Re: digital recording
- From: Cyberserf <cybrserf@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:43:10 -0700 (PDT)
On Apr 2, 9:31 am, slinky <campbellbrian2...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have been playing acoustic guitar for years but I am a beginner with
digital recording (even though I'm a software developer by day! Go
figure).
What I'd like to buy is a decent microphone, mixing/editing software,
and an external USB soundcard as the one in my home computer is not
well suited for good sound.
I use Audacity software for mixing/editing and it works great but I
can't get any volume to amount to anything from the microphone running
into the jack in the back of my PC.
Do I need a better microphone, a good external soundcard? I don't want
to use a pickup on my guitar really.
I just want to play chords on one track and finger-pick on another as
the chord tack is playing in my headphones (one ear only of course).
Any ideas? I'm new to this. Do I need a pre-amp going into my computer
to get the volume?
thanks! dave
Slinky,
You are entering a world that can eat hours out of your time and
dollars out of your wallet, but this needn't be all that expensive and
it's a heck of a lot of fun..
First, there is free software available on the net (heck I did my
first recording in Windows recorder with the built in computer
mic...wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad). Some, like Audacity are
audio only (which seems to be your current needs) and others like
Computer Muzys and N-Tracks include MIDI facility and VST
support...yeah, I know...lots of aconyms...sorry, but there is a
learning curve. In addition, most interfaces include a scaled down but
completely workable version of either Protools, Cubase, Sonar or Live.
Second, Interfaces...at the price, go with Firewire over USB, but you
can get simple 2in/2out AD/DA converter and mic preamp units from a
slew of sources (Presonus, TC-AUdio, M-Audio, Behringer, etc). Here's
a link that compares a bunch of gear to get you started:
http://www.silentway.com/tips/equip/io.php
The prices range rather radically, but you get what you pay
for...mostly in the clock quality (and thus the AD/DA conversion
quality) but also with the quality of the preamps and innerds.
Third Microphones. If you don't have a particularly good sounding room
to record in, you'll want to stick to a cardioid pattern mic. If you
use a cardioid patter, please be aware of the proximity effect (the
bass notes are exaggerated as you move closer to the microphone). This
is typically controlled two ways, first a Pop screen is placed in
front of the microphone (about 6 inches away). This also controls
sillibance (ssssss) and poping (PsTs). Second, you would typically
applie a roll off at about 80Hz. With microphones, the big question is
typically whether to use a condenser or a dynamic microphone...and
that's all a matter of taste. Most condensers run on phantom power and
they are typically much, much, much more sensitive than a dynamic mic
like and SM58 or Beta58. That said, if your room
isn't well suited to recording and monitoring, you may be best to
avoid a sensitive mic.
The signal chain is typically something like: Talent -> Room -> Mic -
(cables) -> preamp ->ad(/da) converted ->(cables again) -> computer -
(ad/)da converter -> (more cables) -> monitors->room -> ears
every component in the signal chain deserves your attention.
I personally use an Omni pattern on a cheap Large Diaphram condenser
(APHEX 419...it also has figure 8 and cardioid) for my vocals and use
two microphones (each to their own tracks) on the guitar (one is a
small diaphram condenser at about the 12th fret, the other is an sm57
at the treble side of the bridge). Becuase the condenser picks up more
highs and the dynamic more of the lows, I can blend these two signals
together without having to resort to individual EQ and get a decent
guitar sound. I know I could do better with tube preamps and better
microphones and a decent (rather than dead) recording space, but heck,
it's just a hobby.
These inputs all go to my 16x4 mixer where they get a bit of eq (to
fix my stupid room) and compression (to fix my stupid voice) as well
as a bit of vocal processing. From there I have 2 stereo pairs (main
and 1 sub mix) go to a Presonus Firebox. I use mainly Cubase and Live
as my main sequencers plus have recently added Sonar back into the
mix. Drums are from a boss DR-770 (Dr. Rhythm...sounds like a
contraceptive) also plugged to the mixing board. I also have a Yamaha
MIDI keyboard which allows me to access a bunch of Virtual Instruments
(VSTi) and Effects (VST, DIRECTX, etc) and other MIDI sound modules.
Finally, I use a Behringer BF2000 control surface which allows me to
control the software using something more intuitive than a mouse.
If I had to redo it, I would probably simply go for one of the small
firewire mixers. Something like this:
http://www.behringer.com/1204FX/index.cfm?lang=ENG
simply connects to your computer and goes! No more wires.
Here's a great resource of articles on recording and using the gear.
In addition, this site contains archives of all of Paul Whites "Sound
Advice"... check it out, it's worth a look :
http://www.soundonsound.com/articles/Technique.php
And by the way, here's a couple of examples of the recordings I do
with my cheap setup: http://www.soundclick.com/johnwinston
Cheers, CS
.
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