I am sad...

D

Denzel85

New member
At the start of last year i started doing some research into recording equipment, eventually i ended up buying an Intel I-Mac/Logic Express/Presonus Firepod/ decent set of mics etc.

At first i was not really capturing the sound i wanted, but i put that down to in experience with the equipment i had. As time moved on however, i became increasingly frustrated at the recordings i was making. I bought books, i did some research, and read lots of articles... i applied lots of little tips and tricks. The end product? Still rubbish.

Now i know maybe some of you think i just plain do not have what it takes (i'm starting to think that myself), but what really gets me is that i was producing much more exciting recordings with a stand alone Fostex multitrack, a bunch of crappy Behringer mics, and what's more, a much less knowledgeable brain that i have now. This just does not make sense to me.

I don't really know what to do now, maybe it's my Pre-Amp, maybe it's my software? Whatever it is, it's not working for me. I've saved some money up, there is other gear i could look at, but part of me says that it's not worth the risk.
 
Get someone else in the record something on your gear, watch them & what they do. Then compare the results.
 
Maybe you're too focused on 'sonic quality' that it's taking away from your musicianship/performance? Or maybe you're just too critical.

Is the room you're recording in treated? If not, then I wouldn't look anywhere else until you can rule that out.
 
Denzel85 said:
I don't really know what to do now, maybe it's my Pre-Amp, maybe it's my software? Whatever it is, it's not working for me. I've saved some money up, there is other gear i could look at, but part of me says that it's not worth the risk.
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Don't be foolish.

Don't buy anything. That way lies madness.

Recording (both from a performance as well as an engineering perspective) is a life long endeavor. The up's and down's will never stop.

Keep your equipment. Keep at it. Muddle thru the frustrating times. Concentrate on your projects and not on the equipment. It "will" get better even if it's not until "next" year. Nothing in this craft (that's worth anything) comes easy or quickly and it certainly doesn't come from new equipment.

Embrace your failures and push on!
 
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Maby your being too critical. have you let anybody else listen to any of your mixes? its usually a good idea to have another person look things over (i.e. mastering studio, or mp3 clinic forum)
if your going to spend money on anything else i would probably recommend some formal training. were you can really get some hands on experience on doing things the RIGHT way.

good luck
 
Welcome to home recording. Trust me, it'll never sound as good as you want it, and the more you learn, the better your ears become, the more critical you'll be of your work, and the more you'll hate it.

Then going to a reputable studio with a reputable engineer do the recording starts to sound like a good idea.

Actually, not to be so gloomy, but it takes work\ and dedication.
 
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That firepod should do...I did a nailbiter session where I had to use one instead of my regular setup, and it was going to a pretty critical mastering lab

turned out great!
 
And if you must spend money, what kind of monitoring do you have?

Still, there's something to be said for spontaneity.

Do you find you're approaching recording in a different way? Using more loops, fixing things until its just right? It's probably easier to use your computer like the fostex than vice versa.
 
By the way, what don't you like about the mixes you are creating? I know you sound generally discontent, but I am discontent with my recordings, for very particular reasons

1) My acoustic is boomy as Hell so it records at an awfully unbalanced sound that just can't be fixed with mics and plugins.

That's it - but being an acoustic artist it kinda makes things tough :)

You might have a whole host of problems, but no one can help until you tell us what the specific issues are. Also, post some mp3s! I want to hear I want I want!
 
Denzel85 said:
At the start of last year i started doing some research into recording equipment, eventually i ended up buying an Intel I-Mac/Logic Express/Presonus Firepod/ decent set of mics etc.

At first i was not really capturing the sound i wanted, but i put that down to in experience with the equipment i had. As time moved on however, i became increasingly frustrated at the recordings i was making. I bought books, i did some research, and read lots of articles... i applied lots of little tips and tricks. The end product? Still rubbish.

Now i know maybe some of you think i just plain do not have what it takes (i'm starting to think that myself), but what really gets me is that i was producing much more exciting recordings with a stand alone Fostex multitrack, a bunch of crappy Behringer mics, and what's more, a much less knowledgeable brain that i have now. This just does not make sense to me.

I don't really know what to do now, maybe it's my Pre-Amp, maybe it's my software? Whatever it is, it's not working for me. I've saved some money up, there is other gear i could look at, but part of me says that it's not worth the risk.
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Sound source/playing! Acoustics! Mic placement! Mixing!

Firstly, what you're recording has to sound good before you even think about putting a mic near it. Once it sounds good, then you gotta worry about the room(acoustics), then you got get the mic in the right place, then you gotta mix(and be able to hear what you're mixing)in an acoustically treated room with decent monitors.

When mixing, focus on a channel at a time. If the kick drum doesn't sound good on it's own, it ain't gonna sound good in the mix. So get the kick sounding good on it's own, then snare on it's own, and work through each channel. Then start with only kick again, and add snare, and work your way up until you have a full kit, then work on them 'til they sound good, then add the other tracks.

If things don't sound good, think about what doesn't sound good about them, and sort it. If you can't hear what's wrong, then it's definitely experience, and you just gotta keep practicing and listening for what doesn't sound good. Be critical of every bit of music you hear: CDs, TV, radio, gigs, whatever. Notice all the things that just don't sound right: drums are too quiet/loud, can't hear the kick, guitar is too bassy, vocals are too in your face, or too dry, whatever... Then apply this critical listening to your own tracks. If something doesn't sound right, sort it. If you don't know how, experiment. If you're still not happy, ask someone knowledgeable, like the people here. You could also post your music in the mp3 section.
 
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cusebassman said:
By the way, what don't you like about the mixes you are creating? I know you sound generally discontent, but I am discontent with my recordings, for very particular reasons

1) My acoustic is boomy as Hell so it records at an awfully unbalanced sound that just can't be fixed with mics and plugins.

That's it - but being an acoustic artist it kinda makes things tough :)

You might have a whole host of problems, but no one can help until you tell us what the specific issues are. Also, post some mp3s! I want to hear I want I want!
Click to expand...
You could try changing mic placement. Like place the mic facing the 12th fret, and not at the sound hole(if this is what you're doing atm). If it's still too boomy, place further and further from the sound hole, but still at the strings until you get the sound you want. If the guitar sounds good from where you can hear it, while playing, then get the mic up next to your ear, haha. If it don't sound good, don't just settle for it, experiment until it does.
 
pandamonk said:
When mixing, focus on a channel at a time. If the kick drum doesn't sound good on it's own, it ain't gonna sound good in the mix. So get the kick sounding good on it's own, then snare on it's own, and work through each channel. Then start with only kick again, and add snare, and work your way up until you have a full kit, then work on them 'til they sound good, then add the other tracks.
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hrmmm I don't know about this. Yes you can't polish a turd.. if the kick drum sounds like complete ass it will always sound like ass.. but getting the fullest sound out of each individual track seems like it's creating more harm than good, no? kick and bass relations come to mind... when i finally nail the bass and kick relationship... the solo'd tracks don't sound like anything to be proud of at all..... but throw them together and it makes perfect sense. Same with guitars.. sometimes i have to notch out some of the mids so the vocals can sit nicely in the mix.. solo that guitar and it won't sound quite right.. in the mix it does.
 
eeb said:
hrmmm I don't know about this. Yes you can't polish a turd.. if the kick drum sounds like complete ass it will always sound like ass.. but getting the fullest sound out of each individual track seems like it's creating more harm than good, no? kick and bass relations come to mind... when i finally nail the bass and kick relationship... the solo'd tracks don't sound like anything to be proud of at all..... but throw them together and it makes perfect sense. Same with guitars.. sometimes i have to notch out some of the mids so the vocals can sit nicely in the mix.. solo that guitar and it won't sound quite right.. in the mix it does.
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I agree, you certainly can't polish a turd. I did recommend getting a good sound in tracking, i'm sure... What i meant is that you should listen to each channel and make sure it sounds the way you want/there is no unwanted noise or whatever.(I've had experiences where I'm right into a mix it's all sounding great, but then i notice something in the background, and i don't know where it is. I have to check through each channel to find it, then have to rerecord, and all my good work is ruined).

If there is something that doesn't sound right, re-record. If it's something minor that can be easily fixed, then fix it. Then add each track and get a good balance. I recommend the drums first('cause I'm a drummer, haha), but certainly get the kick and bass relationship just right, and other relationships, and I agree that individually they won't sound great. I really should have said this.
 
oh! well you put it that way and yes 100% the "fix it in the mix" attitude just doesn't work... ( i know from many bad experiences)

the correct attitude (which you seem to have) is "get it to sound as good as possible right away..then there's nothing to the mix"
 
pandamonk said:
You could try changing mic placement. Like place the mic facing the 12th fret, and not at the sound hole(if this is what you're doing atm). If it's still too boomy, place further and further from the sound hole, but still at the strings until you get the sound you want. If the guitar sounds good from where you can hear it, while playing, then get the mic up next to your ear, haha. If it don't sound good, don't just settle for it, experiment until it does.
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Oh, I have definitely tried different mics and mic placement. The problem lies with the instrument - the Takamine I play has an explosively boomy A#, at both the 4th fret of the low-E, and the octave above. If I place the mic four feet away, it gives it a somewhat balanced sound, but then the noise-to-guitar ratio is too far off. The guitar itself just has that boom to it, even when Im not recording.

The solution, I know, is either continue to fine-tune my multiband compression, or buy a new guitar. I am, honestly, planning on upgrading my acoustic at some point anyway, so I am not going to worry myself about it too much. Soon means within the next year and a half, but still :)
 
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