balancing.

But you main aim should be to get a good, live balance for the band as heard out front. Do you have a trusted person who will give you constructive criticism of your sound? Once your musicianship is good enough it is simply(!) a case of finding a place in the church where you sound best and plonking the stereo pair there.

I would also suggest that you invest in a pair of small diaphragm capacitor (aka condenser) microphones. The Behringer C2s get a good rep.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Man, how kind of you! Wish I was in UK :D I love these forums so far..first time doing this kind of thing :o

What if I were to do a 'home studio' version...not quite polished as most professionals but still good quality. I'm thinking of buying a studio package (e.g. the Presonus Audiobox Studio USB Recording Package) and recording each instrument individually, using a metronome I have on a small device doubling as a guitar tuner, as a reference for bpm/time.

Then maybe go onto garageband or some other mac freeware and putting it altogether.
What are the pros, cons and/or problems I may have to consider here?

Thanks for taking your time with this Dave, new to all of these things! :)
 
wesleyadora said:
Man, how kind of you! Wish I was in UK :D I love these forums so far..first time doing this kind of thing :o

What if I were to do a 'home studio' version...not quite polished as most professionals but still good quality. I'm thinking of buying a studio package (e.g. the Presonus Audiobox Studio USB Recording Package) and recording each instrument individually, using a metronome I have on a small device doubling as a guitar tuner, as a reference for bpm/time.

Then maybe go onto garageband or some other mac freeware and putting it altogether.
What are the pros, cons and/or problems I may have to consider here?

Thanks for taking your time with this Dave, new to all of these things! :)
Click to expand...
Forgive me Wez, but WTGR you are starting to thrash about!...ALL you need is an AI!

If you can borrow a mic or two you can build tracks at home. You surely have headphones of some sort? Even buds will do at a pinch. Then you can monitor thru an audio, "hi fi" system, (but not with a live mic!) any amp and speaker setup.

I have mentioned two AIs that attract very good reports and I have a KA6 myself and can vouch for its superdoopernessses! Presonus also have a very good name but I note with mild alarm that the package you cite is "no longer available" on two sites I visited?

Even if you can't borrow a mic you can jack a guitar in or a keyboard (and/or get into MIDI) but you can buy a very acceptable dynamic mic now for £30-50 and about the same for a small D capacitor, you do not, at this stage need a big, sexy, side address jobbie IMHO.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Forgive me Wez, but WTGR you are starting to thrash about!...ALL you need is an AI!

If you can borrow a mic or two you can build tracks at home. You surely have headphones of some sort? Even buds will do at a pinch. Then you can monitor thru an audio, "hi fi" system, (but not with a live mic!) any amp and speaker setup.

I have mentioned two AIs that attract very good reports and I have a KA6 myself and can vouch for its superdoopernessses! Presonus also have a very good name but I note with mild alarm that the package you cite is "no longer available" on two sites I visited?

Even if you can't borrow a mic you can jack a guitar in or a keyboard (and/or get into MIDI) but you can buy a very acceptable dynamic mic now for £30-50 and about the same for a small D capacitor, you do not, at this stage need a big, sexy, side address jobbie IMHO.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Sweet I think I'll try the Personus, maybe buy it off eBay. Would a digital piano work in garageband by plugging it in as a MIDI output into an audio interface then into my macbook pro via usb from the AI?

Or maybe i'll just go shopping around for decent AIs on the weekend. Oh, I also own sony noise-cancelling earphones I use from travel to and from school/studying/gaming (similar to beats studios). :)
 
wesleyadora said:
Sweet I think I'll try the Personus, maybe buy it off eBay. Would a digital piano work in garageband by plugging it in as a MIDI output into an audio interface then into my macbook pro via usb from the AI?

Or maybe i'll just go shopping around for decent AIs on the weekend. Oh, I also own sony noise-cancelling earphones I use from travel to and from school/studying/gaming (similar to beats studios). :)
Click to expand...

Don't know macs and therefore nor Garageband but yes, if GB will host a MIDI instrument you just take a DIN cable from the piano into the AI and the sound will come back through that into the headphones (cans connected to the interface).

The Presonus will come with its own DAW software and that will likely be better, for MIDI at least than GB?

STILL think you would be better off with the UR22! And DEFF' with the KA6!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Don't know macs and therefore nor Garageband but yes, if GB will host a MIDI instrument you just take a DIN cable from the piano into the AI and the sound will come back through that into the headphones (cans connected to the interface).

The Presonus will come with its own DAW software and that will likely be better, for MIDI at least than GB?

STILL think you would be better off with the UR22! And DEFF' with the KA6!

Dave.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much dave! You've been great help and thank you for the time you've taken to help me. I'm gonna shop around this weekend for some AIs and some MIDI cables. Definitely will consider your suggestions.

Wesley
 
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