New Members: Introduce Yourself Here!

hey all, just found this site, looking forward to reading through everyone's techniques and sharing my own. Working on recording an album at home and learning all about room acoustics, mics, hardware, plugins, etc.... Have been recording stuff for a long time but still have endless things to learn!!!

Here is an acoustic panel build I just did:


s
 
Hi everyone,
Just registered today.
I have been involved in music one way or another since the late 80s; organising and holding early acid house parties in London. And then on into the 90s in western Ireland doing similar but smaller scale DJing. At the moment I`m living in the West Midlands in a small flat after a break-up. I`ve invested in some new Kali Audio 2nd gen 6.5s, Volt interface, Arturia Mini Freak, Zoom F6 field recorder, dBX 268s preamp/processor, 2 x NT1As, Shure SM7dB, 2 x matched Usi Pro, and various other stuff run on Ableton 12 standard. I`m going to focus on ambient recordings (I`m older and quieter). I`ve had a lot of fun with Ableton since getting it though I had to up the Ram to 32GB running in an Acer i7 (probably should`ve gone straight for a MacBk).
I do a little field recording, which is a sort of new hobby. I am going to use the recording in my music. I`m training as a hypnotherapist and will put free recordings out for relaxation etc, as well as making some ambient tunes in purely musical format.
Individually, the components put out great quality audio and the Kali Audio monitors are just epic. I invested in good cables and am still buying stuff to get me on the road I want to travel. Trying to get all the equipment to work together has become an issue though. Running things through Ableton and through the interface using both midi and usb has sometimes been a little counter-intuitive for me. I`ve realised where the boundaries lie for my knowledge. It`s been incredibly frustrating tbh. I can play the Mini freak through Ableton once I bring up the software on screen but this alters my audio settings and stops me using the PC through my monitors. A silly thing like putting the SD card through WMP has been a problem also with it only able to be heard through the Zoom F6 unit itself, on headphones. Despite upgrading everything, including codecs, it won`t play on the PC. I see a lot online about this issue but the problem is with the audio output (I think) and it`s difficult to know sometimes just what configurations to have set when using what hardware (or software).
There are so many elements and configurations that the combinations seem endless. I get one thing working; say the mini freak through Ableton or the Mini freak software but this stops and video playing on the PC. I put the SM7dB through the interface and 286s but this won`t allow sound from Mini freak. It`s proven impossible for my small brain to work out exactly what is going on in the input and output master.
I wondered if there was anybody in the UK, around the West Midlands, that had a good knowledge of set-ups such as mine. I`d be willing to pay for their time obviously.
Anyway, great to be able to get onto a forum such as this; such a great resource.
Very interested to hear views on my problems.
Pete
 

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Hi everyone,
Just registered today.
[. . .]
Welcome PoSuM, sorry to hear about the breakup. Nothing like throwing yourself into a musical project to work through it... Sounds like you have a wealth of experience, can't wait to read about what problems you get into.

Living in West Midlands - do you follow footy? who's your club?

s
 
Welcome PoSuM, sorry to hear about the breakup. Nothing like throwing yourself into a musical project to work through it... Sounds like you have a wealth of experience, can't wait to read about what problems you get into.

Living in West Midlands - do you follow footy? who's your club?

s
Hey, Yea, the breakup was crappy, after 25 years married, kids etc. But, I`m feeling ok about it. As you say, nothing better than project to dive into.

Really sorry to disappoint, not a great footy fan. My uncle played for Walsall back in the day and went on to coach, I believe. I also was a groundsman at the WBA pitch back in `84 but never got a taste for footy myself. I was more of an outdoor guy tbh. My son follows Celtic as he was brought up in Scotland. Who`s your team?

Pete
 
I also was a groundsman at the WBA pitch back in `84 but never got a taste for footy myself
That's cool, I always think about how much meticulous treatment the pitches must get to stay in good condition all the time. I have played on my fair share of mud patches lol.

Who`s your team?
Sorry to perhaps disappoint even further, but as a 12 year old in the US when Man United was on their rampage, I chose them. Have never visited the UK and have no relation to Manchester haha. It's fun just to have a team to follow, love the sport and have played all my life.

s
 
Hello, new here!
My native langage is french so sorry if sometimes my english looks extraterrestrial.
I play bass, guitar and drums.
I record my work with mostly Ardour on Debian Gnu/Linux but I also use old softwares like Acid Pro and Cool Edit Pro
My drums ar processed with Hydrogen Drum Machine.

I am a pure #BedroomProducer
The idea is to get big results on tiny equipement because I began music with the punkwave in the early 80's and the leading idea was DIY.
 
That's cool, I always think about how much meticulous treatment the pitches must get to stay in good condition all the time. I have played on my fair share of mud patches lol.


Sorry to perhaps disappoint even further, but as a 12 year old in the US when Man United was on their rampage, I chose them. Have never visited the UK and have no relation to Manchester haha. It's fun just to have a team to follow, love the sport and have played all my life.

s
Yes, the amount of time spent on the pitches is crazy. I liked that time of my life but it was only a sort of government apprenticeship, called the Youth Training Scheme. I went on to do horticulture from that for a wee while but found other things shortly after.

Man United are a phenomenon. They generated more interest and money than the football itself could have possibly done. I was told by friends from Manchester that people from the city itself support Manchester City and everyone else supports United. Lol. I suppose there is some sense to it. Great that you play sport though. I jog sometimes and have always had quite active jobs. Unfortunately, we don`t have the weather that you have. It`s pretty crappy here a lot of the year.


Hopefully, someone from my general part of England will give me a shout over the next while and offer to come and give me a hand. Honestly, I`ve lost any direction in how to move forward with this set up. The hardware part is obviously quite straight forward but the software drivers and settings are giving me a headache.
 
Hello, new here!
My native langage is french so sorry if sometimes my english looks extraterrestrial.
I play bass, guitar and drums.
I record my work with mostly Ardour on Debian Gnu/Linux but I also use old softwares like Acid Pro and Cool Edit Pro
My drums ar processed with Hydrogen Drum Machine.

I am a pure #BedroomProducer
The idea is to get big results on tiny equipement because I began music with the punkwave in the early 80's and the leading idea was DIY.
Welcome Manfred!
I just looked up Ardour. Tres interestant.
I'm on the lookout for Linux DAWs, so I can ditch Windows.
Post some of your music, when you can.
 
Hi Pete, I think you should post your equipment problems in the Computer Recording section giving a clear run down of the way you have things setup.

I suspect you have a "driver" problem. I would guess you have installed the Volt ASIO drivers? That is fine and will give you the lowest latency but, ASIO drivers can only handle "one thing at once". They can handle as many tracks as the interface has but ONLY that interface. You should be able to run various things but need to use MME or WASAPI drivers. Not always the best driver for the job but 'needs must' Eh?

My son often gets in this pickle. He has a MOTU M4 (brilliant ASIO drivers) but also uses a USB mic and a USB mixer. He usually gets things to work as he want eventually!

Dave.
 
Greetings and salutations, fellow creators! Sgt. Pigeon at your service. You can call me Pigeon, Sgt., Sarge, hey you, or anything, really, as long as it's polite. My preferred pronouns are he/him.

I've played guitar since around 1984, played in a couple of bar bands between 1986-1993 ('93 is when I became a parent for the first time, and that may suffice as an explanation of the end of my bar band playing days :ROFLMAO:), and have had the desire to record music for many years, too. I bought my first cassette 4-track machine in 1988, and have continued to purchase things I would barely use at different intervals. I've recorded a LOT of stuff in terms of hours. I have finished relatively little. Pathetically little, really, especially given the number of purchases I've made in gear and software. I'm sure I'd be mortified to know the average cost of my finished material, so I'm not even going to try that math.

I'm in my mid-fifties, married empty-nester, and due to the onset of some neuropathy, I do most of my playing and recording on a keyboard these days. I love learning new virtual instruments, designing sound, writing songs, recording (more coding than recording, to be more accurate), and mixing. A few years ago, a thing related to critical listening (finally!) clicked in my brain, and I was able to hear mixes. It was amazing. I was able to re-introduce myself to all my favorite music and hear it, in a sense, like it was the first time.

I've tried lots of DAWs, but I think I'm married to Studio One, now.

ANYWAY... Nice to "meet" you all! May your days be musical and many. ☮️ 💜
 
Hello Everyone!

Just came across this site and had to join. I've been playing guitar since I was 12, and been writing songs since I was 14. But its only now that I've dipped my toe into the muddy (and frankly, confusing!) world of home recording. Having said that there's nothing better than coming home, locking the door, firing up the pc, grabbing the guitar and tinkering about for a few hours.

I'm still trying to find out what equipment I want to include in my set up, and try to ignore emails about new plugins!

Looking forward to interacting with you all and sharing our experiences

/J
 
Hi Pete, I think you should post your equipment problems in the Computer Recording section giving a clear run down of the way you have things setup.

I suspect you have a "driver" problem. I would guess you have installed the Volt ASIO drivers? That is fine and will give you the lowest latency but, ASIO drivers can only handle "one thing at once". They can handle as many tracks as the interface has but ONLY that interface. You should be able to run various things but need to use MME or WASAPI drivers. Not always the best driver for the job but 'needs must' Eh?

My son often gets in this pickle. He has a MOTU M4 (brilliant ASIO drivers) but also uses a USB mic and a USB mixer. He usually gets things to work as he want eventually!

Dave.
Hi Dave,

Sorry for the late reply; I work long strange hours.

Yes, the Volt was working fine with the SM7dB (through the compressor) and into the monitors or headphones. The Mini Freak worked great through the PC (via the Volt and monitors). The separate Mini Freak software worked fine on the PC and out through the Volt and Monitors. And, the SD recorded fine and played out through the headphones from the Zoom F6. Problems started when I was doing an Ableton course online as I`m better used to Logic Pro. I could play the videos and audio for the course but to play the Mini Freak at the same time I had to load the Arturia Mini Freak V panel software. This stopped the audio from the course and won`t allow the videos to play. Also, in a separate disaster, the SD cards won`t play after being dropped into the PC, despite upgrading the drivers and despite only using WMP for the files (which was also upgraded).

I`m getting sick of trying to figure it out. The settings in the Ableton preferences only allow for certain uses of each hardware device and my Arturia isn`t showing up on the control surface drop down even though I`ve everything installed and `Linked to Mini Freak`. The fact that I decided to order midi cables to use through the Volt instead (in case the USB-C was not able to route more than one hardware device(though I know it should)) didn`t help at all. In fact, a whole new set of parameters come into question every time you choose to enter a new horse into the race - so to speak.

I did contact both the course providers and Arturia, both of whom were extremely helpful. But, after following the instructions I was no closer. Please don`t get me wrong by the way; I know full well that the problem lies with my lack of knowledge. All the devices are exceptional (on their own). Ignorance unfortunately, does not equal bliss though in this case.

You`re right, I should spend some time on my day off on Sunday drawing a schematic. It`ll help me visualise it myself better anyway. I`ll post it here and copy paste all I have written so far, on the page you suggest.

Appreciate everybody`s time in this. And, when I have it figured out I`ll post the results, in case anyone else is getting frustrated.

Kind regards

Pete
 
Just found this forum. Seems like a real blessing. Acoustic, sometimes electronic drummer. Currently, edrums the only option. Far from being a tech nerd, screens tend to glaze my eyes over. Put me in a wood shop, I'm good. Tech? Drop down boxes, a thousand options... not so much. A new recording project facing me. My trusty acoustics and ZOOM H8 recorder replaced by a coming DAW and probably a VST drum plug-in and learning curves that will probably add the last ten years to my life. But, we press on >>>
 
Just found this forum. Seems like a real blessing. Acoustic, sometimes electronic drummer. Currently, edrums the only option. Far from being a tech nerd, screens tend to glaze my eyes over. Put me in a wood shop, I'm good. Tech? Drop down boxes, a thousand options... not so much. A new recording project facing me. My trusty acoustics and ZOOM H8 recorder replaced by a coming DAW and probably a VST drum plug-in and learning curves that will probably add the last ten years to my life. But, we press on >>>
Hi REF and welcome. You say "the Zoom H8 is to be replaced by a computer and a DAW"? Does that mean a new interface and which DAW?

One of the most important factors with the AI/PC system is latency, the delay between striking a key or string and hearing the sound. I am NO drummer (bass, years ago) but I would think you guys need minimal delay?

Low latency is a complex matter. You need a fast enough, 'uncluttered' computer but in truth anything under 5 yrs old that can run W10/11 will serve. THE most crucial factor is the drivers that come with the interface. Must be ASIO drivers but not all are the same. Top of the tree is RME (yeah, pricey!) next I would sau MOTU and Native Instruments not far behind. Any of those three will be fine.
Others here will no doubt have other suggestions.

The DAW probably has minimal effect on latency. Certainly the every useful Reaper will give you no trouble.

Rock on,

Dave.
 
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