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  • Thread starter Thread starter xjdefx@hotmail.
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xjdefx@hotmail.

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Hey guys! I´ve played forever but never really recorded music until recently, when I decided to show some friends some works of mine. Well needless to say, my recordings sound awful.
Now this is why...
The only gear that is in use in recording are:
My two guitars
Peavey pv10 10-channel mixer
Digitech TSR-24 effects processor (guitars)
Behringer Virtualizer Pro (voice)
Crate amp (guitar)
Some Audio-Technica mic to record the amp
AKG perception 200 for voice.

Now I got this cheap A/D converter to go from the mixer to my mac and track it all in Garage Band (noob that I am).

So, now is tax time, I got about 2200 to spend, not much right,lol?

Question 1: I suppose I need a better DAW. Which makes more sense Pro-toos or Apple logic 8? Also, do I have to use m-audio gear with pro-tools?


Question 2: Should I get a dedicated preamp for the mics? Or is letting the mixer preamp everything ok?

Question 3: (This is tough in my mind to express) Once I have done all the tracks of a song how do I get it off my mac to mix it through my mixer or or effects processor or future gear to further process the sound then throw it back into the daw to master it? (that didn't even make sense to me!lol) So to speak, do better daws let you do a finished mix through physical gear then return to the digital? (ahh forget it!)

Thanks in advance for any input!
 
1) no one can answer this, as it comes down to personal preference. you just have to research the various features of daw software and get what you think is best. just make sure your computer specs are considerably HIGHER than the requirements of the software, as you'll want to add on plug-ins and such, and running at max is a bad idea anyway.

read the threads in the various daw boards, read reviews at musiciansfriend and such. that should help you.

2) as a beginner, i think this is reasonable as long as you're using an adc that is just for stereo input. if you're looking for more channels to record simultaneously, you'd want to look into something like the motu 8pre or presonus firestudio. for now i think your money would be better-spent on a few mics. peavey mixers don't suck, and you'd have to improve a lot of other components before you really start noticing the difference in the pres.

3) i assume you're recording one stereo track at a time into your computer (based on your setup). if each of these tracks is going into your daw as a separate track, i would suggest adding effects as plug-ins and mixing down to stereo in the box, and then mastering it there as well. you want to minimize your A/D/D/A conversions, especially through a cheap converter.
now, if you're talking about running 6 channels to your mixer and then the stereo outs through the sound card, well you're hosed. the stereo cable out from your mixer, the converter, and the software don't give a hoot that you just recorded 6 channels. it's all mixed already, so deconstructing the tracks after the fact is impossible. this is why, for more channels, you'd want a multi-channel interface with firewire (assuming your mac has firewire input).

hope that helps. :)
 
Okay. Thanks.

So now Im looking at firewire interfaces and some of them seem to be good preamps as well (such as the focusrite). But let say I had a physical compressor in a rack, how do i add it to the mix? As I'm recording track by track in the signal chain, or do i do the slight compression to the whole mix in the end somehow with it, or do I have to use a plug in?

Again thanks for any response!!!!
 
As the other guy said, the most important thing about a DAW is if it works for what you're doing and if you're comfortable in using it and can learn it easily enough. Don't worry about sound quality, they will all record your audio the same.

$2,200 is not a bad chunk of cash to spend. But you need to listen to your stuff and figure out what's bringing your mixes down.

My guess, is it's your instruments/amps. If you're not satisfied with how they sound completely, you never will be no matter what kind of mics, preamps, interfaces, etc. that you buy.

Spending the money on a good amp and a good mic to record it (ex: Shure SM57) will go so much further than keeping a bad amp (not saying yours is bad I've never used one) and using a really expensive microphone.

As for using a hardware compressor, some interfaces will let you send the signal off to an external unit like a compressor. In most cases, you're best off recording without it, and then when mixing, applying compression so you can tweak it just right and you're not stuck with whatever settings you had when you recorded.

Just spend the money wisely. The sound of what you're recording is a million times more important than whatever you're using to record it.
 
Wow, thanks for the info!

BTW the main problem was when I recorded it at my house it sounded great, when I showed it to my friend at is house , the bass was really boomy, making the thing sound muddy, and my voice was too far above the mix. How in the world it sounded good on my speakers, I'll never know, but the mix embarrased me,lol!
 
xjdefx@hotmail. said:
Wow, thanks for the info!

BTW the main problem was when I recorded it at my house it sounded great, when I showed it to my friend at is house , the bass was really boomy, making the thing sound muddy, and my voice was too far above the mix. How in the world it sounded good on my speakers, I'll never know, but the mix embarrased me,lol!
Click to expand...

what are you using for monitoring when you mix? computer speakers (or cheap headphones) would definitely explain why this happened, as there's practically no bass response from those little desktop satellites. if you crank the bass up to where it sounds good on those, you're asking for trouble on other systems (just about every run-of-the-mill consumer stereo speaker is built to boost the bass response).

and at your friend's house, you in essence did your first A/B test (comparing your mix in different systems). so, go back, dial down the low freqs, tuck back the vocal, and voila! it's the revised mix! i've mixed songs a dozen times before mastering them, and there's usually still something i'm unhappy with, but at least you can improve on the obvious stuff.

it would be helpful to you, though, if you mixed on better speakers. ideally monitors, but at least decent headphones. in fact, i'd throw $100 of that $2200 towards a pair of sony mdr series headphones just for general purposes, regardless of whether or not you buy monitors.

good luck!
 
When I mix I use 2 House speakers (1x12 - 1x6 - 1x1" tweet) , but as I record I use a set of Shure isolation bud type earphones that cost me 100 bucks. I use them because I can't have the big speakers on during recording.
Unfortunately the band needs PA speakers and I will be buying 2 Yamaha BR12's tomorrow. (in essence squashing monitor money) As i will also be buying a firewire interface, motu probably because it comes with Audio Desk for macs.

So do you think I would be better off mixing on the tiny shures for now as opposed to the house speakers or BR12's, or should I sell my spleen and just buy the monitors?
 
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Sounds to me like you have everything you need right now.

POSSIBLY you could use some better monitoring, but for now I would just keep running what you brung till one of those things REALLY starts to hold you back. By then you'll have a much better idea of what to buy.
 
OK. I Bought the MOTU Ultralight, I like it, the headphone mix is very clean! Much cleaner than my Peavey mixer headphone out. I think this will clear the mixes up a little. (Although the version of Audio Desk that comes with it sucks:rolleyes:)
 
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