How to record your band practices decently?

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21_Rest

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Sup everyone, how's it goin?

Couple questions...I'm looking to start recording my band's practices. We've used the boombox recording approach time and time again for our own personal use to reflect on new material but we need to go to the next level.

We need something that's decent enough to send to producers/engineers who are interested in hearing our newest material. Please keep in mind that we're not looking to spend more than $150-$200. We're not looking to make a super high quality recording, but decent.

I've looked into several approaches but I just don't know enough to move forward with a confident choice. Here's what I've come up with, please let me know if you have any advice per option:


1. A single condenser microphone hooked up to some type of recording unit? (what type of unit would be cheap and work well with a condenser mike?)

2. Mini-disc Recorder with external microphone. But how would producers be able to listen to what we record? Could we transfer it to CD-R or tape from the mini-disc?

3. 4 Track Recorder. I don't understand how to record a 4 piece band with a 4 track recorder. I feel like I wouldn't know what to do. Would this option be better than the previous two listed? I don't understand how to record our songs if there's our drummer, our bassist, our singer's guitar, my guitar, singer's lead vocals, my back up vocals. How can this be done on a 4 track?


I appreciate you listening, thanks!

Weston
21 Rest
www.21rest.com
 
Do you have anything to work with right now like a computer with CD burner or anything? $200 may get you a mic, preamp, recorder or burner but definately not all 4.
 
I do have a new computer with a burner, but it's not a laptop. I really don't want to go through the route of moving it around. But, I think you're hinting at transferring audio to my computer after the session is recorded correct? Or? So, I have the computer and burner, what's next? Thanks for the reply.
 
That's good you have the comp already. Your best bet within that budget is any kind of portable recorder. Mini Disc would work and some let you transfer the audio via USB or Firewire. you can also just do an analog transfer using your soundcards line inputs.

Look on Ebay and see what is available. One thing to look out for is that many MiniDisc recorders have built in copy protection that wont allow you to transfer out the audio digitally, only import it. Which makes no sense at all but that is how they configure them.

Even a cheapie Sony high impedance stereo mic will run you $80 new so see what kind of package deals you can find used.
 
Thanks for the info. Have you ever done this setup before? Have you ever heard the sound quality of a MD recorder of a band's practice session? (not a live concert, but in a practice room). Do you know which MD model can transfer audio out from the unit? I'm having a hard time finding one. When it transfers to the computer, what format does it end up in? Thanks for your time.

Weston
 
I don't know a specific model to recomend. A friend got one to record live gigs and it works okay but he had the problem with the copy protection so even though it supported digital transfers it wouldn't let him do it. :confused:

Like any recording you get what you put into it. If your band rocks and the rehearsal room sounds great than you will probably get some decent recordings. If on the other hand you rehearse in a small, boomy, square room then it probably won't sound all that hot.
 
If on the other hand you rehearse in a small, boomy, square room then it probably won't sound all that hot
Click to expand...

Unless you can isolate your mics from the room which is what I do.
 
I'm going to try to record my bands practice tomorrow eve with my new mini disc recorder. I've spent about 475.00 US on it with mics and battery module already. I have a song posted on NoWhereRadio I recorded with it wed. night at a bar. Link to it can be found below. I had to go analog out of the MD unit into the sound card in the computer. Worked very well I think.


http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1338&alid=53


Good luck, Charva

www.geocities.com/charvster
 
Sennheiser said:
Unless you can isolate your mics from the room which is what I do.
Click to expand...

That's easy if your just recording yourself but it's a bit tougher if you are only using one mic on an entire band.

NY- To isolate mics from the room sound you need to use blankets, cushions or any dampening material and setup some walls or a tent around the mic and source. You want to block direct line of sight from the mic/source and walls.
 
21,

Do you have a mixing board available at practice? If so, just take a hifi VCR and plug into the board. You'll have 6 hours of record time for damn near nothing.
 
We have a powered mixer, would that qualify? We use it for PA purposes to sing out of. It has six channels. It's one of those Yamaha powered PA mixers, 600 watts. 16"x12"x12".

Here's a completely random question. Will a 600 watt powered mixer blow two 500w each PA speakers due to only 300 watts going to each speaker? I've heard that a lack of watts can blow speakers, is this true?
 
TexRoadkill said:
That's easy if your just recording yourself but it's a bit tougher if you are only using one mic on an entire band.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was only considering recording on my own. I didn't think about the fact that he's doing a whole band. That would be tough without treatment.

Oops.:rolleyes:
 
We have a powered mixer, would that qualify? We use it for PA purposes to sing out of. It has six channels. It's one of those Yamaha powered PA mixers, 600 watts. 16"x12"x12".
Click to expand...
Depends upon how many singers you have. If only two, you can use the other four channels to mic the guitar cab(s), bass direct, and maybe two strategically placed mics for the drum kit. That might get you by, but aren't you short on mics?

You can take a stereo or master out into any stereo recorder that has a line-in. You'll still be picking up room reflections on the drum mics and even the vocal mics though.

The four-track idea would work, but you'd need more inputs in the mixer section unless you recorded the overall sound from the PA cabs.

What to do, oh what to do??? I wish I had a better idea for you.
 
TexRoadkill said:
NY- To isolate mics from the room sound you need to use blankets, cushions or any dampening material and setup some walls or a tent around the mic and source. You want to block direct line of sight from the mic/source and walls.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tex.
Please bear with me to clarify this. To isolate an amp, I want to place a mic in front of it and then build a barrier around the mic much like a tent basically enclosing the speaker and mic thus blocking any external room sounds. Does the tail end of this tent rig need to be closed or can I leave it open to let the sound through? I'm guessing the tent has to be a pretty short in length otherwise it would have a muffler type of effect on the amp's sound?
 
Yo - 21 - band practice recording has been my primary focus, so a few thoughts -

1 - do any of the guitar or bass amplifiers have a line out jack? if so, good
2 - you have 2 vocals to the PA head, do you have any spare mics?
3 - at this point you do not need condensor mic's to get a reasonable recording

I would suggest 2 possibilities - both centered on using a VCR as the recording unit. You need something to feed the collection of inputs into the 2 channels stereo available in the VCR... that collection of inputs come from your answers to the question 1 & 2 above.

I will suggest as the "VCR feeder" 2 choices: 1- a cheap mixer that has 4 to 6 mic and line inputs, or 2 - a used tascam 414 or 424 cassette recorder portastudio. Tascam 414's run around $100 used (ebay) and can serve as a mixer that has microphone capable pre-amps in all 4 channels, and as you gain experience, can be used to track out a song. The mixer might be better if alot of the amps have line out features - I'm gonna guess, though, that only the bass and the PA amps have line out - if that's the case:

bass line out - channel1
PA line out - channel 2
2 mics - channels 3 & 4 (position 1 mic over the drums, 1 mic out about 6-8 feet from the 2 guitar amps, which are placed side by side)

stereo lines out to VCR, then VCR to computer sound card to edit, EQ, and burn CD

that's probably about as simple, cheap, and portable as your gonna get, and will be a major step up from boombox recording.

I have an example of this type recording posted at: http://baz.perlmonk.org/main.cgi - Thrill is Gone is a band practice recording thru 3 room mics and a line out for the bass, thru a Tascam 414, into a VCR - my band isn't great, and I'm a shitty singer, but give a listen to see if that set-up sounds like it meets your needs.

good luck and best wishes

b-h
 
NYMorningstar said:
Thanks Tex.
Please bear with me to clarify this. To isolate an amp, I want to place a mic in front of it and then build a barrier around the mic much like a tent basically enclosing the speaker and mic thus blocking any external room sounds. Does the tail end of this tent rig need to be closed or can I leave it open to let the sound through? I'm guessing the tent has to be a pretty short in length otherwise it would have a muffler type of effect on the amp's sound?
Click to expand...

The main thing to check for is that the mic does not have a direct line of site to the walls. If you are trying to isolate the amp from other mics in the same room then the more enclosed the better. Use your ears of course but blocking the tops and sides is probably enough if you are using anything but an omni mic. Just be carefull that you don't overheat the amp or start a fire.

Putting the amp in a closet is a good way to get a dead sound. But remember that room tone isn't always bad and maybe you just want to eliminate the reflections from one of the closer walls and let the farther walls still come through for a more natural sound. It just depends on what sound you are going for.
 
I never record in the nude. I never curse or drink when I record the practice or tell dirty jokes. So all in all, I think thats how its done.
 
Another Idea

I would try recording to a cheap 4 track using one track at a time for example:

Record the drumms using 1 or two mics placed a t the right places (most 4 trackeven cheap one accept 2 mic imputs to record down to one track)

Then after yyou record just the drums, record the bass player with a mic or plug the bass directly into the 4track for track #2

repeat steps for track 3 and 4 using guitar and vocals. Now you can mix those 4 tracks down to a stand alone CD burner etc and you can control the volume of each instrument seperately.

Of course it is hard on us musicians to do it this way and you don't have that whole live thing going BUT you get a better chance to anaylize your music th players get to know their parts better and you can re record parts if you bass player misses a note!
 
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