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Thread: Noob question about recording

  1. #1

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    Default Noob question about recording

    I've been playing for a month or so now and I'm really enjoying it. I'm starting to go through Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials DVD (and CD) and am really digging playing along to the songs. I've heard more than a few people say you should record yourself so you can really go back and listen to your playing.

    So I started looking into recording the drums and boy did I open up a can of worms.

    I'd like to do something inexpensive and am not overly worried about sound quality. On the otherhand I'm sure at some point down the road I'd like to make some better recordings so I don't want to invest in anything that I'll want to throw away and replace.

    Basically what I want to do is to be able to listen to music in my head phones, play along and record both the music and the drums. It would also be really nice if I could do other things like pipe in a metronome, etc but that isn't complelety necessary.

    Any suggestions? Can I do something inexpensively now and expand on it later? I know absolutely nothing about recording, mixers, computer software, etc. So be gentle.

    Thanks!

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    Doc, the simplest way to begin recording is by downloading a free program like Audacity (that's the one I use) that is an editor, and recording software. Next, you'll need microphones and an interface, or mixer. The microphone set up can be as simple as a single overhead microphone, or a fully mic'ed set with a mic on every drum, and a couple of overhead mics for the cymbals. After that, it's just a matter of getting the cables that will take the sound from the interface (or mixer) to the audio input of the computer. When I was thinking about doing this, I also Googled everything I could find, and still I went through quite a learning curve (still am actually).
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  3. #3

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    PB hit the nail on the head. I decent mixer can be had for under $50 with a couple to few inputs. Audacity is also what I use and it's free. A couple of decent mics can be had for around $100. Do some research on some home recording forums and then make your choice. I probably have around $500-600 in my recording setup. It does good recordings and if I need it to I can use it while playing live. I have a mic for every drum with the aforementioned overheads, a 12 input mixer, and of course Audacity. There are tutorials on Youtube if you decide to use this particular software. Look into recorders too; that may be a route you may choose. Good Luck!!!!

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    Thanks so much for the into Pastor Bob!

    So I understand I need a mic or mics for the drums. I understand I need software on my computer to do the recording (Audacity). But I'm still not clear on the mixer/interface piece. Is the mixer and interface the same thing or is it two peices of hardware? Do you have any recommendations for a good low priced unit? Will it allow me to record both the drums and the music I'm playing along with while playing the music through my headset?

    Thanks again, I really appreciate the help!

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    Doc, the only reason I said interface is that if you chose to use 1 or 2 mics to start off, you could choose to go with a microphone interface to get the sound to you computer. I have used an MAudio MobilePre USB interface to record some vocals to the computer, and early on I used it to record the drums. It has phantom power (which you need for condenser mics) and allows for 2 microphone inputs so it could be used, but it does not allow you to tweak the sound the way a mixer does, so I would recommend going with the mixer, since any entry level interface, and a small mixer would be about the same price. The mixer would simply give you more control over the sound.

    Believe me when I tell you that you can get heavily into all this, so make sure you do the research ahead of any buying.
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  6. #6

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    OK I think I have a handle on what I need. I found someone selling a CAD 7 mic set on Craigslist for $75. That seems like a good way to get started. The only problem is they lost two of the mounting clips/clamps. Any idea if they can be replaced inexpensively?

    Thanks again for all the great info!

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    I don't know if the mic clamps are proprietary to the CAD mics, so you might have to contact CAD's customer service and see about whether you can buy the mic clamps separately.
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  8. #8

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    Phew! Well after a crash course in recording and spending more than I had planned to I'm up and running.

    I got a great deal on a set of CAD Pro-7 mics off craigslist. I picked them up for $115 and the guy threw in 7 XLR cables and a bass drum mic stand.

    I picked up a Behringer mixer. But I didn't realize I needed a preamp for each mic. So I had to take it back and get a bigger mixer than had preamps for all the mics. I had to go with the 2442FX (ouch! my wallet was not happy).

    The bigger mixer gives me a lot more flexibility in routing so I guess I can't complain. It's definately WAY overkill for what I set out to do, but when I'm ready to start making recordings that actually sound good I should be all set.

    For any other beginners out there who just want to make decent recordings of themselves to evaluate your own performance (as opposed to maknig high quality recordings) here is what I would suggest.

    You can easily get away with just 2 mics. I mic'd up my kit with just a bass drum mic and snare mic and it actually didn't sound too bad. The snare drum mic picked up the toms and cymbals reasonably well. Or you could try a bass drum mic and a single overhead condensor mic. If money's tight you can probably just get away with a single overhead. It won't sound awesome but it your just analyzing your own performance it works well enough.

    If you stick with 1 or 2 mics you can get a cheap mixer like a Behringer UB802 for $59. That will allow you to play music into your head phones and record either the drums or the drums and music together. You can send the output from the mixer to any recording device. I was using my camcorder with RCA plugs until I got an adapter so I could feed it into the line-in on my computer.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    Thanks for doing all of that leg work Doc_d! And thanks for asking the basic questions and explaining everything so clearly and simply. I'm going to remember this thread the next time I get some extra cash!

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    Good score on the Cad Pro 7 microphone kit.
    You've got these to play with:

    1 KM212 dynamic cardioid kick drum mic
    3 TM211 dynamic cardioid tom mics
    1 SN 210 dynamic cardioid snare microphone
    2 CM 217 cardioid mini pencil condenser mics with external roll-off and pad


    A very good way to get a full drum kit sound without using too many mics is to use an overhead mic (or a pair of them if you want stereo drum sound). Use the pencil condensors for overheads. Then mic the kick separately. Add the snare mic for a total of 4 mics and it's still pretty easy to get a good mix.

    Don't bother with the tom mics or micing anything else in the kit when you mix down to two tracks live (as opposed to multitracking, which you can't do unless you want to spend more )

    You want most of your sound to come from the overheads and pan them left and right on the mixer if you're using two of them for stereo. Experimenting with EQ settings will yield very useful results.

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Noob question about recording

    Well done, Doc d!!
    There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value.

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