newbie with BR1200 CD in the woodshed with questions

J

johnnycake slim

New member
Hello
happy I found this site...I'm a newbie here and a novice as a recorder and my audience is always asking for my cd after performance, the last recording i did was with a cassette 4 track in the eighties. I own a BR 1200 and i suppose before i die i need to get a new cd done!!!! I understand the BR series is about as simple as it gets and the recording sounds good but i like the idea of using my computer to actually see and manipulate the files. I am working with a local assistant who knows computers but not the BR series and I'm trying to save some money by doing as much as i can myself (good luck right??) I just called Roland customer service and they explained using the data save button or making a wave file cd to export to computer from the BR.
so i guess I'm on the right track... as far as using my laptop to work with my BR, What software should I be looking at? is there free audio recording software out there? A friend gave me audacity years ago that i have on my old desktop but I've only used it to convert wavs to mp3's for export...is audacity a program that i can put my recorded music together on? are there good tutorials out there??..thanks
 
Reaper is a program that gets a lot of praise for entry DAW (Digital Audio Workstations) programs. I came from the Roland world of recording, I had a VS2400 24 track recorder, which was good, but very limiting as far as editing and mix options go. If you're just looking at recording a simple demo, the BR1200 will get the job done. But I wouldn't bother trying to use it for any project that was going to require serious production. If you're going to record drums, or even program drums, you'll need to dedicate 7-8 tracks alone to keep your drums separate for individual control in mixdown. What are you looking at doing production wise? How many tracks, what kind of instruments etc. It's much easier to guide you in the right direction when we know what you're trying to accomplish as an end result.

I think the BR1200's are good for "jotting down you musical ideas" but attempting to do much more, isn't worth it. So you could try selling and buy an interface, DAW, and all the other gear you'll need, but be forewarned that there is more to buy than just the obvious to get you good results, (read the posts in the newbie forum). If you're only into for the one album, and not really interested in the longterm, just use the BR1200 to record a rough demo of all the stuff you want recorded for the album, then pay a studio to do it correctly. MUCH cheaper than getting a decent recording setup going. Plus, getting good results requires a fair amount of knowledge and dedication to learning how to record, on top of having decent equipment.
 
my cd will primarily consist of simple tracks of my guitar and voice (i"m a one man show and my strength is my vocals and arrangements with just my guitar) although i want to support the moods of songs with bass, percussion and keyboard, or maybe a horn solo here and there...it sounds like great advice using the BR for my local market who want to bring a rendition home and will help get me into some creativity using multi tracks...(I recorded a kids cd with lots of fun effects for my kids a while back)...I'm working with a kid who has produced several of his own cd's via laptop for $25 an hour who suggested I record tracks dry and then we'd download them to his rig for effects and mixing but I have since heard that can be tricky so i don't want to waste time and money...I like the idea of having my hand held at least to get me into the learning groove and get the ole curiosity brain cells poping again!!
 
it sounds like great advice using the BR for my local market who want to bring a rendition home and will help get me into some creativity using multi tracks...
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Thats's definitely one way to go about it. I personally wouldn't be spending $25/hr on an "assistant." You'll surprise yourself with how much can be learned and accomplished with all the FREE resources you have available online. This forum being one of them. If you don't have a specific time crunch, just read a bit everyday, ask questions and learn. You can than try your hand at recording your ideas/songs on the BR, an see how it comes out. If you like the final result, sell it at your shows. If not, use it as your blueprint for your multitrack production and THEN hire someone to help you.

I like the idea of having my hand held at least to get me into the learning groove and get the ole curiosity brain cells poping again!!
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That's the idea behind this forum. Don't waste your hard earned dollars on something you're completely capable of doing yourself. Give yourself the chance.
 
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Alright...i'll take my time to get the education..my buddy from florida just sent me a link to a trial version of Sony Acid7 (which is what my assistant was using) ..i checked our Reaper..but i'm already over my head not knowing what i'm looking at..i'll stick close to the forum and record on my BR and experiment with Acid trial...thanks
 
very awsome..thankyou..i will try reaper first considering the teacher in the tutorial and your personal advice both seem to like it better and the price is excellent...i was playing around with my BR last night and my guitars (Taylors with expressions pick ups) and i like some of roland COSM voicings they offer but mostly i just want a clean sound with rich yet subtle reverb tones...i know the best way to record is dry and i suppose as i go along i'll learn about effects...i hear the word loop alot..is it simply a measure of sound(s) repeated over and over?
thanks for your awsome help here
mark
 
No prob. You'll need to buy a few things if you're gonna go the software route, of course. But you'll be able to do so much more than the Boss. Having said that, while you're researching and learning reaper, keep recording with you Boss to get your feet wet. Concentrate on getting good levels. That's gonna be transferable to software once you make the switch. Also, get some recording monitors. They're very important.
 
i own a set of 1000 watt QSC 8" speakers that i use for performance... the guy that sold them to me says they are also monitors...are you familiar with QSC? I do notice that it's very difficult to get that warm rich reverb support on my vocals with the effects from boss. maybe it's my levels, my eq my equipment?? Performance is so much different than studio. At present I'm using my performance mike... shure sm58 and the guy i was working with says he can get great enhancement vocally with these new digital processers and a cheap ($100) condensor mike... how can i get the great studio vocal sound? (or is this a whole new thread?) lol
 
Those speakers are meant for live performance, not recording. When the guy said they work as monitors, he meant live monitors, not recording monitors. completely different things. Recording monitors have a flat frequency response so you know what you are mixing. They tell the truth, where performance speakers and home speakers are hyped to make the musical content sound better. You want to know exactly what has been recorded so when you mix it, it sounds the same on other systems. You'll be surprised how much different your stuff will sound on other stereos if you mix on anything but recording monitors.

As for getting that great studio vocal sound... Well that's a combination of mics, preamps, acoustics, knowledge and of course talent. Start a new thread in the newb forum for this, once you've done some reading on the subject there.

Cheers,
Ryan
 
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