Arcadiandj
44 posts
Dec 09, 2014
9:12 AM
|
I'm going to try setting up some home recording equipment-holy cow, what a complicated endeavor. My first step was internet forums, but I was unable to find a starting point-too much information. I found a recently published book which has been very helpful, but they often refer you back to user forums.
E.g., they say you want to start by choosing your computer software and that you should begin by asking people that play the kind of music you play what they use.
I am a windows user and wonder if anyone here has any experience/direction with regards to soft ware? Also if you have other thoughts/suggestions it would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance:)
|
Diggsblues
1610 posts
Dec 09, 2014
10:23 AM
|
As far as I tell most schools use MACs.
I use a Mac and my software is Finale, Digital Performer and Garage Band for the most part.
Garage Band is now like Logic light.
The backing track on this were done in Finale.
The harmonica was recorded with Garage Band
sitting at my desk.
Finale is a sequence and notation software.
This was done in the old Garage Band that supplied
a Blues Band.
This is all Finale.
----------
|
Martin
745 posts
Dec 09, 2014
11:54 AM
|
Audacity: freeware and good stuff. But the learning curve is steep, if you´re, like me, a technofobe.
I still haven´t mastered most of it (been a couple of years now), but I can record without any bigger problems. And, did I say that?, it´s free.
|
Arcadiandj
45 posts
Dec 09, 2014
7:51 PM
|
Gnarly do you know what audio interface works best with Cakewalk? I was leaning in that direction, but wanted to see if any harp/blues players had other input.
|
isaacullah
2892 posts
Dec 10, 2014
6:59 AM
|
Hey Dan, give me a call (number's still the same) and we can figure out a time for you to come over so I can show you.my own modest recording setup. Its an Alexis Multimix 8 USB mixer/audio interface going into a linux laptop. I've used a variety of DAW softwares, from complex to simple, but have settled on Audacity. I'd be happy to show you how that all works before you plunk down a bunch of cash for cakewalk OE ableton or reaper, etc., etc.
-Isaac
----------
YouTube! Soundcloud!
|
waltertore
2767 posts
Dec 10, 2014
9:06 AM
|
oops- moved this- meant to post to the jimmy reed thread. Walter
----------
walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
my videos
Last Edited by waltertore on Dec 10, 2014 2:27 PM
|
JInx
941 posts
Dec 10, 2014
10:21 AM
|
"The home recording/hand held camera/phone craze has produced the most horrible sonically sounding music in the history of recording."-Waltertore
+1
It's an abomination! An insult to ears eveywhere!
----------
Last Edited by JInx on Dec 10, 2014 10:22 AM
|
tf10music
218 posts
Dec 15, 2014
2:08 PM
|
I record into audacity and mix/master on Logic. I've used Ableton before, but it's not intuitive to me and I didn't have the patience to deal with the learning curve. For a startup mixer, focusrite scarlett 2i2 is really good. Focusrite preamps are some of the best in the business. If you weant more inputs, you can just get a larger model.
----------
Check out my music at http://bmeyerson11.bandcamp.com/
|
waltertore
2769 posts
Dec 15, 2014
2:22 PM
|
in recording quality you pretty much get what you pay for. A great engineer can make low end gear sound ok but a novice will never get a good sound with low end or high end gear. You have to view this as another instrument and it will take a lifetime to get recordings that are pleasant to the ears and like an instrument, the recording gear will reflect how high a quality it is. $125 preamps will get you $125 sound. To go from that price point up, it is a journey of small increments which are not noticeable to most of the world, and go up in price exponentially with each level of quality.
Todays listeners listen on cheap headphones and devices that compress and change the music drastically to the point that I can't listen to 99.999999999999% of home recordings/videos for more than a second or 2. When I was growing up tube based record player/reel to reel systems were what we all strived to listen to music on. Most, me included, never got near that level but we got to hear it on others systems. The entire recording chain has to be in unison from the mic-preamps, eqs, compressors, mastering chain, plug ins. Leaning to blend the various frequencies so there isn't a traffic jam of sound at certain tones, adding warmth with clarity, recording in isolation with instruments/voice, learning to record entire process live in 1 room, placing mics in the room to capture the sound one is after, knowing what mic works best with what preamp for each instrument/voice, and a well balanced mix, takes years to figure out. Hand held one stop recordings are the worst sounds I have heard since recording began. People often comment on so and so's tone via a hand help phone video. That representation is as far from what it actually sounded like than the moon is from NYC. We have become visual over sonic. People want to learn to blow harp in a week and with the net one can feel pretty good with their results because the vast majority of music videos done by amateurs stinks. I am not intending to be mean but I look at music as a life long art form both as a player and a recording engineer and in 1 generation it has been crippled to the point we are at today with public recordings. So with all that said I have greatly enjoyed my 40+ year recording odyssey and I encourage all to enjoy the journey because just like with an instrument, in the beginning great leaps are made but then it slows down to a point where most people give up. I am just getting to where I find my music sounding acceptable to my ears. Recording drums, cymbal, guitar(elec/acoustic), piano, vocal/acoustic harp on a rack(same mic), and everything within a few feet of each other makes for a very simple puzzle that isn't so simple. Watler
----------
walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
my videos
Last Edited by waltertore on Dec 15, 2014 3:40 PM
|
