Audio Recording

[Wlddrmr083]

Ive been looking to get my own recording gear to do some recording on the side. I have ZERO knowledge or experince and have been looking for advice. Im not looking for anything big. I would just like to be able to record my own band and perhaps help other bands who cannot afford a profesional stido.Anyone who would have any sugestions or any kind of advice when it comes to recording would be appreciated. Some equipment I have been looking into are as follows:

Roland Edirol M-16DX Mixer

Audix Mics

Cakewalk Software

[Herb Utsmelz]

Cakewalk Sonar is an excellent program. I use Adobe Audition.

You can start out for fewer $$$ than that Edirol unit.

Here are some free recording programs--

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Kristal Audio Engine: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Cheap--

Reaper: http://www.reaper.fm/download.php

And there are a lot more options. Come over here and sign up: www.homerecordingconnection.com. Look at the FAQs and ask a few questions. We're a newbie-friendly forum.

[silverdragonsound]

One thing you should really spend some time learning is on mic placement and sound during the recording process. I can not tell you how much a difference this will make to your recording quality. WHile the process can take years to master its one of the biggest things most beginners overlook. Your can edit a decent/good recording and make it great with good mastering but a bad recording is much harder to work with and fix.

[Wlddrmr083]

Thanks for the advice guys.

BTW I posted this twice because the site told me it was unable to post the new thread. Guess it was lying to me.

Is it alot more trickier learning where to mic drums than others like guitar and vocals? Guess it would be giving there are alot more to record with the drums. Ive got 7 total drums and paln to mic each individualy. Also would it work better to mic either the top or bottom of the drum or possibly even both? Also how about overhead micing?

[cdaug]

Thanks for the advice guys.

BTW I posted this twice because the site told me it was unable to post the new thread. Guess it was lying to me.

Is it alot more trickier learning where to mic drums than others like guitar and vocals? Guess it would be giving there are alot more to record with the drums. Ive got 7 total drums and paln to mic each individualy. Also would it work better to mic either the top or bottom of the drum or possibly even both? Also how about overhead micing?

i highly recomend micing the top and bottom of the snare drum in particular. the mic placement i use generally for the overheads is to space them the same distance from each other as they are over the kit. like many things in drumming there are many different ideas and alternatives to recording them depending on what you want the end result to be. i have a large kit as well. when micing the entire kit, i use one mic to capture the 8" and 10" tom. i do the same with the 12" and 14". this is convienent because of my setup and using the same effects and eq-ing of these sizes works for me. just be patient and do alot of experimenting. you will find what works the best for you within the different set ups.

[Herb Utsmelz]

The method used for micing drums depends on the sound you're after.

If you want the punchy, in-your-face sound, you'll want to use closeup mics, with overhead mic(s). When using individual closeup and overhead mics, remember: the higher you can mount your cymbals, the more control you will have with the drum mix. You'll need a mixer or software that furnishes enough channels to accommodate the number of mics.

If you want a sound with more "air," so to speak, move the mics farther away. You'll need a good sounding room to get away with that, and you'll have to be aware of your cymbal technique. Cymbals can wash out your whole sound. Think Bonham.

Also remember that if you choose to put mics on the top and the bottom of the drum, you should wire the bottom mic to be out of phase with the top mic. Reason: The top mic is hearing the sound wave going away from it, and the bottom mic is hearing the same sound coming toward it, making the two sounds almost 180 degrees out of phase. If you don't switch phase on the bottom mic, the resulting sound will be quite thin.

In the end, experimentation is the best way to learn. There are few hard and fast rules. If you have good sounding instruments, you're already most of the way there. Good luck!