Me+band+computer=MP3

James Hart · #1 10-28-2002, 12:21 AM

We pieced together an old computer to keep at our practice space, loaded it with cakewalk and tested it out today.

one mike on the drums, one on the guitar amp and the DI from my ashdown all plugged to the PA. We used the Monitor out of the PA to get the signal into the sound card. First we recorded drum, bass & guitar. Then dubbed the vocal and lead.

My lines are still weak, but I'm having fun

Inside Out (4.45mb)

Good Bye (4.11mb)

Wrong Robot · #2 10-28-2002, 12:39 AM

hey thats pretty fat...the singer has a kind of pearl jam cky thing going for him, it fits in pretty well. sounds good.
computers are great recording tools....the recording quality is great.

James Hart · #3 10-28-2002, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrong Robot
hey thats pretty fat...the singer has a kind of pearl jam cky thing going for him, it fits in pretty well. sounds good.
computers are great recording tools....the recording quality is great.

Thanks Robot, we're still collecting the equiptment and need to tweek the computer some (it's an old box).

Wrong Robot · #4 10-28-2002, 09:51 AM

yea, but it still sounds good...which is what I love about recording to a computer, definatly you could use a nice mixer and maybe a compressor, to get more seperation between each player....cause though the quality is good, the only mark I'd give it(knowing its not a pro recording) is that its muddled to due your one mic situation.

DarkMazda · #5 10-28-2002, 05:40 PM

sounds good.. but couple of things

1) Mix the bass a little lower.. Drowining the guitar a little
2) The Sound is clipping.. lower the master volume for that in Cakewalk
3) sounds your guitarist is our of tune for the first part..

other than sounds really good.. your singer does have that Eddie Vedder thing

DM

James Hart · #6 10-29-2002, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkMazda
1) Mix the bass a little lower.. Drowining the guitar a little

we planned a second guitar track... but the drums would have disapeared if we did.

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkMazda

2) The Sound is clipping.. lower the master volume for that in Cakewalk

we tried to keep it all low, a compressor is on the 'to-buy' list

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkMazda

3) sounds your guitarist is our of tune for the first part..

heheh... we've been after him to change strings (8 month old now) He's so amazed they haven't broke we hasn't changed them.... guess what, his 'A' broke while setting levels.

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkMazda

other than sounds really good.. your singer does have that Eddie Vedder thing

cool, I don't know if I should let him know that, He's without ego currently.

Thanks for taking the time to listen

**Josh Ryan** · #7 10-29-2002, 08:42 AM

I don't think you should mix the bass lower at all. I do think you need to eq it differently to avoid squashing too much of the guitar though. A compressor will help, but it really sounds like you have distortion from the input signal. Good Job! Nice tunes! Just for a frame of reference, I'm listening through a reference amp and some AKG 240M headphones. (I don't know, I always wish people would tell me that stuff when I get feedback.)

James Hart · #8 10-29-2002, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Blisshead
but it really sounds like you have distortion from the input signal.

I'm having issues with my bass... it's almost as if I'm overloading my pickups

I think it's the sub standard wiring I connected the barts to. I'm thinking of direct connecting them to the jack to see if that fixes it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Blisshead
Good Job! Nice tunes!

Thanks, the guitarist choose these to start with, Sunday we'll be recording a couple I'm happier with my lines in.

Quote:

Originally posted by Blisshead
Just for a frame of reference, I'm listening through a reference amp and some AKG 240M headphones. (I don't know, I always wish people would tell me that stuff when I get feedback.)

Good deal, I always assume everyones computer sounds like mine (I got rid of my stereo system because my computer sounded better)

**Josh Ryan** · #9 10-29-2002, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by speddling
...snip...(I got rid of my stereo system because my computer sounded better)

Me too, as components got old and died, I moved to hooking an amp up to the pc and leaving it at that. I never really listen to the radio, but we have a couple of old ones around for NPR.

James Hart · #10 11-03-2002, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by speddling

I'm having issues with my bass... it's almost as if I'm overloading my pickups

I think it's the sub standard wiring I connected the barts to. I'm thinking of direct connecting them to the jack to see if that fixes it.

w00t!

Yup, it was the wiring... but not how I figured. My Barts are model 59J #1 (split coil hum-cancelling design - think of them as a "P-Bass pair in box"). They DID NOT LIKE being in series

I wired them parallel straight to the jack and they are no longer choked and I don't need to be gentle with the strings