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SIMPLE HOME DIGITAL RECORDING TIPS

Posted by Kevin M. Kraft on May 19, 2013 at 7:54pm in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever

Maybe this should be a GROUP, but...after three years and two false starts trying to finish my CD with my producer friend, it's become clear to me that I won't be able to rely upon him after all. So...I'm afraid I'll have to do it myself if it's ever going to get done. Things just keep coming up.

 

So, does anyone here have any advice, based upon your experience, about setting up a basic home digital audio recording outfit? I've read a few things online, but I would like to hear from people here who have done it.

 

Thank!

 

 

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Replies

  • Thorsten Hinrichsen June 5, 2013 at 12:45pm

    Hi Kevin,

    I'd advise you to look out for a good condenser microphone - voices sound much better. The sure mics are perfect for amp recording but if you want a good frequency recording of your voice, go for a condenser. There are some which need phantom power (through an external audio interface) or some which you can plug into your USB connection.

    Concerning audio recording I have used samplitude for years and now changed to PreSonus. The New PreSonus Studio One Version 2 is available as Freeware (no instruments, drum samplers etc., simply for recording, like a band machine - but top quality and easy to handle) or other levels (producer, professional -which is the top of the line model). I was lucky to get the professional version for 180 Euros (about $ 200) because I use it for school projects as well. It's almost as good as cubase, protools and works well on small screens (notebooks). 

    So, all in all, condenser mike, audio interface (I use Line6 UX2 which is perfect for guitar recordings and offers good software) and some desktop audio software (audacity or presonus for free or any pricy one). NOTE: Most audio workstations don't offer mastering tools. For CD production you should think about that as well (maybe your producer friend can help you with that).

    Good Luck,

    Thorsten / Sugimugi

  • Hilo Greg May 22, 2013 at 1:17pm

    Greetings Kevin, I am fairly new to the CBG world but coming from the ukulele world and releasing 2 albums I'm living proof that anyone can record a DIY album for around $500. I use a Mac, which comes with Garage Band, but as Ron said you can also use Audacity and get good results for free.

    My equipment is: AKG Percepion condenser mic ($150) and Focusrite Saffire 6 USB input ($150, to connect mic to computer), plus a cable, boom stand and microphone pop screen. My not-so-secret weapon is a program called Band in a Box ($200), that generates drum tracks, bass tracks, and any other backing instrument you need. Simply import those individual backing tracks into Garage Band/Audacity, and then record your vocal and CBG tracks. Add some reverb and compression and export a finished MP3. 

    It takes some practice, but if you can devote a weekend or two to tinkering you should have the knowledge to produce your own material. From there, you can use Discmakers to press CDs ($2-$3 per CD) or simply upload the tracks to Soundcloud/Bandcamp etc. and sell them or give them away.

    Good luck and be sure to post some samples!

    Greg

    • Kevin M. Kraft > Hilo Greg June 3, 2013 at 5:28pm

      I appreciate the advice, Greg. Thank you!

       

      • Hilo Greg > Kevin M. Kraft June 4, 2013 at 12:59pm

        Hi Kevin, to answer your question on my profile page you can find samples and 2 free downloads here: 

        http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hilogreg2

        Best of luck!

        Greg

        • Kevin M. Kraft > Hilo Greg June 20, 2013 at 9:49am

          I listened to your cuts. Good stuff.

  • Craig Mayhem May 21, 2013 at 9:07am

    You can get very serviceable recordings with just a few pieces of equipment / software. 

    Blue Microphones makes a USB microphone interface called the Blue Icicle. It's about $30. With it you can use any microphone to record direct into your computer. It even has phantom power. 

    Audacity is a free piece of software you can use to record whatever source you plug into your computer. Works on any OS. 

    There's any number of USB guitar / instrument interfaces out there. I haven't used the Behringer UCG102 Guitar Link, but it's $30 and I like Behringer gear. (I use an old Creative Labs soundcard that has spdif inputs so I can use my rack-mount PodPro - but I have to use Windows XP.)

    I like using Sony ACID for multi-track mixing. The bonus is that it was made for loop-based music creation. This means you can easily use drum loops and even loop your rhythm guitar riffs and bass riffs. The 'home' version - with everything you'll probably ever need - is about $40.

    That's about $100.

    • Kevin M. Kraft > Craig Mayhem June 20, 2013 at 9:43am

      Craig, what kind of mike do you use for recordings? Is it  Blue mike?

      • Craig Mayhem > Kevin M. Kraft June 20, 2013 at 9:52am

        Blue makes good USB mics. A Blue Snowball is ok and it's about $50. The YetiPro is more expensive but it sounds better. I use a Rode NT1 mic. It is an XLR but I use a Blue Icicle USB interface. With it you can use any XLR mic - it even has phantom power.

    • Kevin M. Kraft > Craig Mayhem May 21, 2013 at 10:02am

      Thanks  a lot, Craig!

      • Craig Mayhem > Kevin M. Kraft May 21, 2013 at 11:03am

        No problem. I try to keep it as simple as possible with few pieces of equipment/software needed. Not only am I cheap but I think it helps creativity when technology isn't getting in your way.

        I also teach audio production for animation at university so the less that's involved the easier it is to teach.

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