| Back in the old days (around 'Nam) recording at home | | | | mixer of your PA. You'll need one preamp for every |
| was a new miracle. You could actually hit record on a | | | | microphone you plan on using at one time. You'll want |
| device and capture sound in your own home. Your | | | | to have the same number of preamp channels as you |
| eyes would light up just like Thomas Edison did when | | | | do inputs on your soundcard. There are many |
| he first invented audio recording. Fast forward to 2005. | | | | soundcards that come with preamps. There are many |
| It's now completely affordable to outfit a fully functional | | | | many external preamps that CAN improve you sound |
| recording rig in your home for the price of a high | | | | quality just slightly. If all else fails, use the preamps in |
| quality, American made guitar. While the price of | | | | your PA mixer. If your mixer uses inserts you can split |
| getting into home recording is much cheaper than it | | | | the signal right off the preamp by only pushing in the |
| has ever been before, it's still a lot of money. Is setting | | | | cable half way. I'm referring to the cable that goes out |
| up a small studio worth the price? What are the pitfalls | | | | of your preamp and into your soundcard.Next you'll |
| of trying to record yourself? Would you be better off | | | | need mic stands. There aren't too many cases where |
| just paying a professional recording studio to do the | | | | you don't need a mic stand. You have to be very very |
| job for you? Hopefully, I'll answer these questions and | | | | careful with mic stands. If you buy a supercheap mic |
| more.What It TakesYou are going to need a lot of | | | | stand, you may have problems with the mic changing |
| knowledge, gear, time, and patience before jumping | | | | it's position in the middle of a session. The results can |
| into the recording studio world. I was a computer nerd | | | | be absolutely horrible. So buy decent mic stands. $30 |
| half done with a degree in electronics when I jumped | | | | per stand is a reasonable low budget stand. I would |
| into the recording world. I understood electronic basics | | | | not recommend that you spend any less on a mic |
| and had run live sound numerous times. I totally | | | | stand.Next is microphones. This is where it gets fun. |
| understood how to operate a mixer/console. So all I | | | | There are so many to choose from and there are so |
| had to do was jump into the recording portion, right? | | | | many tonal options. You'll want as many mics as you |
| ....Well, it turned out that there was quite a learning | | | | have preamp channels and soundcard channels (or |
| curve to go from an empty room to the creative | | | | you went overkill on preamps / soundcards). Choosing |
| process (which is the fun part) and walk out with a | | | | microphones is beyond the scope of this article. You |
| finished cd in hand.I had no idea how much time I would | | | | can spend $50 on a mic or you can spend $3000 on |
| spend cursing Windows audio drivers, failed hard | | | | a mic and you have no way of knowing which will |
| drives, out of sync audio files, clicks and pops, | | | | sound better on a given source. This is a severely big |
| unwanted distortion, etc. Truth be told, I went from an | | | | deal when it comes to recording and it's one major |
| average computer user to a computer master in that | | | | area that seperates the men from the boys, so to |
| couple of monthes it took me to work out all the kinks | | | | speak. Home recording studios usually have terrible mic |
| in my system. That's right. It took me a few monthes | | | | selections to choose from.The most important piece of |
| before I was ready to record my first band. It was that | | | | gear in your studio is your studio monitors. If you try to |
| tough. That was in 2001. Maybe things are easier now. | | | | use a boombox you will be very dissapointed when |
| I'm guessing that you'll still have quite a road in front of | | | | you burn a cd and try to show mom on another |
| you.After you get your rig fully operational, you are still | | | | stereo system. Of course, you'll probably be |
| going to have to learn the software. I would HIGHLY | | | | dissapointed even if you have a $10,000 set of studio |
| recommend that you buy a DVD and a book to teach | | | | monitors because your acoustics will be all wrong in |
| you the software that you intend to use. I could have | | | | you room and even still you probably haven't mixed |
| saved myself hundreds of hours of headaches if I | | | | enough songs to be any good at actually mixing.Okay, |
| would have just read the stupid manual and had a little | | | | I've outlined what goes into recording your cd. Guess |
| instruction. I learned a lot by tinkering (which may be | | | | what, any decent studio has all of this taken care of |
| your nature too) but there is no point in learning things | | | | you. Do you know about audio latency in XP? Do you |
| the hard way if you don't have to. On my very first | | | | know anything about room nodes? The studio guy |
| recording session, I had my manual in my lap. You | | | | probably does. That's how he makes his living.So when |
| could only imagine how stressful it can be if you have | | | | you walk into a professional recording studio ran by a |
| 5 guys staring at you while you desperately push | | | | serious engineer who cares about your music, you can |
| buttons on something you barely understand. I'd say it | | | | expect to focus on one thing... the recording of your |
| took me a good 3 monthes of everyday tinkering | | | | music. You don't have to wonder about the specs of |
| before I felt comfortable using the software for basic | | | | the computer, the cables connecting the preamps and |
| recording. Keep in mind that I wasn't trying anything | | | | the soundcard. You don't have to worry about wasting |
| advanced here. No crazy editing, no fancy automation. | | | | huge amounts of time while the bass player stares at |
| In fact, I had very little understanding of audio when it | | | | a mess of cables. You don't have to buy the mess of |
| came down to early reflections and multi-tap delays. | | | | cables. In fact, I've recorded entire albums cheaper |
| I'm talking about just getting the stupid song onto the | | | | than you would spend on mic stands. In other words, |
| computer.Okay, so I've kind of prepped you on how | | | | I've delayed charging a high price so that I could get |
| the learning curve required for recording music. Let's | | | | tons of practice and become well known in my area. |
| talk about the gear.These days, it's a waste of time to | | | | You might find a serious recording guy yourself who |
| use the stand alone recorders you see in the mail | | | | might work cheaper than you think.What an |
| order company catalogs. While these boxes promise | | | | experienced recording studio engineer knows that you |
| to have everything you need to record your demo | | | | probably don't.1)The value of his time - An experienced |
| (and they usually do) the learning curve requirements | | | | engineer isn't cheap (but could be much cheaper than |
| are astounding. Yes, I just wrote an entire section on | | | | trying to record yourself) but he knows that his time is |
| how tough it was to learn computer recording. | | | | worth X dollars. How is this an advantage? It's |
| However, there is a big difference between the | | | | amazing how humans rise to meet a challenge. When |
| learning curve of computer audio and the learning | | | | you go in knowing that you are about to spend $20, |
| curve of stand alone recorders. When you learn | | | | $30, or $50 an hour on recording all of a sudden you |
| computer knowledge, that knowledge is useful on just | | | | take the time to get your guitar setup beforehand. You |
| about every computer on the planet. (I've kept myself | | | | make sure your songs are mega tight and ready to |
| from starving a number of times with my computer | | | | go. You get your butt in gear because you are about |
| knowledge which I mostly attribute to recording). Also, | | | | to spend some money. When your guitar players tell |
| computer recording software generally uses a mixer | | | | you that he thinks he has the recording device working |
| that is a fairly close simulation of the real thing. The | | | | right, you don't jump up get busy. You get frustrated |
| concepts stay the same. When you are using the | | | | while he tries to figure out the problems on channel 1 |
| stand alone recorders, you end up learning to hold E1 + | | | | and 5.2)Advanced knowledge of acoustics - This is |
| Function + Menu to get to Aux send page. Why do | | | | one of those areas that you will entirely put off. At |
| you need a page for aux send? Anyway, I've had | | | | first, you are just trying to figure out how to turn the |
| several friends who have used these boxes and don't | | | | computer on. Have you really put any serious thought |
| know anything about audio. They spent all their time | | | | into the comb filtering effects of your room? The odds |
| learning this foreign language that will be obsolete as | | | | are minute. In fact, I bet most bands put no thought into |
| soon as the record is. In summary, I highly recommend | | | | their room acoustics. Guess what. Any good studio |
| that you go with a computer for your digital | | | | has spent thousands and thousands of dollars |
| recordings.Okay, so you need a computer. The good | | | | pefecting their acoustics. The only thing more important |
| news is you don't need a very fast one by today's | | | | than acoustics in a recording is the song, the musicians, |
| standards. In fact, I built my recording computer for | | | | and the instruments. After that, acoutics is first. Proper |
| about $300 and it's overkill. I need a faster computer | | | | acoustics are more important than microphones. I'd |
| than most because I do more projects than most. It | | | | gladly record an album with $50 mics in a $2,000,000 |
| makes a difference when I'm rendering down mixes | | | | room before I did the opposite.3)Advanced |
| that I can do it twice as fast because I have too many | | | | microphone selection - Having the right mic for the job |
| songs to mix on a given day. I don't have 3 minutes to | | | | is an extremely important part of being a recording |
| sit around and wait for the computer to think.On top of | | | | engineer. When you know that a guitar is too bright, |
| the computer, you'll need a soundcard. I recommend a | | | | you put a mic on it that will reduce this brightness. |
| soundcard with a breakout box. This means that a | | | | When a vocalist sounds dull, you put a bright mic on |
| cable will actually come out of the back of your | | | | them. It goes on and on. This is what really makes the |
| computer and connect to a box where your audio | | | | sound quality part of recording. Recording at home will |
| connections are made. Setups with breakout boxes | | | | make it hard to justify a $15,000 mic collection (or |
| are almost always preferred. In fact, I ownly know of | | | | much higher). Some studios have $15,000 |
| one professional audio company that doesn't rely on a | | | | mics.4)Advanced knowledge of mic placement - Even |
| breakout box for their computer interphases. I do not | | | | more important than the microphone is where you put |
| recommend Sound Blaster and those sorts. We are | | | | it. A seasoned pro will know what has worked on the |
| not playing games or watching DVDs. We are | | | | past 10 albums he's done. He knows what he likes and |
| recording music. The demands are certainly not the | | | | what he doesn't. He doesn't have to wait until after the |
| same. You will find many Firewire and PCI soundcards | | | | mixing is complete for him to figure out that the snare |
| in the mail order catalogs that work great. Pay special | | | | sound sucks. You'll be experimenting like crazy, but it |
| attention to the number of inputs and optional preamps. | | | | will take a while before you get it right, more than |
| This is important. You may only need 2 inputs for your | | | | likely.When you combine all this knowledge together, it |
| recording. In fact, most projects I do seldom use more | | | | becomes quite clear that there are serious |
| than 2 channels 90% of the time. Of course, the other | | | | advantages to letting the pros handle the work. With |
| 10% of the time we may be using 19 or 20 channels. If | | | | that being said, if you really want to learn audio, don't |
| you are recording electronic music and only plan on | | | | mind pumping thousands into a bottomless pit, and are |
| doing a few overdubs with vocals or the occasional | | | | really that excited about taking years and years and |
| instrument, 2 channels will probably work fine. If you | | | | years to learn the craft properly, go for it. I did.Brandon |
| plan on recording your entire 4 piece rock band live | | | | Drury has written countless home |
| with rock drums you are going to need at least 10 | | | | recording tutorials at his website, You can hear a |
| inputs (maybe more). So plan ahead and figure out | | | | portion |
| how many mics you plan to use at once.Next, you | | | | of the over 600 songs he's recorded and mixed at his |
| need preamps. Preamps boost the signal of a | | | | recording |
| microphone up to line level and are pretty much | | | | studio website. |
| required. Preamps are usually the top knob on the | | | | |