Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with 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?

A hardware solution for recording PC output MUST exist somewhere in the world.

khelvan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:50:16 -0800

How can I record the output of one PC, up to resolutions of 1900x1200, via another PC or another piece of hardware? I am trying to find a way that I can record the output of one PC with another PC, in HD/at resolutions up to 1900x1200 (or more), and none of the solutions I have tried so far work. Software screencasting solutions won't help me as I am trying to record things such as operating system installations for tutorials; no software can be running. Basically I want to use the second of my two video card outputs for the recording device. I don't necessarily need to record audio output as well, though that would be a big bonus.

I would like to be able to capture the output from several different computers, which currently all use DVI. I've tried a combination of the Hauppauge HD PVR and various cables/converters to try and convert my DVI output to component video so that the Hauppauge can record, but nothing I've tried so far has worked to convert the signal.

I am not tied to this solution, if there is some sort of capture card available that will allow me to quickly and painlessly capture the signal, I'll happily put aside/return the Hauppauge.

Is there some simple solution out there that I have overlooked? This situation is beginning to be frustrating, so I hope that someone out there can help.

Thank you very much!

Can I have my own black box?

tiamat — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:39:22 -0800

Is there such as thing as a personal audio recorder that has a rolling 'black box' feature where hitting the record button will start recording now, but also save the previous X minutes of recording data? I work in a job where it's often necessary to record conversations, and sometimes by the time you know you want to you've already missing something, which then causes a bit of a stilted pause as you get the recorder going and ask someone to repeat that last bit.....

So,

Is there an audio recorder that I could keep in my pocket, running all the time, which would only actually save data if I hit the button?

I've hit Google, but I'm not sure my terms are correct.

Thanks!

(and for the privacy nuts out there, don't worry, this is very legal in the context I do it.)

Many iPhones, One recording?

davereed — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:14:39 -0800

Audio/mobile phone idea/question: I was at my kid's band concert recently, trying to record some of it for Grandma. I only thought of it after we got there so I was using my iPhone. Not a bad recorder, but it's hand held. It picks up me moving in my seat, people fidgeting, etc. Why isn't there an app/service where I could record the concert on my less-than-professional-equipment, and a bunch of OTHER Dads and Moms record the same thing from other vantage points (with other noise!) then put 'em all together subtract the noise and end up with a beautifull, clear, stereo recording. With the iphone's bluetooth/wifi/gps the iphones should be able to figure out where they are relative to each other. Is the doable? Am I nuts? Does it already exist?

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?

We need a Hallmark card... with video!

czechmate — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:26:06 -0800

Is there a way to record just a few minutes of video (like Hallmark does with cards) so our Grandfather can keep it by his bedside and watch it to his heart's content? My Grandfather-in-law is dying of cancer at the moment and we were told yesterday that he's unable to walk and does not have much longer to live. There's simply no way we can travel there to be with him. It's a mixture of my pregnancy and money. Last minute tickets to Czech (for my husband) are just out of our league.

We want to send him a video.. something small, telling him we love him. He can't talk on Skype anymore because he's unable to get out of bed. Is there a device that allows a few moments of recording and watching, like Hallmark does with recordable cards?

Is there something we could construct (cheaply) that will do this for us? Plus, something that can play whenever he touches a button so if he wants to play it over and over, he can?

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?

Is the musical album dead?

analogue — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:53:00 -0800

Is it worth my time to record an album in the digital age? Perhaps not the deepest philosophical conundrum, but let's just say I'm a moderately successful musician with several albums under my belt. Traditionally I've released a new album every three years or so since 1997.

For each album, I've spent nearly a third of my time just on the artistic direction of the album, think of it as "the concept", basically the entire art "experience" of the person buying the album. That means artwork, packaging, track order, marketing plan, singles and remixes, and overall sound (think of this last item as a mixing or production methodology, basically a list of rules to ensure each song "sounds" like it belong on the album).

With the advent of iTunes I'm personally finding myself buying less and less albums in favor of individual songs. And though my previous albums are selling significantly less physical units, when I look at the digital sales reports from my distributor, I've noticed that the quantity of "entire album" digital sales is actually higher than the amount of physical units we have sold in the past. That is, I'm selling more "albums" than ever before, so even though people have the option of purchasing individual songs or whole albums, more folks than ever are buying the albums.

So if you're still with me, my question is this: As I start putting together the concept for my next musical endeavor, do I need to think of it as an album or do I just put out a bunch of songs? If it's the latter, I will definitely miss the artistic process of creating the whole package, but maybe it just means this curmudgeon needs to get with the times.

Chicken Soup with Rice song

camcgee — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:18:47 -0800

Anyone remember a non-Carole King version of the song "Chicken Soup with Rice"? I am looking for a recording of the song "Chicken Soup with Rice." A google search only yielded a recording by Carole King on the "Really Rosie" album. This isn't the version I remember; the one I remember is of a man with a deep, nasally voice singing. I think this particular version accompanied the paperback version (not the Nutshell Library) of the book. (Note: this is camcgee's wife, borrowing my husband's account)

Sound advice

Zenabi — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:55:12 -0800

I am looking for recommendations for a recording interface and self-powered monitors. The Firebox gets rave reviews but I recall reading somewhere that there are now newer/better alternatives. Is this the case?

Living in South Africa doesn't help as the price for the Presonus Firebox is truly insane ($250-00 in the US - $759-00 here!)

Equipment:

- Quad core Q9550 with 4 Gig DDR 3 RAM - Audigy 4 sound card (could this be used for anything later?) - SONAR 7 - Behringer Eurorack MX1604A - Rode NT1-A

Due to the pricing here, it looks as if purchasing in the US via credit card and having the items shipped over here seems to be the way to go - any dealer recommendations or advice? Also, any other advice regarding the equipment/assembly of a home studio would be most welcome.

At this stage, I am uncertain whether I should use the Behringer mixer or how best to wire it in to break the pure digital setup (more advice required!) TIA

Using PC Monitor for Console Games?

flatluigi — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:45:39 -0800

How can I play console games through my computer monitor? I have a shabby old television that I use to play my Wii on. It occurred to me the other day that I have a much better monitor that I use for PC gaming and it would be pretty nice if I could set it up to play on that.

What do I need to get to do that? I'm aware of some hardware I can buy to play through my PC for recording purposes (such as a GameBridge), but that's unnecessary for what I need and I'd like to know of cheaper alternatives.

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.

What is the best Electronic News Gathering microphone for my Zoom H4n on a $150 budget? Also, critique suggestions I've already received.

DumbPoet — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:37:34 -0800

What is the best Electronic News Gathering microphone for my Zoom H4n on a $150 budget? Also, critique suggestions I've already received. I decided to purchase the H4n after this post, which nearly changed my mind.

Now I'm looking for the perfect starting microphone to round out my kit.

Priorities

Price: $150 or less

Purpose: Conducting interviews in locations ranging from very noisy (Stadium crowd) to very quite (office). The mic will serve as my vocal track while I collect ambient noise with the H4n's onboard mics.

Style: Cardiod or Shotgun, dynamic or phantom powered.

Advice I've Received So Far

"If I could only have one microphone, it would be hard to decide between my MD46 and ME66, which are the two I probably use the most. I think for audio-only reporting (where you're not worried about whether the mic appears on camera), the MD46 would probably win. It's excellent, and durable, and you'll probably still be using it 30 years from now if you stay involved in the business.

Now in all fairness, I should say that the Sennheiser E835 is almost exactly the same microphone as the MD46; acoustically and electronically they are pretty much identical. The only real difference is that the MD46 is physically longer and heavier, and therefore it is easier to use as a hand-held interviewing mic. But either one would work fine from a sound perspective, and the E835 is a lot cheaper, even more so if you can share the cost of a 3-pack with a couple of your friends."

Is the Sennheiser E835 really that similary to the MD64? If so, do the E8* series (The e845, for instance) grow in quality for my purposes as their series number rises?

Webcam recording softwrae

gocubbies — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:36:47 -0800

I need to record myself giving a presentation for school. My laptop has a built in webcam and microphone. What free Windows software would you recommend for this task?

Recover corrupted audio file?

roaring beast — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:42:49 -0800

Can I recover this corrupted audio file (wma)? I recorded it on my handheld digital recorder (Olympus WS-100). It recorded fine, but then it disappeared on the handset. Then when I plugged it into USB and downloaded it, it wouldn't open.

I understand that this happens sometimes with this recorder. Is there any hope in recovering it? I put the file online here (13 mb): http://drop.io/2r64v6o#

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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.

[Bootleg Filter] Help me recreate my girlfriend's most memorable experience

racardoso — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:09:12 -0800

My girlfriend's birthday is next month and I would like to offer her the opportunity to relive her most memorable experience: Radiohead's Concert at Coliseu dos Recreios (Lisbon) in 24 July 2002. Can you help me do it? She often talks about the hum she took home from the concert's last music, Karma Police. I would really love to see her smile when she listens to it once again...
To do this I'm planning to give her a mp3 player loaded with a recording of that particular concert. The problem is that I can't find it!
I've already found a setlist. I was even able to find some bootleg collectors that listed this recording, but they didn't answer me and on their websites they stated that they would only trade recordings.
Do you have any suggestions on where to look next?

Is it actually illegal to record conversations in MA?

um_maverick — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:50:30 -0800

Does the requirement for two-party consent to record conversations in Massachusetts (and other states) really mean that I can't legally record any audio from public places without getting the consent of everybody who can be heard on the recording? Massachusetts is a "two-party consent" state which means "it is a crime to record any conversation, whether oral or wire, without the consent of all parties" (Source) Does this mean that, technically, I can't do things like video/audio record a family party unless all parties consent to it? Is there an exception for conversations that occur in a public place? The law doesn't mention any exceptions, but it seems to be awfully overbearing without some "common sense" exceptions.

And yes, I know YANML, but this article brought the issue to my attention.

Thanks!

Best digital audio recording device for elderly people?

1001 questions — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:27:10 -0800

Best digital audio recording device for elderly people? I'd like to start recording some family history via digital audio devices. The recording will be done by the person speaking so I'd like to find one that is fairly simply to operate.

Some requirements:

- Easy to make recordings (i.e. no super tiny buttons that are hard to figure out).
- Doesn't matter if it's "hard" to delete a recording as they can just avoid doing deletions.
- Non-removable storage might be fine (they could simply mail me the device) but there needs to be a method for me to download the files to a Mac. Removable storage would be preferred though.
- Ability to make/record lengthy files (i.e. an hour or more).
- Decent sound quality. It doesn't have to be pro-quality audio, but on the other hand I want a fair amount of clarity. I imagine most (or all) of the recordings will take place in a fairly quiet interior location, so the device's mic will likely be used. If sound quality results are poor (or if it's easier for the person speaking) I may get an external mic.

Other options I have tossed out:

- Using a video camera. May be used in the future for scheduled interviews, but not worth the hassle for on-the-spot memory recordings when the speaker is worried about how they look.
- Recording via phone (either to voice mail or during a conversation being recorded on the other end). Sound quality is a bit lower (especially if they are using a cell phone). Recording phone conversations have their place, but it's not what I'm going for here.
- Recording to a pc. Not too convenient as they'd have to boot it up, sit in a certain spot, etc. A cheap laptop may work better, but then there are user interface issues.

I've read some past threads/questions about digital audio recorders, but they are from some years ago and I know a host of newer equipment has some out since then. So what are some good devices to look at?

How do I make myself & my field audio recorder useful?

ejfox — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:33:59 -0800

I just bought a Zoom H4n and I enjoy making field recordings, how do I make useful recordings? (Or who would care about the recordings I've made?) I was reading the wikipedia page for Field Recordings and I noticed that both Ethnomusicology and Bioacoustics seemed interesting. I am wondering if there are people who would benefit from the recordings that I make in my spare time.

For example, I imagine there might happen to be a university somewhere that would like to hear relatively high-quality recordings of a certain type of forest at a certain time in upstate New York (where I live). Maybe that's crazy though, and the recordings are just interesting recordings (and that is rewarding enough, mind you.)

I've also made recordings of local independent folk / punk / ska bands playing at small venues, would this hold any relevance to someone studying Ethnomusicology?

Suggestions of groups of people who might be interested in the recordings I've already made, or suggestions of better things to record that might be more useful are greatly appreciated.

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. :)