Okay I know it's crazy but please help me through it

[rhythm girl]

First, my sister and I have a band.
Second, with our lead guitarist leaving and coming back it has put us in a bind as far as time.
Third, we can't afford a studio so we are renting a MTR (Boss BR1600) for the month.
Fourth, I need at least a small demo by this weekend for a bar that I am trying to catch a spot for the 4th of July.
Fifth, my sister has a head cold so I was thinking of using a pitch correction of some kind to get us through this weekend for the small demo.
And finally we have never tried to record with a MTR we have always used our sound board and a CD burner.
HELP!!!!!
Any advise would be appreciated!!!!!
Thank you!!

 

[Chili]

If time is critical, why don't you stay with what you know and use your sound board and CD burner? If you want to use the BR-1600, my guess is it has some pre-programmed set-ups so you can get started quickly. Looks like it is capable of recording up to 8 tracks.

Couldn't find the manual online, but I found their quick start tutorial.

http://www.rolandus.com/uploads/CMS/Downloads/1843/BR1600CDts.pdf

But yeah, one day to put out a demo on a machine you've not used before might be a little *crazy*...

Good luck and have fun.

 

[rhythm girl]

The reason I would like to stay away from using the board and a CD burner is because the last demo was recorded on the patio, and to be honest the mix sucked. Backing vocals over powered the lead vocals etc.. Although I am new at this I was thinking if we have the 8 indivual tracks to play with we could get a mix after we finish the song, "tweak it" if you will...

 

[giraffemanjeff]

you didnt say too much about what kind of music you play, or what kind of bar it is, but in my experience with bars the more polished it sounds the more likely they will let you play there. it doesnt matter if the songs on the demo arent the songs on the set list, as long as the crowd likes it theyll ask you back. so having said that i would suggest that you record something easy. either use a drum machine (hopefully there is one on the mtr) or just go acoustic. make sure the vocal track is solid and you shouldnt have any trouble getting in. thats what i would do with such a limited time frame anyway. good luck

 

[rhythm girl]

We play mostly country with a little southern and classic rock. I don't worry about vocals not bing strong except for that cold she says she has. We have strong vocals and good harmonies, that's one of our strong points.
I'm only trying to get a spot outside this bar to play 4th of July, it would be great exposure for our band. The owner just wants a demo, I get that I would want one too.

Chili thanks for that link to boss....

 

[drossfile]

The reason I would like to stay away from using the board and a CD burner is because the last demo was recorded on the patio, and to be honest the mix sucked. Backing vocals over powered the lead vocals etc.. Although I am new at this I was thinking if we have the 8 indivual tracks to play with we could get a mix after we finish the song, "tweak it" if you will...

you already know how to record through the board.

i would suggest you spend whatever time you have left on discovering a better mix through the board with your ears, rather than trying to learn how to record on a whole new system with your brain, and in the end still ending up deficient on mixing skills.

identify the problems with your old mixes by listening to them.

correct them by adjusting your mixer based on what you listened to, and re-record.

experiment, listen, and tweak the mix as needed until you feel your results are "demo-worthy."

you'll save a ton of time adapting to your current system as opposed to learning a new one.

worst case scenario here is, your recording is still sub-par, but the performance is top-notch because you've done it so many times. and performance trumps recording quality every time.

best-case...you get a killer performance on tape, well-mixed to boot.

just my opinion, fwiw. good luck!

 

[mjbphotos]

"We got 2 kinds of music here ...country... and western!"

Does your sound board have individual outputs for each channel? If so, run 8 lines directly out to the BR1600. If you haven't had experience doing mulitrack mixdowns, keep everything simple - no onboard effects as you are recording. Don't turn on the pitch correction unless she is singing constantly sharp or flat. A bar owner is likely to listen to only a minute or two of a demo before deciding, so don't go for a long instrumental introduction to whatever song(s) you record - go for ones where the vocals/lead instruments, or whatever you are featuring start right away.

 

[gecko zzed]

First, my sister and I have a band.
Second, with our lead guitarist leaving and coming back it has put us in a bind as far as time.
Third, we can't afford a studio so we are renting a MTR (Boss BR1600) for the month.
Fourth, I need at least a small demo by this weekend for a bar that I am trying to catch a spot for the 4th of July.
Fifth, my sister has a head cold so I was thinking of using a pitch correction of some kind to get us through this weekend for the small demo.
And finally we have never tried to record with a MTR we have always used our sound board and a CD burner.
HELP!!!!!
Any advise would be appreciated!!!!!
Thank you!!

First: Congratulations on being able to sing with your sister (rather than fight or something)

Second: Wandering musicians can play havoc with timetables: bad luck

Third: Hiring the MTR is a perilous exercise. The learning curves are steep and your time is short. I'd save the money.

Fourth: By the time you read this it is probably too late.

Fifth: Don't worry about headcolds. They won;t make you sing flat. However, they may make you sound snotty and nasal, and they may prevent you from reaching high notes (this means fidning an alternative).

Lastly: You're already familiar with your currrent technology. Make use of that. As someone said: Record . . . listen to what's wrong. Make adjustments, record again, listen again, adjust again and so on. Tedious, but it's good practice in both performing and mixing.

 

[silicone messia]

greetings

I checked out your website. The song that autoplays is a diamond in the rough. I hope you don't mind but i downloaded it to see if I could tweak it a bit for your demo. In less than 5 minutes I was able to eq it and slightly compress it. The results are stunning. I would like to work with your band. I'm in the process of overlaying drums (kick and snare only) to add dynamic punch. Gimme yer e-mail address n i'll send it to you. If you like I'll document what I did to it specifically.

Tom Jones

 

[rhythm girl]

First I want to thank all of you for the help.
Yea, most of you were right, it's been a headache.
I like that idea of running through the board and just using the effects from the board and our own guitar effects,etc. the question I have with that is: After we record the song could I come back and give it some kind of mix and then save? Say maybe we need more vocals or less guitar just tweak it and save.
I don't like the idea of recording over and over just to get a decent mix. It's to frustrating for everyone. It's also way to time consuming and I don't have alot of time.
Gecko, we still fight, trust me ....
Tom, I sent you my email address. Reply back and let me know when you get it.
Also I have to say I'm very proud of the progress we have made. About the only thing we can't figure out so far is how to get the effects. I love being able to mix after the fact...
Thanks again to everyone...

 

[DAS19]

Record it all live, overdub the vocals and you can have a demo in about five days. Just your going to have to rent more mics probably.