I know nothing :(

[Pinny]

Hey there!
Well, here's the thing.
I'm a musician (at least, I like to call myself that ^^).
But I have NO idea whatsoever about how to mix/master/stuff...
I record at home using Sonar 7 and Edirol UA-25 USB Audio Interface.
It can't get any cheaper, I know, but I'm saving up for some decent equipment.

I have some tunes, but when I record them, they just sound awful.
The guitars come fuzzing in and out, drums are too soft and then too loud,
some of this and some of that, etc.

The problem (also) is, when I try to read up on these forums, it's all a bit (more) advanced than my knowledge goes. So is there like a Mixing/Mastering/Home Recording 101 Lesson? Or should I just get someone to do the job for me?

Edit: Also, is there anyone here who likes to Mix and/or Master stuff?
Because maybe then you could do it for me? Or is that not even possible?



Thanks much in advance!

 

[danny.guitar]

How are you recording now? One track at a time? What mics are you using?

Fuzzy/crappyness is usually caused by "clipping". If the meters in your software are going in the red zone then turn the gain down for your mics. If your guitar/amp just sounds bad then there is no amount of equipment that can change that. So be honest with yourself. If the stuff you're recording doesn't sound good, then focus on that. It's hard to get a bad recording with nice guitars/amps, etc. even with entry-level equipment.

Also, uploading an MP3 to somewhere like www.lightningmp3.com wouldn't hurt...would be a little easier to give advice after hearing your recordings.

 

[Pinny]

Hi! Thanks for the reply.
I am recording one track at a time, yes.
And I am not using any mics. I have my Les Paul Custom Black Beauty and my Vox 100 Watt Tube Amp for recording guitar. An Epiphone Thunderbird Bass and a Roland Cube 75 Amp, and a Yamaha PSR-1100 Keyboard. I record all of these directly from the output to the Audio Interface.

I have seen some threads on this forum where they mention micing your guitars/bass/stuff, but I don't quite understand how, or what the point of this is. And also, what mics I should use for this.

 

[TimOBrien]

My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad:

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...ce&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Also Good Info:
http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Other recording books:
http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) not quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and suggestions:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm


Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com
Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $40 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($20) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages - http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they're giving away SamplitudeV9SE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)

 

[Elton Bear]

I have seen some threads on this forum where they mention micing your guitars/bass/stuff, but I don't quite understand how, or what the point of this is. And also, what mics I should use for this.

The point is, the sound of an electric guitar is a combination of the guitar (wood, setup, and mainly the pickups) and the amp (pre-amp, power-amp, and speaker). What you're doing by DI'ing is bypassing the speaker, therefore if get a cheap mic (SM57 being the standard) and mic the amp it'll sound worlds better! Loads of tips on here, just stick the mic in front of your amp and go to start with!

 

[danny.guitar]

I started out with the plugging-it-directly-in way, and since I got a mic (even a cheap one) I never ever wanted to do that again. Get a mic and record it that way. Can't go wrong with a Shure SM57.

Also, how are you recording the drums? Or are you using a drum pad/software thing for them?