wraub Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Yes, I know. It's something I don't normally do, as I don't normally have money to spend. But, thanks to the miracle of finally having my student loans paid off, I got tax returns this year. So, yay for me and all that. However, I have not bought a bass. In an attempt to drag myself into the neighborhood of the real world, I am finally bringing my recording situation up to snuff (or snuff adjacent, at least. I have gotten myself a new pc and usb interface, with the intention of inflicting my alleged music onto a world already dealing with enough problems. Also hoping to improve sound quality and functionality for me. Not cheap to me, and not great to some, but I think I'll be able to make it all work, once potential install issues are dealt with. Questions for those assembled here- how (if you do) do you record your stuff? What software (DAW, instruments, processing etc.) do you use? Where/how do you release your material (except for lug, who's music clearly just escapes on its own)? ? Links to examples you think applicable are appreciated (and I have listened to lots of the "Post your music" thread.) Thanks everybody. I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Right on, baby! Lately, I've been concentrating on the solo gig (yup, you've heard that before....) so I just go straight in with a three channels: left and right stereo guitar, and one channel for the mic. I do the tune over until there's no brain farts. Add a little reverb if there wasn't enough on the live take, and mix to two track. No overdubs, extra tracks. When I was building tunes, I'd first make an arrangement on Band-in-a-Box, and import it over to my DAW platform. Then I'd replace the tracks one at a time, add the solo, and what not. I tripped over a log where after I rendered the midi drum track to a wave track, things weren't in synch, and I didn't know why. ( I do now: I messed with the latency control when I shouldn't have). So I'd recommend that for kicks, start with recording the wave version of the midi drums to make sure it's all in synch. Then, go to town. With everything locked to the midi, it's easy to do the cut and paste thing and the punch-in-and-out thing; everything is locked in with the original drum beat. Which DAW platform: I feel very strongly that it should be the one that your buddies use. They're all pretty good, so using the same one as everyone else uses is more important than having the best one. Audacity is free and I've used it and it's pretty good. But: only two tracks can be recorded at a time. That may or may not be a deal killer, depending on what you intend to record. That, and record a lot. There's a reason for the delete key and the undo button. Hearing yourself back is priceless, and the repetition will make you a better engineer. You're gonna have you some fun, baby! Peace Paul Ki Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Rockin' Wraubin! Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yes, I know. It's something I don't normally do, as I don't normally have money to spend. But, thanks to the miracle of finally having my student loans paid off, I got tax returns this year. So, yay for me and all that. However, I have not bought a bass. In an attempt to drag myself into the neighborhood of the real world, I am finally bringing my recording situation up to snuff (or snuff adjacent, at least. I have gotten myself a new pc and usb interface, with the intention of inflicting my alleged music onto a world already dealing with enough problems. Also hoping to improve sound quality and functionality for me. Not cheap to me, and not great to some, but I think I'll be able to make it all work, once potential install issues are dealt with. Questions for those assembled here- how (if you do) do you record your stuff? What software (DAW, instruments, processing etc.) do you use? Where/how do you release your material (except for lug, who's music clearly just escapes on its own)? ? Links to examples you think applicable are appreciated (and I have listened to lots of the "Post your music" thread.) Thanks everybody. I could links some of my examples but you've never done me wrong so I see no reason to. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russkull Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yes, I know. It's something I don't normally do, as I don't normally have money to spend. But, thanks to the miracle of finally having my student loans paid off, I got tax returns this year. So, yay for me and all that. I about fell over when I read the title of this thread. But seriously, yes yay for you! I'm very happy for your first step into a larger world. Which interface did you purchase? I'm using Cubase 8. I researched all of the available DAW's and felt like Cubase was the closest setup for how I work. Plus, I wanted something that was common in the industry, so that the plugin companies would be familiar with it and have tailored products to it. I previously used (and loved) the old Mackie Tracktion, but there were so many plugins that just wouldn't work with it. I also considered PreSonus Studio One - my friend has it and likes it a lot. I could go on, but I'll spare everyone. Feel free to send me a message if you want to discuss more. "Of all the world's bassists, I'm one of them!" - Lug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Thanks all. I have been recording for some time, first on 4 track cassette, then on an 8 track digital recorder, then later transferring tracks from there to a pc for mixing and stuff. So, I kinda know what I'm doing, but I mostly do not. But I know usb track transfers and thumb drives are not helping any. Been wanting to do this for ages, but recurring debt has kept that far off. But, thanks again to some financial catching up, and after my usual prolonged research period,I was able to spend as much on this as on my last 4 instruments (which, admittedly, were gotten cheaply.) For the interface, I was looking at the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, which has a pretty good reputation for quality preamps and included plug-ins. However, I have settled on the Scarlett 2i4 from the same company, as it seems to offer more functionality with input pads on each channel and midi through, with the same preamps and plug-ins. My software of choice has been Kristal AE, although I also have Reaper, Audacity, Studio One Free, and Acid as well. Also have PT 10 HD, but more likely to dig further into Reaper than chase the PT dragon. The interface ships with Ableton Live Lite, so we'll likely add that into the mix and go from there. Paul, Ken- Thanks again for the encouragement, I'll try not to disappoint. Russ- Apologies for your temporary loss of balance, but thanks to you also. Will probably message you with dumb questions from time to time. Lug- You've done me no wrong either, and I have listened to some of your tunes as well. I even liked some of them. I say you post away! Interface is wending its way to me, should be here Friday. Will update accordingly. I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russkull Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 For the interface, I was looking at the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, which has a pretty good reputation for quality preamps and included plug-ins. However, I have settled on the Scarlett 2i4 from the same company, as it seems to offer more functionality with input pads on each channel and midi through, with the same preamps and plug-ins.. Good choice. I picked up a used Focusrite 6i6 last year and am pretty happy with it. Couple issues - I had some "fun" at first trying to figure out headphone mixes, and also it will randomly stop recording from time to time (but I think that's a Cubase issue). No complaints with the quality or reliability. BTW the included Scarlett plugins have not been particularly useful for me, but Focusrite just put out a couple free new ones in the Red Suite that are pretty cool. "Of all the world's bassists, I'm one of them!" - Lug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 i recently did a recording using garageband, and my audio interface was a borrowed presonus audiobox USB. i also used an old johnson j-station (an early POD competitor) for amp simulation. i posted about it on this forum last month. tracking in bed is fun! because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric VB Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Nice going, wraub! My gear isn't fancy. For audio signals I use my live sound mixer, a Mackie ProFX12. It has a USB output. One channel can act as a DI for electric bass, guitar, etc. For acoustic instruments and vocals I use my live sound mic, a Shure SM58. (Not a good choice, but it's what I have.) For MIDI I use a MIDI-to-USB cable and borrow my wife's old Casio keyboard. The DAW is an iMac with GarageBand. Initially I did try recording "wet" signals, e.g. through my Zoom BFX-708. I now record "dry" signals and, if I need effects, just add them digitally with GarageBand. This way if I don't like the effects settings I can change them without having to retrack. I have a couple of online accounts. SoundClick is nice in that it has a voting feature. (You can disable it on a song-by-song basis.) I think I put this one on the "Post your music" thread: ER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric VB Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I kinda know what I'm doing, but I mostly do not. I'm not an audio engineer but I do record light signals for my day job. I think the most important part is getting the actual recording (tracking) right. After tracking is mixing and mastering. The most basic aspect of tracking is getting your signal on scale. The extreme that gets the most attention is clipping. Yes, definitely avoid sending signals that are too loud for your DAW to capture. The other extreme is tracking a signal that is too soft. The crime here is that you are not using the entire dynamic range of the DAW. Later when you go to mix/master you'll have to increase the gain of the track, losing resolution. It's similar to taking headshots with a digital camera with a zoom lens. Zoom in too much and you cut off the top of head, bottom of chin, ears, etc. Zoom all the way out and you'll have a head that takes up, say, 1/100th of the frame. Now you have to use your computer to blow it up 100x and the image quality suffers. The other obvious issue is noise. While your DAW may have something like a noise gate to remove noise, it's better if you can eliminate noise in the first place. My passive bass is great at making noise (especially under fluorescent lights). At the very least, though, I can keep turning until the hum is a minimum. The other thing to pay attention to is gain staging. Once you have a decent track you can give it a haircut (limiter), squash it (compressor) and boost it to make it sound like a modern digital recording, if you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Lug- You've done me no wrong either, and I have listened to some of your tunes as well. I even liked some of them. I say you post away! People have been commited for less than this. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 Lug- You've done me no wrong either, and I have listened to some of your tunes as well. I even liked some of them. I say you post away! People have been commited for less than this. Now you almost sound like my wife. I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 So, the interface has landed, and so far I am thinking I got the right thing. Still have some probs re: playback volume levels, and some software compatibility issues, but will hopefully suss that out myself or with included tech support. More to come.... I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Lug- You've done me no wrong either, and I have listened to some of your tunes as well. I even liked some of them. I say you post away! People have been commited for less than this. Now you almost sound like my wife. I have a headache. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 lug, I'd ask you to marry me, but we'd probably run afoul of some law, somewhere. Plus, I already have a wife, so I'd at least have to ask her first... Anyway, here's something. A very rough mix of some crap that happened recently. I was there, and that's all I can accurately say. Suffice to say clams are abundant, and it's messy and a little rude. Like me without the charm. Comments welcome. soundcloud link I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 lug, I'd ask you to marry me, but we'd probably run afoul of some law, somewhere. Plus, I already have a wife, so I'd at least have to ask her first... Anyway, here's something. A very rough mix of some crap that happened recently. I was there, and that's all I can accurately say. Suffice to say clams are abundant, and it's messy and a little rude. Like me without the charm. Comments welcome. soundcloud link Color me dissapoint. Few if any advertised clams, all in key, on beat, nice groove....digusting. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele C. Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I found many things I could like in this experiment. -- Michele Costabile (http://proxybar.net) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Thanks all! I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Sounds better than many of my half-fast attempts at recording demos. I'd say that "Monkey Walk" is my favorite. What are you using for the percussion/drum sequence? "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Danzilla- the drums are a loop from a collection of loops and beats called Loopmasters or something, it came with the interface. I have a couple similar collections from which I have use stuff. I have also made loops from existing tunes, but I generally prefer not to do that. Looking at a program like Ez Drummer or the like so I can get back to sequencing and arranging actual drum parts. Thanks for the kind words. Monkey Walk is one that came together really quickly, more of a trial of arranging several loops. Seems to be pretty popular though, despite the soundcloud version having a pretty terrible mix imo. Still need to fix that. I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alka Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Hey its Just out of curiosity.. seo packages melbourne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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