| Back in the old days (around 'Nam)
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| | and are pretty much required. Preamps are
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| recording at home was a new miracle. You
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| | usually the top knob on the mixer of your
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| could actually hit record on a device and
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| | PA. You'll need one preamp for every
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| capture sound in your own home. Your eyes
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| | microphone you plan on using at one time.
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| would light up just like Thomas Edison
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| | You'll want to have the same number of
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| did when he first invented audio
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| | preamp channels as you do inputs on your
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| recording. Fast forward to 2005. It's now
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| | soundcard. There are many soundcards that
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| completely affordable to outfit a fully
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| | come with preamps. There are many many
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| functional recording rig in your home for
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| | external preamps that CAN improve you
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| the price of a high quality, American
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| | sound quality just slightly. If all else
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| made guitar. While the price of getting
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| | fails, use the preamps in your PA mixer.
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| into home recording is much cheaper than
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| | If your mixer uses inserts you can split
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| it has ever been before, it's still a lot
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| | the signal right off the preamp by only
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| of money. Is setting up a small studio
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| | pushing in the cable half way. I'm
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| worth the price? What are the pitfalls of
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| | referring to the cable that goes out of
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| trying to record yourself? Would you be
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| | your preamp and into your soundcard.Next
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| better off just paying a professional
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| | you'll need mic stands. There aren't too
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| recording studio to do the job for you?
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| | many cases where you don't need a mic
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| Hopefully, I'll answer these questions
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| | stand. You have to be very very careful
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| and more.What It TakesYou are going to
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| | with mic stands. If you buy a supercheap
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| need a lot of knowledge, gear, time, and
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| | mic stand, you may have problems with the
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| patience before jumping into the
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| | mic changing it's position in the middle
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| recording studio world. I was a computer
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| | of a session. The results can be
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| nerd half done with a degree in
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| | absolutely horrible. So buy decent mic
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| electronics when I jumped into the
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| | stands. $30 per stand is a reasonable low
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| recording world. I understood electronic
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| | budget stand. I would not recommend that
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| basics and had run live sound numerous
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| | you spend any less on a mic stand.Next is
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| times. I totally understood how to
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| | microphones. This is where it gets fun.
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| operate a mixer/console. So all I had to
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| | There are so many to choose from and
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| do was jump into the recording portion,
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| | there are so many tonal options. You'll
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| right? ....Well, it turned out that there
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| | want as many mics as you have preamp
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| was quite a learning curve to go from an
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| | channels and soundcard channels (or you
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| empty room to the creative process (which
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| | went overkill on preamps / soundcards).
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| is the fun part) and walk out with a
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| | Choosing microphones is beyond the scope
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| finished cd in hand.I had no idea how
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| | of this article. You can spend $50 on a
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| much time I would spend cursing Windows
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| | mic or you can spend $3000 on a mic and
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| audio drivers, failed hard drives, out of
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| | you have no way of knowing which will
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| sync audio files, clicks and pops,
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| | sound better on a given source. This is a
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| unwanted distortion, etc. Truth be told,
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| | severely big deal when it comes to
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| I went from an average computer user to a
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| | recording and it's one major area that
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| computer master in that couple of monthes
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| | seperates the men from the boys, so to
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| it took me to work out all the kinks in
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| | speak. Home recording studios usually
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| my system. That's right. It took me a few
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| | have terrible mic selections to choose
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| monthes before I was ready to record my
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| | from.The most important piece of gear in
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| first band. It was that tough. That was
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| | your studio is your studio monitors. If
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| in 2001. Maybe things are easier now. I'm
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| | you try to use a boombox you will be very
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| guessing that you'll still have quite a
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| | dissapointed when you burn a cd and try
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| road in front of you.After you get your
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| | to show mom on another stereo system. Of
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| rig fully operational, you are still
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| | course, you'll probably be dissapointed
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| going to have to learn the software. I
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| | even if you have a $10,000 set of studio
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| would HIGHLY recommend that you buy a DVD
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| | monitors because your acoustics will be
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| and a book to teach you the software that
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| | all wrong in you room and even still you
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| you intend to use. I could have saved
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| | probably haven't mixed enough songs to be
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| myself hundreds of hours of headaches if
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| | any good at actually mixing.Okay, I've
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| I would have just read the stupid manual
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| | outlined what goes into recording your
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| and had a little instruction. I learned a
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| | cd. Guess what, any decent studio has all
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| lot by tinkering (which may be your
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| | of this taken care of you. Do you know
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| nature too) but there is no point in
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| | about audio latency in XP? Do you know
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| learning things the hard way if you don't
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| | anything about room nodes? The studio guy
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| have to. On my very first recording
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| | probably does. That's how he makes his
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| session, I had my manual in my lap. You
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| | living.So when you walk into a
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| could only imagine how stressful it can
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| | professional recording studio ran by a
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| be if you have 5 guys staring at you
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| | serious engineer who cares about your
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| while you desperately push buttons on
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| | music, you can expect to focus on one
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| something you barely understand. I'd say
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| | thing... the recording of your music. You
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| it took me a good 3 monthes of everyday
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| | don't have to wonder about the specs of
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| tinkering before I felt comfortable using
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| | the computer, the cables connecting the
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| the software for basic recording. Keep in
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| | preamps and the soundcard. You don't have
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| mind that I wasn't trying anything
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| | to worry about wasting huge amounts of
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| advanced here. No crazy editing, no fancy
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| | time while the bass player stares at a
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| automation. In fact, I had very little
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| | mess of cables. You don't have to buy the
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| understanding of audio when it came down
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| | mess of cables. In fact, I've recorded
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| to early reflections and multi-tap
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| | entire albums cheaper than you would
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| delays. I'm talking about just getting
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| | spend on mic stands. In other words, I've
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| the stupid song onto the computer.Okay,
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| | delayed charging a high price so that I
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| so I've kind of prepped you on how the
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| | could get tons of practice and become
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| learning curve required for recording
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| | well known in my area. You might find a
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| music. Let's talk about the gear.These
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| | serious recording guy yourself who might
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| days, it's a waste of time to use the
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| | work cheaper than you think.What an
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| stand alone recorders you see in the mail
| |
| | experienced recording studio engineer
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| order company catalogs. While these boxes
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| | knows that you probably don't.1)The value
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| promise to have everything you need to
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| | of his time - An experienced engineer
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| record your demo (and they usually do)
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| | isn't cheap (but could be much cheaper
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| the learning curve requirements are
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| | than trying to record yourself) but he
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| astounding. Yes, I just wrote an entire
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| | knows that his time is worth X dollars.
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| section on how tough it was to learn
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| | How is this an advantage? It's amazing
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| computer recording. However, there is a
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| | how humans rise to meet a challenge. When
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| big difference between the learning curve
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| | you go in knowing that you are about to
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| of computer audio and the learning curve
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| | spend $20, $30, or $50 an hour on
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| of stand alone recorders. When you learn
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| | recording all of a sudden you take the
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| computer knowledge, that knowledge is
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| | time to get your guitar setup beforehand.
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| useful on just about every computer on
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| | You make sure your songs are mega tight
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| the planet. (I've kept myself from
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| | and ready to go. You get your butt in
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| starving a number of times with my
| |
| | gear because you are about to spend some
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| computer knowledge which I mostly
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| | money. When your guitar players tell you
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| attribute to recording). Also, computer
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| | that he thinks he has the recording
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| recording software generally uses a mixer
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| | device working right, you don't jump up
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| that is a fairly close simulation of the
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| | get busy. You get frustrated while he
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| real thing. The concepts stay the same.
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| | tries to figure out the problems on
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| When you are using the stand alone
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| | channel 1 and 5.2)Advanced knowledge of
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| recorders, you end up learning to hold E1
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| | acoustics - This is one of those areas
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| + Function + Menu to get to Aux send
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| | that you will entirely put off. At first,
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| page. Why do you need a page for aux
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| | you are just trying to figure out how to
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| send? Anyway, I've had several friends
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| | turn the computer on. Have you really put
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| who have used these boxes and don't know
| |
| | any serious thought into the comb
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| anything about audio. They spent all
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| | filtering effects of your room? The odds
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| their time learning this foreign language
| |
| | are minute. In fact, I bet most bands put
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| that will be obsolete as soon as the
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| | no thought into their room acoustics.
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| record is. In summary, I highly recommend
| |
| | Guess what. Any good studio has spent
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| that you go with a computer for your
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| | thousands and thousands of dollars
|
| digital recordings.Okay, so you need a
| |
| | pefecting their acoustics. The only thing
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| computer. The good news is you don't need
| |
| | more important than acoustics in a
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| a very fast one by today's standards. In
| |
| | recording is the song, the musicians, and
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| fact, I built my recording computer for
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| | the instruments. After that, acoutics is
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| about $300 and it's overkill. I need a
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| | first. Proper acoustics are more
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| faster computer than most because I do
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| | important than microphones. I'd gladly
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| more projects than most. It makes a
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| | record an album with $50 mics in a
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| difference when I'm rendering down mixes
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| | $2,000,000 room before I did the
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| that I can do it twice as fast because I
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| | opposite.3)Advanced microphone selection
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| have too many songs to mix on a given
| |
| | - Having the right mic for the job is an
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| day. I don't have 3 minutes to sit around
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| | extremely important part of being a
|
| and wait for the computer to think.On top
| |
| | recording engineer. When you know that a
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| of the computer, you'll need a soundcard.
| |
| | guitar is too bright, you put a mic on it
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| I recommend a soundcard with a breakout
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| | that will reduce this brightness. When a
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| box. This means that a cable will
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| | vocalist sounds dull, you put a bright
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| actually come out of the back of your
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| | mic on them. It goes on and on. This is
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| computer and connect to a box where your
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| | what really makes the sound quality part
|
| audio connections are made. Setups with
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| | of recording. Recording at home will make
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| breakout boxes are almost always
| |
| | it hard to justify a $15,000 mic
|
| preferred. In fact, I ownly know of one
| |
| | collection (or much higher). Some studios
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| professional audio company that doesn't
| |
| | have $15,000 mics.4)Advanced knowledge of
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| rely on a breakout box for their computer
| |
| | mic placement - Even more important than
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| interphases. I do not recommend Sound
| |
| | the microphone is where you put it. A
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| Blaster and those sorts. We are not
| |
| | seasoned pro will know what has worked on
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| playing games or watching DVDs. We are
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| | the past 10 albums he's done. He knows
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| recording music. The demands are
| |
| | what he likes and what he doesn't. He
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| certainly not the same. You will find
| |
| | doesn't have to wait until after the
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| many Firewire and PCI soundcards in the
| |
| | mixing is complete for him to figure out
|
| mail order catalogs that work great. Pay
| |
| | that the snare sound sucks. You'll be
|
| special attention to the number of inputs
| |
| | experimenting like crazy, but it will
|
| and optional preamps. This is important.
| |
| | take a while before you get it right,
|
| You may only need 2 inputs for your
| |
| | more than likely.When you combine all
|
| recording. In fact, most projects I do
| |
| | this knowledge together, it becomes quite
|
| seldom use more than 2 channels 90% of
| |
| | clear that there are serious advantages
|
| the time. Of course, the other 10% of the
| |
| | to letting the pros handle the work. With
|
| time we may be using 19 or 20 channels.
| |
| | that being said, if you really want to
|
| If you are recording electronic music and
| |
| | learn audio, don't mind pumping thousands
|
| only plan on doing a few overdubs with
| |
| | into a bottomless pit, and are really
|
| vocals or the occasional instrument, 2
| |
| | that excited about taking years and years
|
| channels will probably work fine. If you
| |
| | and years to learn the craft properly, go
|
| plan on recording your entire 4 piece
| |
| | for it. I did.Brandon Drury has written
|
| rock band live with rock drums you are
| |
| | countless home
|
| going to need at least 10 inputs (maybe
| |
| | recording tutorials at his website, You
|
| more). So plan ahead and figure out how
| |
| | can hear a portion
|
| many mics you plan to use at once.Next,
| |
| | of the over 600 songs he's recorded and
|
| you need preamps. Preamps boost the
| |
| | mixed at his recording
|
| signal of a microphone up to line level
| |
| | studio website.
|
