home recording - suggestions please

[irtehmitchell]

ok so here's the deal. my band is looking to record a rough demo at home over the next week. of course we want to get the best quality out of it as we can. please give any suggestions that you feel necessary.

the equipment we available to us:
- 4 track that records onto tape and can go into the computer through the line in
- 3-4 mid-high quality microphones
- computer w/ usb microphone

we are planning on setting up all the mics for the drums and recording the drums first. the drummer will have headphones on from a guitar amp where the rhythm guitarist will be playing along with him(he should have headphones from the mixer as well).
next we plan on recording both guitars at once, at low volumes with amps on different sides of the room.
then adding bass.
and lastly, vocals.

any suggestions would be appreciated.

[fuzzyhair]

This is sorda like my setup"

Monitors (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/603709/)
Mixer (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/630166/)
Headphones (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/241030/)

I just run my dynamic mic into it and it shoots out cd quality through usb 2.0. That just took the usb microphone off your list and ditch the 4 track. just use audacity or kristal. Hang a mic over the drums and put one in a correct sounding spot around the bass drum. (Cheap drum recording). Run the bass directly into it if you dont use any effects. Then run the Vocals directly into it. There you go! My way is proboably cheaper than your way would have been and this would be the best quality for the price.

[irtehmitchell]

we're not looking to purchase more equipment. this is what we already have and we just want to make the best out of it. thanks anyway for your suggestions maybe at a later point if we are trying to create a more professional sound we would be purchasing more equipment, but not now dog, not now!

[Bluesiestman]

Audacity doesn't sync worth ****. Personally I would record to the 4 track, then mix down that to the computer via the usb. That way you get all the warmness of analouge recording, but end up with a digtal file than can be burned, torrented, posted, emailed, ect.

[irtehmitchell]

im not really sure what you are saying. could you please elaborate more? to my knowledge, the mixer doesn't connect through usb, but only through the line-in.

[Vitriolic Rage]

I used to have real bad latency problems with Kristal.
Use something like Adobe Audition to record with, good program, and it's very easy to use.

[fuzzyhair]

I used to have real bad latency problems with Kristal.
Use something like Adobe Audition to record with, good program, and it's very easy to use.
Latency is caused by the drivers. If you use the asio4all driver or that kdriver(I think thats what its called, but its only for soundblaster soundcards.) use the asio4all for anything else but soundblaster.

[airborne50caliber]

Audacity doesn't sync worth ****. Personally I would record to the 4 track, then mix down that to the computer via the usb. That way you get all the warmness of analouge recording, but end up with a digtal file than can be burned, torrented, posted, emailed, ect.

Stop being fed your opinions, buddy, warmth of analogue is about open reel 2 inch, not a ****ty commercial cassette. When you have a computer recording system, recording to 4-track cassette just to gain analogue warmth is bull****.

[KKKKKocaine]

Stop being fed your opinions, buddy, warmth of analogue is about open reel 2 inch, not a ****ty commercial cassette. When you have a computer recording system, recording to 4-track cassette just to gain analogue warmth is bull****.

If you're using a 4 track then you should definately be using a High Bias Type 2 cassette and not just a regular normal posistion commercial cassette.
And a 4 track will add warmth :)

[airborne50caliber]

If you're using a 4 track then you should definately be using a High Bias Type 2 cassette and not just a regular normal posistion commercial cassette.
And a 4 track will add warmth :)

I doubt anyone will be able to hear it.

[KKKKKocaine]

I doubt anyone will be able to hear it.

A regular listener probably could if you played them a delibrately sterile digital recording and then pointed out everything they needed to listen for and described it. :p

You could pick it out though if you knew what to listen for though and had trained ears.

[airborne50caliber]

A regular listener probably could if you played them a delibrately sterile digital recording and then pointed out everything they needed to listen for and described it. :p

You could pick it out though if you knew what to listen for though and had trained ears.

There I must agree with you. I think I have a reasonable argument in saying that it is not worth recording everything on 4-track before transferring it to computer just for the warmth that in those conditions is so hard to hear, in the process sacrificing a whole load of clarity and adding a bunch of noise (Not that I'm that fussed about a bit of tape hiss - it gives me a taste of reality). We musn't forget that things like tape warmth are about very fine details that professionals worry about. If you haven't got the basics down, and can't get a clear, good recording in the first place, it's way too early to worry about digital sounding too sterile.