Recording our Band

[Geddyfleaharris]

*WARNING - COMPLETE n00b ON DIY RECORDING*

After much debating and the realization that most of the guys in the band don't have the extra cash to finance recording more of our tunes (we did a 3 song CD at a local recording studio about a year ago) we have decided that we would like to try and set up a recording situation in our practice spot. We are a 5 piece band playing heavy rock (2 guitars, vocals, bass, drums).

I am prepared to purchase some gear (mics will be each player's responsibility) in order to embark on this process. I am looking for some direction as to how I/we should approach the equipment needed for this. Our idea is to record the basic tracks live and then have each player clean up his parts and obviously vocals separately.

Would we be better to use computer software? I have a 2 year old Compaq system that I am going to donate to the band for recording. What basic equipment would we need if we went this route? Or is a digital studio the way to go? i.e. a Boss BR-1600CD. I have seen these and am intrigued by them. Or is there any point in combining a computer with a digital recording studio?

I warned you - n00b.

Our hope is that we achieve at least demo quality recordings. Or are we fooling ourselves?

Thanks for any help provided.

[dmilt23451]

http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

Check out their website it has all sorts of really good information on all of your different options...probably way more information than we could try to share with you on here

[Joeykun]

Hey Jack,

I use a Korg D1600 digital recorder with the built in cd writer and they sound great. Some of my friends have the 8 channel BOSS unit and those are good as well.

I have yet to get into the computor based recording stuff. Still old school I guess. But, with the digital recorders you can mic everything and get a good live base to start from. Then you can go in and polish up any parts over the drums. They have good effects and final mix settings so you can get the best possible sound to cd.

I have done several live recordings for demos this way and you really can make a good quality cd. Especially for club or agent demos. They are small enough to bring to live shows as well.

I would go this route since it is a little cheaper, easier and you have the portable feature. IME - IMO

Good Luck,

Joeykun

[Geddyfleaharris]

Thanks Joey! Great site dmilt. It's going to take some digestion.

[musicelectronix]

Originally Posted by Geddyfleaharris

Thanks Joey! Great site dmilt. It's going to take some digestion.

It sure will. First time I found tweakheadz, I was so excited and read the entire guide once.

First, decent recording interface. I will always vote for PCI sound cards and M-Audio offers good value.

Second, basic mixer, preferably with alt bus. Stereo mixers will also do the job though.

Third, clever choice of software plug-ins and DAW software. These stuff are *expensive* as hell. I personally use Sonar and select Waves plug-ins, such as L2 ultramaximizer, Trueverb, C4 compressor and a couple of more.

You also may need a decent versatile compressor, dbx stuff is good.

[dmilt23451]

Originally Posted by musicelectronix

It sure will. First time I found tweakheadz, I was so excited and read the entire guide once.

I did the exact same thing...what a great resource

[hunta]

I would absolutely recommend going the computerized route. Stand alone multitrack recorders are relics of the past. Yes they work, and for people that have them already and are used to the workflow it's fine. If you're buying a new setup, FORGET IT. You pay the same amount for a standalone recorder with 2 inputs, so-so preamps, shoddy mixing capability, and cheap effects. You get so much more functionality and "bang for the buck" out of a computer setup.

If you want to record live you'll need an interface with at least 8 inputs/pres. 4 mics on the drums (kick, snare, overheads), 1 for each guitar, 1 for vocals, and a DI for bass. Your computer will need a suitable firewire port (TI firewire is highly recommended). You can use Reaper ($50 for home license) to record and mix. That's all you need! Considering you can get an 8 input interface for about $500 cheaper than the 1600CD...

Granted you are going to need to know something about proper studio recording techniques and mixing concepts if you want to get a good quality product at the end. This applies to either approach.

ps: I strongly recommend bookmarking gearslutz.com and reading everything you can understand on there.

[Moreau]

gearslutz and the studio-central forum on tweaks site will make your learning curve alot less steep. We have had great luck with a combination of these sites as well as TB.

[Geddyfleaharris]

Just to update - after looking around the local stores, in the end it just seemed like the stand alone digital studio was just not going to cut it. It is portable and handy but portability was really down on my list of considerations. I also hate buying gear that in my perception might be behind the curve so to speak.

So I went the computer route. I bought a new product (meaning this particular interface) from M-Audio called a Profire 2626 Firewire Audio Interface. It has 8 XLR inputs. I also bought Pro Tools M-Powered 7 and a 500 GB external hard drive. Now the fun starts!

Now to convince the lackies in my band that they have to supply their own mic's LOL. Thanks for the help!