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Help me out with some equipment suggestions

A

Aaron5

May 3, 2020
37
13
Montana
#1
So...

My wife and I now have about a 2 hour set list of stuff we've worked up for solo bass and vocal. (Me playing the bass, her singing). We've been thinking of doing some recording. So I sit down to look at a Sweetwater catalog today, and discover that I don't have the faintest idea what anything is, in the section with recording gear. The last time I recorded anything was when I was in high school and college, and we had a Fostex 4 track recorder that used casettes. When we got real sophisticated, we rented a DAT player, transferred the casettes to that, and then sent the DATs to my uncle who mastered them onto CD's for us.

To wit, I have no idea what I'm doing, and don't appear to even speak the language anymore.

So, is there a thread I should read, to get me started? Have you got a few basic suggestions for equipment I need? I don't know very much about computers, so I don't have any idea if I would need a new one or not, or if there are systems out there that won't require a dedicated computer. We've got a small 12x12 music room in our house. It has three harps, including a concert grand, three basses, and an acoustic guitar, so we have a little space, but not enough to set up a major recording studio or anything.

Suggestions? I don't really even know what questions I should be asking, so I expect some of you can tell me that, too.

Aaron
 
#3
Last edited:
#4
Basslice was suggesting something like this: Zoom H4n Pro Handy Recorder - Black, which will record a stereo track live in the room. Great for recording a live track, but not for doing multi-track recording.

This would be an standalone multitrack: Zoom R8 8-track SD Recorder / Interface /Sampler The F6 is designed more for field recording for video, or for capturing ambient sounds. It might work as a multi-track, but the work flow is not designed for that. The R8 is designed specifically for multi-track audio recording, and is the digital equivalent of the old 4-track cassette.


How comfortable are you with learning new computer software?

You can go down the all-in-one route with a standalone unit like any of the above mentioned products, or you can go with a computer based DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). The more effort you're going to put into the final product, the easier it will be with a computer based DAW. Editing, processing, and Effects are all possible with the standalone units, but much easier and much more robust on a DAW. For a DAW, you would need an audio interface. This connects to the computer via USB/Thunderbolt, and allows you to plug in mics and instruments which are sent to the computer.

You can make great music on any of the above, it's just a matter of figuring out which type you're going to be most comfortable on. Technology is great, but the most important thing is that it should get out of the way and allow you to create music. If any of the above would impede the artistic side of music, you should pick a different one.
 
#5
Frank Tuesday said:
Basslice was suggesting something like this: Zoom H4n Pro Handy Recorder - Black, which will record a stereo track live in the room. Great for recording a live track, but not for doing multi-track recording.

This would be an standalone multitrack: Zoom R8 8-track SD Recorder / Interface /Sampler The F6 is designed more for field recording for video, or for capturing ambient sounds. It might work as a multi-track, but the work flow is not designed for that. The R8 is designed specifically for multi-track audio recording, and is the digital equivalent of the old 4-track cassette.


How comfortable are you with learning new computer software?

You can go down the all-in-one route with a standalone unit like any of the above mentioned products, or you can go with a computer based DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). The more effort you're going to put into the final product, the easier it will be with a computer based DAW. Editing, processing, and Effects are all possible with the standalone units, but much easier and much more robust on a DAW. For a DAW, you would need an audio interface. This connects to the computer via USB/Thunderbolt, and allows you to plug in mics and instruments which are sent to the computer.

You can make great music on any of the above, it's just a matter of figuring out which type you're going to be most comfortable on. Technology is great, but the most important thing is that it should get out of the way and allow you to create music. If any of the above would impede the artistic side of music, you should pick a different one.
Click to expand...

Thanks for those links, Frank. Yes, I can definitely see the resemblance between the R8 and the setup we had when I was in high school. As to your question about me and computer software, I can't think of when I've ever actually sat down and "learned" a new computer program. I build a lot of custom furniture, and so I did try google sketchup once. I nearly put my fist though my monitor after half an hour, so I guess my patience fuse is pretty short. That said, are there any DAWs that you could recommend for a beginner, and that would be pretty basic? I don't need a bunch of effects or anything. I'd be mic'ing my amp, and so I'd do any effects there. I did get a drum machine to practice with a year or so ago, to replace my old Boss DR5 I used to have. I've managed to figure out how to program it a bit, so I guess I'm not totally helpless at figuring electronic things out.

Aaron
 
#6
Frank Tuesday said:
Basslice was suggesting something like this: Zoom H4n Pro Handy Recorder - Black, which will record a stereo track live in the room. Great for recording a live track, but not for doing multi-track recording.

This would be an standalone multitrack: Zoom R8 8-track SD Recorder / Interface /Sampler The F6 is designed more for field recording for video, or for capturing ambient sounds. It might work as a multi-track, but the work flow is not designed for that. The R8 is designed specifically for multi-track audio recording, and is the digital equivalent of the old 4-track cassette.


How comfortable are you with learning new computer software?

You can go down the all-in-one route with a standalone unit like any of the above mentioned products, or you can go with a computer based DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). The more effort you're going to put into the final product, the easier it will be with a computer based DAW. Editing, processing, and Effects are all possible with the standalone units, but much easier and much more robust on a DAW. For a DAW, you would need an audio interface. This connects to the computer via USB/Thunderbolt, and allows you to plug in mics and instruments which are sent to the computer.

You can make great music on any of the above, it's just a matter of figuring out which type you're going to be most comfortable on. Technology is great, but the most important thing is that it should get out of the way and allow you to create music. If any of the above would impede the artistic side of music, you should pick a different one.
Click to expand...

I'll second the Zoom R8 for this. Kind of like a Fostex 4-tracker on steroids. For a duo trying out multitrack recording, this hardware will be the next logical step into the digital realm for the OP. Everything you need is all in one box.

@Aaron5 - what kind of computer do you have right now?
 
#7
Frank Tuesday said:
You can make great music on any of the above, it's just a matter of figuring out which type you're going to be most comfortable on. Technology is great, but the most important thing is that it should get out of the way and allow you to create music. If any of the above would impede the artistic side of music, you should pick a different one.
Click to expand...
This! Unfortunately, I haven't met an interface/DAW solution that is not in my way.:roflmao:

That is why I suggested the Zoom route. It will get the job done, but not give a lot of options other than recording live. I went the DAW route and it has take me a long time to learn and I love it.

However (as my wife knows), I am a Rabbit-Hole Project person. I spend most of my time down in that place.
 
#8
Aaron5 said:
Thanks for those links, Frank. Yes, I can definitely see the resemblance between the R8 and the setup we had when I was in high school. As to your question about me and computer software, I can't think of when I've ever actually sat down and "learned" a new computer program. I build a lot of custom furniture, and so I did try google sketchup once. I nearly put my fist though my monitor after half an hour, so I guess my patience fuse is pretty short. That said, are there any DAWs that you could recommend for a beginner, and that would be pretty basic? I don't need a bunch of effects or anything. I'd be mic'ing my amp, and so I'd do any effects there. I did get a drum machine to practice with a year or so ago, to replace my old Boss DR5 I used to have. I've managed to figure out how to program it a bit, so I guess I'm not totally helpless at figuring electronic things out.

Aaron
Click to expand...

I've never used it, but Harrison MixBus is designed to work like an old analog mixing console. I think it is based on another DAW, Ardour, but has a customized look. People that like the old analog seem to like it. Mixbus - Audio Recording Software - DAW Nashville, TN

Audacity is free and is very basic. It will probably be the DAW that is most like your old 4 track.
 
#9
The most convenient recorder/mixer/audio-interface I could think of is the Tascam Model 12. Esp. if you halfway know how to operate a mixing desk. It is much easier to handle as the small Zoom recorders, but records on SD-cards just like the small recorders. It has a much better audio quality and much better mic-preamps than the older Zoom multitrack recorders like the R8.It has halfway decent effects like reverb, too and offers a compressor and EQ with parametric mids on every channel.
For what it is and offers, about 600,- is pretty cheap.
Works a lot like the old 4-track recorders, but with far more options. Just plug the bass in, just plug a mic in another channel. Press record.
 
#10
I always recommend the Zoom R16 because it's usable just as a recorder, or as a mixdown unit, and it comes with a basic DAW (Cakewalk, I think, altho' I reco Reaper). It's sturdy, has onboard mics available, decent FX, a metronome, etc. It can be an interface direct into the computer, altho' I like to record to the removable SD (32 gigs will do an album) and copy to my computer for edits and mixdown, and US $400 makes it a steal.
 
#11
vvvmmm said:
I always recommend the Zoom R16 because it's usable just as a recorder, or as a mixdown unit, and it comes with a basic DAW (Cakewalk, I think, altho' I reco Reaper). It's sturdy, has onboard mics available, decent FX, a metronome, etc. It can be an interface direct into the computer, altho' I like to record to the removable SD (32 gigs will do an album) and copy to my computer for edits and mixdown, and US $400 makes it a steal.
Click to expand...
I liked the R recorders from Zoom a lot when they were introduced more than a decade ago, but IMHO there are a lot of better options now, even from Zoom like the Livetrak series.
 

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