Giving Newbies Guidance

  • Thread starter Thread starter gec
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Gec, that was great info and very interesting thanks for all us newbies, I'm still in analog world and have been considering and saving to go to the digital realm.
I was wondering about the preamp would this be used for all instruments being recorded such as guitars bass etc?
I was considering using my current eight track, a 488 mkll tascam as a mixer then going into the computer from there (this may be stupid obviously I don't know much about digital recording) would that be defeating the purpose? please give me a clue
Thanks
 
East providence in the house!!!!!

whats up Bass....yeah the pre-amp can be used for the musical instruments....you can definately run your 8-track as the middle point from instrument to computer.... I guess before I really get in depth I should ask... What type of music are you doing?
 
Yeah fellow Rhode Islander!!! good eye I didn't even catch that at first, most of my stuff is a two man operation jazz standards, blues, traditional country all clean guitar tones, boss dr660 for the drums
 
It seems it all comes down to the level of quality you want / can discern. For this newbie, I don't want a perfect sound. I like mistakes and glitches. Like w/old wood, imperfections add character. So-called perfect recordings are WAY too glossy and 'over-produced' for my taste.

As Matt says, YOUR sound is YOUR sound. Whatever works for you; and more often than not, it shouldn't cost a fortune.

I started about 6 mos. ago and, little by little, am adding new stuff. I can't see spending $10000 on a home studio when you're just getting started. If you find you're not into it, you'll be listing the stuff on Ebay. And all that new gear, with the warranties, nuances and OTHER gear you need to make your new gear work, may make your head spin.

As for getting what you pay for, few of us hobbyists have loads of disposable income. So you start small and build when you can. I agree with the comment about getting a good deal. HOWEVER, my wife's family has an unfortunate habit of buying the best stuff on the market; they live by "You get what you pay for." Guess where most of those 'best new gadgets' wind up in 2 months? Exactly...

If you find you love recording, as with anything else, you can always upgrade. If you start with the best of everything, there's only one way to go.
 
In the end, Gec, I don't know if you're right that the PC holds the future of home recording. I think it's like the war between VHS and Betamax, somebody will win. I'll give you this, analog is fairly dead. However, consider this- once there was Big Blue and Apple, but before long, you couldn't tell the difference between a Mac and Windows ME. Then they started to collaborate. Mostly home recorders use computers to record because it's the recorder they already own. Also note, this is a home recording *computer* bulletin board. So who do you think is going to show up *here*?- computer users.
Now my PC is pretty useless for recording. Even with a good sound card, its too noisy. fans, hum, interference, etc. I'd need a control room (which I don't have) just to isolate this puppy from my tracking station. Gee, I could have a custom computer built just for recording (many people do), and then I'd have a stand alone, hard disc DAW (Lolly- that's digital audio workstation).
Now I'll admit that say, a Roland VS2480 can be beat by a good custom built computer platform- today. But as electronics get cheaper and smaller, and PC options become simpler to use, I think the two will meet at a middle point. The cheap, small, expandable, versatile, programmable, stand alone recorder. Sorry, I don't use a PC for recording, I use Roland VS1824CD. It's not the most cost effective way to get music storage memory, but it's right for me at this time. Sorry, Lolly, if you think the PC is a complicated way to record, try reading the owner's manual(s) for a VS1824CD sometime, when you've got an hour or so to download (them).
Anyway, a few observations on gear listed above:
I'm with trackrat- keep the Oktava MK319, and add at least one MK012, and a Shure SM57. Joemeek VC3Q preamp/compressor. TC electronics M300 multi fx/reverb. Feeling computer challenged? Start looking at Boss and Roland 8-track (or more) digital recorders. There are several ways to skin this cat. Please don't misunderstand me, recording with PC's can be cost effective and produce excellent results, but it is not the only way to do excellent digital recording.-Richie
 
Hey Richard,

I am unable to predict the future but I do believe the analog days will pass in time. Where the 2 meet I don't know but interesting comparison between vhs n beta.......only they competed for the same industry and computers take on roles in every industry not just music so I think the advancement of computer technology will continue to rise at a much faster pace...........

Your point on fans and hums are very accurate......they do disrupt if you do not have a control room seperate from your vocal area.......however, any serious recording should always be seperate....... Out performance of analog over PC I am unsure of though...................... I don''t see it.........Just in editing and proper mix downs I save hours and hours.........and the big thing is the cost to product ratio...............To get the same quality of a completed track would cost 1,000's of dollars in hardware and equipment compared to software and plugins that perform the same function.........Lastly, I personally do not use a recorder combined with my PC......there are a few good tracking programs that replace that and there are sound cards that will kill just about any board out there.................

Again just my opinion after doing both this is what I found to be cost effective providing better results and less time editing----which in turn provides more time to produce and write more music................

G-miller....I like ur statement your sound is your sound..............
 
I think maybe you didn't quite get my point, Gec. What I'm saying is that in time, the PC upgraded to digital recorder with plug ins and software add-ons and the current hard disc DAWs will merge into a better dedicated hard disc digital recorder with built in expandable software and high quality pres, effects, editing, headphone distribution, etc. Basically what I forsee is a super hard disc recorder that will make it possible to replace your rack with modular software in a platform designed for recording, not an office. I'm not arguing for the resurrection of analog. For now, even though I have a bit of a vocal booth, I have to record in one room, and a computer that makes noise is incompatible with my world. I have to unplug my computer even when it's turned off to kill printer transformer hum, etc. Even Korg PXR4 (which I own) is a computer, it's just a computer built for recording music, instead of playing space invaders or figuring quarterly cash flow. The hard disc recorder has come a long way, but not far enough that I want to jack straight into it, so I still have a rack of outboard boxes to bypass the Roland's pres, A-D converters, etc.
Soon, you won't even have to do that, but we have a ways to go before there's a Neve front end in your VS. That is when the dedicated multitrack hard disc recorder will come of age. Sorry, right now a control room, and therefore recording on a PC is out of the question for me.-Richie
 
Hey rich,

almost didn't notice your from framingham about an 1hr from me..........
 
Glad you asked. That is if I'm not too late for this thread.

Some of the best experience you will get is from recording your own stuff. On the other hand it is difficult to be objective. I use a reference disc to judge my mixes by.

It doesn't always work out the way I'd like, but the mixes DO turn out. You can't reference every note from what you are using for a reference. But you can get a general feel, tone, balance, and EQ for what you are looking for from your reference CD or tape or album.

The reference CD/Album I use is what I used to learn to mix on my monitors. It works.
 
Wow.
Cheers for laying that out Gec. I wish I'd found this website a few months before I did. I bought a sound blaster Audigy and it really sucks.
Looking at that list it seems I really need to improve quite a lot of my stuff. I've got the computer- no problems.......... But I've only got a handful of dynamic mics (2xe835's, 1xSM58,1xe604) that I use as much for live work as recording.
Looks like the 66 is the next big buy. Then maybe the Octava. I've heard loads of good stuff about it and it's cheaper than the C3000 I was gonna get.
I didn't realise decent monitors were such a big thing- I just use my stereo amp and speakers (all Pioneer). Is it worth me investing in Monitors just yet? Or would I be better off spending the budget on software, mics and pre's?
Cheers for a really great, informative thread though guys.
 
I have not read all the posts on this thread (most but not all). But, I just had to get my comments in before it got too long for anyone to read.
First of all gec, I appreciate the list you compiled. Especially for a newbie like me.
As for computer recording being the future, that's probably right, but that's not the reason I'm getting into it. After spending major bucks in a recording studio and not getting the results I wanted (they did a good job, but I know how I want my group to sound) I researched the different ways to do the recording myself. I already had the pa equipment that I need. The price of a decent computer and decent soundcard and software is still aprox. half the cost of going to a studio. As for using a stand alone DAW for recording 4 tracks simultaneously (much less more tracks) a good soundcard and software is still $100s less.
I am still learning a lot and my comments may not mean much to you pros but these are my reasons for going the computer route.
 
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