where you talking to him? or me? I have a pc and it doesnt do anything. The computer recognizes it but thats it. It wont do nething.

i have a problem 2. i have cool edit pro 2 n i just hooked every thing up to record. im using a mic that sits infront of my amp. i can hear the mic pick up everything awesome in the headphones/speakers. But the problem is when i hit record in the prog, nothin is actually recorded. just the dead sound of the speakers or w/e. does anybody know where my configurations r ****ed up or what to do? this is really pissing me off!!!

any help would b sweet. thanx

i can record perfectly
i just want the other fcuking tracks to play when i do record

Drum Recording
 

what exactly is the mixer. i think i no its just my friend might have one and i want want 1 to.

the mixer is what gives you more outputs, and you can change the hi end and lo end and stuff and sometimes the pitch.

[QUOTE=MtlGtrRckr]i have a problem 2. i have cool edit pro 2 n i just hooked every thing up to record. im using a mic that sits infront of my amp. i can hear the mic pick up everything awesome in the headphones/speakers. But the problem is when i hit record in the prog, nothin is actually recorded. just the dead sound of the speakers or w/e. does anybody know where my configurations r ****ed up or what to do? this is really pissing me off!!!

any help would b sweet. thanx[/QUOTE]

i'd say you need to go into windows recording mixer (in options in cool edit) and click the line in check box

Anyone know any good sites that have good Cubase VST tutorials?

^^^ There should be one in the help menu....pffft cubase vst.....i got cubase sx now lol

I just read the entire thread, lots of good tips from a good dude. I have set up a few practice studios in my time and like abstract says, the best way to prevent noise from penetrating the walls and annoying the neighbors is to put up another solid wall with some space between it and the first one. I also think it is good to put egg crates on the ceiling. I did this and there was absolutely no reverberation in the room.
I just recently got fruity loops professional edition and cakewalk, haven't quite figured out how to record my instrument to a channel using those programs while listening to beats that have been set up on the slicer. Just haven't quite figured out how to use the software yet.

just read the help menu and persavere...ull get it

Well dude, I was able to record using cakewalk, but have not seen that function supported at all in the fruity loops producer edition. That edition has some cool patches, real drumkit and some others that are real nice. I did figure out that I can render the fruity loops files to a .wav file and then import them to cakewalk where I can record the live instruments, but I did hear a hiss in the background.
I read somewhere that the hiss is actually there because of the close proximity of the soundcard to the processor and it is picking up the noise from there. External soundcards that connect via usb or some other way is supposedly the way to suppress this hiss. I'll be looking into this and checking prices at my favorite PC hardware outlet.

Which is the best program to get, I have Pro-Tools Free which isn't great, as it half the stuff from the real thing missing, my Cubase I got from Soulseek doesn't work properly, and I have Krystal Wave Audio wich is OK, but it's a bit basic.
I was thinking of either getting Logic or Vegas, which is best?

[QUOTE=guitarist_of_darkness]Which is the best program to get, I have Pro-Tools Free which isn't great, as it half the stuff from the real thing missing, my Cubase I got from Soulseek doesn't work properly, and I have Krystal Wave Audio wich is OK, but it's a bit basic.
I was thinking of either getting Logic or Vegas, which is best?[/QUOTE]
Do that audicity thing that kkkokain will tell you. Also, look for adobe audition under soulseek, download the program, then download the keygen.

Some Advice please
 

Hey, I read through all the posts and didn't notice anyone with my question, so here goes. Me and my band are planning to record soon, a real DIY job, but anyway, planning to go from mic to PA, from PA to sound card, and we're gonna use Adobe Audition on the PC. My question is, is it possible to record multiple tracks during one take this way? I basically wanna have it set up as close to studio recording as possible, mic up the whole drum kit with 5 mics, so I can have each drum come out on its own track for processing. (or as close to that as possible) If this is possible, how do I set up Audition so that each mic signal will come out on its own track?

Thanks in advance, (cool thread by the way)

Band Setup Questions
 

Ok guys this is the situation any help wil be appreciated:

Our band has 5 members:

1. Rythym Guitarist (me)
2. Singer
3. Lead Guitarist
4. Bass Guitarist
5. Drummer

1. Rythym Guitar setup is as follows
Guitar -> Distortion Pedal -> Equalizer pedal -> Marshall Combo Amp (with Line out jack)

2. Lead GUitarist Setup
Guitar -> Fender Amp (with Line out jack)

3. Singer Setup
Microphone -> Small Amp (NO Line Out jack)

4. Bass Guitarist setup
Bass Guitar ->Amp (with Line Out Jack)

5. Drummer Setup
Drums -> 1 Condeser Electret Microphone ->No Amp Used (mic for future use)

THis is what we want to do:

We Need a Mixer System or whatever to eb able to record onto the computer. And From the Mixer we want to hook up PA Speakers for like gigs and stuff. Now I know for the PA thing to work we need a POWERED MIXER, not a passive one. but they are way to expensive.

So scrap the gig PA idea for now and just think of how we would record, BUt have the possibility of adding a PA Speaker system later.

What stuff do we need to buy.
I already have a computer with a old sounblaster card (will i need a new audigy like it syas in the guide)

What Mixer? How many Channels? What will go where?
Do the drums need more microphones?
Can we still somehow use our amplifiers as foldback?

When we jam the singer uses my old stereo, we convert the microphone jack to a small jack and plug into the Mix Mic jack on the stereo

How will all this work? What goes where?

and pelase rememebr we are on a budget.

Help would be appriciated. Thank You.

is this a good sound card? [url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DBMEU/qid=1096065416/sr=8-4/ref=pd_csp_4/102-4476801-3664114?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846[/url]
or this?[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000C4DVZ/ref=pd_sbs_e_4/102-4476801-3664114?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846[/url]

[QUOTE=kalpa]Ok guys this is the situation any help wil be appreciated:

Our band has 5 members:

1. Rythym Guitarist (me)
2. Singer
3. Lead Guitarist
4. Bass Guitarist
5. Drummer

1. Rythym Guitar setup is as follows
Guitar -> Distortion Pedal -> Equalizer pedal -> Marshall Combo Amp (with Line out jack)

2. Lead GUitarist Setup
Guitar -> Fender Amp (with Line out jack)

3. Singer Setup
Microphone -> Small Amp (NO Line Out jack)

4. Bass Guitarist setup
Bass Guitar ->Amp (with Line Out Jack)

5. Drummer Setup
Drums -> 1 Condeser Electret Microphone ->No Amp Used (mic for future use)

THis is what we want to do:

We Need a Mixer System or whatever to eb able to record onto the computer. And From the Mixer we want to hook up PA Speakers for like gigs and stuff. Now I know for the PA thing to work we need a POWERED MIXER, not a passive one. but they are way to expensive.

So scrap the gig PA idea for now and just think of how we would record, BUt have the possibility of adding a PA Speaker system later.

What stuff do we need to buy.
I already have a computer with a old sounblaster card (will i need a new audigy like it syas in the guide)

What Mixer? How many Channels? What will go where?
Do the drums need more microphones?
Can we still somehow use our amplifiers as foldback?

When we jam the singer uses my old stereo, we convert the microphone jack to a small jack and plug into the Mix Mic jack on the stereo

How will all this work? What goes where?

and pelase rememebr we are on a budget.

Help would be appriciated. Thank You.[/QUOTE]

Alright, you're best off using a mixer (I.E: [url]http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHUB2222FXP[/url] ; any 8-channel mixer will do) into a digital recorder (I.E: [url]http://www.zzounds.com/item--FOSMR8[/url]).

The mixer has two outputs (Left/Right) which you plug into the MR8 (The digital recorder I suggested).

When a song is recorded, it's stored on a 128mb flash card, (You can by bigger ones), and then may be transfered onto your computer via USB cable.

For the guitars, you're better off micing the amps, because to be able to go direct, you need a decent preamp if you want anything near a good sound and also a DI box (explained later).

So your signal path for the guitars will look something like this

Guitar > Effects/Whatever > Amp > Mic > Mixer > MR8

Signal path for your bass will be similar, just with a DI box. If you dont already know, in a nutshell, a DI box makes your audio signal out of your bass into one that is much cleaner and audiable. A decent one will run you $40 USD, I suggest the Whirlwind ([url]http://www.zzounds.com/item--WHRIMP2[/url]).

Bass > DI > Mixer > MR8

Next, the drums. This is a pretty hard decision, considering that alot of drum mic's can run you a bit of cash. It really all depends on how big the drummers kit is. But assuming that he's using a 4 peice kit (Kick, Snare, Tom 1, Tom 2), you'd have an individual mic for each drum. As for cymbals, two overhead condenser mics does the trick. You said you already have one, but it's a big no-no to mix different overhead mics (But if you're really strapped, you can get away with just one mic. Alot of budget drum mic kits can get you good results.

This one ([url]http://www.zzounds.com/item--SHUPGDMK6XLR[/url]) has just about everything you need for the setup I mention above, but the mics you're getting arent too great. Regardless, it'd be a good buy for you situation.

In contrast, this one ([url]http://www.zzounds.com/item--SHUDMK5752[/url]) is a very good set of mics. The SM57 is a world-renowned microphone which is used for everything from a snare drum to Anthony Kiedis' vocals on Californication (Really). Only down side is, you dont get any overheads, but if you're willing to use the one you got for an overhead and drop the extra cash on this kit, go for it.

(I only listed two drum mic kits, but there are a ton more if you look for them)

So your signal chain for the drums would be,

Drum Mic (Snare/Kick/Etc..) > Mixer > MR8

Last but not least, the vocals. Tough choice. If you're doing a home-studio thing, then you'd have to consider dropping some cash on a decent condenser mic for the vocals, or you can just stick with a trusty SM57 or a SM58 (The 58's the exact same thing as a 57, except with a diaphram over the from of the mic and I belive a windscreen built into it). I'm going to assume you're planning on using this set-up for live gigs, so I'd suggest just trying out an SM58 ($99 USD; [url]http://www.zzounds.com/item--SHUSM58[/url]) for a while and see how it works out.

Your vocal chain would be

Singer > Mic > Mixer > MR8

Now according to the mics I've listed above, I've said a total of 9 (Snare, Kick, Tom1, Tom2, Overhead1, Overhead2, LeadGuitar, RhythmGuitar, Vocals).
While, the mixer I listed only has 8 inputs. You have two options here. One would be to lay down some extra cash on a mixer with a few more inputs (Might not be such a bad idea considering that you could expand your mic-setup later on in the game). Or, just use one overhead mic (as I suggested earlier). The choice is yours, but if I were you, I'd stick with one overhead for now (Cheaper, less noise/phase problems, less stands, etc..).

Before I end this here, I should mention that the mixer has a 3 band equalizer. This is going to be -very- helpful in making the sound out of your mics sound better to the crowd. I've gotten killer results with the above setup, and with a little practice (and money) so can you.

Hope this helps. :)

good, i was hoping someone else would write that...coz i didnt wanna...man i'm getting lazy, good work by the way, i agree with everythin in there.

My setup is Guitar>Distortion Pedal>computer. My question is, I've been hearing alot about micing the amp or going thru a mixer or something, but I dont see the need to. To me nothing really sounds bad when I record this way.

thanx man! This was really useful

Hey guys. I'm looking for a decent soundcard for as cheap as i can possibly get it. I found this on ebay, and was wandering what kind of quality you get from it. Here is the specs provided:


5.1 ....SIX CHANNEL SOUND
PCI
BRAND NEW RETAIL BOXED
WITH DRIVERS AND MIXING SOFTWARE
FOR WIN 95, 98, ME, XP,XP PRO, WIN 2K AND LINUX
UPGRADE YOUR COMPUTER TO HIGH QUALITY SOUND
GREAT FOR GAMING,MUSIC, AND DVD PLAYBACK.
PERFECT FOR SURROUND SOUND SPEAKER SETS
WILL ALSO WORK WITH NORMAL SPEAKERS
c-MEDIA CMI 8738 CHIPSET
32 BIT BUSMASTER PCI 2.1 COMPLIANT
QUALITY SOUND CARDS

How does that sound?

Ok I really need some help. I use Adobe Audition to record, and use an SM57 in front of my amp straight into my soundcard. The problem is, when I record my guitar, its really, really quiet for one thing (and I have my line in turned to max on the soundblaster volume mixer thing for the soundcard), and also, I get a lot of fuzz over my music. The hiss reduction effect reduces it somewhat, but not completely. The strange thing is that I get the fuzz even if I click record with the mic off, so it can't be picking up anything. Also, I can hardly hear the notes I play, everything sounds like a huge bassy rumble. This is weird since I was recording through a Marshall Valvestate 150w amp... I recently sold that and bought a Mesa Dual Rectifier, and haven't tried recording with it yet, but I imagine the situation will be the same.

Will buying a mixer help? And what about soundcards (I'm using a soundblaster audigy 2 6.1 card)? Is there anything with the program I need to do to fix this? Or would my EQ going in just have to be crap?

maybe ur soundcards old? also check that your soundcard cant be picking up interference from any other components of ur computer

My soundcard is fairly new... its a Soundblaster Audigy 2 card (6.1 support)... I've heard that soundblaster products are crap for recording from other people, except that didn't you say that it was a good card earlier? Maybe that was someone else....?

Is there anything that you have to set up in Adobe Audition/Cool Edit Pro that I may have forgotten which could be causing my problems?

I need a professional opinion. I am going to start recording in a couple of months and doing a lot of research on how do to it. I was wondering if it is better to set up a studio like you explained, or i was kind of leaning towards buying the Digitech GNX4, or 3 that'll pretty much do everything. please give me an opinion as to whether the GNX are good recording tools. Thanks.

yeah^^^^ digital recorders are expencive, but in my opinion they are a very, very good way to start recording.

Theyre easy to use, theres no chance of getting a virus, they hold heaps of space, i think theyre great.

They have fully automated mixing which is just a bonus...

I say if youve got the cash get a few nice mics, a digital recorder and a pair of nice monitors and your set ;D

have fun man

No idea about my problem then? (2nd and 4th last posts of last page, I think) I guess I'll read through the Audition manual and see what I find...

EDIT: Or, on second though, do you have MSN or AIM? If it wouldn't be too much of a bother, I could send you the file, and then you could hear for yourself whats wrong with it?

thank you so much. ur article was alsome!!

Great article man. Here is my problem:

I have a perfect setup for my guitar, I have a GNX 3 going direct line in on my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card, and I finally got the tone I was looking for. My issue is with the drums. I don't play drums, but my neighbor does, and he agreed to record some things with me. Can I buy something like this

[url]http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/s=mics/search/detail/base_pid/277246/[/url]

or would that be stupid? I need something with great quality, but I'm not going to spend 400 dollars on my neighbors drum mics.

P.S. this is a favor he is doing me, and he told me I have to provide the recording equipment, and he'll provide the drums. He is having some financial troubles, so I'll just buy them....

Wow this is a nice guide. Good Job. I have some question though. I plan on being or atleast try to be a Digital Recording Engineer, and I am looking for a good college, and I have heard there are some good ones in colorado my friend has an uncle and aunt that lives down there so I plan on going down there with him he plains on being a musician just like the rest of his family in fact his uncle is Roger Miller from mission a burma and his dad was in a band called Destroy All Monsters so I was just wondering if you knew of any good colleges down there we are going to Boulder, Colorado.

Also one more question I have heard so much about macs and recording. Know anything about macs? If so could you tell me what a good mac would be to get when and if I do it will be a laptop.

Thanks