How to record for first-timers?

[delirium90]

thanks for all e clarification about the respective equipment ron
btw i took a look at your recording under $50 thread.. wont be trying out the setup yet due to time/schedule constrait but the clip with the audio and video was amusing and intriguing in a good way.

i went to look up audacity and downloaded it regardless. its on ver2.0, would those VSTs the website provided still be compliant for usage if i were to use the latest audacity daw software? and imho i think the quality despite all that noise u mentioned is still kinda impressive for a budget of =<$50. Like what you said, i think it would be better for me to deal with experiencing audio recording alone first, rather than thinking so far now which might instead hinder my progress or maybe even dip my interest level if i fumble and end up in a deadlock. and im not familiar with RCA cables.. altho im gradually getting the hang of all the 1/4", 1/8", male/female cables etc lingo.

can i clarify a few others things with you regarding the =<$50 thread? that is, your setup of your guitar and mic:
guitar>1/4"cable>1/4"to1/8"TRS adapter> soundcard
mic>XLRto1/4"TRS cable> 1/4"to1/8"TRS adapter> soundcard
does this means both devices are ultimately connected to the 3.5mm(1/8") port/jack of the computer?
if so, does the com have enough port/jack for such connections or am i wrong in my intepretation?

and there was this portion whereby you mentioned "because my cables are 3metres in length (not very long) , as it wrapped around my desktop pc it had this heavy interference."..
does it mean the longer your cables, the less interference there could be? so effectively the level of interference is dependent on your cable length?

 

[blueprintstudios]

the VSTs should work and be backwards compatible be it VST2 or 3.
unless you're talking about audacity DAW, it should still work as VST is a standard plugin (as to DirectX / RTAS protools etc)

The noise that I highlighted on the FAQ includes additional steps to remove the noise which end result contributes to a cleaner sound/final mix.

RCA cables are simply unbalanced cables often used back then in Hifi stereos etc. put a RCA>1/4"TS jack on it , it's like a standard 1/4" cable. (I may be wrong for those electronics purists. but I've gotten by so far heh.) just that they usually come in 2s. one white one red. white = L , red = R , but otherwise they are 2 mono audio cables.

>does this means both devices are ultimately connected to the 3.5mm(1/8") port/jack of the computer?
yes

>if so, does the com have enough port/jack for such connections or am i wrong in my intepretation?
there's only one.(Mic input, there's GAIN on it, but watch the noise) or two (Line Input. but no gain. needs preamp on your audio's output source)

>Cable length
the shorter it is the better. but once you go balanced/XLR, you can go long/far. (this is mentioned in the unbalanced/balanced thread) and I highlighted that the interference came from the cables going too close to my CPU. you need length to adjust the mike easily + stray away from the computer, but you need it short for better signal quality (at this stage, it's quite insignificant if you're recording ghetto style). 2/3 metres should be just nice.

the DIY under 50 method is a method I used when I was a kid 15 years ago using windows 95 (200mhz AMD 32mb sdram) and an earphone plugged into the mic jack as microphone.. i'm in my late 20s. so that's how lucky you new generations are.

 

[delirium90]

thanks for clarification again about the vsts/audacity,budget setup, rca, cablelength-related-interference info. I can't agree more, my generation is spoilt! but its great to have samaritans in such forums to rely on!

Anyway, I read DIY recording FAQ thread.. i find it quite complicated for a newcomer cause' it touched alot on mixer/mixing-uses/info. I havent even started on audio recording so... ya its nuts for me.

Aside from the sidetracking..
um I think like i mentioned i think im screwing videoing one corner first and focusing on the audio like u recommended as well. Do you think it bides well if i were to start by purchasing the UX1/2, SM57/AT2020? Another thing i recalled, you mentioned UX2 as a pre-amp cum soundcard cum A.I. so its a pretty handy tool. Pardon me but I struggled to find an answer to this doubt of mine- Do all mics used for recording certainly need phantom power? I saw things like USB-connection-mics like the AT2020 but they mentioned of the usb latency problem despite the impressive sound quality. And basically, now im confused with all the connection and the setup, leaving aside balanced/unbalanced connection first.

summary of doubts:
1) if i use ux2, its my active AI and i no longer need audacity right?
2) Does dynamic/condenser mics both rely on phantom power (i know some AIs come w phantom power and most mixers as well)
*3) if ux2 provides guitar input port, does tt mean guitar directly output to ux2 (input) and my amp is as good as useless as im now relying on the VSTs provided by the ux2 AI and i can only tweak the settings (ie. setup my guitar's tone) on a compatible DAW instead of the conventional tweaking on the physical guitar amp? how does the whole setup (mics,guitar,AI,cables) go like in this case?

 

[blueprintstudios]

thanks for asking nicely/clearly and listening and sharing your issue with others reading.

the DIY FAQ is just a reference. read it first time it's confusing. but just remember that basic signal chain formula -
Recording Purpose > vocals/instrument > mic > preamp > soundcard > USB/Firewire/PCI > PC > DAW

Get your hands dirty, at each component/stage , there's endless details. from microphones/techniques/electronics etc. the more you learn, the more you realise there's so many things you don't know. the more you know, the more you realise there's so many things that needs to apply in real life. and no I didn't cover anything about mixing at all in that FAQ, so the world of pain hasn't started.

you don't have to screw video totally, just stick to whatever you have that's lightweight zero additional cost first.

1) it may have been slightly confusing as the DIY Recording FAQ was typed 5 years ago. those days when "preamp" and "audio interface" were commonly 2 separate elements. nowadays they build everything "all in one" so the UX1 or UX2 or ANY audio interface you'll be getting these days be it line6,zoom,korg,presonus etc has onboard preamps. so now everything is "handy" as you claimed.

2) there's 3 kinds of microphones , dynamic, condenser, ribbon. I'm not going to touch on ribbon mics because if you're using ribbons you'll probably have done your own studying/degree/can afford. I only covered the cost effective/affordable side of recording. but if you must know some ribbons are passive/active powered so answer is yes/no depending on the mic. dynamics don't need phantom power. condenser does. as stated on the DIY FAQ.

3) USB mics are a new breed over the last 5 years. they skip the requirement of a preamp/audio interface (I think? or they tap using your onboard soundcard's) but I don't recommend it at all as upgradability is as good as none. it's abit targeting the plug n pray market. pray because I hear a lot of problems with latency etc. if you think the USB is impressive, wait till you use the XLR heh.
mic > xlr > preamp / soundcard > USB/Firewire/PCI > PC > DAW
USB mic (mic/preamp) > USB > PC > DAW.
I've came across samson mics that are ridiculously expensive at sweelee. which anyone would be better off buying a mic/xlr/audio interface. but I guess it's targeting the really basic consumer market.


Your Doubts :
1) if i use ux2, its my active AI and i no longer need audacity right?
> No. UX2 is your Audio Interface/soundcard hardware. Audacity is the DAW software.
if you buy certain audio interfaces, they will come with DAWs like Ableton,sonar,cubase or you can buy others like Reaper. macs comes with GarageBand . earlier version of Protools/Logic are only available to mac or M-Audio (Protools M-powered)

2) Does dynamic/condenser mics both rely on phantom power (i know some AIs come w phantom power and most mixers as well)
> answered above.

3) if ux2 provides guitar input port, does tt mean guitar directly output to ux2 (input) and my amp is as good as useless
> unless you're using a kickass amp. or if you prefer miking your amp with a mic such as SM57. but otherwise if your line6 VST amp simulator sounds better than your cheap practise amp. the answer is yes. as good as useless.

as im now relying on the VSTs provided by the ux2 AI and i can only tweak the settings (ie. setup my guitar's tone) on a compatible DAW instead of the conventional tweaking on the physical guitar amp?
> yeap, that means your new amp is the "line6 amp" inside your computer.

how does the whole setup (mics,guitar,AI,cables) go like in this case?
> guitar > 1/4" cable > UX1/2 audio interface > PC/Mac > DAW > Line6 podfarm VST , adjust. > mix mix mix > export wav/mp3.

the sound you'll be recording is a dry sound of your guitar, then you can command the change of tone at will. whether it needs more gain or not. AFTER recording.

 

[delirium90]

Okay! thanks for bearing with those trivial questions! I have a much clearer picture now definitely.. in that case i prolly wont need a microphone now (since originally i thought its used for the mic, but not anymore w direct output to AI yah haha) unless my friends would wanna have a try at covering vocals for songs lol.. i guess without the mic my setup would be a pretty simple one haha but glad to know all that knowledge that you all have shared.

Another question.. if im going to listen via headphones plugged to the A.I., do i have to purchase those headphones specially for recording (eg. those ATH models) or can i just use a normal one (eg. klipsch or sennheiser). would i have to pay attention to anything like (i.e. the impedance or any specifications of the headphones)?

hmm but great! all tt's left is to experience and learn the setup/playing/softwares!

will keep you updated on my progress as soon as I rake up all the required eqpt and setup
Thank you very much.

 

[blueprintstudios]

no prob, to answer your qn :

your choice of monitoring would be a hearing medium that you're most familiar with. many people will just tell you you need monitors, you need to treat your room etc etc. I can tell you that's only applicable only if your ears rely on those. if you're inexperienced/deaf or simply stupid , no high end monitoring will get you anywhere in mixing. iphone earphones are okay. but just take note, there's no clear high frequencies on that thing, there's no lows on it as well,but why I said it's ok? cos kids listen to iphone earphones these days. if your budget doesn't allow you to buy headphones, stick with what you have. you definitely won't be mixing out award winning stuff, but your wallet will be your best friend in the mean time.

the ATHm30s I mentioned is something tried and true because for something in the $60, the noise isolation is great , comfortable, decent lows, the cable is LONG, and the jack is interchangeable between 1/4" and 1/8" . I had the m40s/tried the better 50 models but for some reason I always go back to m30s cos my ears just seem to gauge well. recently i'm on a new in-ear-monitor. local invention. still in adaptation stage but so far so good. will recommend when the time comes.

I don't know about impedance or specs with headphones electronics, I just know that when you mix with these headphones/monitoring mediums, your mix must travel far. sounds good on all your hearing medium , sounds right with all your friends etc.

eventually when your budget allows you can decide whether to improve on audio recording hardware, or monitoring hardware (for mixing, but still depends on your mixing skills and how well your ears adapt)

what defines a good mix? that's another can of worms. rule #1 - you have to like it first, for how you want it to sound is how you want audience to like your music for it. unless your consumer taste for what's a good mix sucks then maybe you need to get influenced.. i'm pretty sure we can open a new topic when the time comes. good luck for now then.

 

[kongwee]

For me, in-ear phone is a must on the location recording. A good ear-in-phone will almost isolated outside noise.If my client do not want to me mix after recording, put on my in-ear phone to setup everything on fly and fix everything on spot. I also have a studio headphone as a back up. But end it up for client to listen. Set everything up, record and cash-in.

I use studio monitor for my post production stage.

 

[delirium90]

icic.. i think i'll stick to what i have first headphones or IEMs, before trying the ATHs and others.. since they are compatible/wont spoil after prolonged connection/usage with the AI..

Another question.. do people who cover songs merge original audio and their recording audio by importing the original, then removing the 'guitar part' of the original track, or do they just overlay it and play both together after they soften or minimise as much as possible, the original track's guitar? then finally they export it out into an audio and start mixing?

and if the AI (eg UX1/2) is for recording but audacity also provides recording, when i eventually link em up, would there be settings which i have to take note of? does the AI work like any other program? for example, after recording it, there is a directory where the audio is saved. so i just import that into audacity and start tweaking (assuming i know wad to do) before finally having a complete touched-up audio track?

 

[blueprintstudios]

To ans your qn : depends what you want to showcase in your video. Your singing or playing or both or ability to "remix" your own version.

Audacity doesn't support "live plugins" I think, they apply "destructive editing" directly on the wav. So reaper or your bundled daw is next best choice apart from freebie audacity

 

[delirium90]

Icic. how bout in the event that I wish to record just the guitar and replace the originals of the song? Am i able to do such editting in those paid DAW? (i.e. removing the original guitar and replacing it with what i recorded and played)

If those DAW are too costly.. then is there any suggestions to come up with something like that?
for instance >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7n8qZ3zHyc&feature=related

 

[blueprintstudios]

to remove portion/instrument of a song, it depends on how it was mixed. it's like vocal removal, if it's in the center, some plugins can remove the "center" information (usually snare/kick as well unfortunately) otherwise your better shot is EQ or bring down the volume and make your recording more prominent. a mid scoop EQ will help a little as well.

if there's a new method out there in the links of these searches, otherwise above is similar to what I mentioned.
https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=how+to+remove+guitar+in+a+song+for+backing+track