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Do I want to get the recording bug?

sandman357

sandman357

Mar 7, 2005
259
189
Northern Virginia
#1
I feel like I am on the verge of getting the recording bug. I have been recording our original jams with a Zoom H2n for a while now and am starting to wonder if I should start looking for a multi track recorder. I love the set it and forget it aspect of the H2n. No mics, inputs, leveling sound etc. But I am to the point where I would like a better quality recording.

Here is a clip of a recording from the H2n.


I will read through the FAQs for recording gear, but if you are so inclined, I would not mind if someone could point me in the right direction for a simple way to record layered tracks for rhythm, lead, bass and drums. (I am most concerned about drums.)

My wife will just love this new avenue for purchasing more gear!

Thanks.
 
#2
go for it for sure! my advise to a noob (no offense) is that one must understand that better quality recording is not something you can buy. more to your question, stick to an industry standard DAW and an interface with as many inputs as you need to use at a single time...anything more deserves a lifetime of dedication to the art.
 
#3
If you don't want to go down the DAW path, the Tascam DR40 is awesome.

2 built in mics, two phantom powered inputs for mics or instruments. 4 track live recording, lossless overdubbing.
There is one for sale on TB for $70,worth over $200 new, grab it.

Then when you decide to go for a DAW,you'll be familiar with overdubbing etc.
 
#6
The Zoom R16 is appealing to me. I like the ability to record the band all at one time but still have the option to record track by track if we want to do that. I am lucky in that my drummer has an electronic drum kit as well as acoustic. With electronic drums micing the drums won't be an issue.

I am still in the early stages of research though so the R16 is not a lock, it is just the first option that looks good to my untrained eye. All advice is still welcome.

As always you all are the best.
 
#7
Open your eyes wide before jumping in. "Recording" is a lot more than simply capturing sound. There's a slew of capturing gear you need to do it right (microphones, preamps, DIs, interface, DAW, decent computer to host the DAW, mic stands, cables, etc etc.). Then the work really begins in terms of studying requirements for capturing sound in various settings, how to mic instruments, how to mix, how to apply EQ, how to use plug-ins, understanding the application of compression, and on and on. Then you have to apply that knowledge. To process and output the results of a two-hour practice, you can easily spend 3x-4x that amount of time in setting up the capture gear, processing the mix, etc. And speaking from experience, it's quite a challenge to do your own part well as a musician in the band while at the same time worrying about level setting, tweaking controls during the music event, etc. That alone dramatically expands the stress!

The whole process can be very rewarding. But open your eyes wide before jumping in! It can be quite expensive and will definitely be a time sink to do it right. To do an excellent job at "recording" is no small feat. And just as one is constantly studying, practicing, learning to excel as a musician, you'll experience the same requirement but in a different sphere for "recording."

Open your eyes wide.....
 
#8
old spice said:
I've found lots of well-organized info on that here:
Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

Thanks, Finding good stuff here.

N. Kentucky Bass said:
The whole process can be very rewarding. But open your eyes wide before jumping in!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the advice. I checked out your thread with the H6. Good stuff there. My day job is in IT. I have messed with sound with a computer interface but in a very basic way. The H6 to me looks like it is similar to my H2n but with 4 direct inputs. I know it is far superior to the H2n, but the basic configuration is two external mics and 4 direct inputs. You can have three stereo channels, or four mono and one stereo. Is that right?

The R16 has 8 direct inputs and two external mics with a mixing console. Not as portable as the H6 but it is not bad. It is the same price point as the H6.

So here is my uninformed way I see myself using the R16. Me (bass) direct in through my compressor. Guitar direct in through his peddle board. Electronic Drums direct in. (we have no vocals yet) Output to our PA. Mix levels just as I would mix live sound at a gig. We all hear ourselves through the PA and it is being recorded. Each instrument is its own track so if I needed to work it through software I can. Hopefully the levels would be mixed well enough that that should not be necessary. If we get a singer and another guitar player we have enough space on the R16 to add them in.

If we need to mic acoustic drums down the road and get into recording track by track, we have that capability.

Am I thinking about this right? It seems too easy.
 
#9
I agree completely with Ukiah.

Recording is an art form as complex as playing an instrument. Recording is an art that is devilishly difficult once one progresses past base level. I don't mean that as a discouragement, but rather as a matter of inviting focus. Unless one is very motivated, getting good at playing an instrument and at being a recording engineer simultaneously is virtually impossible.

There is another way to look at this. A life is a reasonably long time, and changing focuses throughout that time is a great way to remain intrigued.
Some years can be player focused, others can be producer / engineer focused. That's how my life ended up. I like both roles, but flip focus between which is the primary.
 
#10
If you are good you will know right away. Except for me it was learning the daw, that took years, the rest came naturally to me and since my aha money in my daw I now work that just as well as an instrument.
 
#11
One interesting thing about recording my bands is the experience has honed my skills to really listen to all the instruments and their sonic interplay. You need to understand this interplay with precision in order to produce quality recordings. The key word is "produce." You'll find, as the recording engineer, that you may slip into giving "advice" to other members of the band to steer and enhance the quality of sound capture. By default, in this role you are also becoming the band's "producer," which has a fundamental, pivotal role in directing how the music is created. Some band members (especially the "band leader," who might not have recording and producing skills) could bristle at this direction -- even if the result is better for the music. Then again, if you don't know what you're doing as producer, it can screw everything up. As I said, the whole area is a can of worms with lots of unintended consequences. There are many rewards to recording, mixing and mastering music. But keep your eyes wide open because they come at a high cost.
 
#12
I'm hooked. I think if you have a computer already, you'd be best served picking up something like the Roland Octa-Capture or Studio-Capture so that each input goes to a separate track. This is essential to adjusting EQ or volume per instrument LATER (so you don't have to try another take if something was off) or if you want, just one guy can retry his part if everyone else's parts were perfect. I don't miss using a mixer and then deciding the snare was too loud so the whole take was bad.
 

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