How Long?

[ethos]

im a newbie when it comes to studio equipment/work/gear ect..

i know enough to record, bounce and burn, but nothing els really.

how long did it take you to aquire the amount of knowledge you have now?
how did you learn? (reading,school,freinds ect)


any reccomendation on books or movies i should check out?

i wouldnt be ashamed to ask, but i dont know what to ask exactly.

i need to know everything from what a compressor does, to how to mix and master.

so, how did everyone grow from where i am now, to where you are now?

 

[Dogman]

Ethos, welcome. I started back into recording last summer, and knew nothing other than to plug into the recorded, and go. It was a mess. I've learned a lot from reading right here. The search function is cool, and helps immensely, if you have some specifics. There are tons of links to other sites that carry answers. Blue Bear has some really good tips on his site, as do many others. Best thing to do is start reading here, and see where it leads. Listen to some stuff in the mp3 mixing clinic, and ask the people who recorded it, how, if that is something you need to know.

Lots of knowledge here, and best of all, it's free!!
Ed

 

[jake-owa]

You can get ideas and learn facts from books but technique is only learned by doing.

This place is just as likely to mislead and confuse you as it is actually teach you anything useful.

Go record...

 

[dgatwood]

im a newbie when it comes to studio equipment/work/gear ect..

i know enough to record, bounce and burn, but nothing els really.

how long did it take you to aquire the amount of knowledge you have now?
how did you learn? (reading,school,freinds ect)

I've been doing recording since I was old enough to spell the word, and was doing A/V field recording and editing (video production work) semi-professionally for the better part of a decade before graduating from college, moving out to the Silicon Valley, and taking a programming job. Then, I went to grad school in CS, and since then, have been writing developer documentation for almost four years at another computer company. During all those 14-ish years, I have been regularly recording and editing audio.

I'm still learning.

I learn new things every day. When I'm old and grey, I'll still be learning. In my opinion, that's the difference between somebody who does a good job and somebody who does a half-assed job: the person who does something right is someone who always learns from what worked the last time and what didn't, and constantly adapts to his/her environment, equipment, personnel, etc.

The day you stop learning is the day you die.

 

[ethos]

word.

ive been recording for a while.
theres a low-budget recording studio in my housing project.

im part of the reason its there, so i have full access to it.

it has.....

Korg D1600
soundforge 7.0
a synth and a keyboard.
2 turntables
2 decent condensor mics
ect.

so basically. a lot of dope equipment for a beginner.
ive learned the basics for the most part, but nothing really deeper.

(yes i hate myself,for not utilizing this equipment entirely),
but i dont really know where to start.

i was hoping maybe some of your "getting started" stories might be of use to me.

i guess when it comes down to it. i just need to shut the fuck up and attack it head on, but its a daunting task.

if everything goes well, i'll be going to schoo for music production next year,
half of me just wants to wait.

??????

either way, thanks to those that replied.

 

[giraffe]

i've been at it on and off as a hobby mostly (occasionally i get money for it)
for like 6 years.

i'm just now getting ok with my sound, and i still have a ton to learn.

 

[In Tune Audio]

I think your on the right track. Your willing to learn, and you've come to a place to ask for help. No attitude other than wanting to do it. Thats a great start.

As was mentioned, the best way to learn is to do it. And thats very true, but as you mentioned it can be daunting. From my personnal experience, the best place to start is reading some books. Spare no expense, and go get your self two or three (more than one at least) books on the subject. That will give you a handy reference to have infront of yourself, whenever your working. Magazines are good as well, but a book will cover a wide variety of topics, in one place. Magazines have a lot of reviews of equipment (which can be confusing, and distracting) and will focus on a small variety of topics, and then you have to wait for next month to learn anything else.

This forum is another great place. Don't be afraid to ask questions here. There are some awesome pros, who are very willing to help, and share ideas. Just remember that you are newer to this, and don't come on and act like all hot s^#t and expect everyone to be gracious. But this forum is a great resource.

Hook up with someone in your area who is into this sort of thing. Being able to phone up a buddy with some questions is really handy. They can come over and show you stuff personnaly. That beats any reading of books or forums that you could do. Thats how for the most part people used to learn recording, was working as an intern in a studio. So they were basically taught on the job by other people. So find a buddy.


And as was mentioned, the more you do of it, the more your going to learn. It doesn't matter how long you have been recording, you can always learn something.


Have fun!

 

[c7sus]

I messed around with a Portastudio in the 80's but gave up trying to record acoustic guitar with a cassette.

Got into computers in 1998 with the intention of learning

1. how to use a computer.

2. figuring out how to do digital audio.

That led to hours upon hours of reading and trying various techniques. I tend to get a little distracted and one thing leads to another with recording. First it was the computer. Then learning about mics and pres, compressors and reverb, room treatment and on and on. There are so many different things to learn about in recording and music that the journey just keeps going. Hopefully forward.

Spent the last 5 years or so learning and putting it all together. I have a great rig today and I know that I'm getting out of it exactly what goes in. I'm on my second DAW setup. My first was done with EOL gear to limit the investment. BIG MISTAKE!!!

My current rig is all modern/current technology and totally rocks. I've got about $2700 in my DAW including soundcard and sw. Prolly another $12,000 in mics/pres/mons/mixer/outboard FX/MIDI stuff/cables/stands/sound treatment/racks/desk. I keep telling my wife we're only about $20 grand away from having a REAL studio!

What's next on the wish-list right now is a headphone amp, more cables , an FMR RNC, and a MiniMoog Voyager. A MURF would be nice too. Oohhhh and a theramin too!!!

That doesn't include the guitars/bass/mando and all the stuff that goes with them. That stuff has been put together over the last 30 years or so.

This is a great place to learn about a lot of different recording teks. Use the search function for general questions and terms and post whatever questions you can't figure out on your own.

 

[Mo-Kay]

I've jsut enrolled into a college education in Composition & Music Production... 22 now.

it all started at the age of 9, had 4 years of keyboard lessons.

My technical knowledge comes mostly from reading music tech magazines since the age of 13... But started actually doing stuff a few years ago...

 

[Rokket]

I've been messing around with recording forever. I started out using the built-in mic on a boom box. I would record a guitar track with it, put the tape in another boom box and a blank one in the "recorder", and "overdub" that way.

I "moved up" to a Tascam MF-P01, and tried out the Fostex X-12, but I found I was limited to 4 tracks, and neither one of those units can bounce tracks. So I "moved up" again to the Fostex MR-8. After getting the handle on recording with it, I started about 6 months ago with transferring the tracks to pc and started to learn how to mix. For me, that has been the biggest learning curve of all. I think how fast you learn depends on a lot of factors: how much you want it, how fast you learn anything, and how intuned you are to the music your making.

I haven't run into anyone who started recording last week and is a certified professional now...

 

[Track Rat]

You can get ideas and learn facts from books but technique is only learned by doing.

This place is just as likely to mislead and confuse you as it is actually teach you anything useful.

Go record...

This is true.
It's taken me years to get where I am and I don't know shit yet.

 

[artCROSS]

One of the biggest traps to get into is to keep buying gear, and hardly ever touch it. My first piece of gear was an MXLv67g + ART Tube MP pre combo @ a samash. I've been in studios before, but never really thought about having my own. The deal was too good for me (hey, a cool looking funky green/gold grill mic and a tube pre, what could be better?). I didn't know what it was, I bought it on impulse.

I still use that combo, frequently. It's not the best, but I just keep playing with it, seeing what makes the sound different, depending where I place it, how loud the source is, how I fiddle w/ the knobs, etc. Later, by reading this forum and other online stuff, I find out things I try out actually have a name (like proximity effect, or spaced pair). I learn how to prevent a sound I've gotten before that I didn't like, or how to reproduce it. This forum, in conjunction with your own experimentations, can be extremely valuable.

That said, i've accumulated a lot of gear, but still continue to experiment with different combinations. Although I have goto mics for specific situations, I still like to try others just for fun. If you have a question like "I have 2 _____s, which one would sound better for ______?" Rather than posting that question, try it out for yourself and post the results. You may be helping some other person with the same question who doesn't have your gear.

I'm ranting, but that's how I got started. Hope that helps.

 

[chessrock]

im a newbie when it comes to studio equipment/work/gear ect..

i know enough to record, bounce and burn, but nothing els really.

how long did it take you to aquire the amount of knowledge you have now?
how did you learn? (reading,school,freinds ect)

.... so, how did everyone grow from where i am now, to where you are now?

I'd say that, generally, it takes about as long as it might take a guy who's just picking up the guitar for the first time ... to ultimately progress from being a beginner who can play a few chords, to a guy who plays the occasional gig, to the guy who's a master at the art.

Similar progressions, basically. In fact, I think one of the reasons musicians often succeed in recording is because they understand the importance of practicing and discipline, and the all-consuming desire to further your skills.

 

[glimmer_doll]

I've been messing around with recording forever. I started out using the built-in mic on a boom box. I would record a guitar track with it, put the tape in another boom box and a blank one in the "recorder", and "overdub" that way.

Fuck Yeah Guy! That's the same way I started...like 11 years ago....shit...good times.
---
My skill level slowly increased over the years through trial and error, until I found this site...then it improved so much so fast...even stuff i did a year ago i listen to and wonder what the hell i was thinking.

what definitely helped me a lot was the BlueBear mixing article...i don't know the link offhand, but i'm sure someone does....

 

[ethos]

hahahah, yeah i was rocking a mic and two tape decks a while back.
before i knew how to record on the Korg D1600.
we would literally stand around in a multi thousand dollar studio recording on
a boom box. good ol' days indeed.

to the above responses:

ive started down the path i guess.
i bought "Home recording for musicians, for dummies",
theres a lot of useful info.

i think one of my biggest problems is the "lingo",
most of the stuff i read, requires prior knowledge that i dont have.

anyone know of a glossary of sorts for recording and equipment terms?

any order that works best?
like, i would assume i should learn mixing and mastering last.

good to hear other people were once as ignorant as i am.
makes the future look bright.

music is really the only thing i care about, so i guess im just going to pick a place and start.

thanks to all that responded. i appreciate it a lot.

.peace.

 

[In Tune Audio]

Like I said before man, get yourself some good books. They will have a glossary of terms, as well as chapters explaining each term in depth. That way if your working on something, or reading something on this forum, and go crap, I can't remember what that was, boom, you got the book, and it will explain again in depth that term. Much better than cutting corners and just getting a glossary. Knowledge is power.

 

[Idgeit]

i think one of my biggest problems is the "lingo", I agree with that alot.

I started off a few years ago, With one mic and a tape recorder, and evolved from that. But then later I always stuck to computer recording, because when i started computers where pretty cheep.

This place has helped me alot, but one thing i learnt was, go and get a few books on it, they explain soo much. but you will never fully learn untill you try it for yourself.

- idgeit

 

[RhythmRmixd]

how long did it take you to aquire the amount of knowledge you have now?
how did you learn? (reading,school,freinds ect)

You have to look in different places for information as well, because if you stick to listening to the same people or reading material from the same websites, you might end up learning from just one person's point of view, when in actuality you should be learning several people's points of view. All I gotta say is read, and then read some more.

 

[dgatwood]

You have to look in different places for information as well, because if you stick to listening to the same people or reading material from the same websites, you might end up learning from just one person's point of view, when in actuality you should be learning several people's points of view. All I gotta say is read, and then read some more.

Hear, hear. Even on these boards, you'll find a wide range of opinions on things. Some folks prefer ribbons or dynamics for vocals while others swear by condensers. Some folks prefer the warm sound offered by tube preamps while others prefer the dry sound of a low-noise, high-gain op amp. I think SM57s would make good drumsticks, while other folks on this board like them as instrument mics. (I think that last one pretty much says everything....)

Bottom line is experiment. Don't be afraid to throw stuff out and start over, whether that means retaking some vocal tracks because a particular mic sounds like crap or zeroing the EQ because you were trying to EQ something in the mix and it sounds unnatural in solo passages. You live, you learn.

 

[giraffe]

Bottom line is experiment. Don't be afraid to throw stuff out and start over, whether that means retaking some vocal tracks because a particular mic sounds like crap or zeroing the EQ because you were trying to EQ something in the mix and it sounds unnatural in solo passages. You live, you learn.

don't be so senseable