My first real recording!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter davehewitsonuk
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davehewitsonuk

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hi guys,

i just started an AS level Music Tech Course at my sixth form college. I played around with an MD8 last week, and managed to record some stuff onto mini-disc which was quite cool.

now, my friends band wants me to record their practise session next week, and i was kind of asking for some tips on what to do. I dont have a clue as of yet what i will be recording onto, but i know that we have a whole host of mics, and effects.

i believe that the recording will either be onto standalone Hard Disk recorder or onto PC i think. i know this isnt very helpfull, but tomorow i will find out what equipment i am using.

but yeah, any ideas on recording a band (Guitarist/singer, bassist and drummer) live, without haveing to cue recording and stuff. i think they basically just want me to set it all up, record their practise session and then mix-down at the end, just playing with the sound.

thanks

Dave
 
Sounds like fun! Just close mic everything and toss up a couple room mics. See how it sounds...
 
...sounds like you're doing it just for fun and maybe a learning exercise. So, most importantly - make sure you have fun with it.

Short of that, some very general tips...

- Track dry. Leave the effects off until you're ready to mix

- After everything's setup, have them play a loud song and make sure all your levels are as hot as possible without clipping.

- Don't lose your mind trying to prevent mic bleed, just go with the flow. Unless the room sounds completely aweful, you can more easily capture raw energy IMO.

- My guess is that you'll have 8 tracks to work with, so I'd put 4 on the drums (kick, snare, 2 overheads), one on bass, one on guitar, 1 for vox (direct out of the PA if you can), and 1 for the "room".
 
cheers guys,

yeah, its basically just so they can have something on CD or minidisc to play to their friends i think. and so im just using it as a free plug to learn to use all the gear we've got.

OK, mic wise, I was thinking:

vocals: probably an SM58
guitar: SM57
bass: erm?? maybe an SM57 or DI
Kick drum mic
snare: SM57
not sure what to use for overheads cus i dont know what ive got to work with
and for the room i'll use a PZM.

cheers

Dave
 
If you're tracking dry and adding effects when you mix, you might consider splitting the bass signal and running it directly into your board. Since the kick will be mic'd you can cut some of the lower end on the room mic to compensate. Depending on the room, this might clean the mix up a bit.
 
If it's a jam session, why not record wet? My band records our jam sessions, for reference. I use vocal effects usually live so I record them with the effects, so I can hear what I really sound like to everyone else. If it were a "real" recording session I defenately wouldn't record wet... but you're just having fun right?!?
 
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