Recording 100 - The VERY Basics
There is a great “Recording 101” FAQ with links to articles from Sound on Sound, but they are all from the context of someone with a bit of familiarity with what’s what in the recording world. A lot of the posts I have seen in this section are coming from more of a beginner’s perspective, and while SoS is a fantastic resource, they can be a bit advanced for someone who is just starting out.
My aim here is to try to provide a gentle primer to recording and answer some basic questions that often get glossed over, that someone may be too intimidated to ask, or simply not even really know how to ask just yet. There’s a lot of information out there (good and bad), and it can all be pretty daunting. With any luck, this post can help cut through a lot of the noise and provide some bit of signal to orient the absolute beginner to the world of recording.
What is an interface?
At a high level, an interface represents the boundary where two things meet and interact. In the context of audio, it is usually some bit of outboard hardware that you can plug microphones, line level devices, and instruments into that hooks up to a computer via USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt. The primary purpose of an audio interface is to convert analog signals from your mics, instruments, pedals, and other analog sound making stuff into digital (1s and 0s) that a computer can work with, and back again.
You may also see analog to digital (AD) and digital to analog (DA) conversion discussed separately, or references to AD/DA, an ADC (analog to digital converter) or DAC (digital to analog converter), but they’re all basically talking about the same thing, which is the conversion of an audio signal from one format to another.
Ok, so I need one of these?
The short answer: yes.
For the sticklers on semantics (and by the definition I just gave), the headphone/line out and mic/line inputs built into your computer are part of an audio interface, and yes, you can use them to record. Similarly you can use a motorcycle to haul lumber, but it isn’t quite the best fit for purpose. Just as a pickup truck would serve better for your lumber runs, a purpose built audio interface will make recording much, much easier.
Which one should I get?
I’m going to short circuit a lot of details here and lead off with the two most important factors for selecting an interface: I/O and budget.
Critical mass for audio interfaces being “good enough” happened close to two decades ago, which means that anything you buy that is within the last 5-10 years most likely won’t be the weakest link in your recording chain until you run out of I/O, it dies, or you know what specific problem you are solving by replacing it. (Hint: it won’t be the sound quality)
As for I/O, my recommendation is a minimum of 2 in and 6 out - 2 inputs will allow you to record 2 channels of mono or 1 stereo source, and 6 outputs will let you hook up monitors and headphones, and still have two channels left to run signal to outboard gear (such as a sweet new pedal or compressor) and back into the while using the headphones and/or monitors.
As a quick aside, manufacturers love to have inflated numbers based on analog and digital I/O, so make sure you look for physical jacks on the device, and remember that a headphone jack counts as 2 channels (L+R) of output.
Bottom line: buy what you can afford with a little bit more I/O than you think you’ll need. The goal here is to avoid the quagmire of creative solutioning with adapters, additional mixers or having to purchase other gear to augment. A 2x6 interface will allow you to sidestep one or two of the most common issues that cause people to dump their first interfaces.
If you know you are going to record drums, bump the count up to between 4 and 8 microphone inputs.
Do I need a DAW?
The short answer: yes
While you technically don’t need a DAW (digital audio workstation) to capture sound on a computer, a DAW, like the pickup truck mentioned above, is purpose built to make the heavy lifting of making multitrack recordings much, much easier. Yes, they are complicated. Yes, they can be expensive. And yes, a DAW is probably overkill if you just want to play along with your favorite songs to share with your buddies.
That’s it. Really no way to sugar coat this one. You need a DAW.
So, which one?
Similar to modern interfaces, modern DAWs are well beyond the critical mass of good enough. There is no difference in how they sound, and each will provide facilities for multitrack recording along with a set of opinions as to how that gets done. Whether or not you jive with those opinions is entirely subjective to your experience and preferences.
If you’re collaborating with other people, get what they’re using to make the collaboration easier.
If pressed to make a recommendation, I’d say to pony up the cash to get a Reaper license and be done with it. It will cost less than most of the pedals on your board (or are thinking about getting), will be good for 2 major releases, and can easily hang with the big boys on features. Yes, you can record a “pro” quality album on Reaper.
At the point where you absolutely need ProTools or Logic (or DAW X), you’ll know without a doubt. Between now and then, rest assured you’re not missing out on anything. Besides, after you learn your way around one DAW, the skills will translate to another and the transition cost will still be much lower than starting from nothing and learning your first one.
The process is basically all the same: set tempo, press flashy red button, play gud, go back and play differently to "account for stylistic choices of drummer", rinse, repeat….
Now what?
At this point you should be comfortable with some basic lingo, (hopefully) have a few basic answers, and be able to formulate your next set of questions. It is my intention to follow up with at least 1 more post that will provide some information on using some of the stuff described above with a bit more detail.
Also, feel free to ask any questions and @mention me (or send a DM).
There is a great “Recording 101” FAQ with links to articles from Sound on Sound, but they are all from the context of someone with a bit of familiarity with what’s what in the recording world. A lot of the posts I have seen in this section are coming from more of a beginner’s perspective, and while SoS is a fantastic resource, they can be a bit advanced for someone who is just starting out.
My aim here is to try to provide a gentle primer to recording and answer some basic questions that often get glossed over, that someone may be too intimidated to ask, or simply not even really know how to ask just yet. There’s a lot of information out there (good and bad), and it can all be pretty daunting. With any luck, this post can help cut through a lot of the noise and provide some bit of signal to orient the absolute beginner to the world of recording.
What is an interface?
At a high level, an interface represents the boundary where two things meet and interact. In the context of audio, it is usually some bit of outboard hardware that you can plug microphones, line level devices, and instruments into that hooks up to a computer via USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt. The primary purpose of an audio interface is to convert analog signals from your mics, instruments, pedals, and other analog sound making stuff into digital (1s and 0s) that a computer can work with, and back again.
You may also see analog to digital (AD) and digital to analog (DA) conversion discussed separately, or references to AD/DA, an ADC (analog to digital converter) or DAC (digital to analog converter), but they’re all basically talking about the same thing, which is the conversion of an audio signal from one format to another.
Ok, so I need one of these?
The short answer: yes.
For the sticklers on semantics (and by the definition I just gave), the headphone/line out and mic/line inputs built into your computer are part of an audio interface, and yes, you can use them to record. Similarly you can use a motorcycle to haul lumber, but it isn’t quite the best fit for purpose. Just as a pickup truck would serve better for your lumber runs, a purpose built audio interface will make recording much, much easier.
Which one should I get?
I’m going to short circuit a lot of details here and lead off with the two most important factors for selecting an interface: I/O and budget.
Critical mass for audio interfaces being “good enough” happened close to two decades ago, which means that anything you buy that is within the last 5-10 years most likely won’t be the weakest link in your recording chain until you run out of I/O, it dies, or you know what specific problem you are solving by replacing it. (Hint: it won’t be the sound quality)
As for I/O, my recommendation is a minimum of 2 in and 6 out - 2 inputs will allow you to record 2 channels of mono or 1 stereo source, and 6 outputs will let you hook up monitors and headphones, and still have two channels left to run signal to outboard gear (such as a sweet new pedal or compressor) and back into the while using the headphones and/or monitors.
As a quick aside, manufacturers love to have inflated numbers based on analog and digital I/O, so make sure you look for physical jacks on the device, and remember that a headphone jack counts as 2 channels (L+R) of output.
Bottom line: buy what you can afford with a little bit more I/O than you think you’ll need. The goal here is to avoid the quagmire of creative solutioning with adapters, additional mixers or having to purchase other gear to augment. A 2x6 interface will allow you to sidestep one or two of the most common issues that cause people to dump their first interfaces.
If you know you are going to record drums, bump the count up to between 4 and 8 microphone inputs.
Do I need a DAW?
The short answer: yes
While you technically don’t need a DAW (digital audio workstation) to capture sound on a computer, a DAW, like the pickup truck mentioned above, is purpose built to make the heavy lifting of making multitrack recordings much, much easier. Yes, they are complicated. Yes, they can be expensive. And yes, a DAW is probably overkill if you just want to play along with your favorite songs to share with your buddies.
That’s it. Really no way to sugar coat this one. You need a DAW.
So, which one?
Similar to modern interfaces, modern DAWs are well beyond the critical mass of good enough. There is no difference in how they sound, and each will provide facilities for multitrack recording along with a set of opinions as to how that gets done. Whether or not you jive with those opinions is entirely subjective to your experience and preferences.
If you’re collaborating with other people, get what they’re using to make the collaboration easier.
If pressed to make a recommendation, I’d say to pony up the cash to get a Reaper license and be done with it. It will cost less than most of the pedals on your board (or are thinking about getting), will be good for 2 major releases, and can easily hang with the big boys on features. Yes, you can record a “pro” quality album on Reaper.
At the point where you absolutely need ProTools or Logic (or DAW X), you’ll know without a doubt. Between now and then, rest assured you’re not missing out on anything. Besides, after you learn your way around one DAW, the skills will translate to another and the transition cost will still be much lower than starting from nothing and learning your first one.
The process is basically all the same: set tempo, press flashy red button, play gud, go back and play differently to "account for stylistic choices of drummer", rinse, repeat….
Now what?
At this point you should be comfortable with some basic lingo, (hopefully) have a few basic answers, and be able to formulate your next set of questions. It is my intention to follow up with at least 1 more post that will provide some information on using some of the stuff described above with a bit more detail.
Also, feel free to ask any questions and @mention me (or send a DM).
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