Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with music and recording

Basic multi-track recording of a medium-size group on my computer?

DoubleMark — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:30:18 -0800

I've got a large collection of (mostly electric/electronic) instruments, and even some people to play them. The one hole in my musical setup is recording. I'm a wind instrumentalist originally, so I know little of the ways of preamps and what have you. Help me get started recording on my computer! Instrumentation details inside. I've reviewed the previous MeFi literature, and I think my real stumbling block is the metric buttload (defined as "number above four") of instruments I'd like to record at once. I know the first step is a proper audio interface; I'm fine with USB or firewire, and understand firewire is preferable. I'll note than I'm running Windows. However, figuring out what will take the right number and types of inputs, or what other hardware I need, is kind of intimidating. Hive mind, get me started with recording at home!

First, two microphones. That's easy. I need two XLR inputs, and they'll need preamps. Fine. I follow that part, and there are plenty of recommendations on which microphones to use elsewhere.

Next, digital instruments. I have an electronic drum kit and piano, both coming in at line level (stereo for the drums, mono for the piano). I suppose I could scoop up either or both via MIDI and work with it afterward, but I'm especially pleased with the sound on the piano, and would like to just use it if possible.

Finally, the fun part. Add in two guitars and a bass, all electric. Something that accepts inputs at instrument level would be fantastic. However, if push comes to shove, I've two guitar amps that have line-level (headphone) out that I could use, no such feature on the bass. I understand that this may be a bit noisy, and that would be bad, but I'd need a lot of instrument-level preamps otherwise. I hear that it's more common to mike guitar output, but let's say that's financially out right now.

What hardware do I want? Something entry-level is all I need for the foreseeable future, but I don't see many things that take the right number of inputs. Am I asking for something that doesn't exist at that level? About how much is this going to run?

Looking for a Henry Rollins Recording

alan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:20:15 -0800

I'm looking for a Henry Rollins spoken word recording that may not exist! A bunch of years back I remember hearing a Henry Rollins ~~stand up~~ spoken word performance where he talked about (among other things) looking in the mirror one morning and being shocked to see a man instead of a boy looking back.

I've gone through all the recordings I own and I haven't been able to find it. Does this exist in recorded form or am I making it up?

How do they fix performance glitches when doing post-production on "live" recordings?

Joe Beese — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:18:09 -0800

How do they fix performance glitches when doing post-production on "live" recordings? Assuming that they don't have multiple performances to splice together, how do they correct a singer's pitch or fix an instrumentalist's late entrance?

If they simply record a new part in the studio, how do they approximate the venue's acoustics?

Going to 11 not necessary.

cmoj — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:32:57 -0800

How best to stay on beat, then find out how I sound to an audience. After playing guitar and singing for years, feeling pretty pessimistic about my ability I set my laptop (MacBook Pro) to record on its built in mic while I played a set's worth of material. Hey! I'm not bad at all, except my rhythm isn't so solid here and there (which I already knew.) If I can work that out, I'd be considering performing, which I've always wanted to do.

The thing is, a metronome doesn't help me. The flat tick. tick. tick. tick. isn't groovy at all, and ends up confusing me. I want to be able to make drum tracks that I can pipe either into an earbud or through a PA or whatever I'm playing through. I might even want to put in a rudimentary bass line. I could do this in garage band or anything similar, but what are my other options? Are there solutions that would let me (I'm not sure how to say this) queue up another few measures if I wanna keep soloing or do an extended outro?

The other part: How can I record myself in such a way that I'd have the best idea of how I'd sound to an audience? Will a 4-track recorder and a mic across the room do it? Will a mic through adapters give me significantly better sound on my MBP?

request Ableton/Alpha Lexicon recording help, please

DMelanogaster — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:28:13 -0800

I have Ableton and a Lexicon Alpha interface but I can't really make music because of TWO problems I cannot solve: (1) horrible screeching feedback; (2) I can make midi tracks and hear them playback but I cannot hear my voice when I play it back. so here are the problems:

(1) I have altered the settings for buffers, latency, all that stuff, and I can't get it to not make horrible screeching feedback noise

(2) I can play midi tracks and play them back ok. When I switch to Audio, however, I can record myself singing through a mike that is plugged into my interface (which is plugged into my computer's USB port) but I cannot HEAR myself singing via playback. I can SEE the volume go up and down, and I can SEE the graphic evidence on the screen that I have actually recorded my voice, but obviously I am not using the correct drivers for audio (I think). This happens regardless of what drivers I use -- the ones that are built into my computer's sound card or even switching to ASIO4all or whatever that's called.

Any help greatly appreciated. thank you.

Quality of recordings on Arte Nova label?

mediareport — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:07:23 -0800

Classical music fans: What's your opinion of the quality of the artists and recordings on the ultra-cheap Arte Nova label? I like a lot of the budget Naxos releases but have been seeing very cheap Arte Nova cds around and was wondering what that label's reputation is among folks who listen to a lot of classical music. Are they adequate, terrible, surprisingly good for the price or what? I'm a relative novice to the stuff, if that matters.

DAW scripting

vanar sena — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:22:01 -0800

What tools and/or DAW software do I need to automate DAW actions through scripts? Digital music recording and production is very new to me, but I have some programming experience. It occurs to me that being able to write scripts to automate DAW actions (setting EQ, effects, mix levels etc) would be fun and useful. The ideal DAW would allow running of scripts just as easily as triggering other DAW events using automation tracks, or even the generation of automation tracks via scripts.

Are there any DAWs that support this out of the box? What languages and tools do I need to know/have?

For reference, I have the following software at the moment: REAPER, RiffWorks, GarageBand on OS X; Ardour and LMMS on Linux, though I find working with audio on Linux too trying to bother most of the time.

Apologies if this is an RTFM question; if this is the case, some pointers to FMs would be perfect.

Wherez my snare? Wherez my micz?

sully75 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 04:50:57 -0800

What are the best music recording resources? (Web sites, discussion boards, books, etc) I'm looking for something like strobist.com for music recording. I don't think there is such a thing, but what can I piece together to get a better idea of things like mic placement, acoustics, etc? I don't know much. I see a lot of discussion boards on various sites but not sure which the best ones to follow are.

For what it's worth mostly what I'm doing is acoustic music, voice and guitar, and also a lot of fiddle stuff. But I'm also interested in things like midi/beats/rock.

I have no idea what I'm talking about, that's why I'm asking the question. Also, I did see the recent post on musicians recording thought process, but I'm not at the point to take advantage of that yet, or at least, I need some super basics too.

Thanks!

If only Narcissus weren't such a jerk...

invitapriore — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:19:19 -0800

How do I improve the acoustics in a room not really cut out for recording? I want to do some recordings in my home, preferably in my bedroom. It's not the best venue for the task, though, as the wide expanses of drywall make for a lot of echoes. Are there any easy ways to make an area where I can record without extraneous noise? I don't know if it's relevant, but I will be using a condenser mic with cardioid directionality to record voice and instruments.

Recommendations for books (and films?) about musicians and their creative process?

aielen — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:24:19 -0800

Recommendations for music-related books (and films?) like Geoff Emerick's "Here, There and Everywhere"? I've just finished reading Geoff Emerick's "Here, There and Everywhere" on his experiences recording the Beatles. I enjoyed it tremendously; I like the way it balances interesting details on the creative process with insights on the Beatles' characters and interaction without coming across as overly biased or petty (imo, anyway). I particularly liked reading about the sound-engineering aspects involved, and the technical innovations devised to fulfill the musicians' artistic vision. (For me, the authors wrote about the technical aspects in a very accessible way - easy enough for a layman to understand, but still with enough detail and explanation to interest any reader.)

What can I read, next? I'd love to read similar books.

I guess I'm not really interested in biographies on musicians' personal lives; rather, I'm interested in learning about their creative process and perhaps how they drew from their personal lives to fuel and enhance their approach to their craft - and not just in terms of songwriting and performance, but also in recording.

If there are any good films that cover similar subjects, with a similar approach, I'd love to hear about them too. No particular preference for any specific music genre or time period - I like hearing about the development of plainchant as much as I like learning about the DIY punk movement, etc. :)

Where can I get an mbox driver for Windows Vista?

KevinSkomsvold — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:40:58 -0800

Is it possible to get an mbox (not mbox 2) to work in Vista without ProTools LE? Is it possible to find a USB driver for this mbox and Vista? I've used ProTools and hate it with a white-hot hate. I'd like to use this mbox (made in 2001) with Vista 64. Am I SOL?

Trying to set up a home studio...

DMan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:00:43 -0800

A few quick questions about home music recording, including gear and technique... So I'm in a group that wants to experiment with recording some stuff (Christian praise band) and although I know a little bit about the process, I have a few questions.

First, a recording interface: We have 6 total audio sources that we'll want to record--2 guitars, 2 vocalists, a bass, and drums. However, it's my understanding that it's very uncommon to record everything at once anyway, so we can probably use maybe a 4-input recording interface, right? I was thinking something like the Presonus Firebox, which has 2 XLR's, 2 instrument-level inputs, MIDI and SPDIF. It also comes with Cubase, which seems like a huge plus starting out.

Second, what's standard practice as far as recording procedure? Do we record everything at once? One instrument at a time? The methodical engineer side of me says to record one thing at a time for simplicity's sake, but the musician in me says that it's going to be kind of frustrating for each person to play their part individually with only headphones to play along with. Is it standard to have the whole band play, and only record one or two instruments at a time? Or should most musicians expect to have to play alone in a studio situation? I honestly have no idea how this is supposed to work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated--basically, I'm looking for general advice about home studio recording, both in equipment and procedure. Thanks all!

Help me rock harder than I already do.

crapples — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:32:20 -0800

Recording software/hardware filter: I wanna rock even harder than I already do... Give me some technical advise. My friend and I write and record music. We sell it online, and we have actually earned ourselves a fan or two. However, we have one major problem: The sound quality of our audio is just not up to snuff. We are a low-fi outfit, recording with a MacBook Pro, using Garageband as our mixer. We record into a microphones that cost about $50, and sometimes even into the MacBook Pro internal mic. We play mostly acoustic guitar, bass, sometimes keyboard, and of course there are vocals.

What would be the top one or two things that we should do to get a more professional sound? Is it the recording environment that makes the difference? The microphone? The Macbook? The software? All of the above? If we only have a little bit of money to spend and we want to improve the sound quality, what will get us the biggest bang for the buck?

Thanks!

Garageband optical audio

acro — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:39:47 -0800

Using optical audio input on Macbookpro 15" and Edirol m10dx, but when I open garage band and arm the tracks it arms for .5 seconds ... then disarms. Other programs -Reaper, AudioHijackpro, Audacity all recognize the optical audio fine. Any suggestions much appreciated. Thanks MetaFilter.

Adobe Audacity vs Logic Express

treepour — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:04:40 -0800

Switched to Mac, looking for Adobe Audacity replacement. Should I go for Logic Express? I used Audacity primarily for two things (in order priority):

1) Splicing existing recordings together as seamlessly as possible. Here I used the "Echo Chamber" effects quite extensively. These helped create the sense that the musicians stopped playing and then started playing something else -- the ambient echo of the previous section carried on into the next.

2) Severely warping recorded sounds via a variety of filters/effects, combining them together via the multitrack interface, mixing the multiple tracks down to single tracks then continuing the process.

Can I do these kinds of things with Logic Express? Or would I be better off using Audacity via Windows vmware? Learning a new piece of software isn't a problem, I just want to make sure that the software will enable the kinds of things I want to do. Also, any other similarly-priced Mac recommendations for this sort of thing besides Logic Express would be appreciated.

Best Sound Card for my PC?

KevinSkomsvold — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:34:01 -0800

What is the best audio card for my "old" PC? I'll be using it for home recording. I quit my band and want to focus on my own music. I have a little (not a lot) money to play with and have settled on getting a Digitech RP350 which has Cubase LE4 bundled with it. Cool so far but my PC eats ass in terms of the sound card. I have a RealTek AC97 PCI card running on a P4 Windows box. What could I get away with that would make my stunning musical masterpieces come to life? I'm looking in the $40 to $50 range but I'm open to any suggestions that might fit my Windows machine.

Home Recording - Basic Equipment - Mixdown Volume Very Low

Brettus — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:28:57 -0800

The final mixdown on music I have created at home is very low in volume. How can I raise the volume of my final tracks without getting that god-awful digital clipping? I hope that you all can be kind enough to relate the answer directly to the software that I am using. Currently I am recording and mixing the tracks with Sonar 4 Producer. All instrumental tracks are put through a Line 6 PODxt Live and are then ran into the Line In on the back of the PC. Most songs end up with 2 guitar tracks, bass, drums (created in Fruity Loops), and a couple of misc tracks (piano, organ, percussion).

I have then tried to dump the tracks into Sound Forge 6.0 and use the Normalize feature to raise the volume. I have also tried the "Wave Hammer" compressor. All of this does the trick, but not to the extent that I would like.

Any suggestions? Are there any other peices of software that will do this specific function for me automatically and much better than what is available to me through Sonar or SF?

Home recording advice for newbie with digital piano and laptop...

wibbler — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:08:46 -0800

I have a Roland F-50 digital piano and a laptop. How do I connect them to record songs, do basic mixing and loop chord sequences? I will need a cable from the piano to the laptop (of course!) - but what one?! - and advice on software. Cubase Sequel 2 seems to fit the bill (I'm a newbie) but I've no idea if it's any good or not.

Maybe I need an interface box that could do the sound looping etc instead?

Music gurus needed for advice! Thanks in advance.

How much does a professional music producer cost?

dcruzin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:24:38 -0800

What's the price range for a professional music producer for a rock band? We're looking at working with one producer but want to be sure we're getting a good deal. Are there any questions/features we should be asking the producer about to make sure we're getting a good deal? Right now he's telling us it's about $1500-$2000 per song, is that the going rate? We're a band based in Seattle and looking at working with a local producer through a friend of ours.

We're going to ask him about any additional costs like mastering, but since we've never worked with a producer before we want to make sure to ask him the right questions and cover our bases.

Any experiences/advice is welcome. Thanks!

Where to learn about keyboard synthesis?

Me, The Snake — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:36:22 -0800

What are some good resources (books, sites etc.) to learn synthesizer techniques? Hey all. I'm really getting into keyboard synthesis, however, I'm having a hard time finding good resources to learn about the craft. Does anyone have recommendations for books or websites etc. on synthesis? I'm looking for explanations on creating common sounds - woodwinds, strings, tr-808 and 909 drum sounds - so I can start building some custom patches. Thanks for your advice!

Musical sketchpad

LSK — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:19:37 -0800

I've heard a font about digital recording devices and how they obsolete tapes. I've considered getting a portable digital recorder to record song ideas, like a sketchpad. The catch: I want to record multiple parts. Are there any small, portable, cheap four-track recorders? It doesn't need to have the full functionality offered by a real four-track.

Mixing engineer in Sacramento?

TheCoug — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:00:35 -0800

Looking for a good mixing engineer near Sacramento. We have tracks recorded in Logic (easily sent to Protools) and need a pro to help make them sound pretty.

Which audio interface to get

BrnP84 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:14:03 -0800

I'm looking for an affordable recording interface and I think I have it narrowed down to these two M-Audio products, this one and this one. From what little I know I heard that firewire is the way to go with an interface, less lag or whatever, is this really that important and what does this mean when it comes to recording? What's the big downside to a USB interface because from what I've noticed is that they're generally cheaper. People told me about this interface, it looks pretty simple and it's cheap but it's USB powered. I plan on just using it to hook up a guitar to and eventually a mic but it doesn't have an XLR jack, I would probably just use one of those XLR to 1/4 adapters to hook up a mic. Is USB really that much worse than firewire when it comes to an interface? I'm not looking for super high quality recordings but I wanna make sure I'm getting a product that isn't too crappy. I don't really want to spend more than 70$ (I can ebay the solo for about that and the toneport for about 50) but if someone can give me a good reason to shell out the bucks for the 410 I might consider getting it or something else. Sorry I kinda posted a similar question a few months ago but now I'm trying to get to the bottom of this whole USB vs. Firewire issue.

Help me be a one man band

jpdoane — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:51:07 -0800

I have been using JamStudio for a while now to quickly throw together backing tracks to practice guitar with. This website is great and highly recommended, but I now want something similar but which is more powerful/flexible, has better audio quality and variety, and which will integrate with my recording software (currently Cubase). Midi based would be perfect. I plan to use this mostly for practicing, but also for some recording. What I want is to simply define a chord progression and choose for a list of rhythm patterns in a variety of styles (rock, jazz, blues, etc - I am not interested in techno type stuff). I don't want to mess around with writing actual basslines and drum patterns (although having the option to do this would be fine). Free is great, but I don't mind spending a bit. Threshold of pain is ~$100 (although if you have a suggestion thats perfect but more $, I'd still like to hear about it)

I have Cubase LE 4, which comes with a bunch of Midi plugins, but everything I've seen requires you to program each note individually, and really aren't geared for auto-generating backing tracks. I also have ezDrummer , so drums are covered, and I basically I want the same thing for guitar and bass (or at least just bass). I've seen this, but it seems way overkill, (used to) cost $286, and appears to be discontinued.

How Do I get started in the recording side of the music business?

photomusic86 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:31:28 -0800

Where's a good starting place for a 22 year-old looking to get into the recording studio side of the music business? I don't have any training of any sort, classes or work. I'm kind of hoping for on-the-job training, or internships, all unrelated to schooling. Or are college classes necessary?
I'm very interested in getting into the field, and my only real qualification is an acute musical ear.
Cleveland or North-east Ohio if you have location specifics, please and thank you