where do I begin?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jmb123
  • Start date Start date
J

jmb123

New member
I want to learn how to record my music and the music of the groups I play with. I have a decent computer, a couple of cheap performance microphones and a few acoustic instruments. My budget is low, but not miniscule ($2000?)

I want to be able to: (a) record the groups as live as possible; (b) play around on my own with songwriting/composition. I am not much interested in electric instruments or digitally-produced (as opposed to digitally-recorded) sounds. I play or play with people who play guitar, flute, mandolin, violin, piano, various types of percussion, sax, trumpet, trombone, upright bass, etc. And vocal harmonies, most of all. So whatever I get should be geared toward acoustic sounds.

Any suggestions about what I should buy?
 
Just a couple things to start

One thing that I've noticed is that starting, the first inclination is to buy as much as you can with what you have. I would recommend not using the entire $2k right off the bat. Right now, I can think of three things to get you started.

1)Music editing software (i.e. SONAR, Cubase are pretty popular). Before you pay for them, you can download demos and see which one you prefer. Each have their strengths and weaknesses but it really comes down to what you feel most comfortable with. This will allow you to compose, mix, record, work with MIDI, print musical scores(although this feature isn't a strong one), and give you an idea of all your audio editing options.

2)A decent soundcard that would be a dedicated audio soundcard (i.e. Echo, M-Audio, MOTU, Delta, RME).

3)Either a mixer or some sort of mic pre-amp for the microphones that you have. You never stated what type of mics you have but you'll need something to boost the mic level up to line lvl for recording.

Off the top of my head this should get you started. Hold onto the rest of you money and get used to working with what you have. Once you feel comfortable with recording, you will probably start asking questions of how to get certain sounds which will either lead to buying more gear or software. It's best in my opinion to buy quality and not quantity since you probably want to have this stuff around for a couple of years to come. Good Luck, and Enjoy.

Dick
 
great advice

Thanks for your advice -- I'll try to start slow. With the system you're describing, will I be able to record my band when it plays live at a club?
 
What is your live lineup ? The amount of simultaneous tracks is a big factor in live digital recording...$2000 is starting to sound a bit small, but I'm sure it's possible.

pAp
 
One possibility

Since your playing live in a club, hopefully the clubs PA system has a mixer. If so, ask the owner if you can patch into the mixer with your DAW to record your tracks. The only problem would be lugging your computer to the club and setting it up. If your lucky, the club will already have some sort of recorder (ADAT/TAPE/something) that you can record off of. See if the owner is willing to rent the use of this equipment to you while you play so you can get your demo.

Keep in mind, it's not gonna sound all that great, but it's a great opportunity to learn and piggy back off of some other peoples equipment.

Dick
 
live lineup

Normally we have four people: all four sing; there are two guitars, a mandolin and a fiddle, and sometimes I switch from guitar to pennywhistle. Occasionally a piano player will sit in.
 
You are about to go on a ride that can be quite enjoyable - or quite frustrating - or, most likely, both. You will need patience, some computer savy, and some friends (which you have a good start on at this BBS).

I think you have been given some good advice already. If your computer is relatively current, you are off to a good start.

Here's some stuff you might want to consider:

- A Delta 1010 Soundcard. Good prosumer quality and will allow 8 simultaneous analog inputs (e.g., 4 vocals and 4 instuments - each with a single mic). (Probably ~$500-$600).
- A small Mackie mixer. Get as many channels as you can afford, and look for something with direct channel out connections. Something like the 1604 VLZ Pro. (Probably <$1000).
- Multitracking Software - Sonar, Cubase, Logic and N-Tracks all seem to have their fans. (Probably $100 - $500).
- A second HDD for your computer if it doesn't have it already. 7200 RPM. (Probably $100). You might get away without this, but recording 8 sources simultaneously will tax your system.

I'll assume, for now, you already have all the mics you need. You might also need more computer memory if you have less than 256 Mb.

One word of caution about recording live - you are going to get bleed between your tracks. This means you better have pretty good players, since your ability to fix mistakes will be limited. From reading this BBS, I think most of the people here are recording one instrument/vocal at a time. This gives you complete seperation - allowing for easy volume adjustments between instruments, ability to put specific effects on specific tracks, and, of course, the ability to patch mistakes.

Good luck and welcome.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top