How would I record keyboard with 4-track analog portastudio?

[mellotron]

Would I plug the keyboard directly into the headphone jack for my Fostex x-12?

Or can I only do it or it would sound more natural if I recorded my keyboard amp?

 

[Nick98338]

Would I plug the keyboard directly into the headphone jack for my Fostex x-12?

Or can I only do it or it would sound more natural if I recorded my keyboard amp?

If you want to record from the keyboard to the Fostex, you would not plug into the headphone jack on the Fostex. You want to go *IN* to the Fostex, the headphone jack is for going *OUT* of the Fostex.

You may have a headphone jack on the keyboard. You could use that to go out of the keyboard. At the Fostex end, you want to plug into some srt of "in" type jack. Line-In, or something like that.

 

[Rokket]

Plug into the headphone/aux out of the keyboard, then into the line-in on the X-12.

I had an X-12 before. You will not be able to record more than one track at once, so getting a good stereo sound out of the keyboard is going to be a challenge. Good luck.

 

[mawtangent]

I used to get the song organized "on paper", sequence the bass and drums sounds (along with piano, string sounds, etc.), mix them as best as I could on the keyboard (anticipating the latter addition of guitar and vocals), then record this "foundation" music for the song (that might contain 6 or more instrument sounds from the keyboard) onto the first track of my 4-track cassette recorder (my keyboard had L and R outputs with one of the outputs being designated for "mono", I used the mono output and connected to the 4-track as mentioned from the other posters). So I had a lot of instrument parts going on track 1 but the sounds couldn't be panned independently of one another (and I usually kept the keyboard track panned up the middle), still it was a major leap at the time in giving me posibilities that I never had before. The other 3 tracks were used for some combination of lead vocal, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, and back-up vocal (I discovered that I could often put lead guitar and back-up vocal on the same track since they often occured at different times in the song, it just required some on-the-fly (mostly volume adjustment) moves during mix-down to make everything sound right.

 

[mellotron]

Is there an advantage to recording a keyboard amp instead of recording directly into a recorder, as is the case with electric guitar amps sounding more natural than plugging in and using an amp emulator?

Do most artists record keyboard amps or direct line in?

 

[TeyshaBlue]

Is there an advantage to recording a keyboard amp instead of recording directly into a recorder, as is the case with electric guitar amps sounding more natural than plugging in and using an amp emulator?

Do most artists record keyboard amps or direct line in?

Direct line in is the way to go...much quieter and less complex. YOu can mic an amp if you are looking for some particular effects like tremolo, et al, but for straight ahead stuff, direct in.

 

[warble2]

I'd guess that most recording with modern synths would be running direct from the synths output - either digital or analog - into a recorder, interface, etc. IMO, no real advantage recording a keyboard amp with a modern synth plugged in. Maybe it would be fun to mic a good amp with an old Rhodes plugged into it, especially when effects are used, but other than that...

I look at a guitar/amp combo as kind of a team if you will. Most guitarists buy a guitar they like, and match it with an amp that gives them the sound they want - with the possible inclusion of some stomp boxes, effects, etc.