Hey man, if you google "home recording" there's a couple of great and very extensive sites to help you with all aspects of home recording.
Most 'modern' home PC's have plenty of grunt for home recording if you're just mucking around. Your real brain teaser will be what type of sound card / audio card to get (ie: bucks vs performance vs your intentions)
I think Audacity is a free multitrack audio software you can DL. If you want a GREAT audio program for small bucks, I highly recommend n-Track (http://www.ntrack.com/)
don't even bother man.
write some songs, practice them, and go and record them in a good studio.
home recording opens up a whole can of worms.
and its false economics.
But...it's nice to be able to whack down ideas when inspiration arrives, and then play em back to your band off a CD at your next practice. Often if you just try and remember them, they're never quite the same as when you first played them.
Just don't make the mistake I made and try and get a finished product on your home studo equipment - it's never going to be as good as a commercial studio, unless you've got all those top end mics, a large, acoustically treated room for your drums, and of course the beautiful outboards where the real magic happens like compression and limiting.
ADOBE AUDITION, an ADAT PCI card, and some good preamps that can connect to the adat inputs and you'll be sweet. Or a usb interface of sorts, visit http://www.homerecordingconnection.com and join us NZers represented on there :-)
OR, you could contact us to record for you ;-) we're not too expensive, and you can listen to some recent recordings on our site if you like...
typical hollis! lol. :-P How's the mic collection going?
How popular was "Jesus I was Evil"? Recorded on a 4 track.
Home recording is great for a LOT of stuff. You're not going to release an "industry standard" album with it. However you can record great demos, use it for assisting in song writing, write non-singer/songwriter genre stuff (drum & bass, hiphop, oonst etc).
Daniel Beddingfields first album = bedroom. The Streets first one = bedroom... etc etc
It's not false economics if you know what you're going to use it for and you're happy with that.
how much better would 'jesus I was evil' have been if it was recorded properly?
maybe it would have made its mark outside of NZ as it should have.
and it wouldn't have that fucking '4-track' stigma that everyone keeps banging on about.
and before I forget: 4track is completely different to fucking around on a computer for 6 months.
yes. but 1" 4 track, not 1/4" 4 track. 1" 4tracks have higher fidelity than modern 24 tracks. less noise, greater response etc.
you cannot compare something recorded on a tascam portastudio (at best) and a scully tape machine.
don't be stupid.
also most people dont have Goeff Emerick at the controls.
don't be stupid.
gruesome...u are bitter, are you a failed musician with a box of 500 CDs under the bed?
most engineers/studio owners in new zealand put in many uncharged hours on indie projects, and accept backend deals that seldom return . And spend more on a single mic than the home recordist would on a whole system.
well yeah ok, I was being a shithead... and I had a stash of 150 unsold cds following me from flat to flat for a few years from a stink band I was in! till i finally recycled the cases and tossed the rest. its not that folk become engineers 'cause its a way to get rich...
Well no actually, hardly use auto tune. I dislike it on principle , as it makes singers lazy...'i dont need to sing that again 'cos you can fix it right ...' fuck off, sing the song properly/tunefully. I use it to touch up an occasional note within an otherwise good performance.
And compression when used correctly and musically enhances music in subtle ways. its not just about reducing dymanic range. One of the problems with plugin comps is that the visual interfaces are misleading...folks bung on a comp preset, see the meter going right up and assume that the compressors working ... often getting over 15 db of gain reduction, when whats needed is more like 3-6 db. mixing with their eyes.
don't worry, i don't think the problem is with you, or in fact most producers/engineers - its the 1% at the top that account for most of the commercial music, and who make it sound terrible. ie. Using autotune (to the point that its obvious) , and limiting/maximising songs to the point of distorting and beyond, just to get them a bit louder than the previous overly maximised track on the radio.
I think my original point was that using my computer and a bunch of software, i can get my songs sounding 98% as good as what a professional studio could - and the extra 2% (which nobody can hear unless they're a musician or engineer anyway) isn't - in my case - worth paying for, i'd rather buy more gear and enjoy it.
So ultimately home studios are cool ,but you definitely have to have some idea of the recording process. .
be prepared to spend a lot of time learning recording techniques... its somewhat more complicated than just poking a mic in front of a guitar. Its worth considering getting your tracks mixed and mastered at a studio by a pro if you are aiming at commercial radio play. alturnative radio is a little more forgiving in regard to production .
Being computer literate is obviously a must if you are going the PC or mac way. Its worth exploring casstte 4 and 8 tracks , and the stand alone hard disc recorders. D Beddingford and that evil jesus guy are the exception rather than the rule.
Gotta aagree with Hollis in principle.
If you want to record really good clean- sounding stuff then you need a studio for recording mixing mastering. I have personally experienced the frustration of the limitations of home-recording.
If all you wanna do is lay down demos, record ideas etc then home-recording is fine. Analog or digital first question... my experience is really only in digital. and it really depends on budget.
Mac or PC? You probably already have a computer so use that as long as it is realtively decent it will be fine (unless you use crap loads of effects). I dont think logic works with PC's now... am I wrong?
Soundcard...some okay beginner packages are like the MBox setup from the ProTools people os System 4 from Steinberg...I tihnk Cubase is better if you want to use MIDI.. little more expensive too
Umm or you could just be naughty and download some software off the net like the aforementioned (not that I would condone that!!!). Then all would need is a decent soundcarrd (and maybe preamp) annd your choice would depend on how many tracks you record simulatenously. Personally I dont buy into the whole record at 24/96 hype with soundcards as you have to lower quality anyway when you move to CD...many disagreements are had about this of course as its quite subjective. It really doesnt matter a fig for home-recording anyway as the mic placement ambient noise etc are gonna make much more difference than being able to sample higher!!.
Possible things you may need depending on what you will do include
1. Computer
2. Analog mixer... can still be very useful even in the digital world
3. Soundcard/Preamp
4. Software
5. Microphone (pref condenser..before you get one of these check you have something to provide phantom 48V power)
I hope I haven't just made things more confusing :)
The easiest and most user friendly thing you could buy that would put you in good stead straight away imho would be to buy the spike from mackie. http://www.mackie.com/products/spike/
Its got two nice clean mic pre-amp channels, and comes with the easiest music software you'll ever use in you life...plus you can run it off a lap top. It's about $700 but then you're on your way. Sure, you've got a downfall in the fact that you can't record more tracks than two at a time, but unless you're doing drums, You can get by, you can work around it.
If you're after a good drum sequencer, rebirth by propellerhead software has just been released for free, it simulates 2 roland ts-303's, one ts-808 and one ts-909, so two synths and two drum machines
( http://www.rebirthmuseum.com/)
If you download some of the mods, it'll give you different drum sounds. The most natural drum sound is the rebirthday mod. You can go crazy making gate crasher tunes with the 2 303's and ooonst oonst ooonst on the drums but I use it just so I can get nice drum sounds and I can use it easy
So there you go. All you need is the spike (which comes with traction 2), a computer, a mic, some talent and these links. Also for computer deals go to http://www.firstin.co.nz to get a good deal but be warned they're only up for a day.
So assuming you own a computer, all you need to do is lay down $700 and the rest is free.
This is based on the assumption that you don't want to spend to much money, also the spike is usb, is an external sound card, takes midi and audio input, has phantom power. Just in case trolls are out to eat me, I'm in the same position as you but I got this stuff and it does the job very well for where I'm at and for not a lot of money.
Before jumping in with 'don't bother' or 'you need this' why not ask the OP what his/her objectives are for the home recording, to give some context?
"Hi, what are you yting to achieve with your home setup. Writing? Demos? commercially viable projects? The answer to your question depends hugely on what you are hoping to do...."
Also if you're the sequencing type www.buzzmachines.com can point ye to buzz, which is the sequencer of choice for me (other than the roland mc-4, heh) - oh yeah, it's totally freeware.
I really don't there are many limitations to recording because of cheap home gear. If you have good ideas then the world is your oyster.
Luke Budas C-Sides mini-album was done on a digital 8 track with two line inputs and pretty shitty pre-amps but he worked his arse off to make the arrangements good and subsequently the album sounds great (his next record was mostly recorded at home then finished in a proper studio).
Weens classic album Pure Gauva was recorded on 4track cassette i believe, and that album rocks.
I use a Mac Powerbook 1.33, with an M-Box(i would love to trade up to the M-box 2, its much better) a couple of Rhode condensor mics and an SM Beta 58. The sound quality iis pretty good if you put in the work to learn about mic placement techniques etc. Things i have recorded at home useing absolutly no outboard processing have been used in adverts and on tv shows. Admitadly, you will get a much better sound if you use a pro-tools hd system with apogee converters and a neve console for pre-amping...but if you can't afford to spend $1000 a day in a flash studio then spend $800 on an M.box and $2000 on an ibook and just put the long hours in to making the best music you can with thoose tools.
I think the first Voom album was a home recording (Beth is a great song and recording very very well in my opinion). Disasterradio, do you record all your stuff yourself, coz it sounds hot to my ears. The first Dimmer record was made in Shaynes bedroom i believe. Cat Powers last album was recorded on an M-box. etc etc etc
I love recording in studios and i love home recording... both diferent experiences requireing diferent skills.
//I love recording in studios and i love home recording... both diferent experiences requireing diferent skills.
I totally agree with you. I think that with technology the gap between them is becoming smaller, and there are now people out there who do both. I think nowadays you can get 80-90% with a home recording setup, the extra 10-20% is basically polish and has mostly to do with the inputs, and a little bit about location - good intruments, good playing, click track, nice preamps, converters, good room acoustics all contribute to that final 10-20% - and playing with song production, added FX and mixing is totally fun, and can make it all worthwhile. That said, it is awesome, if you can afford it to be able to record in a fancy studio, often more fun, and easier for both the band and the engineer. You also get outside perspective on your song which can sometimes improve it... But if you can't afford it, i don't think it is a huge biggie, you can do most of it at home if you are dedicated enough to put the hours in and learn how to do it.
Also EQ and compression nowadays is a necessary evil to get that "studio sound on a budget", plus its fun to see how far you can go... there are some really cool plugins out there like t-racks (works really well), harbal (as recommended by home recording connection) and drumagog (thanks so much to jonathan of intonation productions for telling me about that program) that can help hugely with final outcomes. By all means play around with stuff - its the only way to learn. We are all learning more all the time, and hopefully improving everyday.
Depends on what style of music your trying to create if your wanting to do acoustic stuff I guess recording in a pro studio is fine but any electro sounds do it on your own setup,equipment is a cheap as ever to buy with tech prices dropping all the time, I think its good to experiment alot when starting off and home recording is cheap way of doing it, im sick of hearing over compressed over produced "professional studio" stuff too it seems they push the vocals way too much to the front almost seperating it from the music... I dont think i would have ever got into music in the first place if I never had good old soundtracker on my amiga 500 which sparked my interest anyway in making tunes.
My Home recording setup
laptop
acid 5 is easy to use
korg triton
beyer mic
1970s sansui A70 hi fi :) needs repairs but always good to hear stuff on stereo as can sound alot diff to on headphones
woah, what a lot of replies! thanks for all the advice, i play the acoustic guitar and sing my own songs and just thought it'd be a good idea to do some practice at home before entering a real studio, so i don't have to waste time learning about all the knobs and stuff - so far i've been using the program "sound recorder" (from the start menu, programs, accessories) and it's quite crap!
If you've got good mikes and some sound software and some mike stands and a bunch of passable instruments you can make an alright record. I know a guy who makes recordings in MIDI using principally a keyboard and electronic drumsand sampling, it sounds good but it sounds artificial.
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Hey man, if you google "home recording" ...
Hey man, if you google "home recording" there's a couple of great and very extensive sites to help you with all aspects of home recording.
Most 'modern' home PC's have plenty of grunt for home recording if you're just mucking around. Your real brain teaser will be what type of sound card / audio card to get (ie: bucks vs performance vs your intentions)
I think Audacity is a free multitrack audio software you can DL. If you want a GREAT audio program for small bucks, I highly recommend n-Track (http://www.ntrack.com/)
Good luck...
cool thanks i'll go check that out!...
cool thanks i'll go check that out!
don't even bother man. write some ...
don't even bother man.
write some songs, practice them, and go and record them in a good studio.
home recording opens up a whole can of worms.
and its false economics.
This is very true. But...it's nice ...
This is very true.
But...it's nice to be able to whack down ideas when inspiration arrives, and then play em back to your band off a CD at your next practice. Often if you just try and remember them, they're never quite the same as when you first played them.
Just don't make the mistake I made and try and get a finished product on your home studo equipment - it's never going to be as good as a commercial studio, unless you've got all those top end mics, a large, acoustically treated room for your drums, and of course the beautiful outboards where the real magic happens like compression and limiting.
ADOBE AUDITION, an ADAT PCI card, and ...
ADOBE AUDITION, an ADAT PCI card, and some good preamps that can connect to the adat inputs and you'll be sweet. Or a usb interface of sorts, visit http://www.homerecordingconnection.com and join us NZers represented on there :-)
OR, you could contact us to record for you ;-) we're not too expensive, and you can listen to some recent recordings on our site if you like...
typical hollis! lol. :-P How's the mic collection going?
[ http://www.therockfactory.net ]
How popular was "Jesus I was Evil"? ...
How popular was "Jesus I was Evil"? Recorded on a 4 track.
Home recording is great for a LOT of stuff. You're not going to release an "industry standard" album with it. However you can record great demos, use it for assisting in song writing, write non-singer/songwriter genre stuff (drum & bass, hiphop, oonst etc).
Daniel Beddingfields first album = bedroom. The Streets first one = bedroom... etc etc
It's not false economics if you know what you're going to use it for and you're happy with that.
how much better would 'jesus I was ...
how much better would 'jesus I was evil' have been if it was recorded properly?
maybe it would have made its mark outside of NZ as it should have.
and it wouldn't have that fucking '4-track' stigma that everyone keeps banging on about.
and before I forget: 4track is completely different to fucking around on a computer for 6 months.
sgt peppers was recorded on a 4-track...
sgt peppers was
recorded on a
4-track
'proper' engineers and producers ...
'proper' engineers and producers don't like home studios, because every home studio is one less person they can rip off. . .
:P
yes. but 1" 4 track, not 1/4" 4 track. ...
yes. but 1" 4 track, not 1/4" 4 track. 1" 4tracks have higher fidelity than modern 24 tracks. less noise, greater response etc.
you cannot compare something recorded on a tascam portastudio (at best) and a scully tape machine.
don't be stupid.
also most people dont have Goeff Emerick at the controls.
don't be stupid.
gruesome...u are bitter, are you a ...
gruesome...u are bitter, are you a failed musician with a box of 500 CDs under the bed?
most engineers/studio owners in new zealand put in many uncharged hours on indie projects, and accept backend deals that seldom return . And spend more on a single mic than the home recordist would on a whole system.
hey just cause you've got a box of ...
hey just cause you've got a box of '500' cd's 'in the roof' dosn't mean your a failed musician hahaha
[ http://www.myspace.com/ventureelectric ]
//gruesome...u are bitter, are you a ...
//gruesome...u are bitter, are you a failed musician with a box of 500 CDs under the bed?
bitter no, sassy yes. Try to convince me why it's advantageous for him to pay someone else to mix or produce his stuff.
well yeah ok, I was being a shithead... ...
well yeah ok, I was being a shithead... and I had a stash of 150 unsold cds following me from flat to flat for a few years from a stink band I was in! till i finally recycled the cases and tossed the rest. its not that folk become engineers 'cause its a way to get rich...
//And spend more on a single mic than ...
//And spend more on a single mic than the home recordist would on a whole system.
why? you're probably gonna autotune, and compress the fuck out of whatever you end up with anyway. .
Well no actually, hardly use auto tune. ...
Well no actually, hardly use auto tune. I dislike it on principle , as it makes singers lazy...'i dont need to sing that again 'cos you can fix it right ...' fuck off, sing the song properly/tunefully. I use it to touch up an occasional note within an otherwise good performance.
And compression when used correctly and musically enhances music in subtle ways. its not just about reducing dymanic range. One of the problems with plugin comps is that the visual interfaces are misleading...folks bung on a comp preset, see the meter going right up and assume that the compressors working ... often getting over 15 db of gain reduction, when whats needed is more like 3-6 db. mixing with their eyes.
gruesome, u had a crap time in a studio?
don't worry, i don't think the ...
don't worry, i don't think the problem is with you, or in fact most producers/engineers - its the 1% at the top that account for most of the commercial music, and who make it sound terrible. ie. Using autotune (to the point that its obvious) , and limiting/maximising songs to the point of distorting and beyond, just to get them a bit louder than the previous overly maximised track on the radio.
I think my original point was that using my computer and a bunch of software, i can get my songs sounding 98% as good as what a professional studio could - and the extra 2% (which nobody can hear unless they're a musician or engineer anyway) isn't - in my case - worth paying for, i'd rather buy more gear and enjoy it.
So ultimately home studios are cool ,but you definitely have to have some idea of the recording process. .
and by the way, i'm not bitter, i just ...
and by the way, i'm not bitter, i just think its a fascinating debate, especially with the kind of technology available for home recording now. . .
be prepared to spend a lot of time ...
be prepared to spend a lot of time learning recording techniques... its somewhat more complicated than just poking a mic in front of a guitar. Its worth considering getting your tracks mixed and mastered at a studio by a pro if you are aiming at commercial radio play. alturnative radio is a little more forgiving in regard to production .
Being computer literate is obviously a must if you are going the PC or mac way. Its worth exploring casstte 4 and 8 tracks , and the stand alone hard disc recorders. D Beddingford and that evil jesus guy are the exception rather than the rule.
b
Gotta aagree with Hollis in ...
Gotta aagree with Hollis in principle.
If you want to record really good clean- sounding stuff then you need a studio for recording mixing mastering. I have personally experienced the frustration of the limitations of home-recording.
If all you wanna do is lay down demos, record ideas etc then home-recording is fine. Analog or digital first question... my experience is really only in digital. and it really depends on budget.
Mac or PC? You probably already have a computer so use that as long as it is realtively decent it will be fine (unless you use crap loads of effects). I dont think logic works with PC's now... am I wrong?
Soundcard...some okay beginner packages are like the MBox setup from the ProTools people os System 4 from Steinberg...I tihnk Cubase is better if you want to use MIDI.. little more expensive too
Umm or you could just be naughty and download some software off the net like the aforementioned (not that I would condone that!!!). Then all would need is a decent soundcarrd (and maybe preamp) annd your choice would depend on how many tracks you record simulatenously. Personally I dont buy into the whole record at 24/96 hype with soundcards as you have to lower quality anyway when you move to CD...many disagreements are had about this of course as its quite subjective. It really doesnt matter a fig for home-recording anyway as the mic placement ambient noise etc are gonna make much more difference than being able to sample higher!!.
Possible things you may need depending on what you will do include
1. Computer
2. Analog mixer... can still be very useful even in the digital world
3. Soundcard/Preamp
4. Software
5. Microphone (pref condenser..before you get one of these check you have something to provide phantom 48V power)
I hope I haven't just made things more confusing :)
The easiest and most user friendly ...
The easiest and most user friendly thing you could buy that would put you in good stead straight away imho would be to buy the spike from mackie.
http://www.mackie.com/products/spike/
Its got two nice clean mic pre-amp channels, and comes with the easiest music software you'll ever use in you life...plus you can run it off a lap top. It's about $700 but then you're on your way. Sure, you've got a downfall in the fact that you can't record more tracks than two at a time, but unless you're doing drums, You can get by, you can work around it.
If you're after a good drum sequencer, rebirth by propellerhead software has just been released for free, it simulates 2 roland ts-303's, one ts-808 and one ts-909, so two synths and two drum machines
( http://www.rebirthmuseum.com/)
If you download some of the mods, it'll give you different drum sounds. The most natural drum sound is the rebirthday mod. You can go crazy making gate crasher tunes with the 2 303's and ooonst oonst ooonst on the drums but I use it just so I can get nice drum sounds and I can use it easy
FOr midi plugins go to the kvr forums
http://www.kvraudio.com/
the best rated free stuff is show on this page.
( http://www.kvraudio.com/new_year_survey_2005_results.php )
So there you go. All you need is the spike (which comes with traction 2), a computer, a mic, some talent and these links. Also for computer deals go to http://www.firstin.co.nz to get a good deal but be warned they're only up for a day.
So assuming you own a computer, all you need to do is lay down $700 and the rest is free.
Aren't I a nice bastard?
By the way, the spike and tracktion 2 ...
By the way, the spike and tracktion 2 work on both mac and PC
This is based on the assumption that ...
This is based on the assumption that you don't want to spend to much money, also the spike is usb, is an external sound card, takes midi and audio input, has phantom power. Just in case trolls are out to eat me, I'm in the same position as you but I got this stuff and it does the job very well for where I'm at and for not a lot of money.
Good luck with it all anyway
Before jumping in with 'don't ...
Before jumping in with 'don't bother' or 'you need this' why not ask the OP what his/her objectives are for the home recording, to give some context?
"Hi, what are you yting to achieve with your home setup. Writing? Demos? commercially viable projects? The answer to your question depends hugely on what you are hoping to do...."
Good luck!
we know what the objectives are ...
we know what the objectives are now:
"have a band and make 3 cds and be popular nationwide... also it'd be cool to be the best Christian band in NZ"
are you all real keen to help out now? hah!
http://messageboard.tapeop.com is back ...
http://messageboard.tapeop.com is back up now, you should check that out for a good & friendly forum.
Also if you're the sequencing type www.buzzmachines.com can point ye to buzz, which is the sequencer of choice for me (other than the roland mc-4, heh) - oh yeah, it's totally freeware.
I really don't there are many ...
I really don't there are many limitations to recording because of cheap home gear. If you have good ideas then the world is your oyster.
Luke Budas C-Sides mini-album was done on a digital 8 track with two line inputs and pretty shitty pre-amps but he worked his arse off to make the arrangements good and subsequently the album sounds great (his next record was mostly recorded at home then finished in a proper studio).
Weens classic album Pure Gauva was recorded on 4track cassette i believe, and that album rocks.
I use a Mac Powerbook 1.33, with an M-Box(i would love to trade up to the M-box 2, its much better) a couple of Rhode condensor mics and an SM Beta 58. The sound quality iis pretty good if you put in the work to learn about mic placement techniques etc. Things i have recorded at home useing absolutly no outboard processing have been used in adverts and on tv shows. Admitadly, you will get a much better sound if you use a pro-tools hd system with apogee converters and a neve console for pre-amping...but if you can't afford to spend $1000 a day in a flash studio then spend $800 on an M.box and $2000 on an ibook and just put the long hours in to making the best music you can with thoose tools.
I think the first Voom album was a home recording (Beth is a great song and recording very very well in my opinion). Disasterradio, do you record all your stuff yourself, coz it sounds hot to my ears. The first Dimmer record was made in Shaynes bedroom i believe. Cat Powers last album was recorded on an M-box. etc etc etc
I love recording in studios and i love home recording... both diferent experiences requireing diferent skills.
i like recording more than spelling and ...
i like recording more than spelling and grammer
So do I :-) //I love recording in ...
So do I :-)
//I love recording in studios and i love home recording... both diferent experiences requireing diferent skills.
I totally agree with you. I think that with technology the gap between them is becoming smaller, and there are now people out there who do both. I think nowadays you can get 80-90% with a home recording setup, the extra 10-20% is basically polish and has mostly to do with the inputs, and a little bit about location - good intruments, good playing, click track, nice preamps, converters, good room acoustics all contribute to that final 10-20% - and playing with song production, added FX and mixing is totally fun, and can make it all worthwhile. That said, it is awesome, if you can afford it to be able to record in a fancy studio, often more fun, and easier for both the band and the engineer. You also get outside perspective on your song which can sometimes improve it... But if you can't afford it, i don't think it is a huge biggie, you can do most of it at home if you are dedicated enough to put the hours in and learn how to do it.
Also EQ and compression nowadays is a necessary evil to get that "studio sound on a budget", plus its fun to see how far you can go... there are some really cool plugins out there like t-racks (works really well), harbal (as recommended by home recording connection) and drumagog (thanks so much to jonathan of intonation productions for telling me about that program) that can help hugely with final outcomes. By all means play around with stuff - its the only way to learn. We are all learning more all the time, and hopefully improving everyday.
[ http://www.myspace.com/therockfactory ]
Depends on what style of music your ...
Depends on what style of music your trying to create if your wanting to do acoustic stuff I guess recording in a pro studio is fine but any electro sounds do it on your own setup,equipment is a cheap as ever to buy with tech prices dropping all the time, I think its good to experiment alot when starting off and home recording is cheap way of doing it, im sick of hearing over compressed over produced "professional studio" stuff too it seems they push the vocals way too much to the front almost seperating it from the music... I dont think i would have ever got into music in the first place if I never had good old soundtracker on my amiga 500 which sparked my interest anyway in making tunes.
My Home recording setup
laptop
acid 5 is easy to use
korg triton
beyer mic
1970s sansui A70 hi fi :) needs repairs but always good to hear stuff on stereo as can sound alot diff to on headphones
[ http://www.krackatoa.com ]
woah, what a lot of replies! thanks for ...
woah, what a lot of replies! thanks for all the advice, i play the acoustic guitar and sing my own songs and just thought it'd be a good idea to do some practice at home before entering a real studio, so i don't have to waste time learning about all the knobs and stuff - so far i've been using the program "sound recorder" (from the start menu, programs, accessories) and it's quite crap!
Bro, if you're just demo'ing ...
Bro, if you're just demo'ing singer/songwriter stuff at home for your own sake and don't wanna fork out for gear do the following.
DL Audacity or the demo (free) version of nTrack.
Get to Dick Smith and pick up this wee bugger (link below).
Recording through your PC's on-board sound will get a 'bit' noisy and you'll have some room noise too, but you should be able to get usable sounds.
I know a guy who recorded half his album through one of these mics! They do the job with mini-disc recording too.
[ external link ]
If you've got good mikes and some ...
If you've got good mikes and some sound software and some mike stands and a bunch of passable instruments you can make an alright record. I know a guy who makes recordings in MIDI using principally a keyboard and electronic drumsand sampling, it sounds good but it sounds artificial.