New to mixing!

[Sebastian23]

I've been reading through the forums trying to get a grasp of what's out there and how too's but I must say I feel a bit over whelmed. I am a drumer in a small local band and we are about to atemt a 3 song demo ourselves. We have some recording equipment and such. I won't pretend to be able to tell you what it all is but this much I know. We have some sort of reel to reel 8 track and a large mixing board. (Our singer know's how to work it all not me.) Now here's where my question come in. Once we get all the recording done and on a casset I can get that converted to digital. Now what I'd like to do is once it's digital do the mixing and editing to make it sound more professinal. I've seen a buch of different software packages out there. I need one that will do as much as possible but still be somewhat user freindly seeing i'm completely new to this. What would you suggest for a beginner that would like to take some deciently recored footage and make it better digitaly? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appriciated!

Thank you in advance!

 

[malcolm123]

I would recommend "Not" recording to cassette. You guys save up or rent some type of minidisk, CD Recorder, Laptop, computer, etc.

Maybe get on Ebay and get a 2 channel Reel to Reel if your liking the analog sound or use a HiFi VHS VCR.

Good Luck

Malcolm

 

[lpdeluxe]

Amen to that! Digital is too inexpensive, too easy and too great sounding to go back to the dark ages of cassette. You can get a multitrack digital recorder for what I paid for my 4-track cassette 13 years ago.

 

[malcolm123]

Amen to that! Digital is too inexpensive, too easy and too great sounding to go back to the dark ages of cassette. You can get a multitrack digital recorder for what I paid for my 4-track cassette 13 years ago.

LOL
Yeah, My first Tascam 4-Track = $500 or so, then I upgraded to a Tascam 8 Track = $1,300 plus I had to by a device to stripe smpte more $$$.

I used it 2 weeks then Cakewalk came out with audio recording that worked with midi. Bought myself a 8 channel event Darla card and never looked back.

Malcolm

 

[Sebastian23]

Thanks for the advice guy's! But your talking greek to me. If we just used what we had and went from real to real and converted it to digital couldn't we use an editing program to mix and make it sound better? Or dose that not really work that way? Again thanks for the feedback!!!

 

[malcolm123]

Thanks for the advice guy's! But your talking greek to me. If we just used what we had and went from real to real and converted it to digital couldn't we use an editing program to mix and make it sound better? Or dose that not really work that way? Again thanks for the feedback!!!

Yes, But you have to get it to digital first. If you have a editing program then this means you already have access to a digital source. It may not be great but Im sure its better than cassette. Im sure your partner who runs the equipment has already thought about it. If possible ( for now) run line/out of the mixing console to line/in on the computer with the editing program and Walla,,,, you now have digital.

Malcolm

 

[Sebastian23]

Yea I gotchya. But I do have access to someone that can convert it to digital from analog for us. We have a big mixing board to do all the tracks and all that. (our singer know's all that stuff) Were not just going to record into a boom box. We have mic's and the board and plan to record the tracks seperately and all that. I just figured once we have it recorded for one will want to put it on cd but once we have it converted to digital I would look into getting software that we can digitaly mix it better. I think we will be looking for a way in the future to go straight to digital but for now I think he want's to play with what he has there. Just need a good software program to do the editing and mixing that is somewhat user freindly.

You guy's rock with your fast resoponses! I soooo appreciate the help. I do want to learn. I'll keep reading and learning!

Thanks!