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