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Thread: Save money when recording!

  1. #1

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    Default Save money when recording!

    Ah, so today, I decided to test out the idea of recording instruments with guitar hero/rock band microphones.

    And may I say, my band sounds like we were recorded in a professional studio. I am so siked because I love the clarity the microphone gives to the music. I only need 1 mic for the drums! It picks up my every hit on the drums. I bet it could even pick up ghost notes! And the best part is, it's SO cheap.

    Step 1. Get a Rock Band Microphone.
    Step 2. Download Audacity on to your computer/laptop. If you have good connection it downloads in a heartbeat. (and it's free!)
    Step 3. Open Audacity and connect the mic to the usb port.
    Step 4. Find a way to mount your mic, preferably so that it is about 6 inches higher than your bass drum and about two, three feet away from it. (you can mount it anywhere, but i found the best range of sounds in this position)
    Step 5. Hit record on Audacity and off you go!

    To record a full band you'll probably need 5 mics (drums, 2 guitar, bass, vocals-1 mic per person). To record an amplifier, the mic must be placed rougly 3 feet across from the amp's speaker. If it moves closer... Sound quality sounds like crap. Away, it gets too soft and you have to adjust volume on Audacity, and then it sounds like its on bass booster-not good. Vocals don't need to be loud, they can be recorded so easily and effortless, since you don't have to "belt it out" to get a good sound.

    Rock Band mics are about $10 at GameStop, doesn't matter what kind you get, as long as it has USB connection and isn't wireless. I used a Guitar Hero World Tour microphone (Wii) because I wanted to find some use for it other than it lying around.

    Check it out guys, it will save you thousands. jordison
    So itchie, how did the kick sound?
    Quote Originally Posted by itchie
    like godzilla humping a mountain
    Quote Originally Posted by CycleDude View Post
    You, my friend, owe me a keyboard... I just spit coffee all over mine...
    Get counted! http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...ers-12079.html

    Check it.
    http://www.reverbnation.com/allihave

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    You must have a great room to make it work. Can you share a sound sample?
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
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    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    Yeah sure, when I get my whole band together (we've been very busy, with work)

    we have conflicting hours, so its hard to get us all together. I think I have a file on my laptop, which is us just testing the mics out. I'll look and if I don't it'll probably be up, at the max, 2 weeks. My 19" crash is still being used by my uncle for gigging, his band is doing real well (they have gigs until, december or late november i think) so it's not going to be in the mix... I have to use the crappy camber c/r. Its good for riding... Not for crashing.

    The file, if i have it, was me messing around on my guitarist's guitar, with the amp settings on all bass so it sounds like a bass. It was recorded through a 30 watt? Epiphone bass amp. I know for a fact i deleted the drum file because, it was terrible... Horrible. Disgusting. I played terribly.

    Ah well, like i said, 2 weeks tops.

    Jordison
    So itchie, how did the kick sound?
    Quote Originally Posted by itchie
    like godzilla humping a mountain
    Quote Originally Posted by CycleDude View Post
    You, my friend, owe me a keyboard... I just spit coffee all over mine...
    Get counted! http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...ers-12079.html

    Check it.
    http://www.reverbnation.com/allihave

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    The room we record on is my basement, which, if you look at it from above, kinda looks like a t-shirt...

    I'm actually going to move my set this weekend so i can get to it easier. Kinda around the bottom of the t-shirt.

    --------------------------------
    - D -
    ---------- ----------
    - -
    - -
    - -
    - X -
    ---------------

    X marks the spot where the set is probably going to be moved to
    D is where it is now
    So itchie, how did the kick sound?
    Quote Originally Posted by itchie
    like godzilla humping a mountain
    Quote Originally Posted by CycleDude View Post
    You, my friend, owe me a keyboard... I just spit coffee all over mine...
    Get counted! http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...ers-12079.html

    Check it.
    http://www.reverbnation.com/allihave

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    Man... Didnt work. But my drums would be on the right sleeve and i want to move them to the bottom, where your waist would be
    So itchie, how did the kick sound?
    Quote Originally Posted by itchie
    like godzilla humping a mountain
    Quote Originally Posted by CycleDude View Post
    You, my friend, owe me a keyboard... I just spit coffee all over mine...
    Get counted! http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...ers-12079.html

    Check it.
    http://www.reverbnation.com/allihave

  6. #6

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    No disrespect intended, but I'm more interested in the quality of the drum sound than hearing the whole band. Like, I'd wanna hear both, but I'm more concerned with the drums.

    I wanna record myself practicing and I''m on a wicked budget.
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
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    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    I've done that before. It's quality is absolutely amazing! I set the microphone on a table that's about 3-4 feet away from my drums and it still came out sounding great. Here's a little beat it had made some time ago that I recorded this way:

    http://www.sendspace.com/file/8oxdwf

    I'm gonna try doing this again later for an audition video.
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  8. #8

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    You get what you pay for, I was always told. Sometimes though, you get a nice bonus.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
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    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

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  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Russ View Post
    You get what you pay for, I was always told. Sometimes though, you get a nice bonus.
    That's very true. OTOH, If you are recording your own practice sessions, or youtube vids, then a one mic set up would be fine.

    If you are calling yourself a recording studio and making demos for people, then you need to pony up for the good stuff.
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
    24/12/16 6.5x14
    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    Quote Originally Posted by jordison515 View Post
    Ah, so today, I decided to test out the idea of recording instruments with guitar hero/rock band microphones....I only need 1 mic for the drums! It picks up my every hit on the drums. And the best part is, it's SO cheap. Rock Band mics are about $10 at GameStop.

    Check it out guys, it will save you thousands. jordison
    Quote Originally Posted by NoiseInMotion View Post
    I've done that before. It's quality is absolutely amazing! I set the microphone on a table that's about 3-4 feet away from my drums and it still came out sounding great. Here's a little beat it had made some time ago that I recorded this way:

    http://www.sendspace.com/file/8oxdwf
    Quote Originally Posted by Russ View Post
    You get what you pay for, I was always told. Sometimes though, you get a nice bonus.
    OK, Gang... I decided to part with $10 at Gamestop on my lunch hour for a guitar hero USB mic. I raced home plugged it in and layed down a quick beat...

    Holy-Mother-Of-All-Percussion-Gods this is awesome!!!!

    Now let's be realistic for a moment....

    This is not to say that you can make a drum recording quality that sounds like that of "Enter Sandman", or that Nucjd wasted his time building that kick-arse home studio of his, BUT if you are broke and want to record practices or maybe goof off on a youtube video, I've gotta say... it's da bomb.

    Jordison... I don't know why you thought to do this, but you're alright in my book!
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
    24/12/16 6.5x14
    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    Don't you need some type of interface to get this going on your computer correctly?
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  12. #12

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    Go for it guys. If you are getting a good result that is great! Anything that gets people into recording is what I am for.

    BUT BEWARE... You might just catch the bug and start down a slippery and expensive road like myself

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Russ View Post
    Don't you need some type of interface to get this going on your computer correctly?
    Nope, It's just a usb mic so it is plug n play... Like I said, for recording a practice or a youtube vid it's great, but not for a high end recording. I'll share a little sumpin-sumpin with you all in a few days.
    Last edited by CycleDude; 08-04-2010 at 09:38 PM.
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
    24/12/16 6.5x14
    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by nucjd View Post
    Go for it guys. If you are getting a good result that is great! Anything that gets people into recording is what I am for.

    BUT BEWARE... You might just catch the bug and start down a slippery and expensive road like myself
    Ultimately, I'd like a quality recording system with close mics on everything and whatnot. I've been piecing some things together slowly for a while when I can. I have two cad condensors and 3 nady sp5 cardioids but no interface and those are out of my budget, so the $10 one mic will have to do.
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
    24/12/16 6.5x14
    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

  15. #15

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    Kev,

    Do you have any kind of mixer? If you do, you could buy an inexpensive 2 channel USB interface (they are under $100) and run the outputs from the mixer into the USB interface. The downside is you have to get the mix on the mic levels by trial and error since you can't mix later.

    Even without a mixer, you can at least run the 2 condensers as overheads or room mics into the interface.

    It's an inexpensive way to record if you have a PC and can come out pretty decent.
    Jesse

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  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by kaosotis View Post
    Kev,

    Do you have any kind of mixer? If you do, you could buy an inexpensive 2 channel USB interface (they are under $100) and run the outputs from the mixer into the USB interface. The downside is you have to get the mix on the mic levels by trial and error since you can't mix later.

    Even without a mixer, you can at least run the 2 condensers as overheads or room mics into the interface.

    It's an inexpensive way to record if you have a PC and can come out pretty decent.
    No, Jesse, I dont. I was looking at the Behringer 1202 for about $80, and doing a kick, snare and 2 overheads. I have some mics, but I still need cables at about $25 a pop ($100) plus the interface, plus stands/mounts...
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
    24/12/16 6.5x14
    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

  17. #17

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    I messed around with this method a few months ago. It worked surprisingly well, but I felt results were a product of mic placement mostly. If you find a great spot where you get a balance between drums and cymbals, then the recording will sound pretty good. Agreed it is no replacement for a true studio, it is perfect for recording oneself or as already mentioned, videos or audition tapes possibly.
    Gretsch - Tama - Pearl - Sabian - Zildjian - Stagg - Evans - Vater - Gibraltar

  18. #18

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    Weird... my band and I have been doing this for a year now, so I guess the magic of a Rockband mic for recording drums has been swept away haha.
    Off-Topic dweller.
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  19. #19

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    Default Re: Save money when recording!

    You still need a computer, but I think it's the best method there is in this price range. Look forward to hearing some audio, and congrats on getting into it! It's all going to come down to placement and tuning of your kit though, and you can sweeten it up a little with audacity on your computer afterwards for no extra cash down.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
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    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Russ View Post
    You still need a computer, but I think it's the best method there is in this price range.
    Seeing as we're all members of an internet forum, I assume we all have a computer already... *snicker snicker*

    Quote Originally Posted by Russ View Post
    Look forward to hearing some audio, and congrats on getting into it! It's all going to come down to placement and tuning of your kit though, and you can sweeten it up a little with audacity on your computer afterwards for no extra cash down.
    Here ya go, everyone....

    http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...mic-16633.html

    You're right, Russ. The mic placement and tuning are huge, but room acoustics are just as important. Like I said, ultimately I want a setup like you and some of the other guys that close mic everything, but being a family man, milk comes before mics. LOL!
    Last edited by CycleDude; 08-05-2010 at 01:58 PM. Reason: added link
    Kevin
    DW Performance series - Gun Metal Metallic Lacquer
    24/12/16 6.5x14
    Sabian AA/AAX hi-hats & crashes
    Sabian HHX Evolution ride

    Drummers can be very tempomental.....

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