How do you record rehearsals? Is this possible?

[98dvl]

My band is looking for an "easy" way to record rehearsals... Our band consists of bass, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocal, backup vocal, and drums (electronic kit). If possible, we'd also like to find a way to do the following:

1) We'd like to be able to isolate each members track for review later (i.e. just bass, just drums, just vocals, just guitar, etc).

2) We'd like to mix down all but one track for jamming/practice later (i.e. bass, guitar, vocals, but no drums; drums, bass, guitar, but no vocals; etc)

3) We'd like to output everything to MP3s quickly (within 24 hours) for distribution for the next rehearsal.

Our singer has a FirePod, but doesn't really know how to use it. I thought that this would be able to do what we need, but he's too busy to try and figure it all out. Would we be able to connect to a FirePod and do what we want? Or, are there any other cheap and easy alternatives to what we want to do?

Currently, we just record everything with a Zoom H2 and chop up the recordings and send them out over e-mail, but we'd like some more flexibility with the tracks, if possible.

 

[L-A]

The Firepod can do exactly what you need.

What you're missing here is a multitrack recording software, to record the separate inputs.

 

[Finsterino]

Currently, we just record everything with a Zoom H2



We do that too, every so often. Better than no recording, but often results with disappointing audio quality, and is frustrating .

 

[Lefty Geek]

If you want to isolate the lead guitar and drum, you can going to have to mic them separately, and even then, there will be some bleed since everyone is in the same room.

 

[98dvl]

The drums are electric, so would we need to plug them into a combo, then mic the combo's speaker?

Bleed isn't a big problem really... It's just for rehearsal purposes, not a big deal. We could live with a little bleed.

Something else I just thought about, when using a FirePod, would we all plug into the FirePod directly, then use a line out into a monitor so we could all hear ourselves? Or, would we have to split our signals somehow (one line into the firepod, the other into our amp)?

I will probably have to look into the FirePod thing more myself. Are there any good sites that show example setups?

Also, what are some good (cheap) software packages for recording multiple tracks?

 

[BassieMike]

Tall order here! To do what you want you will need multitrack recording software like ProTools, Cubase etc. Since you are using electronic drums it will make things a bit easier. Best to have everyone DI and monitor everything with headphones. This will eliminate most of the bleed from one track to another for your "music minus 1" mixes. Each of the mixes will have to be created separately, not hard, just time consuming.

What we always did was just take a stereo mix off the board to a cd burner for recording rehearsals. To do what you are talking about will require another person to engineer, otherwise it becomes a huge distraction for the person trying to make the recording.

just my 2 cents worth
-mike

 

[megadan]

KISS.

You're not really going to get the drums and guitar seperated (the bass is easy).

We just hang a mic in the middle of the room and record it. Since we focus on having a good mix within the song, it generally comes out very well.

 

[crayzee]

Last time I jammed with the old band, the guitarist recorded everything on his iPhone. Actually came out very, very well considering he didn't place it in the center of the room.

 

[limbo]

I've got a lot of time invested in 'figuring' this out. I'd say that what I and my band are doing is certainly OK - and produces quality levels that are surprisingly good - but isn't fully fine-tuned yet. It's not particurlarly 'easy' though, so be warned.

From a technical perspective, we're using ProTools LE - a 003, and a Yamaha digital mixer to increase input count/mic preamp count. We're a three-piece hopefully expanding soon to a four-piece, and this is -barely- enough inputs (bass, guitar, acoustic drums, vox). You have an advantage in that you're using a digital drumkit - so if you're willing to send that over as stereo you could trade some of the pres/inputs you'd otherwise use on drums for your backup singer(s) and additional guitars.

The Firepod your singer has isn't enough input channels to get your band tracked with the flexibility you're looking for. You'd need to daisy-chain at least two together to get what you're looking for, or look at another interface solution.

The other thing you need to evaluate is what DAW software you want to work in. If you want to work in ProTools, then you're a lot more restricted to the LE interfaces and how they connect, or the M-Powered interfaces (M-Audio ProFire 2626). If you're game for Logic, Reaper or some other software, your options open up significantly on the hardware side.

Alternately, you can look at pure hardware digital recording solutions like the Mackie HDR / Alesis HD / iZ Radar which are 'affordable' on the used market and generally spit out .WAV files which you can import into DAW software later to edit and mix with.

What I think is ultimately more challenging is the work you've got ahead of you after the rehearsal. It's pretty easy to bounce out to MP3 in PTLE, but there's some nontrivial time invested in chopping up a rehearsal. There's a lot of dead space that needs to come out in order to condense it into a package that means something to your band members, and you need to listen to figure out what that is. I've gotten pretty good at eyeballing the waveforms in PT to identify dead space/talking/impromptu comedy on tape, but you do need to drop in and listen to make sure it's dead before you whack it. That takes time.

The other thing that takes time is getting an 'acceptable' rough mix done - which takes more time than chopping the session up.

I use MobileMe/iDisk and public folders to distribute the audio files from a rehearsal. It takes me a few days to chop up the session, do a rough mix, and bounce the tracks out. Uploads are very quick, downloads are even quicker.

Hope this gave you an idea of what you're in for.

MB

 

[RustyAxe]

Too much work for a rehearsal recording, IMHO. We just set up a Zoom H2, going direct to MP3 and have at it. What you want to do involves multiple channels, mixing, mastering ... a real PITA for rehearsal. For us, the rehearsal recordings are purely a reference for us to learn the arrangement and, for those of who actually do practice between rehearsals, a way to hear and refine our parts.

 

[Jehos]

Unless you're willing to set up your rehearsal room like a studio, it may just be easier to use an H2 or something and skip the separate tracks requirement.

I just recently got a setup that will allow my band to record the way you're wanting, but it's a little complicated. The way it's all wired:

- Vocals, drums, and violin get mics. Bass and acoustic guitar go direct. This covers the whole band.
- All inputs go into a PreSonus FireStudio Project.
- From the PreSonus, the sound gets routed via FireWire to my MacBook for recording into Logic or Garage Band, one track per input
- From the PreSonus, all 8 inputs are routed to outputs 1-8, which go into the 8 line inputs on our PA mixer, channels 1-8.
- The PA basically becomes a monitoring source at that point, we mix to make it sound good while we're rehearsing. Mixdown of what was recorded is a totally separate thing that happens "in the box".
- We can create a rough mix quickly and burn CDs before everybody leaves practice.

It's not a cheap solution. Even if you have a laptop or computer to use, it's $500 for the interface, plus if you don't own a set of drum mics (we didn't) you have to get those too, so tack on another $300-400. Plus it's a lot more to set up and unhook when you move all your gear to play a show.

 

[MtManiac]

We run everything into our PA, and from the PA into a laptop. We only get two inputs into the laptop, so it's a stereo mix of everyone, rather than isolated tracks.

 

[mambo4]

zoom H2, all the way. Great for recording straight to mp3. ...but that won't get you separate tracks.

BUT, consider this:

Isn't it desirable to be able to mix your selves well enough for each part to be heard clearly in teh mix? Why not aim for a good, balanced ensemble sound from the get-go?

I am a firm believer that you can test your band's live sound very accurately with a simple room mic. If my band sounds good through a simple stereo mic in the middle of the room, we know we can sound good on stage.

 

[Jared Lash]

zoom H2, all the way. Great for recording straight to mp3. ...but that won't get you separate tracks.

BUT, consider this:

Isn't it desirable to be able to mix your selves well enough for each part to be heard clearly in teh mix? Why not aim for a good, balanced ensemble sound from the get-go?

I am a firm believer that you can test your band's live sound very accurately with a simple room mic. If my band sounds good through a simple stereo mic in the middle of the room, we know we can sound good on stage.

+1 The Zoom is great.

And trying to separate instruments for recording rehearsals seems like too much work to me. When my band does quick recordings (demos, rough mixes) we mic the guitar amp & drums and run the bass direct and all wear headphones. I would HATE to do that every rehearsal.

Besides, as mambo4 points out, it's a very useful thing to hear the whole band together. You'll still be able to hear weak points individually as well as seeing how each tone fits together in the mix.

 

[groooooove]

My band is looking for an "easy" way to record rehearsals... Our band consists of bass, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocal, backup vocal, and drums (electronic kit). If possible, we'd also like to find a way to do the following:

1) We'd like to be able to isolate each members track for review later (i.e. just bass, just drums, just vocals, just guitar, etc).

2) We'd like to mix down all but one track for jamming/practice later (i.e. bass, guitar, vocals, but no drums; drums, bass, guitar, but no vocals; etc)

3) We'd like to output everything to MP3s quickly (within 24 hours) for distribution for the next rehearsal.

Our singer has a FirePod, but doesn't really know how to use it. I thought that this would be able to do what we need, but he's too busy to try and figure it all out. Would we be able to connect to a FirePod and do what we want? Or, are there any other cheap and easy alternatives to what we want to do?

Currently, we just record everything with a Zoom H2 and chop up the recordings and send them out over e-mail, but we'd like some more flexibility with the tracks, if possible.

so you basically want every rehearsal to be like a cheap recording session

basically just start learning about home studios..

what i would do is just use a H2 or similar device. i use a yamaha pocketrak, and really like it.

 

[Lefty Geek]

I think many of you are failing to notice that 98dvl already has a Zoom H2 and is looking for something more.

 

[mrufino1]

What you are asking to do is SUPER easy. Firepod will do everything you need. Get reaper (are you on a pc? It is available for mac too but mac is a little behind on reaper, should be caught up soon though). The firepod is very simple- you have 8 mic preamps, and with the blend knob set to the left they will all pass through straight to the outputs and you'll hear with no latency. Plug your acoustic into a DI, mic the electric amp, DI the bass, put your vocals in, and either take a stereo line out (or mono) of the electronic drums or record them as midi (use the firepod's midi in on the back) and use a drum sampler for the sounds (there are plenty of freebies) or midi back out to the drum module when you are mixing. Reaper can bounce faster than real time, and if you mark your sections, there is a reascript (extension written for reaper) which I think is called autoregion or something, and it will export each song separately if you record your whole rehearsal as one big file. you can export directly to mp3, ogg, flac, wav, aiff, or even as a cd iso. Lots of included effects too, and personal license is only $50, but free unlimited trial period.
Here's the bad news, there is no "instant" recording software, you are going to need to learn a little bit to do it. Do some research on recording techniques, micing techniques, etc.
As for those who said don't bother, I say if it is important to you, then do it. The rehearsal recordings I have made have been absolutely valuable, and for a time we were recording every show from our firewire mixer to reaper. Those recordings have given many musicians references for parts (it is an 11 piece soul/ party cover band with many subs and lots of medleys), and I have been able to give vocalists instrumental backings to rehearse with, use instrumentals to back singers on small gigs where tracks were needed, isolate specific instruments to one side, etc. The recordings also play on our website and will eventually be a cd. All for a little work, which was fun anyway.
That all being said, the H2 can also work great- you know about the 4 channel recording, right? If you set up your band correctly you can actually get some very good isolation in each channel- I used that to record rehearsals too, and the backline was on one side of the h2 with vocals coming out of the PA to the other side (by side I mean physical side of the mic, not the stereo channel), then I was able to slightly mix it. But to really do what you want, learn to use your firepod and some recording software. I believe garage band can do 8 channels at once too, so whatever your machine, it will work. Hope that helped.

EDIT: I should also add that some issues were raised here regarding isolation of parts. Learn how the polar patterns on your mics work and you can get some excellent isolation. If you want some more details on this, look in the remote recording forum on gearslutz and look up Steve Remote's virtual gobo technique, it explains this in pretty good detail.