I just flat out need help, so please just read this .

[stillpoint21]

K i'm in a band (we're all 14) but don't laugh. We've been together since 2000 and are pretty good. We get paid about $150 a show. But we're still doing home recordings. We have a Boss Br-8, (sorry these arent specific), 15 track mixer (for drums and whatever), Pheonix drum mics (2 overheads, high tom mic, mid tom, low tom, bass drum mic, and snare), im the guitarist and i have a Peavey TripleXXX head and some ibanez cab, my bassist has sum cab and head, but his recording is fine, singer has some $200 recording mic, and we've got a fast track USB for when we put it on the comp. Wtf do we do now to get a good recording in? we've been trying to get a good recording, but just can't make it sound real. sounds like a damn comp mic hanging from the ceiling recorded it. what could we do with what we have to make this sound professional, or what else should we buy? please help we are starving for a good recording, so please help asap!

 

[regebro]

My guess is that the main reason it sounds like you record in a crappy box is becuase you record in a crappy box. Basement, maybe?

You need either a room that sounds good, or a room that is dead, and sound very little. This usually has the biggest effect on the drums. The drum sound is one of the hardest parts to get right, and usually is a dead givaway for a homerecording. My suggestion there is to close mic kick and snare only. Possibly a tom or two if you are doing something tom-heavy. Forget about the overheads.

 

[Rokket]

Can you post an mp3 of what you are doing? That could help us to help you, and give you suggestions as to what you need to do to fix your problem.
Welcome to the board! I know you will find this place helpful.

Also, which program are you using to mix your songs?

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

what could we do with what we have to make this sound professional, or what else should we buy? please help we are starving for a good recording, so please help asap!

Do the following:

Call your local studios and inquire about rates. Find the one that specializes in your type of music that seems knowledgable and honest. Book about 6-8 hours of time to record 2 songs.

Go to studio and record.

You're musicians, not audio engineers. There's more to this (obviously) than connecting a few mics and hitting record. Let the audio professionals do their job, and you focus on doing your job--being musicians.

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

My suggestion there is to close mic kick and snare only. Possibly a tom or two if you are doing something tom-heavy. Forget about the overheads.

No offense but...

WORSE ADVICE ON DRUMS E-V-E-R.

Leaving out the overhead mics makes about as much sense as leaving out the singer when recording vocals.

The overheads are the money when it comes to drum sounds whether in a basement recording or pro studio. Period. Amen.

 

[boingoman]

No offense but...

WORSE ADVICE ON DRUMS E-V-E-R.

Leaving out the overhead mics makes about as much sense as leaving out the singer when recording vocals.

LOL@Cloneboy.

Stillpoint, I'd follow cloneboy's advice if you need to do something really soon, like a demo or something.

Otherwise, spend a bunch of time reading here. There are threads about mic techniques, how to mic drums, guitars, proper gain structure, all kinds of stuff. You need to know some of the lingo to describe to people what you are doing, and for you to understand what people mean when they give you advice.

Read the FAQs at the top of the mic forum, for a start. The main page of this site has some good links, as well.

Here is another good place to start.

http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Good Luck!

 

[regebro]

The overheads are the money when it comes to drum sounds whether in a basement recording or pro studio. Period. Amen.

Not if you record in a crappy room, in which case the overheads will make it sound like it's recorded from a mic in the ceiling, which of course is exactly what they are.

And "no offense ment", but you obviously don't know dick about budget homerecording, you worthless piece of pocket lint. Or, we could try to be nice to each other, and discuss the issue before taking out our frustrations on each other.

 

[Tifstorey]

Or, we could try to be nice to each other, and discuss the issue before taking out our frustrations on each other.

Good thinking! There seems to be loads of agressiveness going on at the moment... Chill people! Peace

Agressiveness....Is that a real word? just woke up...cant figure it out...

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Of course it is possible for musicians to aquire the skills to record to a high standard, but you need to show a bit of respect to the art of recording.

I'm primarily a musician/songwriter and I love to record my own stuff, it's just another part of the process I get a lot of pleasure from.

If I want a good quality demo though I'll go to a studio, if you want to do your material justice it's best not to be under any illusions.

Maybe a few years down the line the quality of my recordings will compete with what I get out of a decent studio.

I'm not going to hold my breath though.

 

[regebro]

I'll also agree on the studio part. I didn't read the original post well enough. If you guys really needed a good sounding demo yesterday, go to a studio. Lerning how to make a decent sounding recording will take a long time. It took me years, and years, so it will probably take you like months and months.

Homerecording is something you should do because you want to record, not because you need a recording.

 

[noisedude]

I just don't see the point in advising someone interested in learning how to record at home that the best thing they can do is throw their gear away and pay for studio time. They're 14 years old! Time is on their side to experiment and learn. If they're getting $150/gig, they'll be able to upgrade their gear soon enough anyway (those Peavey amps aren't cheap, and probably taller than most 14 year-olds!).

Dude, be patient. Take your time and read here lots. Ask questions, but not too many. Learn to use the search function. Even if you don't find the answer to your question, you'll find the answer to another question you didn't even know you had yet.

 

[vangore]

I just don't see the point in advising someone interested in learning how to record at home that the best thing they can do is throw their gear away and pay for studio time. They're 14 years old! Time is on their side to experiment and learn. If they're getting $150/gig, they'll be able to upgrade their gear soon enough anyway (those Peavey amps aren't cheap, and probably taller than most 14 year-olds!).

Dude, be patient. Take your time and read here lots. Ask questions, but not too many. Learn to use the search function. Even if you don't find the answer to your question, you'll find the answer to another question you didn't even know you had yet.

I wholeheartedly agree, the kid is here to learn about recording not to be discouraged, give the guy a hand, and losing the overheads is a terrible idea.

 

[wheelema]

Dude, be patient. Take your time and read here lots. Ask questions, but not too many. Learn to use the search function. Even if you don't find the answer to your question, you'll find the answer to another question you didn't even know you had yet.

Amen. I know it bites to be young and impatient, but practice and perseverance matters right now, not gear.

This may not be what you wanted to hear, but the author of Harry Potter started writing stories when she was six in the mid 1950s, but didn't publish anything until 1996. She is not the exception. Keep on plugging.

 

[regebro]

Well, if my guess (and remember that this is only a guess) to why it sounds like it's recorded with a mic hanging from the ceiling is correct, then he has two alternatives:
1. Losing the overheads.
2. Dampening the room.

Guess which is easier?

The main point with the overhead is capturing the cymbals and the room. If the room sounds like shit, the overheads will sound like shit. And then you minimize the amount of mics and you minimize their distance from the drums to minimize the amound of room sound that leaks into the mics.


Didn't it help? Well, then the room wasn't the problem. If the drums still sound boxy in that situation, I'd focus on the drums themselves. The #1 reason for a crappy drumsounds are crappy drums, or rather, crappy drum tuning. But, I have never tuned a set of drums, so I can't help you there. But drums that doesn't sound great acoustically will never sound good on record.


Another problem you can have from having many mics are phase issues. But that should only happen if you have the mics closely mounted. So you may get phase issues on tom-mics for example. But the overheads shouldn't be a problem there.
But minimizing the setup to try to isolate the problem is always a good technique.



And heres another helpful hint: Don't listen to people that you claim you *have* to do things a certain way or that a certain idea will NEVER work or that it's the worst thing you could do. There is only one thing that counts: how it sounds. And if you made your drums sound great by recording them with one mic dipped in loation and placed in a coke-bottle balanced on the drummers head, then that's OK. Even if you didn't have any overheads.

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Well, if my guess (and remember that this is only a guess) to why it sounds like it's recorded with a mic hanging from the ceiling is correct, then he has two alternatives:
1. Losing the overheads.
2. Dampening the room.

Guess which is easier?

Yeah and going direct with my acoustic guitar is 'easier' than micing it but I know which sounds better and that's why I make the effort.

I know dick about micing drums btw I'm just not sure about that logic.

 

[regebro]

No, I'm not sure about your logic either.

 

[noisedude]

Amen. I know it bites to be young and impatient, but practice and perseverance matters right now, not gear.

That's right because as I glance over to your profile ... it appears you are 8 year old!

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

No, I'm not sure about your logic either.

I think it's better to do what sounds better rather than what's easier. Sorry I didn't make it clearer the first time.

 

[regebro]

Well, sure, but the difference in effort between micing up your guitar and building a suitably dampened recording room is rather big. Especially if you don't know if it will help...

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Well, sure, but the difference in effort between micing up your guitar and building a suitably dampened recording room is rather big. Especially if you don't know if it will help...

That's true, the two scenarios aren't directly comparable.