Relatively new to recording; Tight budget.

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Adriantepes

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So, I'm relatively new to recording music. I've played it for as long as I can remember, but I am absolutely terrible with recording.

I have a VERY tight budget.

I've heard of people using overhead mics to record a whole band at once. One for the right side of the audio and one for the left side of the audio.

The sound we are going for is supposed to sound wet and lo fi, But we still want decent quality.

Is it a good idea to setup with overhead mics? How should we set them up?

Thanks in advance.
 
What is this "band" of which you speak? Like drums, a couple electric guitars and a bass? And vocals?
 
A mic isn't defined by its position, but by what it is... so there are no "overhead mics", there are just mics used as overheads... these can be used for other things, and usually are...

I ask because I'm not sure whether you're asking for help with a specific pair of mics that you already have, in which case what are they?

Or whether you're asking for help to decide what sort of mics to get because you think you'll achieve a certain recording aim using them in an overhead fashion.

And, like WhiteStrat asks... what's in the band? Do you use a mixer? Vocals? How are they amplified? etc. etc. etc. More info required...

And what is "wet"? Lo fi I get...

I'm not an expert but I'd suggest with 2 mics and a standard rock band config there might be better options than an overhead configuration...
 
And what's your budget?

I know it's sort of a personal question, but it's REALLY difficult to help you out without know what you can reasonably get.
 
Welcome.
Can we have some details ?
 
And why can't each band member come up with his/her own mic?
 
Sorry for the late response, Having internet troubles.

Jim Lad: Because I cannot afford enough mics to cover the whole band with a mic each. Or atleast I don't think so

Gizzmo: I have maybe 100-120 to spend collectively

Whitestrat: Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Drummer, three people.

We have tried recording separate tracks before, but where that messes us up is when we record the drum and vocal quality lacks compared to the guitar and bass because it is a pretty standard radioshack mic I borrowed from a friend. So it doesn't mix well at all. If we can get a collective sound going, I think it will be better then individual tracks, hence why I want to record live.
 
If you don't have a decent mic, you are just not going to get a decent sound.
Consider spending all of that budget on one mic. Better to record in mono than stereo crap.
 
mjbphotos said:
If you don't have a decent mic, you are just not going to get a decent sound.
Consider spending all of that budget on one mic. Better to record in mono than stereo crap.
Click to expand...

Alright then, I have around $120. what are some good mic recommendations for recording the whole band at once?

Another question: Where should I place the vocal amp? I have my guitar amp a few feet in front of the drums to the right, and the bass amp across from the guitar amp to the left of the drums. Where should I fit the vocal amp in?

and sorry, another question (I'm really new to recording :( )

There is a small studio within my town that charges 30-40 bucks an hour plus printing cost. Should I just invest in this instead? I'm worried that I won't have enough money to sustain through 5 tracks and get it perfect and I'm not sure if they will let us record live...
 
If you get a decent mic,m then you can try recording separate tracks again, rather than everything at once.
You can get Shure SM57 for under $100 on ebay all the time. You'll need a cable, too.

What are you recording on (PC, etc)? What software? What interface?
 
mjbphotos said:
If you get a decent mic,m then you can try recording separate tracks again, rather than everything at once.
You can get Shure SM57 for under $100 on ebay all the time. You'll need a cable, too.

What are you recording on (PC, etc)? What software? What interface?
Click to expand...

This may be your best suggestion.

However, a pair of decent mics that will pick up the band as a whole can be had for $100, if you have phantom power available.


http://www.americanmusical.com/Item...2G00SRCHCAPN&gclid=CKO5t6GCnaICFRMeDQodazcVzA

But what the recording will sound like is subject to a lot of factors that may be difficult to control. For example: the sound of the room you are recording in, the balance between instruments in the band's live sound, mic placement, etc.

Here is a good introduction to things for those that are new to recording:

http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
 
I agree with omtayslick. It's possible but its going to be so difficult since the balance in the room will need to be PERFECT at the time of recording. I think your best bet is record at the local studio since $120 will not get you an interface, mic(s), cables, stand...etc. Even if you choose to record each thing separately, one mic is not going to really work.
 
Ok, I might just take things to studio. I found out that the studio I was looking at is pretty beat, and only does gospel recordings...

and living in delaware doesn't help. Any decent studio around here is WAYYYY overpriced, trying to charge upwards of 125 dollars an hour, with a separate printing charge D:
 
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Adriantepes said:
Ok, I might just take things to studio. I found out that the studio I was looking at is pretty beat, and only does gospel recordings...

and libing in delaware doesn't help. Any decent studio around here is WAYYYY overpriced, trying to charge upwards of 125 dollars an hour, with a separate printing charge D:
Click to expand...

PM me. I live in Delaware. Maybe close enough to help.
 
Adriantepes said:
Any decent studio around here is WAYYYY overpriced, trying to charge upwards of 125 dollars an hour, with a separate printing charge D:
Click to expand...

I know this is off topic and the thread is dead, but I don't think $125 an hour for a "real" studio with real equipment and a real person who really knows how to drive it is a bad deal or overpriced...

I've used a couple of local ones that do 10 hour lockouts for $400 and thereabouts (this is another country, mind you....) and fundamentally I can't do the maths... the studio is going to give me (a) the studio, with god knows how much $ of equipment, and (b) a person who can engineer, all for $40 an hour?

Doesn't add up to me... if I call out a plumber, he wants $90 an hour... and I'm thinking he's a little less skilled than a recording engineer...

Makes me wonder what I'm getting for my money - not much as it turned out both times I tried... won't go there again... I remember trying to record acoustic guitar, sitting on an uncomfortable stool in the sound room, because that's all they had to sit on, looking through the glass inot the control room and seeing the meters go up and down in time with the bass drum of the band in a nearby practice room, which I could clearly hear... hmm...

That's when I really decided to do it myself...
 
That, me old 'Tiss', was the price......of an education. An Australian one, even ! :D
 
and recording the whole band with one or two mics in the room will mean the acoustic properties of the room are vitally important.

Even the best gear, set up for room mic'ing, in a crappy room, will sound band.

What are the room dimensions? and what are the walls made of?
 
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