Recording: Starting from scratch. please help.

[NoUse20]

Hello everyone,
I am a member in a band from Salt Lake City, UT. We have been together for about 3 years now. We have tried recording in many many different ways, but we had no help or any tips on how to record and our recordings sound really crappy. We have a TASCAM 4 Track recorder. Basically what I need help with from you guys is EVERYTHING.

We have 4 tracks to work with, we need to record the following : Guitar, Bass, Drums, Lyrics and Backup Lyrics. What's the best way of doing this? I know you guys know the best ways. BTW, this is the first time I've been on this webpage. I just found it, I plan to be up here all the time.

Please help with any or all of the following:

Guitar : Do I mic the amp? How loud do I turn it up? What sounds best?

Drums : Do I record them seperate from the guitar or at the same time? How many mics do I use and where do I put them?

Bass : Do I do this seperate from everything or not? Do I mic the bass amp or go directly from the guitar into the 4 track?

Lyrics : I'm pretty sure we're gonna have to do both vocals and backup at the same time, which we can do because we have 2 singers. But I can't see any other way we're gonna fit all this stuff on a 4 track. But if you guys know a better way, please let me know.

This is basically all I know about recording, we need to know the best ways and what sounds the best. We just want a nice, crisp, PUNK sounding recording. I would be so thankful for any help you guys can hook us up with. Thanks so much for you help.

Pat Carver
Drummer - Useless Information

 

[BrettB]

Hi,

I haven't got that much experience, and a lot of other guys on this site can help you much more than I do, butt I'll give it a go.

Advice one is to try everything! you'll only learn with failure. About your questions: About Guitar miking and so on, go to the guitar forum, they'll help you over there. You gotta find yourself what sounds best, but when you've only got one track for the guitar, a dynamic mike, like the sm57 of sm58 is the thing to use. Use your ear for the right spot.

The Drums depend how much mikes ytou have, and I don't know exactely how many input channels the tascam has. I generally would mike the kick, the snare/ hihat and one, off course 2 overheads, and maybe one or two mikes between your toms and cymbals (for example one that covzers the ride cymbal and the floor tom, other for other tom and crash).

Recording directely or miking, and seperate recording or not are things you gotta make up yourself, it depends on the occasion and songs.

About vocals and your tracks, you'll have to bounce. Record Three Tracks, then bounce them to the fourth so the tree previous tracks become available. When you're still recording analog, it will reduce the sound quality though..

greetings,

Brett

 

[jjrockjaw]

here's what u do...first go get more trax..cuz four aint gonna cut it...but, if it must...mic ur amps about an inch away from the grill...aimed off axis by about 30degrees... mic the drums and play the song live...ur gonna have to get ur mix setup perfect because all this goes into track 1&2 on ur tape deck, and ur not gonna b able to change it.This means all your panning, eq, effects and volumes have to b dialed in nicely. use trax 3and 4 to add extras...

 

[regebro]

Wow. What a huge subject!! But I'll dive right in!
No, don't record the lead and backing vocals together. Unless its a Simon&Garfunkel type of tune, that really has two lead vocals... No, you don't need a separate track for each thing, so getting more tracks is not the only answer. Remember that 4 tracks was all that was used when "Sergeant Pepper" was recorded, and EVERYTHING was recorded live with all instruments directly mixed (usually to mono) with all the rock during the 50's and early 60's.

OK, this is how I would do it:
1. First, make sure it sounds good LIVE, together, the whole act.
2. Then mic the drums. How many mics depends on how many input you have on your 4-track (you didn't say which one you have). If you have 4 inputs, use two mics, if you have six inputs use 4 mics. How to record drums with just two mics can be seen in this forum, in the topic called "Mic-ing drums (with minimal recources)". Do test tracks with the drums, and play it back to check the sound. Make adjustments to make it sound better, new test-recording, and so on until it sounds good.
3. When the drums sound fine, it's time for the guitar and bass. Tips on that are found here and in the guitar forum.
4. When you have figured out how to make these three instruments sound good individually, record this sources DIRECTLY TO TAPE, NO FILTERS OR ANYTHING, with the drums on two tracks and the guitar and bass on one each. Doesn't matter if you play wrong, its the sound that matters, its still testing. Then you play it back, and mix everything together, so you have a nice stereo mix of the sound. Now is the time to do filtering and panning and stuff. A reverb on the guitar is usually nice. LEAVE THE SETTINGS LIKE THAT, and then you come to:
5. THE REAL RECORDING. Record Drums, bass and guitar, at the same time but IN STEREO, not each mic individually, but record the finished mix to two tracks. Now, you need to make sure you can actually play the whole songs correctly all of you.
6. Record the lead vocal on one track, and the backing vocal on another. One at a time will do fine. Use compressors.
7. Mix the whole shebang. Reverb on the backing vocals would probably sound good, and delay on the lead vocals is a must. The lead vocal should be louder than you think.

Now, except the Tascam, you need at least 4 good mics, you need a compressor, a reverb, and and a delay( or a multi-effect box that can make both reverb and delay and compression, but then it needs to be able to compress and delay at the same time, which you them must to when you record the lead vocals).

Now, this will take time. Since you are new to this, you'll probably need a whole evening just to get the drums sounding right. You're the drummer, so do it yourself, otherwise the others will get bored. Then take in the guitarist and bass player, and tweak the sounds on that, and try to get a good sound on all of it. This might take another day. When this is done, all three takes a day to record all the tracks you want to record. Thats another day. Then bring in the singers to do vocals. Another day. Mix it. Yet another day.

But then you have your first demo! Loads of fun!