Ok so i've got a few questions about my set up too

two cheap mics that pick up very well
cheap cables
eurotrack ub1622FX pro mixer
-> computer sound card
cubase

my problem is is that the recording gets there too slowly. when i play it back it's delayed a little bit and it's a painful experience getting it exactly right. does anyone have any ideas how to make it faster for not too much $ (don't have a job yet, but that's coming around)?

Also, recommended was the Sound Blaster Audigi 2. Is this one any good?

[url]http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=1251021/skd=1/search=sound+blaster+audigy+2[/url]

sorry if these questions have already been asked but

1.Are Behringer mixers any good. Im considering the 1202FX.

2.Would connecting a guitar amp recording out straight to the mixer or computer sound better or worse than just micing the amp

3 I want to record my 5 piece drum kit. How would I be able to record it on a 4 mic input mixer

[QUOTE=master_yoda_2]sorry if these questions have already been asked but

1.Are Behringer mixers any good. Im considering the 1202FX.

2.Would connecting a guitar amp recording out straight to the mixer or computer sound better or worse than just micing the amp

3 I want to record my 5 piece drum kit. How would I be able to record it on a 4 mic input mixer[/QUOTE]

1. Duno sorry :(

2. Micing the amp is always better than going direct, you get better vibe, atomsphere and usually tone

3. 1 mic for the snare / hi-hat, 1 mic for the bass drum, 2 over head for the cymbals and toms

(not really experienced with recording drums :upset: )

hey guys im confused just say i have a mixer it has a 8 tracks and i have a computer with a 8 trakc soundcard and i put a lead lineout of the amp into the computer will that come out as 8 tracks in the computer how does it work some explain !!!! please

don't panic. commas, calm and karma go a long way.

no, it won't. unless the mixer is a digital mixer with a digital out and the soundcard has a digital input.

[QUOTE=Joe]Ok so i've got a few questions about my set up too

two cheap mics that pick up very well
cheap cables
eurotrack ub1622FX pro mixer
-> computer sound card
cubase

my problem is is that the recording gets there too slowly. when i play it back it's delayed a little bit and it's a painful experience getting it exactly right. does anyone have any ideas how to make it faster for not too much $ (don't have a job yet, but that's coming around)?

Also, recommended was the Sound Blaster Audigi 2. Is this one any good?

[URL=http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=1251021/skd=1/search=sound+blaster+audigy+2]Longest Link Ever[/URL] [/QUOTE]

We had that problem. It's your computer. We had two computers to use, but one we couldn't use at the moment so we used the other one. After about 20 minutes of playing around with it, we realized that the computer wasn't up to par for recording and used the other one. Problem free after that.

Best bet is to get a computer strictly for recording if you are serious about it. Don't go on the internet with it... Don't do anything. Just record.

But that's just me.

[QUOTE=allthegoodnamesweregone]ok thats a nice set up now yo answer your question

1) no the one ytou have will record BUT the quality will be poor and you will HAVE to get the levles right on the mixer

2) i recomend another sound card however the can be expensive one with 8 tracks as pci should be ok as for plug in's i dot understand

3) no will you send me money

4) Both idealy however if your short on money normal closed heads phones will do

5 i recomend them all seperatly but thats only best done with a large sound card with multipul inuts

6) more mics, you could use a condenser however for a live demo (which i guess you will be doing i think a sm57 will be nmore than fine

some asdvice is to Mic the gutair cabs and run the bass directly into the mixer but ddeffanatly more mics...[/QUOTE]


****! i need more answers than 1!!! :confused:

Do you guys know what a good program to sample out certain parts of existing songs might be?
For example, I need to get just the chorus of Nevermore's I am the Dog for sampling in a little songwriting project for my uni course.

Okay this is sorda on subject but anyway...
I ran my mic through an older guitar amp and it sounds fine, i am satisfied with that. But I was getting a load of feedback, and it was making me angry, i read on the internet that to kill the feedback just turn the treble down and the bass all the way up. Does this sound right or what should I do? The amp has been sung through before, and i got it for free, so i dont really care if it dies or not, but it works now :). thanks.

[QUOTE=ATC]Do you guys know what a good program to sample out certain parts of existing songs might be?
For example, I need to get just the chorus of Nevermore's I am the Dog for sampling in a little songwriting project for my uni course.[/QUOTE]
audacity, just highlight where the chorus is, copy, delete the song, and paste it back in audacity.

Ok I need an answer to my question.

hey can anyone tell me what a compressor does??? im wanna take my home reocridng further.. also anylink to cheap ones would be good thanks!

Behringer Mdx2600, excellent piece of gear

[QUOTE=10571z]hey can anyone tell me what a compressor does??? im wanna take my home reocridng further.. also anylink to cheap ones would be good thanks![/QUOTE]

Put simply, it narrows the dynamic range.....so it makes "quiet" sounds louder, and keeps the "loud" sounds level, but this all depends on how you set the controls.

I don't know much about any cheap ones......are you talking about rackmount or....??

Try behringer, or look on ebay for used. i've seen some reasonable priced compresseors on there, but i have no idea of their quality.

EDIT: [QUOTE=airborne50caliber]Behringer Mdx2600, excellent piece of gear[/QUOTE]

That looks good, very good for the price, and it does much more than basic compression.

[url]http://www.behringer.com/MDX2600/index.cfm?lang=ENG[/url]

Hey guys, my band didnt plan ahead for recording so i was wondering if you could help us sort ourselves out. Keep in mind, we like it cheap and cheerful (but mainly cheap)

Our set up is like this:
guitar 1 direct output to mixer \
guitar 2 direct output to mixer \ mixer is Peavey PV 6
bass amp micked to mixer /
drums micked to mixer /

After the mixer is where our problem is, we want to plug it into PC and record using audacity but the pc at the house where we recorded dosnt have a specialist sound card so all of the inputs are mono and the mixer output is stereo. We are planning to overdub the vocals later.

At the moment we are:
record instruments to tape, record vocals to different tape, record music off tapes to pc and splice together
But that sucks, because its hard to mix and tapes loose quality.

What can we do? Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give all the details.

buy an external sound card/pci soundcard???

I'll look into it, thanks, any good recomendations?

uhh edirol, m-audio,tascam...

you say ALL of the [I]inputs[/I] are mono. That means you have at least 2 mono inputs. I believe you have two mono outputs on your mixer for the stereo signal. This will be perfectly accepted by youir soundcard

Does a laptop do instead of a P.C?it might be on here but i aint read all the posts.

So, I have some questions for anyone that can intelligently answer them for me.


First, what is more important, in your opinion, the software or the hardware? Big question, I know, but is there one I should be paying attention to more than the other?

Second, I have a 2 input mbox and I'm looking to get a mixer. I only have USB to work with. Do I need to get a mixer that is USB compatible or can I plug the mixer into the mbox, then to the computer? What is the best setup for this?

Third, reccommend me some good mixers for recording. I don't need much more than 8 or so inputs, and I'm willing to spend up to $350-400.


Thank you to anyone who can answer any of these, I seriously love you.

Also, theabstract, youre awesome.

This is the band I just finished with. I know this isn't top quality, it's my first recording I've done, and my setup is only $300 right now. I'd appreciate any suggestions or comments on the recording. Thanks.

[url]http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=421538[/url]

[QUOTE]First, what is more important, in your opinion, the software or the hardware? Big question, I know, but is there one I should be paying attention to more than the other?[/quote]
You are going to need to get something at least decent with both, but once you acheive that, I'd focus on the hardware. That's what really captures the sound. Software to a degree just makes it harder or easier to get a really nice sound. That's up to you. If you have crap hardware, no matter how hard you work it, it's going to come out poor. That's my opinion on it, anyways.

[quote]Second, I have a 2 input mbox and I'm looking to get a mixer. I only have USB to work with. Do I need to get a mixer that is USB compatible or can I plug the mixer into the mbox, then to the computer? What is the best setup for this?[/quote]
I'd put everything into the mixer and then send the mixer to the mbox. You'll be hard-pressed to find a mixer compatible with USB within your budget.

[quote]Third, reccommend me some good mixers for recording. I don't need much more than 8 or so inputs, and I'm willing to spend up to $350-400.[/quote]
[url]http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=live/search/detail/base_pid/630053/[/url]

I love Yamaha mixers. For the slight bit you pay more over the Behringer equivalent, you get the satisfaction of knowing that if it breaks, there's most likely someone in your area that'll fix them. All the stores in my area have stopped servicing Behringer products.[/QUOTE]

Woot

Is there a site or something that tells you what the settings for recording drums would be? Well.. see my school has this amp/mixer or wtv their called. So for every chn there a bunch of things to play arround with, for exemple FX, Echo, Low, Mid, High - Blah blah - ... or am I just gonna have to experiment with it?

-Samuel

Record flat. Tweak later. Focus your attention on mic choice and positioning.

Hey i have a akai mpc2000xl (my drum machine) and i try recording my beats on my computer...when i play them through the computer speakers its fine but when i record them and listen they sound kind of distorted. can anyone help me out here .....

Clipping. Check your levels.

to answer
 

This is going to be a lengthy post as I will be responding to many a question.... first:

[QUOTE]1.do i need to buy a special soundcard and if so what kind and why?
2.if i don't need a soundcard, then which plugin should i use?
3.will you send me some money?
4.do i need monitors or studio headphones?
5.what should i record together? (ie guitars,bass,and drums and do the vox seperately or what?)
6. do i need more mics?(obviously for the drums, but any special mics for the vox?)[/QUOTE]

1. Yes & no. You can do just find with your tascam recorder by putting everything onto it. However, you could trade in your recorder at a local Long & McQuade (in Canada) and RENT or buy a Presonus Firepod.

Chances are your built in soundcard is a creative something rather not suitible for recording. You will get what is called 'latency' very similar to the same kind you would experiance playing your Xbox online. Pretty much its the processing delay it takes to get from your microphone into the software... A better soundcard will help you out huge in this situation

2. [B]PLUGINS WILL NOT MAKE A poopTY RECORDING SOUND GOOD!!!![/B] Plugins are like guitar effect pedals. They will ENHANCE your 'foundation'. What I mean is that plugins are made to give life to a recording, make it louder, or add special effects. The most useful plugins are Compressors, EQ's, Gates, and Limiters. Of course in almost all circumstances LESS IS MORE!

3. Sorry, as a working musician/studio engineer I'm probably more broke than you are.

4. you DO NOT need monitors or studio headphones. while the make the recording process 100x easier and more efficent, they are not a nessecity. The best thing to use to mix your music is your ears. My final tests after listening to a track on studio mons and/or headphones is to export it into MP3 format and listening to it through a casset adaptered car kit in my car using my iPod. Pretty much this takes a LOT out of the recording, but it is the situation where 80% of your audience will be listening to your music.

5. Depends on how many inputs your using. For the first two years I did everything off a 4 channel Behrringer board I picked up for $50CAD and threw it into a stereo sound card. I did everything track by track into Cakewalk. So, drums first, (kick, snare, 2 overheads for mics) and then every instrument after that one at a time. (Guitar 1 plays solo, then guitar 2 plays solo, etc.)

However now, I would do this.... Kick & Snare, and two tom toms/floor tom using all 4 channels. Get your drummer to play ONLY these drums (no cymbals). Then setup your overheads Left & Right and get your drummer to play only cymbals.... the rest of the process is normal. (This is how Foo Fighters recorded their last record. And after trying the process out myself with a buddy, we realized it's definatly the best way to get drum sounds mixed!

6. You can never have to many mics. I'm probably buying a mic every second month at this rate... But the most useful arsenal of mics are going to be:

2x Shure SM57 (For toms)
2x AKG C1000S (for overheads)
1x AKG D112 (for kick)
1x Studio Projects B1 (for vocals)



[b]NEXT![/b]

[QUOTE]Ok so i've got a few questions about my set up too

two cheap mics that pick up very well
cheap cables
eurotrack ub1622FX pro mixer
-> computer sound card
cubase

my problem is is that the recording gets there too slowly. when i play it back it's delayed a little bit and it's a painful experience getting it exactly right. does anyone have any ideas how to make it faster for not too much $ (don't have a job yet, but that's coming around)?

Also, recommended was the Sound Blaster Audigi 2. Is this one any good?[/QUOTE]

First and formost... sound cards you buy in computer stores (eg Comerical Sound Blaster Audigy cards) ARE NOT FOR RECORDING... they are complete crap and you should stay as far away from them as possible!!!

Get yourself a Presonus Firebox or Firepod. Even the Maudio cards are really good for those of you on a budjet.

Behringer products now ship with a small sticker on them that have a trashcan with an X through it. This implies 'do not put in garbage', however I perfer to do the complete oppostie. Behrringer mixers are A) Very Nosiy B) very Ureliable

Check out Mackie, Tascam, Alto, or Allen & Heathe boards. (Tascam make a wicked firewire board for $700 CAD that not only works as an 12 track firewire soundcard, but also as an amazing live board as well! It's new on the market)

But anyways, your main problem is latency...and this is NOT due to your computer being too slow. This is actually a problem with your soundcard being the suck and not having a good sample rate. Pro soundcards that you can get at Long & MCquade or Gutiar Center (if your in the states) is a great way to go.

DEFINATLY mic your guitar amp.

oh, and Shure SM57's are da bomb in the studio!

[QUOTE] Okay this is sorda on subject but anyway...
I ran my mic through an older guitar amp and it sounds fine, i am satisfied with that. But I was getting a load of feedback, and it was making me angry, i read on the internet that to kill the feedback just turn the treble down and the bass all the way up. Does this sound right or what should I do? The amp has been sung through before, and i got it for free, so i dont really care if it dies or not, but it works now . thanks.[/QUOTE]

What kind of feedback?

And no, turning the treb down and bass up is probably a bad thing to do. Sure it kills your feedback problem...but what happens in your recording? No high end, and nothing but bottom... this = mud. Mud = bad

[QUOTE]hey can anyone tell me what a compressor does??? im wanna take my home reocridng further.. also anylink to cheap ones would be good thanks![/QUOTE]

A compressor takes your signal and squishes it to make things louder and not clip. (in theory its a sound man riding the volume on a mixing board) However, compresson kills your low/high end frequency response, sometimes making things muddy. Compression is a tricky thing to master, and can work wonders on a recording (and is pretty much nessacary to get things heard in the new music buissness).

A GREAT affordable compressor is NOT made by Behrringer as they are noisy as hell and don't do a great job. A reallly good hardware compressor is the JoeMeek ThreeQ. This small unit is a great micpreamp, optical compressor, and threeband EQ in a nice lil package that goes for around $300 Canadian.

[QUOTE]sinister I'll look into it, thanks, any good recomendations?
10-16-2005 03:37 PM
allthegoodnamesweregone buy an external sound card/pci soundcard???[/QUOTE]


The Edirol cards are a huge pain in the *** to use IMHO. The Tascam Firewire 12 channel mixer looks DAMN cool, and will definatly be something I will be playing around with in the near future. My current fav is the Presonus Firepod. As it's pretty much plug + Play, sounds great, and has the least amount of problems or usage pains out of most soundcards on the current market.

[QUOTE]Does a laptop do instead of a P.C?it might be on here but i aint read all the posts.[/QUOTE]

Depends on what your using for a machine.

Two years ago Laptops would have been a HUGE no-no for recording... but today anyone with a Apple Powerbook can do some decent work. My personal main recording device right now is a Dell Inspiron 6000 with a 2.0Ghz processor, 1g worth of Ram, and an external hard drive built by Rocstor.

The biggest things you should have for a decent platform are:

min 512 of ram (more is always better! my 512 machine dies @ 12 tracks and 7 Waves plugins using Nuendo 3)
1.6ghz or better processor
7200 RPM drive with a seek time under 10ms

And of course, get that firewire or USB pro sound card... you'll thank me later!

[B]Part 2[/B]

[QUOTE]Quote:
First, what is more important, in your opinion, the software or the hardware? Big question, I know, but is there one I should be paying attention to more than the other?
You are going to need to get something at least decent with both, but once you acheive that, I'd focus on the hardware. That's what really captures the sound. Software to a degree just makes it harder or easier to get a really nice sound. That's up to you. If you have crap hardware, no matter how hard you work it, it's going to come out poor. That's my opinion on it, anyways.


Quote:
Second, I have a 2 input mbox and I'm looking to get a mixer. I only have USB to work with. Do I need to get a mixer that is USB compatible or can I plug the mixer into the mbox, then to the computer? What is the best setup for this?
I'd put everything into the mixer and then send the mixer to the mbox. You'll be hard-pressed to find a mixer compatible with USB within your budget.


Quote:
Third, reccommend me some good mixers for recording. I don't need much more than 8 or so inputs, and I'm willing to spend up to $350-400.
[url]http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=live/search/detail/base_pid/630053/[/url]

I love Yamaha mixers. For the slight bit you pay more over the Behringer equivalent, you get the satisfaction of knowing that if it breaks, there's most likely someone in your area that'll fix them. All the stores in my area have stopped servicing Behringer products.[/quote][/QUOTE]


Hardware is a very important peice of gear in your setup, and will probably cost the same for a mid-line studio as the best peice of software will.

You can get away with $300 soundcards that are really decent, but I would recomend saving some cash and buying a Firewire expansion card for your laptop/PC and buying a firewire soundcard/mixer.

Good starting software that I'm familiar with is Cubase SL, Sonar 4 (I think Sonar 5 just came out), and Protools is definatly a popular choice, even if it is my arch nemisis (sooooooo many problems trying to get my Mbox to work....)

Good interfaces:
Maudio makes all kinds of nice ones in both USB and 1394 markets
Presonus makes AWESOME firewire ones
Edirol = hard to use, but sound good
Tascam have this cool new 12 channel firewire mxier... get one!

And yes, Software is just going to make things easier or harder... however the difference between lets say... Cakewalk Home Studio 2004 & Cubase SX3 is monstorus in terms of audio quality... Even ProTools dosn't sound as good as Nuendo 3!

Throw your mixer's L/R outs into your 1/2 ins of your Mbox. Treat them as a stereo signal in Protools or Cubase (yes you can use an Mbox in any software!), and then premix on your board then do 'finalization' inside your software... poor mans way to go, but hey, if it works it works!

Take a look at Yamaha, Tascam, Mackie, Alto, and Allen & Heath boards. Just stay away from Behrringer... the power supplys are not sheilded properly, and like to give off tons of background hiss/noise. They also blow up on a regular basis... and you know what Behrringer does with them? Throws the boards in the garbage, reuses the knobs and casing...then builds a new one. Worst company ever...



Anymore questions?

Go out and use an MDX2600, man. Seriously. Maybe you have noisy ears?

would it be easier for a young band like mine to just go into a studio and pay the guy to do it??? home recording sounds like a hassle and it sounds rather expensive