HarpNinja
2597 posts
Jul 26, 2012
5:11 PM
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http://mikefugazzi.com/files/Carolina Blues Rough.mp3
Up until a few months ago, I knew nothing of recording. I finally figured out enough on Audacity to patch a song together. There are overdubs, but everything was mixed live.
Meaning, I still have no idea how to mix/master in Audacity. I can make sure I am not clipping, but these tracks are 100% live right from my pedal board with no doctoring.
Everything - including vocals went through my full board and all I did was tweak the Para Driver DI or switch mics for different sounds.
The looping is my live rig which includes a AKG D5. The first harmonica part is my Greg Heumann bullet into the same rig with the Para DI set up like a Champ. The lead harp is just the looping rig with a phaser. The rotary harp in the middle is the "Champ" with a rotary effect. The outro is my looping rig with a few effects.
The vocals are me singing through the looping rig.
This isn't anything beyond me practicing Audacity and trying to do some "preproduction" for an actual recording. I just thought since the Tech 21 and different mics are hot topics, I'd throw the kitchen sink into a tune.
If I were playing this live the arrangement would be the same, but I'd just use the AKG and not mess with getting a blues sound or swapping mics.
Everything is done in one take, so I realize the fills aren't totally coherent and the vocals aren't spot on.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 9:02 PM
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Blues13
193 posts
Jul 26, 2012
5:33 PM
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Hi Mike,
I really like it, you sound damn good.
Martin
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Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Isaac Asimov
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laurent2015
339 posts
Jul 26, 2012
6:58 PM
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Can't see anything...(IE 8).
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nacoran
6006 posts
Jul 26, 2012
11:48 PM
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Sweet!
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Nate
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Hobostubs Ashlock
1903 posts
Jul 27, 2012
12:33 AM
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Damn your good,I firgured you was real good at the harp,But man you got some good vocals,and I really dug the groove you got going,
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Hobostubs
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Pistolcat
229 posts
Jul 27, 2012
1:35 AM
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Great stuff harpninja! Really good vocals, too. An that phasered harp is wild! I'd buy a ticket for that show!
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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sustaireblues
21 posts
Jul 27, 2012
5:51 AM
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That is pretty slick Mike, a whole dam harp band!
Joe
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laurent2015
341 posts
Jul 27, 2012
6:21 AM
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You reached a level of originality that the great Carlos DJ would not disown, I think.
So, you got only one track in Audacity?
Cause listening to the first track you recorded while you play (and record) the second...and so on, is a simple question of "preferences" setup, if I remember well.
.
Last Edited by on Jul 27, 2012 6:22 AM
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isaacullah
2100 posts
Jul 27, 2012
10:58 AM
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Great song Mike! Liked the lyrics and your singing tone a lot!
The mix actually sounds pretty good for doing it all on the fly! Actually, if you just put some stereo-widening on it, it would probably sound excellent as is! Their is a pretty good stereo widening plugin for Audacity that I use a lot, but it's really easy to do it without a plug in. First, you split your stereo track into dual mono. Then, you use the zoom tool to zoom into the track until you can see divisions of 0.01 seconds on the time line. Then, you use the "move track" tool to bump the start of one of the two tracks up to 0.01 or 0.02 seconds. You then pan one hard left, and the other hard right. Then, you can bump the volume of the track you didn't move up by 1 dB. You can also apply a low-pass filter to the track you moved (set the notch around 2000Hz) if you want to too. Then, you mix it back to stereo, and voila! Instant stereo sound! What this does, is trick the brain into hearing the sound "widened" by simulating directionality in the original source! The small time gap, and the slight low-pass filtering of the delayed track simulating the natural time delay and low-pass filtering of a directional sound passing through the head to be heard by the other ear.
Here's the article where I learned the theory behind this procedure: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct00/articles/stereomix.htm
Good luck with the trip down Audacity lane! It's a fun one! :)
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=========== I S A A C ===========
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Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
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Last Edited by on Jul 27, 2012 11:10 AM
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isaacullah
2101 posts
Jul 27, 2012
11:08 AM
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This is another good article I read on the subject: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep10/articles/pt-0910.htm
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=========== I S A A C ===========
View my videos on YouTube!
Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
Visit my reverb nation page!
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jodanchudan
658 posts
Jul 29, 2012
2:17 PM
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This is great - makes me wish I could sing! Awesome groove.
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BronzeWailer
744 posts
Jul 29, 2012
3:06 PM
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Very cool! Modern harp indeed!
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HarpPerL
58 posts
Jul 29, 2012
4:26 PM
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Amazing! Loop forward for the next recording.
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HarpNinja
2598 posts
Jul 30, 2012
10:42 AM
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Thanks for the kind words! I figured out how to overdub, but not really punch in-out. The really distorted and leslie harp are overdubbed.
I did note that when converting to an mp3, Audacity was going to make everything mono...
I don't have a good vocals rig for recording...just dynamic mics. I haven't figured out how to tackle that...or how to use plug ins.
Maybe I'll play around with Reaper next time?
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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nacoran
6012 posts
Jul 30, 2012
11:40 AM
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There is probably a better way to punch in-out, but what I do is record a full second track and then select the blank space and 'amplify' it backwards, down to nothing, so it doesn't generate any hiss or unwanted background noise.
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Nate
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HarpNinja
2599 posts
Jul 30, 2012
11:50 AM
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That's what I had to do, lol.
I need to figure out a way to record in stereo in real time vs overdubbing. I can do that with the Boomerang, but am not sure how.
Worst case, I can use Loopy HD on my iPad instead, but that costs money as I'd need an iRig or something.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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isaacullah
2109 posts
Jul 30, 2012
2:47 PM
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Mike,
Does the Boomerang have a direct USB audio interface? If so, it almost assuredly is stereo. If that's how you are recording into Audacity, then it's simply a matter of adjusting your Audacity I/O preferences to record in stereo (default is mono, I think), and then make sure your Boomerang is sending different signals down the L and R channels. If the Boomerang doesn't have a direct USB connection, then you need an audio interface that does. I use an Alesis Multimix 8 USB as a mixer and USB interface (8 input channels to the mixer, 2 up and down to the computer) when I want to record in true real-time stereo. Any aduio interface using USB 2.0 will allow stereo I/O. For example, the USB audio interface on my G3 is also stereo (2 up 2 down), but the G3 is not a "true" stereo device (there is only one input), so any "stereo" it sends is coming from stereo FX. If you want more than two tracks into your computer at once, however, then you need an audio interface using Firewire or USB 3.0 protocols (they will both require special drivers too), and you need to record into a more robust DAW software that allows multitrack recording.
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=========== I S A A C ===========
View my videos on YouTube!
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nacoran
6020 posts
Jul 30, 2012
9:04 PM
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I have a vague memory of having problems with stereo sound using an 1/8 inch jack because I'd grabbed a mono cord instead of a stereo. At the time I didn't even know they made mono cords.
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Nate
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Pistolcat
240 posts
Jul 31, 2012
12:36 PM
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Slightly OT @ isaacullah- I tried that stereo widening you described above on my latest YT video (see my rainy gravy thread if you want tohear it). Sounds quite nice! Gets my playing a bit further "down" into the backing track. I used a bit of delay in my setup from the beginning that also helped it but it definitely went further down after the stereo widening trick...
Thanks for the info!
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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HarpNinja
2600 posts
Jul 31, 2012
12:40 PM
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The Rang has stereo in/out. I have Loopy HD on my iPad, but nothing to use it for external gear. Eventually, someday, I'll try that out.
Ideally, I'd be able to pan whole loops. For now, I can do it in real time, though. I am swamped getting orders out before SPAH, and honestly, in the last two years, my life has gotten only more and more problematic. I mean, it took a year just to do this. I just haven't been motivated to do things musically beyond side gigs and customizing (which is going awesome and something I find a lot of happiness in).
I really need to just get my $h!t together and get back to gigging.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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HarpNinja
2601 posts
Jul 31, 2012
12:54 PM
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Isaac,
What plugin did you use for widening? Thanks!
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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isaacullah
2110 posts
Jul 31, 2012
3:30 PM
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@pistolcat: Glad it worked for you! I had a listen to your track, and I agree that your playing (great, btw!) fits "down in" the backing track well. Glad to have helped!
@harpninja: This is the plugin I use: Stereo Widener. Some tracks sound better widened with the manual procedure I outlined above, but sometimes this plugin does the trick!
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=========== I S A A C ===========
View my videos on YouTube!
Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
Visit my reverb nation page!
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isaacullah
2111 posts
Jul 31, 2012
3:42 PM
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Just as an illustration of what stereo widening can do, here is a looping track I'm working on in it's raw original form straight from the Zoom G3 to the computer:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7325374/beat_2_raw_original.wav
And here is what it sounds like after about 10 minutes of work in audacity (I also overdubbed an intro):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7325374/beat_2_overdub_and_stereo_widened.mp3
Listen with headphones or good speakers, and you will hear the difference quite clearly.
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=========== I S A A C ===========
View my videos on YouTube!
Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
Visit my reverb nation page!
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Pistolcat
244 posts
Aug 01, 2012
3:08 PM
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That was a really nice song Isaac! The stereo widened track sounded a lot more professional, really good! Maybe it's time for another how-to thread about audicity? If you want to record yourself setups eith microphone and post productions is as important as all harp tweaking. (maybe not really because you can't make sucky playing sound good in postproduction... But on the other hand; you can make good playing sound sucky with bad recording).
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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nacoran
6028 posts
Aug 01, 2012
7:54 PM
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I was listening to your song Isaac, and the two versions didn't sound all that different. Then I realized I was sitting with both speakers to my right.
Hard panning can be really useful when you are breaking theory rules. You aren't 'supposed to' play parallel octaves or parallel fifths (basically just having two instruments that are playing exactly an octave apart or exactly a fifth that move the same way, so for instance one going from D3 to E4 while the other one goes from D4 to E4). The human ear has a hard time picking the instruments out and they sound muddled together. It's one of the only rules I remember the history of from theory class. They avoided parallels until cathedrals started being build with more than one area for the choir. Once they had that they could naturally pan the voices. I'd forgotten the rule and was writing something that sounded muddled. By trial and error I rediscovered it. (I looked it up later.)
I'm stuck here though. I have no idea what this tune needs after this. I've been sitting on this snippet stuck for what seems like forever. :(
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Nate
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isaacullah
2113 posts
Aug 01, 2012
9:09 PM
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@pistolcat: Thanks! Yeah, recently I've really realized that sub-par recording just isn't worth it. The cool thing about all the new musical gagetry and technology is that reasonably good (if not TOTALLY professional) recording gear is now well within the reach of just about any musician. We no longer have to rely on studios and such, just to make (any kind of) recording. In fact, more and more musicians and bands are doing the recording and mixing themselves, and just sending out the final mixes to mastered by a mastering service (since mastering is pretty much the only phase of the recording process that is still pretty difficult for DIY'ers to do in a home studio). Coupled with the amazing distribution power of the Internet, I think that this phenomenon is really going to level the playing field for Indie musicians all over the world, and I can only look forward to the huge influx of new music to discover! :)
@nacoran: Yup! Stereo don't work if you keeps the speakers right next to each other! ;) That's an intersting tidbit of musical history there. I never really thought about it, but I suppose that cathedrals really were the first "surround sound" systems! Pretty cool when you think about it! I had a listen to your track, and you are right, It still needs something. But what? Perhaps there is no real climax? I'm not sure. But what you have there is pretty cool, so I hope you keep working on it! I'd love to hear it again when you've got it nailed down!
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=========== I S A A C ===========
View my videos on YouTube!
Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
Visit my reverb nation page!
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HarpNinja
2607 posts
Aug 03, 2012
9:01 PM
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http://mikefugazzi.com/files/Carolina_Blues_Loopy_Mixed.mp3
Same song, but totally different incomplete take. I recorded just loops and vocals here using the iPad app Loopy HD. This let me export separate loops so I could mix them individually.
This song is NOT complete or mixed very well. I started to mix and add compression, but the "effects" were all live again.
It should be in stereo with the rhythm harp and leslie harp panned hard. The bass is two stereo tracks panned all the way to each side. Beatbox is in the middle as are vocals...not lead harp at all yet.
I set up a better recording system, but recording and exporting the loops from Loopy is THE way I am going to record from home. It is clunky at first in Audacity repeating audio, but the loops are all SEPARATE tracks and not just stereo.
Live it is the Boomerang all the way...
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 9:04 PM
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Jehosaphat
272 posts
Aug 03, 2012
10:19 PM
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This all sounds harder than learning how to play the Harp!
But hey go for it guys and good luck.
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