strereo vs non stereo...

[thehook]

ok well I think I will just used one mic and pan...record two takes of guitar...but I am used to recording with a guitar and mic at the same time. So lets say i record one guitar track then go to record vox and guitar again with seperate mics through seperate preamps. how many inputs would my sound card need for that?

 

[Rokket]

ok well I think I will just used one mic and pan...record two takes of guitar...but I am used to recording with a guitar and mic at the same time. So lets say i record one guitar track then go to record vox and guitar again with seperate mics through seperate preamps. how many inputs would my sound card need for that?

2............
If you are going to record just one guitar and one vocal, you only need two inputs. You have to be careful with mic placement, because you will get guitar bleeding onto your vocal and vocal on the guitar track. But it will work.

 

[XLR]

If I'm understanding you right, you'd just need two channels of input to the soundcard. And I'd bet you a nickel your mini jack has two channels. If you end up needing more input channels there's lots of gear that does that with most computers - USB, firewire, PCMCIA cards.

In this style of music though, I'd think twice about changing the way you perform to suit the technology. Have you recorded much with headphones on? Really different, especially singing. Traditional musicians and classical musicians are notoriously derailed by headphone use because of the way we're used to performing.

Tim

 

[thehook]

ok well the last couple questions I have are as follows: A. is the dmp3 worth the money if I won't be using the two channels right away if at all?

B. If I pointed one mic at the 12th fret a foot away and had the vocal mic comming up over my shoulder would I be alright?

 

[Rokket]

Have you recorded much with headphones on? Really different, especially singing. Traditional musicians and classical musicians are notoriously derailed by headphone use because of the way we're used to performing.

Tim

I agree with that! I went from performing on stage to recording myself, by myself. It was quite an awakening! It took me some time to get used to the sound being right in my ears. I had to learn how different everything sounds in headphones (as far as which frequencies they tend to accent and such). Not to mention getting used to having them on my head with a guitar in my hands...

 

[thehook]

could you guys recomend me some computer interfaces either external or internal that would do me right so to speak ?

 

[treymonfauntre]

ok thats definitely not a 12 string and thats definitely a bass drum and not a simple footstomp on the ground. the guitar is pretty pretty heavily compressed to get that beefy sound. unless its just this mp3

 

[thehook]

If I get a Audiophile 2496 will I need a mixer to run the preamps into before plugging them into the card?

 

[treymonfauntre]

the hook-- check your computer's sound card. it might have 2 inputs, a mic input and a line in. the line in is almost always a stereo input. at that point you can get a little mixer and output it to your sound card, then use a program like audacity (free) and record the line in input.

 

[XLR]

If I pointed one mic at the 12th fret a foot away and had the vocal mic comming up over my shoulder would I be alright?

Over the shoulder for vocals would be an unusual position, but how you orient the mic's depends a lot on their pickup pattern, proximity effect, and the like. If you're mic'ing vox and gtr as two different sources generally you want to have each mic avoid picking up the other's part as much as possible to avoid phase cancellation problems. You can only do that by getting to know your mic's and listening to exactly what they're hearing. If you keep the mic's a lot closer to your mouth and guitar than they are to each other, you'll be OK. If they're back a ways but not in a stereo configuration (close capsules pointing different directions) the phase problems will likely make the parts sound thin and weird when you pan them at all together in the mix.

Tim

 

[thehook]

does anyone agree with the compressor sound? What are some good cheap compressors?

I do have two inputs mic and what looks like audio in. However I would like a new sound card because mine is well a NVIDIA gamer card. Audio recorded with it would sound like shit.

so a sound card like the one I mentioned would work with the inputs it has.

However if I bought a compressor I would need to run it into a mixer then the preamps? Or would it just hook into the dmp3? I am new to the set up angle.
What I am asking is how would I go about hooking up the mics to the dmp3 to the compressor and the compressor to the computer?

 

[corban]

I think it's two mic's recorded to two tracks at the same time. I wouldn't call it stereo myself, as technically that's a different thing than close mic'ing a guitar at two spots. The sonority of the L and R channels just sound like two mic's on one guitar to me, like I said, at the 12th fret and bridge.

You should call him and ask, then let us know...

Tim

Tim, how is close mic'ing a guitar at two spots onto a left and right channel different than stereo? Do you mean the mics need to be in a typical stereo mic technique like XY, or the source needs to be a stereo source, or what?

(just asking)

 

[XLR]

Typical recording chain:

source -- mic -- preamp -- compressor -- soundcard (internal or external) -- computer

If you use an external soundcard it's usually just termed a converter or "digital interface" and you'd go into the computer by USB, firewire or PCMCIA.

Common to compress guitar and vocals, and Midnight no doubt has compression used on the parts but it's transparent - no artifacts that make it sound squashed. You could get a similar use from an FMR Really Nice Compressor on "supernice" mode. If you do a search on it you'll hear nothing but good comments.

There are advantages though of tracking without compression and doing it in the box with plugins after the fact.

Tim

 

[thehook]

sorry source would be me right? them mic into preamp into compressor into computer? this means the preamp would plug right into the compressor? and the compressor right into the sound card? what kind of advantages?

 

[XLR]

Tim, how is close mic'ing a guitar at two spots onto a left and right channel different than stereo? Do you mean the mics need to be in a typical stereo mic technique like XY, or the source needs to be a stereo source, or what?

(just asking)

It's one of those terms that's used to mean different things by people with different perspectives.

Doesn't matter what the word is, really. I just haven't given in yet to it's alternate meaning.

The way it's often used is the same as its meaning in home stereo use - just that different things are coming out of the L and R channels.

Personally, I think it's best used to describe the techniques of mic use that were developed to pick up a true-to-life (or as close as any recording can do) recording of a source in the room as it actually sounds to a listener. From my understanding of it, the traditional stereo configurations like XY, ORTF, Blumein, Decca Tree, were developed originally to record wide sources like orchestras, and to keep a realistic L/R soundstage, as well as the hall's ambiance, when it's played back on two speakers.

So up close to an instrument, even if the mic's were placed in ORTF or spaced pair config, for instance, it's a different application that those who are possessive of their terminology probably wish would be given a different name.

Tim

 

[XLR]

sorry source would be me right? them mic into preamp into compressor into computer? this means the preamp would plug right into the compressor? and the compressor right into the sound card? what kind of advantages?

Yeah, your voice and your guitar are separate sources when recording the way we've been talking about.

Some parts of the chain do things that prepare the signal for the next thing in the chain. Mic's need preamps to boost the signal before the signal's ready to go to anything else. The compressor can be left out and the preamp can go right into the soundcard if you prefer, as the signal coming out of the preamp is at the same general electrical level as that coming out of the compressor. The compressor's just being used to process the signal to reduce the dynamic range. If you plug a mic directly into the compressor, for instance, the compressor will barely "hear" it. Look up "mic level", "line level" and "gain staging".

Tim

 

[thehook]

ok the the mic plugs into preamp preamp into compressor (for guitar) compressor into computer? Is that how it works?

How many inputs would I need if I wanted to record two mics, one for vox and one for guitar, two preamps vtb1 for vox and dmp3 for guitar then into compressor at the same time recording vox and guitar through this setup?

would the soundcard I mentioned earlier take care of it?

 

[XLR]

Sounds like the Audiophile card would be OK. 4 inputs, right? Give you more flexibility later. You just need two inputs to do what you're describing. After you determine what basic type of setup you want, just make sure all the hardware and software is compatible. You might want to get a package deal from a retailer you trust.

No, wait... the Audiophile just has two audio channels of input, not 4. But that's enough for what you want to do. Haven't used or heard one, so don't know how it compares in quality of sound with others in that price range.

Tim

 

[thehook]

is how I described it a setup that works

 

[XLR]

Yeah, sounds like a practical way to go about it.

Tim