J
jasonm
New member
Hi there
I'm trying to get more into recording music, mainly because I write a lot of songs and am generally interested in how the music I listen to is produced. I've been using Cakewalk and bits of Cubase for a couple of years actually but what I've always found with computer/software recording is that there are so many different things you can do to your recorded sound, so many plugins and fancy things, that I never know where to start properly to get the best results, and without using things like effects and plugins for the sake of it. Neither am I a fan of computers. I recently got myself a nice basic 4 track cassette recorder because I wanted to start from something very basic (also portable), and the idea being that learning to use the basic things as best as possible would then put me in a good position with regards to knowing what processing to apply to tracks and what exactly to do to various kinds of sounds.
I figured, starting from just a 4 track I'd find out what exactly I needed in a sort of order of importance. The first thing I've found I need is a compressor/compressors (4 would probably be quite complimentary). Also, it seems to be the only thing I've known I should definately be using when using Cakewalk.
What to me seems like a good way to progress with recording is to upgrade my soundcard to something of higher standard than what you get with a typical pc, then mix my 4 track recordings to the computer. I know that it might seem like a daft way of doing things for some one like myself, as all the processings and effects you could ever need are available in software form with unlimitted tracks, but I'd like to go about learning on hardware. With software it's always a case of selecting a certain preset and there we go - I don't feel like this is really learning how to engineer sound and produce a recording.
I've recently found on a couple of websites a compressor unit by TFPro called the P5. This has 3 mono and 1 stereo channel and seems to be a really good buy. I also figured the stereo channel could be used for mastering?
Anyways, simply, this is the plan that's been running around my head > get a compressor, get a new sound card, then figure out what it is that I most need next.
Does this seem like an idea that will work? Or is there some flaw in it that I've failed to realise. I know hardware is a more expensive way about things but I'm a student and have a loan and would rather not spend it all on beer and such things
. This would effectively give me the beginings of my own studio setup that I don't mind building up over X number of years; it seems to me like I'd be able to learn the most this way, even if it takes some time.
What do people think?
Thanks very much
Jason
I'm trying to get more into recording music, mainly because I write a lot of songs and am generally interested in how the music I listen to is produced. I've been using Cakewalk and bits of Cubase for a couple of years actually but what I've always found with computer/software recording is that there are so many different things you can do to your recorded sound, so many plugins and fancy things, that I never know where to start properly to get the best results, and without using things like effects and plugins for the sake of it. Neither am I a fan of computers. I recently got myself a nice basic 4 track cassette recorder because I wanted to start from something very basic (also portable), and the idea being that learning to use the basic things as best as possible would then put me in a good position with regards to knowing what processing to apply to tracks and what exactly to do to various kinds of sounds.
I figured, starting from just a 4 track I'd find out what exactly I needed in a sort of order of importance. The first thing I've found I need is a compressor/compressors (4 would probably be quite complimentary). Also, it seems to be the only thing I've known I should definately be using when using Cakewalk.
What to me seems like a good way to progress with recording is to upgrade my soundcard to something of higher standard than what you get with a typical pc, then mix my 4 track recordings to the computer. I know that it might seem like a daft way of doing things for some one like myself, as all the processings and effects you could ever need are available in software form with unlimitted tracks, but I'd like to go about learning on hardware. With software it's always a case of selecting a certain preset and there we go - I don't feel like this is really learning how to engineer sound and produce a recording.
I've recently found on a couple of websites a compressor unit by TFPro called the P5. This has 3 mono and 1 stereo channel and seems to be a really good buy. I also figured the stereo channel could be used for mastering?
Anyways, simply, this is the plan that's been running around my head > get a compressor, get a new sound card, then figure out what it is that I most need next.
Does this seem like an idea that will work? Or is there some flaw in it that I've failed to realise. I know hardware is a more expensive way about things but I'm a student and have a loan and would rather not spend it all on beer and such things
. This would effectively give me the beginings of my own studio setup that I don't mind building up over X number of years; it seems to me like I'd be able to learn the most this way, even if it takes some time.What do people think?
Thanks very much
Jason
. What I've found with the recordings I've made so far is the general dynamics of various sounds/instruments would mean certain quiter bits of track would get lost under the other tracks so I suppose that's how you mean taming the source. One experiment will involve my echo-ey hallway in my uni house, see how I can use that.