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What's the best way to record at home?

 

Currently I record tracks on a looper pedal then load them onto my computer and combine them in a free audio editor which I downloaded a long time ago. It's not an ideal situation as it's quite time consuming and the volume of the loops on the pedal are quite low.

 

I know a few members on here record at home and I'd quite like to know how people are doing it, mainly out of nosey-ness but also so I can get some inspiration in organising something a bit better for myself.

Edited by Flights
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I use a couple of set ups.

 

Into Garageband on Ipad through an Apogee converter - good for jotting down ideas and I can plug my pedal board into it so it sounds ok.

 

Mic up my amp and run it through a Line 6 UX2 interface into Reaper - I don't use the line 6 pod farm presets at all - just as a way to get the sound into the DAW. 

 

Thinking about upgrading to ableton from reaper as it looks a bit easier to get to grips with. Reaper is fine but I struggle to get my head round adding VST's and drums etc.

 

Reaper is free to download and i've got an old m-audio interface lying about if you want to try that?

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I have an older version of this: http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/r8

 

Can not recommend it enough. We hook up drum mics and live track the kit into that and it gives us a multi-tracked drum recording along with a live-tracked guitar guide. We then layer on guitar, bass then vox using the same unit. So simple and it has great results.

 

FYI, if you want, I'm happy to bring my shit along to a practise with you guys and record the tracks for you. I can't mix for shit, so you'd be getting raw data back, but the offer is there if you fancy and my time is pretty cheap! :)

 

xx

Edited by Stroopy121
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I am using these, and/or combinations of;

 

Mackie Mini Mixer with 4 stereo ins and seperate fx buss

 

M-audio Delta soundcard four ins four outs, W64 PC amd quadcore processor.

 

I use Sony Acid for software multi-track recording,

 

I chain the setup like this; Guitar>Mixer>M-Audio PC Input>M-audio PC Output>Panasonic35w Stereo Amp(for monitors)

 

Adobe Audition for mastering.

 

A brief song/project might go like this;

 

Step 1; Plug guitar into mixer>Set levels> Record guide track onto sony acid,

 

Step 2; Plug synth into mixer>Set levels> Record second track onto sony acid

 

Step 3; Plug mic into mixer>Set levels>Record third track onto sony acid

 

Step 4; Plug in any other instrument>Set levels, Recod fourth track onto sony acid,

 

Step 5; Edit tracks for noise rreduction/ glitches, in Adobe auditiom

 

Step 6; Mix levels until happy in sony acid, them hit "render as:" *.wav

 

Step 7; Master final level for finished track with Adobe Audition.

 

Step 8; Upload to internet> Get ignored> cry>resolve to do better

 

Step 9; Repeat first eight steps.

 

 

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My guitar goes into one of these (Yamaha THR10):

 

528ca785-0f0b-405f-a9d6-cb094b5fc852_thr

 

And it plugs into my laptop via USB. No interface inbetween, as it works very well as the interface.

 

It comes with a version of Cubase, but I use Acoustica Mixcraft as the DAW. Cubase has 1000s of features I will never use nor understand, and Mixcraft is pretty bog standard, like a windows version of Garageband or something. Very good built in FX, and has some amp modelling too. I use some *legitimately obtained* Amplitube VSTs as well sometimes too, though I think the amp on it's own sounds better.

 

I use this excellent FREE programme to make drum tracks:

http://www.hydrogen-music.org/hcms/

 

I recorded all the Pigdog stuff with that set up, and also these demos too

https://soundcloud.com/sodajerrrk

 

 

The Yamaha is mighty.

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I use a couple of set ups.

 

Into Garageband on Ipad through an Apogee converter - good for jotting down ideas and I can plug my pedal board into it so it sounds ok.

 

Mic up my amp and run it through a Line 6 UX2 interface into Reaper - I don't use the line 6 pod farm presets at all - just as a way to get the sound into the DAW. 

 

Thinking about upgrading to ableton from reaper as it looks a bit easier to get to grips with. Reaper is fine but I struggle to get my head round adding VST's and drums etc.

 

Reaper is free to download and i've got an old m-audio interface lying about if you want to try that?

That would be great Col, cheers! 

 

My guitar goes into one of these (Yamaha THR10):

 

528ca785-0f0b-405f-a9d6-cb094b5fc852_thr

 

And it plugs into my laptop via USB. No interface inbetween, as it works very well as the interface.

 

It comes with a version of Cubase, but I use Acoustica Mixcraft as the DAW. Cubase has 1000s of features I will never use nor understand, and Mixcraft is pretty bog standard, like a windows version of Garageband or something. Very good built in FX, and has some amp modelling too. I use some *legitimately obtained* Amplitube VSTs as well sometimes too, though I think the amp on it's own sounds better.

 

I use this excellent FREE programme to make drum tracks:

http://www.hydrogen-music.org/hcms/

 

I recorded all the Pigdog stuff with that set up, and also these demos too

https://soundcloud.com/sodajerrrk

 

 

The Yamaha is mighty.

 

I was actually speaking about the Yamaha amps yesterday. Seems pretty straight forward as your amp and interface are all in one package.

You've answered another question I was going to ask regarding drums. I'm shit at drums though, can it generate beats for you if you pick a time sig and tempo? Drums probably won't feature much in the music I'm planning on making but it's something I'm keen to include in the future.

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That would be great Col, cheers! 

 

 

I was actually speaking about the Yamaha amps yesterday. Seems pretty straight forward as your amp and interface are all in one package.

You've answered another question I was going to ask regarding drums. I'm shit at drums though, can it generate beats for you if you pick a time sig and tempo? Drums probably won't feature much in the music I'm planning on making but it's something I'm keen to include in the future.

 

You could try using drum loop samples - easy to come by and good place to start tracks.

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That would be great Col, cheers! 

 

 

I was actually speaking about the Yamaha amps yesterday. Seems pretty straight forward as your amp and interface are all in one package.

You've answered another question I was going to ask regarding drums. I'm shit at drums though, can it generate beats for you if you pick a time sig and tempo? Drums probably won't feature much in the music I'm planning on making but it's something I'm keen to include in the future.

 

Also shit at drums, some DAW's have a piano roll that you can punch beats into bar by bar. Garageband has a  pretty cool beat generator thing that I use sometimes too.

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You could try using drum loop samples - easy to come by and good place to start tracks.

Sounds like a good idea. I would have no idea where to fills and that in. If I programmed drums they'd probably be disgusting.

 

 

Garageband has a  pretty cool beat generator thing that I use sometimes too.

 

Exactly the kind of thing I was meaning.

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Exactly the kind of thing I was meaning.

It's in smart drums. I move the drums about until i find a decent beat and then mix it live by adding and taking away drums and cymbals as the track plays.

 

 - It's VERY low tech and cumbersome and takes ages to do. If someone on here wanted to do DAW lessons featuring VST's, Drums and mixing i'd happily pay for them.

Edited by colb
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Guest davetherave

If I'm not using Studio sweatbox (Flights/Colb know what I mean), I have used Audacity (free recording SW) and an interface/mixer direct to the laptop.

 

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

 

For drums I prefer my trusty old Boss DR3, if I cant find a pattern I like I play the beats in manually (with click track).

 

Guess I'm old fashioned in my recording process, I do use a handful of plugins, but I still prefer guitars, Vox, synth modules and fx units into my soundcraft mixer, then to the PC with M-Audio PCI audio card (post fx and mastering as required).

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You have a righteous setup in Studio Sweatbox Dave. The one thing it lacks is air conditioning! Saying that it was a beautiful day when we recorded there, we really should of been outside enjoying the weather rather than complaining about the heat indoors!

 

I'm pretty sure it's audacity that I use at the minute. I downloaded a huge zip file a few years ago with it and loads of plugins and effects.

The first ever recordings I did where simple chord progressions recorded on my laptop mic then just mashed to pieces with all the effects. What a glorious din. 

I'm going to give hydrogen a bash and have a look into those Yamaha amps this weekend.

Cheers for all the info fellas!

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You have a righteous setup in Studio Sweatbox Dave. The one thing it lacks is air conditioning! Saying that it was a beautiful day when we recorded there, we really should of been outside enjoying the weather rather than complaining about the heat indoors!

 

I'm pretty sure it's audacity that I use at the minute. I downloaded a huge zip file a few years ago with it and loads of plugins and effects.

The first ever recordings I did where simple chord progressions recorded on my laptop mic then just mashed to pieces with all the effects. What a glorious din. 

I'm going to give hydrogen a bash and have a look into those Yamaha amps this weekend.

Cheers for all the info fellas!

 

Imported Instruments have those Yamahas. Only a bawhair more expensive than getting them online. I say we go in together and try to strongarm a discount on buying two?

 

xx

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Imported Instruments have those Yamahas. Only a bawhair more expensive than getting them online. I say we go in together and try to strongarm a discount on buying two?

 

xx

 

Surely they'd cut us some kinda deal. If not we could just smash the place up. That's how it seems to work in Grand Theft Auto.

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Guest davetherave

Is it RnB or II that has the list of songs you're not allowed to play?

 

I think it was RnB had a list a few years ago, probably the same one that appeared in many guitar shops, stuff like...

 

Stairway, Sweet Child, Smoke on water, J B Goode, Paranoid, etc? Have I missed any?

Edited by davetherave
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