The Recording Thread

[Diamondjimi]

So yesterday at GC Hollywood I noticed they got a used one they're asking 325.. so I know with my artists' discount I could probably have it for 250.

GC gives discounts to bullshit artist's?

I'm surprised they don't charge you $5 Stupid Tax, slap you in the cocksucker and escort your lying/thieving ass out the door..

Protools LE is a tinkertoy starter set, I'd expected you to have moved up to better by now.

It's what anyone w/o a dedicated Pro Tools HD system uses, not like you'd know.
.

[Mushroom]

My singer built a home studio in the basement and uses Cubase software set up for 16 tracks.

[Mushroom]

I have a pirate version of Cool Edit 2000 software that I simply used for editing music. This year I bought a Mac, and to be honest, I haven't tried to install the Cool Edit - not sure it would work. I'm ready to move on to something else but I'm overwhelmed by the choices. Any suggestions?

[Diamondjimi]

Started out with Cool Edit Pro (Now called Adobe Audition). I still use it for editing, but that's about it...

[GAR]

GC gives discounts to bullshit artist's?

I'm surprised they don't .. escort your lying/thieving ass out the door..

I didn't walk out of there with a pair of 16ft guitar cables this time -guess I'm losing my edge in my old age huh -

So who here uses their Soundcard as the interface, and who uses a dedicated one?

I'm thinking of going with a cheap mbox or dongle-thingy instead of that monstrosity board. My chick stubbed her toe on my folding keyboard stool today and bitched about it several times cuz it was at the edge of the bed.

Imagine the henhouse uproar when I lay THIS fucker in front of the TV and have her go stub her fuckin toes..



All she'd have to do is look at the thing, and the bitching will freely henceforth flow..

All I really need: L and R input to a FUCKING computer. I like the effects stuff idea, but I don't really need it.

[GAR]

.. and I do like Sesh's advice on firewire input thanks.

[jhale667]

There is no "Bullshit" Artist discount...

GC gives discounts to bullshit artist's?

I'm surprised they don't charge you $5 Stupid Tax, slap you in the cocksucker and escort your lying/thieving ass out the door..

Trust me, they do. He's exactly the kind of pretentious fuckbag that when GC employees hear him say "I want my artist discount" his price immediately goes up...


Best line I ever pulled on someone back in the day who was being a douche, yelling "I KNOW you can do better on that price!!" told him (since at the time I could zero out anything *within reason* to make a deal fly up to a certain $ amount) "Dude, I can GIVE IT TO YOU if I want, but since you're being a dick..."

[Nitro Express]

Gar is into rehtro recording. His equipment is a old Radio Shack portable cassette recorder. He currently is using the on board microphone because he's saving up to buy a remote microphone at the thrift store. His main technical problem is battery drain because the cardboard box he lives in doesn't have electricity. Too bad those portable solar panels are so expensive.

[GAR]

Best line I ever pulled on someone back in the day who was being a douche, yelling "I KNOW you can do better on that price!!" told him (since at the time I could zero out anything *within reason* to make a deal fly up to a certain $ amount) "Dude, I can GIVE IT TO YOU if I want, but since you're being a dick..."

I think I had two Diva's like that fired by personally going upstairs to Wiederman. Did you know this guy back in 06 who was bald and about 45, gray but balding, glasses and a lot of facial piercings and poseur tattoos - head like an encyclopedia for gear but the tact of a dipshit? His fate was one Gar casualty, because I don't give abuse out in business so I sure as hell don't need to take it from some minimum-wage earning piercy motherfucker like that!

[GAR]

Too bad those portable solar panels are so expensive.

I feel so sad for Caltrans' missing equipment. Really. Not MY fault they just leave shit on the side of the road!

[jhale667]

I think I had two Diva's like that fired by personally going upstairs to Wiederman. Did you know this guy back in 06 who was bald and about 45, gray but balding, glasses and a lot of facial piercings and poseur tattoos - head like an encyclopedia for gear but the tact of a dipshit? His fate was one Gar casualty, because I don't give abuse out in business so I sure as hell don't need to take it from some minimum-wage earning piercy motherfucker like that!

Nope, long after my time there. But I know Weiderman well enough to know he'd more likely tell you to go fuck yourself and give the dude that walked you a spiff for doing so...(btw, he's said merely dropping his name at the counter also means your price goes up)

[jhale667]

Alrighty then.

Back on f*ing topic -

What's everyone (else's that actually owns gear)'s experience with recording guitar sounds, amps and/vs. emulations? IMO an actual (triple) mic'd amp still sounds best - especially for distorted tones. Although you can certainly get pleasant enough sounds, and in the general ballpark with amp simulators like PODfarm, GuitarRig, Amplitube, etc. nothing reacts like a real tube amp in "OMG, he just turned me up to 11" power-stage meltdown mode where you feel it back through your guitar in your hands - like a real amp.

But while that's fine in a real studio - hard to do at home, neighbors (probably more so in an apartment, but houses too), neighborhood noise-level curfews, whatevs. So more often than not for expediency's sake if nothing else I find myself getting the ideas and arrangements down with amp simulations, with the idea being to eventually re-do (or just in some cases triple or quadruple) some of the primary rhythm tracks - after the rhythm section has been recorded, in a real studio, with my amp mic'd and cranked up LOUD.

As far as using real amps at home, speaker loads and cabinet sims (like Recabinet and others, even the standard Line 6 cab sims can be made to sound better if you write your own presets, which I also did with the amp tones) work well enough, but the flip-side is you then encounter the same issues you'd potentially find doing typical sound reinforcement shite: ground noise if the wiring in your place is funky, typical amp background hiss that will require noise suppression later...worth it to do, but time-intensive. I find I only have time for that on weekends, and if you're trying to get an idea down while it's fresh, particularly on a weeknight, you can't/don't want to bother with it.

I notice (recording a Mesa Mk III at least) real amp tracks tend to be darker - and meatier on their own - than emulated tracks, which can tend to sound bright and fizzy (particularly with stock cab sims).
I like doubling and mixing real and emulated amp tracks too - if you can double your own rhythms tightly enough, you can get great sounds that you can fully play with in the stereo spectrum afterwards too...fun stuff. :p

Here's a Soundclick example of that approach to guitar tracks, complete with my guitarist-on-bass guide bass line (that will eventually be redone by an actual bassist when the drum tracks are added...lol).

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=1000098&songID=8208183

While the example says "final", that more refers to the arrangements...the idea is to go back and double the primary Marshall-type and Boogie rhythm guitar tracks with actual mic'd cab stereo tracks. Might re-do the leads that way too. Another thing I'd like to try and haven't, again time permitting perhaps some weekend is running the stereo send from my pedal board into Line6 UX-2 while my direct out on my amp is feeding my Mbox II...I want to try doing some stereo rhythm tracks that way.


And while I'm impressed with what some people can do with programmed drums, I personally admittedly suck at programming them (the "light" versions of Reason and BFD came with my Pro Tools package), I just don't have the patience for it, am not a f*ing drummer ... and I prefer real live human drummers that can play to a click anyway - but what's everyone else using?

[kwame k]

All good points, Jay......for a guitarist

Back to triple B's question and basically the question I've been trying to answer for myself, since I need to rebuild my studio(lost all my mics, cables, and CPU due to divorce and moving).

What do I really need and what am I going to use it for? I'll lay out my situation and maybe this will help.

I still have my ADAT's and a ton of outboard gear......Lexicon FX's, EQ's, mic pre-amps,DBX compression, recording console, etc. My old computer interface was a Lexicon CORE II 24-bit interface(half duplex, not full duplex)......firewire ready with 8 inputs and the ability to record 8-tracks simultaneously, 16 with my ADAT's chained together. I only used my ADAT's for A/D conversion and stopped recording to them years ago. I used Sonar/Cakewalk but agree with Jay and Jimi that if you're going to use software, use the industry standard........just makes sense to be compatible with all studios and most musicians.

Great gear to record a band or drums but is it really necessary?

Do you need all those tracks? Are you planning on recording Bohemian Rhapsody or are you wanting to just lay ideas down, with no plans to record full blown albums.

I've done 10 tracks dedicated to just drums but in all honesty, I've gotten my best drum sounds using just four mics/tracks.....easier to record and less chance of phase cancellation.

My situation may be different than most because I'm a drummer and need at least 4-tracks for drums and if you're jamming live to tape with a bassist or guitarist you'll need at least 8-track simultaneously.........

The nagging question........WTF to get to rebuild my studio?

Here's my thinking as of today..........

First off mics, period. Don't give a flying fuck what else you have if you don't have mics you'll never get there. Standard studio equipment.....SM-57, SM-58, and some condenser mics (AKG's rock, IMHO). When using any type of condenser mic you'll be better off to have a mic pre-amp. A recording board/mixing console(why use this if I'm going direct to computer? It just makes recording easier and more organic, plus gives you the flexibility of routing things back out of the computer back to the board.....think A/D conversion). Room control.......bass baffles, egg crates, sound deadening board, ply wood, etc. If the room is shit, you're fucked from the start.

So.......for my room, total wood. Hardwood floors, wood walls and ceilings. You can always throttle back the brightness but can never add it.......kinda like EQ'ing of FX'ing shit to tape.....once it's recorded you can't take it away but you can always add it later. Recording interface.......going back to tape bitches, why? 'cause I miss that natural tape compression you get from red-lining tape, you can't do that in digital because it just clips everything in the red-line. Tascam vintage recorder, 8-track 1" because I can't afford a Studer but Ampex has some reasonable shit, too.

That's my wish list but having said that.........an 8-track input computer interface and Pro-Tools will most likely be the my choice. I may stay Cakewalk/Sonar and go analog for laying down tracks and digital for editing but cost and the most bang for my buck will dictate what I do.

So in closing.....I have no fucking idea what I'll do

.....but my advice for you is simple.......what are you trying to record/do? Simple guitar and vocal songwriting tool, get a good mic and a 2 input interface or a stand alone. Want to record your band.......8 tracks and recording gear.

[jhale667]

All good points, Jay......for a guitarist

As you also made good ones..for a drummer. Speaking of drums, I've also heard of people doing sub-mixes on their drum kits on say an 8-track outboard mixer going to both inputs of an MboxII and just printing them as a stereo track - the drawback there being much like printing w/effects, you're stuck with your mix...

But agree, to BBB's question:

.....but my advice for you is simple.......what are you trying to record/do? Simple guitar and vocal songwriting tool, get a good mic and a 2 input interface or a stand alone. Want to record your band.......8 tracks and recording gear.

Yep, that always needs to be asked and answered, it's the key to decide what's needed...

[GAR]

But I know Weiderman well enough..

Remember, I'm in the 100K club with one of the earliest customer numbers in there.. if I have to march upstairs Dave puts the phone down and goes "whats goin on?"

The trouble I have in the temporary counter-help is having to re-educate them every time I go in to check gear out: cuz the last guy I bought something is usually gone.

It's not heartbreaking at all to see them go either.. I know it's a shitty gig and they do too. What I hate though is developing some kind of rapport with someone and then seeing them have to bail because of a low time of year. There are such things as slow times of the year! But they get fired for it and that pisses me off, cuz then the dude I had something goin' is vanished and I now have some creepy, skater-punker-skeptic dude who thinks like I thought at 19 years of age that everyone older than me sucked and I knew better..

/GC rant

I got four 4x12's in the hallway I could open the patio doors and blast if I wanted to, but when I get home I find I just dont have it in me, and by the time I do its already dark, dickhead actor's son neighbor's home upstairs, and my chick wants my attention.

I need something direct, with no mics. That's what I'm looking for right now - headphones recording input device.