Hi all - very new to this and am looking for some advice...

[maxygalaxy1]

Hi all, very new to recording and to this site as well. I had a look around but didn't find specific answers to these very simple qu's... So, here goes... I'm just getting a new recording set-up off a friend... I have been using garage band on my mac, an edirol fa 66 interface and a sansom £50 mic, but now i'm going to be using a macbook pro rigged up to pro tools 7, with 2 Rode NT2-As, and a digirack 002...

I am just about to start using this system and would really appreciate some advice for getting fuller, better balanced tracks. In the past i have recorded everything with just 1 mic and the tracks sound boxy (surprise surprise), a touch lifeless, inbalanced etc. I have just learnt about the full joys of panning and also the importance of synching kick and bass guitar etc but i had a few more qus:

1) Should i use twin mics to capture the acoustic guitar and hard pan L/R?
2) should there be reverb and compression on the acoustic guitar?
3) is it best to capture electric guitar with mics around the (non-valve) amp (Fender champion 100) or directly input to the rack? I am also not sure about how much distortion to add...
4) should i compress the electric guitars if using distortion?
5) how can I get a decent sounding full crisp drum track - should I get a drum machine (i have heard superior drummer mentioned)..? - or can I rely on pro tools and record the kick, snare and high hats separately? any tips on plug-ins to improve sound?
6) i don't have a bass guitar and have been using midi to achieve piano/bass/organ etc - are there any soundbanks that are highly recommended or are the ones in pro tools good enough?

many thanks in advance, and apologies if these are all banal questions.
M

 

[AlanSwenson]

1) Should i use twin mics to capture the acoustic guitar and hard pan L/R?

yes 2 mics no panning hard, blend the two together for left and right record a second time and pan the first one left and second right. But experiment as you wish.

2) should there be reverb and compression on the acoustic guitar?

Both can be used or not, depends on the sound you like, experiment

3) is it best to capture electric guitar with mics around the (non-valve) amp
(Fender champion 100) or directly input to the rack? I am also not sure about how much distortion to add...

If you like the way the amp sounds mic it. If you want a clean sound that you can use sansamp or amplitude or other plugin on record direct.

4) should i compress the electric guitars if using distortion?

Depends on the sound and how much dynamics you want. again experiment. could be right or wrong for the track depending.

5) how can I get a decent sounding full crisp drum track - should I get a drum machine (i have heard superior drummer mentioned)..? - or can I rely on pro tools and record the kick, snare and high hats separately? any tips on plug-ins to improve sound?

No advice here, this is a whole can of worms on its own.

6) i don't have a bass guitar and have been using midi to achieve piano/bass/organ etc - are there any soundbanks that are highly recommended or are the ones in pro tools good enough?

many thanks in advance, and apologies if these are all banal questions.
M

the piano and organ in pro tools 8 is way better but try structure free if you don't already have it, its free from pro tools.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

1) Should i use twin mics to capture the acoustic guitar and hard pan L/R?
2) should there be reverb and compression on the acoustic guitar?
3) is it best to capture electric guitar with mics around the (non-valve) amp (Fender champion 100) or directly input to the rack? I am also not sure about how much distortion to add...
4) should i compress the electric guitars if using distortion?

This is like asking what colors to use when painting. Do whatever gets the results you are looking for. There is no predetermined right or wrong. Regarding distortion, I like to compress before distortion so the distortion doesn't decrease with the decay of the signal.

5) how can I get a decent sounding full crisp drum track - should I get a drum machine (i have heard superior drummer mentioned)..? - or can I rely on pro tools and record the kick, snare and high hats separately? any tips on plug-ins to improve sound?

The kit is one instrument and is best recorded as such. What is your mic selection? Do you have enough to get the sounds you want from each part of the kit? Are you familiar with the various approaches to drum micing?

 

[mjbphotos]

What works for one, may not work for others - experiment, try out different things and listen to what the results are.

 

[Armistice]

Distortion in itself, compresses.

Compression isn't usually an effect, although it can be used as one. You use it when it makes sense to do so - usually when you need to achieve a particular end in a mix.

You should never automatically put it on just because you can, and most will avoid recording with compression applied because you can't then uncompress it.

Recording distorted guitar is a whole other topic however.

For cleaner sounds, record dry, apply dynamics and time-based effects after, if you can.

There's a couple of good compression threads floating hereabouts - might be worth a read...

"Boxy" can be caused by uncontrolled reflections from nearby surfaces. Plenty of info in this and other forums about how to control "boxy" if that's what's causing it.

Luck...

 

[maxygalaxy1]

i will be using the pair of Rode's although more importantly i don't have a kit to record live unfortunately, so i guess i need to compile the track myself and just wanted to know if it's best to separately record the kick/snare, and hats separately. or invest in a program like superior drummer to get the results instead.

 

[grimtraveller]

i will be using the pair of Rode's although more importantly i don't have a kit to record live unfortunately, so i guess i need to compile the track myself and just wanted to know if it's best to separately record the kick/snare, and hats separately

I'm a little lost by what you mean here. If you don't have a kit to record live, how would you separately compile the kick, snare and hat ? Do you have access to parts of the kit ?

Welcome, by the way !

Something to perhaps consider. Much of the advice and directions and info you'll receive come from peoples' direct experience, which can be confusing if people seem to be contradicting each other. What this has actually told me is that there are a number of ways to skin just about any cat that rears it's head. I no longer think of this as being a game with no rules. Rather, it's a game in which there are 'rules' and methods but you get to choose which particular rule/method to implement at any given point. So unless something that someone says is demonstrably wrong {and people are not backward in coming forward on this forum !}, most of what you read is at least worth noting, if not following. Different methods apply at different times.
It's important to experiment and also to recognize that you're unlikely to build Rome in a day. Have patience, ask advice, try out lots of different things but above all, try not to get so bogged down in 'process' that you lose the joy of playing and making music.

 

[dintymoore]

Howzit!

1) Should i use twin mics to capture the acoustic guitar and hard pan L/R?

I use 2 mics usually, but not always, it depends on the song. If it's just gtr & vox I might hard pan L&R, if there's a band and the hihat is hard L and a shaker hard R, I might put the gtr not hard L&R but in between if that makes sense.

2) should there be reverb and compression on the acoustic guitar?

You probably won't need compression, but maybe you will... just listen. I usually use reverb.

3) is it best to capture electric guitar with mics around the (non-valve) amp (Fender champion 100) or directly input to the rack? I am also not sure about how much distortion to add...

I think recording a great guitar with a nice tube amp and mic'ing it is the way to go. Why fake it if you can do the real thing? But whatever works for the song really.

4) should i compress the electric guitars if using distortion?

no rules there, I'm guessing "yes". Just playing through a tube amp gives you natural compression.

5) how can I get a decent sounding full crisp drum track - should I get a drum machine (i have heard superior drummer mentioned)..? - or can I rely on pro tools and record the kick, snare and high hats separately? any tips on plug-ins to improve sound?

Almost all the plug ins I've heard (just got the $20 Steven Slate drums) need the top rolled off, and quite a bit. I think they record them that way so you can do that - it's a lot better then boosting high end! I always need to tweak the drums a lot.

6) i don't have a bass guitar and have been using midi to achieve piano/bass/organ etc - are there any soundbanks that are highly recommended or are the ones in pro tools good enough?

I don't know, I mostly use a Roland SC-8850 sound module for my bass/keys and synths.

 

[maxygalaxy1]

I'm a little lost by what you mean here. If you don't have a kit to record live, how would you separately compile the kick, snare and hat ? Do you have access to parts of the kit ?

Welcome, by the way !

Something to perhaps consider. Much of the advice and directions and info you'll receive come from peoples' direct experience, which can be confusing if people seem to be contradicting each other. What this has actually told me is that there are a number of ways to skin just about any cat that rears it's head. I no longer think of this as being a game with no rules. Rather, it's a game in which there are 'rules' and methods but you get to choose which particular rule/method to implement at any given point. So unless something that someone says is demonstrably wrong {and people are not backward in coming forward on this forum !}, most of what you read is at least worth noting, if not following. Different methods apply at different times.
It's important to experiment and also to recognize that you're unlikely to build Rome in a day. Have patience, ask advice, try out lots of different things but above all, try not to get so bogged down in 'process' that you lose the joy of playing and making music.

Thank you so much for these detailed responses - I will get to work with the trial & error! ta

 

[Dogbreath]

1) Should i use twin mics to capture the acoustic guitar and hard pan L/R?
2) should there be reverb and compression on the acoustic guitar?
3) is it best to capture electric guitar with mics around the (non-valve) amp (Fender champion 100) or directly input to the rack? I am also not sure about how much distortion to add...
4) should i compress the electric guitars if using distortion?
5) how can I get a decent sounding full crisp drum track - should I get a drum machine (i have heard superior drummer mentioned)..? - or can I rely on pro tools and record the kick, snare and high hats separately? any tips on plug-ins to improve sound?
6) i don't have a bass guitar and have been using midi to achieve piano/bass/organ etc - are there any soundbanks that are highly recommended or are the ones in pro tools good enough?

many thanks in advance, and apologies if these are all banal questions.
M

#1...Two mics has always sounded best to my ears. As to the hard panning...depends on what the tune calls for. Sometimes yeah, sometimes no. I've had better luck with a pair of SDC's.

#2...You can if that's what the song calls for but I wouldn't track with either of em. Once it's tracked with effects, it's there.

#3...I much prefer the sound of a mic on an amp. Although a lot of the modelers out have a very good sound and are very useable...There's just something about the air and feel of a live mic.
as to the distortion level...less is more. If I run my gain at ...say 8 when playing live...I'll back it off to around 6 for recording. Play it by ear. It will also yield better results if you track your guitars twice. Not copy the part and paste it but play the same part twice and use different pickups or amps or guitars. Fuller and fatter.

#4...Distortion is compression of a sort so...no...I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, I don't think I've ever compressed my distorted guitars.

#5...I dunno. I track my drums and drums tend to be one of the more difficult instruments to get. So much depends on the room etc...No real experience with programs or drum machines.

#6...I dunno. Get a bass and DI it.

Good luck man.