Recording tips!!>

y2stevo

y2stevo

New member
Ok..

Ive just got a fostex VF-16 and im starting to get into recording much more now that i can do it properly with this baby...(cheers Robert :laugh2: )
I also think that there really should be something like this in the vault for beginners and those who want to improving their recording techniques i.e. tips like speaker placement(differences you've noticed with different positions), Doubling tracks for a stereo sound and the like....

So can you guys who have experience in this field please drop us some tips!!!


Cheers y2stevo>..>>.. :cool3: :dance: :dance:
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

Here I will give some advice about at-home recording. Though I will give you some technical points to consider, this is more of a way to approach the actual process. Some good programs to record with are Cubase, ACID, Cool Edit, Adobe Audition (which is a newly copyrighted version of CE). Try a program called Reason for midi/synth/drums, it's a great program. I'm sure there's more and that if you search "Recording" or "programs" on the guitar forum, you'll find plenty of others you could use.

- First of all, try to get decent equipment because that's what will ultimately make your sound. You can get a decent tone with bad equipment, but it'll take much more fiddling of knobs and what you really want to focus on is the quality of the material you're putting out.

- If you're going to be recording with an amp that has no line out, or just anytime you want to record with a microphone, buy a decent microphone. They don't have to be expensive. Some great ones are the Shure 57, and you might want some condensor mics. Some good ones are made by AKG and are inexpensive, like the C-1000 and the C-3000. Also, if you don't want to bother with mic'ing amps up, use portable work stations. Line 6 POD's are great. My favourite is the Vox Tone Lab, and other various workstations are available made by Korg, Boss etc. Shop around. They are well worth their cost. You can get GREAT quality recordings with these portable workstations, and most of them are quite good at their amp emulations. I was able to feel a self-proffessed "tube tone purist" with my Vox Tone Lab.

- Never start recording when you're not in the mood. Take some time with what you're working on. If something wasn't that great, save that take, but try to top it. Work with your levels too. Never put up the treble too much or the bass, or mids and etc. A great way to test for these levels is to put on earphones. You'll know right away if something isn't quite right.

- Master your track. You've probably heard about this, but you may not be sure about what it is. In most recording programs (like the ones I mentioned at the beginning) you can isolate certain tracks you've recorded and mess with their EQ and volume. That's what mastering is. Make sure the volume of each track will complement the song. A simplified explanation of what I mean is making sure that your rhythm guitar and drum tracks don't overpower lead guitar or vocals.

- Fool around with panning from left to right on the speakers/headphone ear. Say you record one track and you use a riff that just doesn't seem as big, or pronounced as you want it to be. Well, take that one track and assign it one channel. Now record another track, but assign that one to the other channel. Now you've got multitracked guitars, whcih will sound "big" and will also have a sort of "human-ness" because the tracks will never be exactly the same.

Also, about panning: Taking a run from a solo and panning it from one side to the other and back, is a great little trick. There are TONS of ways you can mess around with panning that can benefit a sound.

- Make sure you're in tune, re-tune several times through out. Make sure your instrumentals and all tracks are as good as you can make them.

- A very important point is to not go into it half-assed. Don't record for the sake of posting ASAP. Record to put out a good product. If you get bored, or restless with editing, save your work and come back to it, just try to keep it fresh in your mind. There is a good reason that the proffessionals will spend upwards of a year recording albums.

- Your imagination is your limit. Sounds corny, but it's true. Even if you're equipment isn't great, if you put in the work, you can dial in a decent sound out of any amp.
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

[Continued]

Lastly, be your own judge. If you think something's lacking, work on it. Think outside your own self. If you were a listener, would you listen to this?

Have fun with it, hope this helps in the approach, feel free to ask questions about anything I wrote. I have a fairly good knowledge of Cool Edit/Adobe Audition and a reasonable ability with Reason, so feel free to ask.

Enjoy,
Ocifer

I realize it's not that great for actual technical advice, but if someone has questions, just post them, and we'll all see what we can do to help.
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

y2stevo said:
Ok..

Ive just got a fostex VF-16 and im starting to get into recording much more now that i can do it properly with this baby...(cheers Robert :laugh2: )
I also think that there really should be something like this in the vault for beginners and those who want to improving their recording techniques i.e. tips like speaker placement(differences you've noticed with different positions), Doubling tracks for a stereo sound and the like....

So can you guys who have experience in this field please drop us some tips!!!
Cheers y2stevo
Click to expand...

Congrats on the new kit! I'm sure you will be up and running in no time. Recording really is a process of trial and error, and there are NO hard and fast rules. It all depends on what kind of sound you're going for, and even then, there are multiple roads that all lead to the same place.

On the demo I cut last year, I recorded every guitar track with 3 mics in 3 different positions, and going to 3 seperate tracks on my recorder. For the album, tho, I wanted a more 'direct' sound, and ended up using a single BLUE mic for each guitar track, and I'm very happy with the results I'm getting.

Just fire away with real specific questions, and I'll see what I can do. Re: speaker placement --> are you asking about monitor placement for mixing and playback, or placement of the guitar cab for recording?

Re: multitracking guitars --> I always like to double the rhythm guitars, even on demos, and pan them. It creates a much fuller sound. The guitars have to be in lockstep time and tuning, tho, or it'll turn into a big mess. When I play harmony parts, I also double each harmony, and pan them, too. It really fills out the guitar sound as well.

A WORD ABOUT TUNING: When recording, stop as often as you have to and make sure you're in tune! When I track guitar parts, I tune to every chord, if I have to, and it makes a huge difference in the quality of the guitar parts. Some people may argue that it's not necessary, and for a demo you're gonna use yourself, I agree. But if other people will be listening to it, you had better make sure every track is perfectly in tune! Out of tune guitars don't sound cool (thank you, Jack White, et al), they sound rubbish!!

A WORD ABOUT FREQUENCY SPECTRUM: If you keep all of your tracks full range, they will sound like rubbish! You will have to rolll of the bass on the guitar tracks, and the highs on the bass tracks, etc. I am oversimplifying to save space, and when you're up to mixing something, I can PM you specifics. If you don't, you can't mix the instruments together, and you will end up with a muddy mess.

Hope you find this helpful! Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and record as much as you can to get over the learning curve! It's def. possible to make a pro sounding album at home these days, but it takes know-how, patience, a good ear, and more patience!!!
 
Last edited:
Re: Recording tips!!>

Hey, Zero, that was a helpful article. Twilight, you seem to know, so I thought I'd ask you about how you boost different frequencies in Cool Edit or Adobe Audition. How do you go about it?
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

Ocifer said:
Twilight, you seem to know, so I thought I'd ask you about how you boost different frequencies in Cool Edit or Adobe Audition. How do you go about it?
Click to expand...

As for those exact recording programs, I don't know. I use Sonar for editing and such. Or, are you asking in a general sense, what do I look for when mixing instruments together?
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

Is it possible for me to even do it in a program. I record via line-in, and I'd like to add some of those touches Zero's article outlined (with boosting frequencies)... do I have to get a piece of hardware for that, like a special compressor, or eq or something?
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

Hey Ocifer,

Cool Edit has all sorts of effects and eq's that you can add to your sound..but unless your mixing your stuff there its very inconvienient..i.e. if your recording with cool edit that means if you want to fine tune all the frequencies you cannot hear it in real time how the whole song will turn out and every change you make will have to be exported again.....but that said you can still edit your stuff with cool edit.. I dont know about adobe audition cos i don;t even know what it is but, when i used my pc to mix i used a program called Ejay Music Director gold, it was great for mixing and you could edit volumes and eq's and effects in realtime....

If this was what you were asking hope it helped...

y2stevo
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

Adobe Audition is the same proggie (Cool Edit). It was just taken over by one of the big boys.

Lee
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

This is correct, in that you cannot do it on the fly. But you certainly can add EQ and whatnot afterwards. The pulldown menu should be something like Edit/Sound/EQ ... and then it will ask if you want parametric, graphic, hi-pass, etc. WARNING: Take global EQ settings like the ones in the article with a HUGE grain of salt. I have found this hard-and-fast approach to be WRONG more times than not. There's no way to universally EQ any one instrument. More helpful would be advise on how to actually mix, but since this is a highly coveted 'secret', you really find much about it in print. I find that to be rubbish, so here's where I always start:

Firstly, whenever you add a frequency to any track, you must always subtract from similar instruments. To illustrate: kick drum and bass share the same space. If you add 2dB @ 80Hz to the kick, you need to notch 2dB from the bass guitar at the same freqency ...

Secondarily, when mixing guitars and other midrange instruments, I find it better to hi-pass filter them. This gently rolls off the bass frequencies below the one you set, which is better than EQ'ing them. It keeps the tone intact, but takes the bass energy away from where it's needed most: for the kick and bass gtr!

Lastly, it is always better to use SUBTRACTIVE EQ instead of ADDITIVE. If a track is muddy, roll off or hi-pass the bass, DON'T add midrange. If it's too bright, roll off the top end, etc.
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

I'll just add one little thing to all this good advice . . .
. . . reverb can be a recording novice's worst enemy. Keep it very subtle.

If you can actually hear the effect . . . you probably have too much.
You can always add more later. You can never take it out.
 
Re: Recording tips!!>

Great tips guys! Especially the EQ rules of thumb. I frequently visit
www.homerecording.com
for some good techniques on recording as well.

Artie, I have been playing for 14 years, but find my experience in contrast to your signature. I begin studies at Atlanta's Institute of Music July 5th, but have had to cram practice sessions with unfamiliar scales just to gain entry. I had to confess to the president of AIM that I really didnt know how to play guitar, but knew how to play songs on the guitar. My repertoire covers from Creedence to the Stones, to Clapton to GNR, Nickelback to Garth Brooks and just about all between. However, if you asked me to play a 3 octave Major Pentatonic with a b3rd, it would take a while. Just thought I would throw that out!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top