What's the cheapest decent way for me to record with 3 (or) 4 microphones?
January 9, 2010 2:11 PM   Subscribe

I want to record some songs with me on a mike, my husband on a mike, his guitar on a mike, and maybe my synthesizer on a mike. We tried recording with me, him, and his guitar today with one mike, and the result was muddy.

We recorded today using one mike plugged into my Alpha Lexicon USB interface which was plugged into my computer. It sounded pretty nice except that it had a faraway sound and you couldn't discern our final consonants.

My husband says we need our own mikes (including the guitar, and I might want to add my synth), but my interface only has one mike input.

I found an Alpha interface (Omega, maybe) that has two mike inputs.
Should I buy that?

Or is there another way that I can plug 4 mikes into --- something --- and then into my computer?

I guess theoretically I don't need the computer, but I've been using Ableton software, adding midi rhythm tracks, etc., and essentially this is working well. Is there some other way that multiple people record, without a computer?

Oh -- I know we could record separately, one track at a time, but I'm not sure this would work for us. We seem to need to hear each other as we harmonize. I doubt either one of us could record our parts alone.

Also I don't want to spend a fortune. My current interface was very reasonably priced.

Thank you.
posted by DMelanogaster to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
You want something like this.

Obviously the problem is that you won't have control over individual levels after it is recorded. You have to get your mix perfect "off the floor" so to speak.

Are you sure your interface doesn't give you a stereo input? This would let you pan your channels for a bit more flexibility.
posted by davey_darling at 2:18 PM on January 9, 2010


If you want to record one track at a time, a (free) program such as AudaCity may be a good choice. I know it isn't ideal, but it is the cheapest way to get multi-track recording. I have never used it myself though. It should also work with your current recording interface.

The mixer suggested by davey_darling will work for you, but if you buy one, make sure it has enough pre-amps for the number of microphones you will be using. The Synth probably doesn't need a pre-amp, and the guitar may not, but each microphone used will.

Depending on your budget, and how often you will be recording in the future (some devices/software have steeper learning curves), there are other options available, but they depend on your budget, and how much you are willing to learn.
posted by MrPhilC at 2:57 PM on January 9, 2010


Response by poster: I'm not sure what that device is -- it seems to take 2 mikes, like the Lexicon Omega or whatever that was that I found.

So if there are two mikes, what do I do to record the guitar and the synth?

I'm confused.

I think my interface gives a stereo input, but what does that mean, when only one mike is going into it?

obviously I am totally confused, which is why I posted my question.
posted by DMelanogaster at 3:01 PM on January 9, 2010


The device linked to above is a mixer. It will take multiple inputs, and output it via a single stereo signal (actually, two signals, one for the left, one for the right). This way, you can set the levels of all the inputs (hence, the mixing), and the output signal will be closer to what you want to hear.

With this, you would play a bit, and record it, and listen to it, and then decide what/who needs to be louder, or quieter, and adjust the levels until you get the balance that you would like, then you could record it.

The microphones will need something called a pre-amp (pre-amplifier) which will boost the signal. The Synthesizer will output a stronger signal, and can plug directly into the mixer.

Most mixers/recording interfaces have a switch or something to change between microphone, or line-level instrument. The synth can plug into the mixer directly, and it wouldn't need a pre-amp. The guitar on the other hand, if you can plug directly into the guitar, it may not need a pre-amp, an electric guitar may need one, or an accoustic guitar will need one.
posted by MrPhilC at 3:15 PM on January 9, 2010


Something like an Alesis Multimix could be a good option as it works as both a mixer and a multichannel audio interface. You can record everything at once as a scratch track and then go back over each part individually to get clean recordings of each part, monitoring the scratch track through headphones so you can hit your harmonies.

A couple home recording resources:
Home Recording BBS
Tweak's Guide
posted by jjb at 3:15 PM on January 9, 2010


The mixer would be used as an input for all the mics. So 5 inputs -> mixer -> Then (ideally) a stereo (2 channel) mix into the PC.

Here's where you run into issues. The Mixer like the one above only allows 2 mic inputs because you need a mic-preamp to get the mic signal up to line level. In case you don't know the input level (strength) of signal coming out of a mic is lower then what comes out of your synth which is at "line level". The pre-amp brings mic-level up to line-level. BTW Don't mic your synth it should have a line out.

If you have more then 2 mics you would need to get an external mic-preamp for every mics 3+ (For example

Now I've been a bit out of this arena for a while but I don't think you'd want to externally mix these down to 2 tracks (usually you mix down to 2 a left and a right). You really want to find something that can allow you to record each instrument/mic separately so you can mix them in ableton. From a quick look it looks like the lexicon devices may do what you want it to do (you might need a few of those mic pre-amps though).

I'd go into a GuitarCenter or something like that and ask them.
posted by bitdamaged at 3:17 PM on January 9, 2010


Best answer: The Lexicon Alpha has a two channel line-in input, which means you could put two mics into a mixer, pan them left and right, plug the mixer's main outs into the interface's line-in and record them as separate tracks in Ableton. Then maybe you could record the synth and guitar parts together, and play that back on headphones while you record the two vocal parts.

The Lexicon Omega will definitely let you record two mics at a time, but since the Lexicon Alpha already records two channels, you are essentially spending $160 to get an extra mic input. Buying the mixer will do the same thing for $100 less, although slightly more complicated setup.
posted by AlsoMike at 3:27 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thank you, everyone.

This is particularly interesting to me:

"The microphones will need something called a pre-amp (pre-amplifier) which will boost the signal."

since I notice that the signal with voices and acoustic instruments, is way too low in volume.

In general, my recordings are too low.

If you want to see what I mean (and I'm SURE you do) my current "recordings" are
here

Obviously there are a lot of problems, but I'm beginning all this from scratch at age 59.

ars longa vita brevis et cet.

Thank you.
posted by DMelanogaster at 4:08 PM on January 9, 2010


Response by poster: SORRY

that's the wrong link! it's

here
posted by DMelanogaster at 4:11 PM on January 9, 2010


First of all, great band name!

Even if you are going to all play and sing at the same time, I think it is far preferable to mike into separate tracks, rather than using a small mixer into a 2-input interface. In order to do that, you'd have to either buy a 4-input interface, or see whether you can buy another inexpensive 2-track interface and have both running at the same time. I don't know how you do that on a PC, but in Mac OS X you can have more than one "Core Audio Device" plugged in at once.

A quick google search of "4-input audio interface" brings up several around $199 or a little less, but it also depends whether you're going to use it with a desktop or a laptop.
posted by umbĂș at 6:46 PM on January 9, 2010


Your Parents rock! You should visit Metafilter Music and post your songs there.

Also, one quick way to get your low levels up as you mix down is to use the "normalize" function.
posted by umbĂș at 6:54 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]


NB

Mic pre-amps are built into mixers with mic inputs.

If you use any condenser mics, you'll need to turn on the mixer's "phantom power."

Muddiness can be reduced thru judicious application of equalization (EQ), specifically, cutting frequencies around 200 Hz.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:57 AM on January 10, 2010


Response by poster: umbu', a question:

where do I find the "normalize" function?

thank you everyone
posted by DMelanogaster at 4:29 AM on January 12, 2010


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