How do you record your music?

Hi all,
this Forum lately has seen the active participation of many members, who have shared their talent with the rest of us; this has motivated me to record something new, after a hiatus of a few years due to personal problems that kept me away from music, but I have discovered that I am in the process of learning the basics again -so to speak- and this gave me the idea of opening this thread and asking how do you record your own music, and in particular:

1- Do you prefer the hardware route (i.e a dedicated multitrack recorder, like a Tascam DP-24) or the software route (i.e. a computer and a DAW like Sonar, Cubase, Audition, etc) or a combination of the two methods? And why?

2- How many tracks do you record at once? Two or more? In other words, have you ever taken advantage of the multiple outputs that some keyboards have to record -say- the drums on tracks 1 & 2, the bass on track 3 and so on?
This of course would enable later to process each instrument in a different way (adding effects, Eq, compression, etc), but not all the recorders can do this and -in the case of a computer based system- one would need a more sophisticated (and expensive) interface (read audio card).

3- Do you prefer to record your performance "live" (be it in stereo or multiple tracks to be mixed later) or do you prefer to lay down one track at a time?

I am really curious because -like I said- I have to face the same choices right now and what was good in the past might not be good anymore now (people change and so do their needs or priorities).
Thank you.

About the only way I record anything is to plug into my Tascam digital recorder while I'm on the job. I run from a left and right tape or stereo output into the two channels on the recorder, and hit record.
Occasionally I record something at home using the onboard recorder on PA3X, but no often.
I have dabbled in multi-track recording in past years, and you can no doubt get a better recording with much more control. However the main purpose if my recordings is to hear what I sound like when I'm actually performing and use that knowledge to improve.

Don,
what Tascam do you own? Can you comment on its quality? Pro vs cons? Thanks.

I keep it very simple, Dreamer. I like to record on the Tyros4's midi recorder "live" as it captures the feeling best.

If I don't succeed on the first two takes, I will take a break and try a bit later, as too many tries seem to lose the "feel". The only post recording editing I do may be panning, effects and volume adjustments.

I use high quality headphones when recording, again taking regular breaks to avoid ear fatigue. If I'm happy with the result, I use the Tyros4's Audio Recorder to make a Wav. recording of the tune, and then I put the Wav. on a flash-drive, load in my PC for use in making a Cd, or convert to Mp3 for emailing or uploading to 4Shared or Box net.

Sometimes I will re-record the right hand parts afterwards, and keep each sound on a separate track, again for minor editing, but I rarely record anything I can't reproduce "live".

However, that may change if I don't start back to gigging.

I'm sticking to only using the Tyros4, as I want my "sound" to remain consistent, as if working with the same orchestra.

It's great to hear you are getting back into recording...I went through a bit of a slump several years ago, but it was only for about 4 months and I broke out of it by basically forcing myself to record.

Once I got started again, I was fine.

Ian

I am currently using DR-05. Small, inexpensive and the quality is extremely good. The built-in mics are pretty good, but I use the line-inputs almost exclusively. You can record in WAV format or a variety of MP3 compression ratios. It records directly to micro-SD card. The one I have in there is 16 Gigs and it holds a LOT of songs in WAV format. It takes 2 AA batteries for power and battery life is excellent. I use rechargeable ones. It can also be powered by USB and that's what I generally use both on the job and in the car.
I also have a PR-10, that is even smaller and even less expensive. I also have 16-gig micro SD card in it. It works just fine, with fewer options and smaller built-in mics (which I don't use anyway). It is about 1" x 4" in size. I lost the battery cover from it, so I have clear tape over it, but it still is fully functional.
I previously had another model or two, plus a couple of Zooms. I prefer the Tascams, but all have been quite good.

http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/

Until recently, I used the Zoom H2 and a number of PC based programs that provided pretty good results - but not great. Now, I just press the record/USB button on the S-950 during a live show, and as you can hear, most of the time the recordings come out great.

Good thread Adrian,

Gary

I prefer the 1 track "live" method. I record vocal and melody directly from a Yamaha PSR-S910 into a Digital Recorder (BR-864) with multi-track capability but, for the sake of time, one track does all I need for my songwriting recordings. From the digital recorder, I send a WAV file to my computer and use a free audio editor to clean up minor glitches or to cut and paste certain sections if needed. I often change volumes on intros, breaks and endings and finally, normalize the edited WAV file before copying into MP3 format (or other formats as needed).

If I am dis-satisfied with the result, I simply re-cut the entire song until I'm happy with the results. Often, I will wait a day or two, listen again and see if it still sounds as good as I originally thought. Fortunately, the ability to save the style settings makes a second cut much easier.

The older I get, the less pleased I am at my vocal abilities but I get significant practice this way.

I agree with Don Mason about higher quality if several tracks are used but, time is not on my side and I am doing my best to complete 1000 songs for my catalog before the grim reaper comes calling. Only 93 songs to go now to reach this self-imposed target, not including instrumentals or children's musicals in this category. I have been writing songs for nearly ten years after retiring from a job involving industrial automation.

I enjoy several genres including, Easy Listening, Country, Americana, Blues, Jazz and Novelty songs. Fortunately, I don't depend on making a living with my works... unless I can attract top of the line vocalists with significant fan acceptance and "record sales." If and when that happens, the entire ballgame can change overnight.

Let's face it... hope is the spring that drives the songwriting mechanism for thousands of us.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Dave Rice

http://www.ShowcaseYourMusic.com/DaveRice/

Get yourself a dedicated desktop (not a laptop)
I use adobe audition 1.5 – 3.0 is ok, never warmed up to sonar or pro tools, it’s up to you. I only use audio so 128 tracks is good.
Add an audio card, I recommend, RHE sound card,
Get a mixer – I have a Heath and Allen mixer
Run your keyboard to the mixer, then to the audio card and run the outs to your speakers.
To listen to the results I get you can listen here.
http://chipos.com
Let me know if you have questions are even want to go this route.
I have messed with every USB sound device (Motu, Mbox, ect..) and nothing beats a rig…

Good luck

Thank you,
you have written everything I needed to know about the live/straightforward approach and you kept it very concise. All the words needed to convey the message and not one more.
A real zen-man.

Donny,
agreed that an image (or a video or a link, whatever) is better than a thousand words, but I would like to know something more.
This Mixcraft suite seems too good to be true: only 149.95 USD for the Pro Studio version, and it has more than 6500 loops!
You know that I am a sucker for loops, but do you (or anyone else) have any direct experience of the program? How is the quality of the loops?
Thanks for the link anyway.

Gary and Dave,
many thanks for reporting your experience. I hope that we can all benefit from each other.
Dave, I am listening right now to Jammin in Brazil and I like it; your voice has a pleasant timbre and has something in common with Don Mason (the accent maybe? Or the way to phrase the lyrics? I like it anyway) Also, great piano licks in Peaches in my cream!

Hi Beachbum,

I too have Audition 3.0, but have never heard of an RHE soundcard and a Google search returned nothing.
I have a digital mixer/recorder (Yamaha AW2816)



and so one could say that I am set already, but I bought it more than ten years ago and -as I said- things change; besides, it lacks features that we take for granted, like an USB interface (it still has a SCSI); the sound quality, however, is still top notch.
Final question: what do you mean with "rig"?
I am listening to your songs and your voice reminds me a lot of Sting.

RIG = Desktop computer.

Audio Card
http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_hdsp_9632.php

Hi Dreamer

I use a Zoom R16. This is a very flexible set up, you can use it as a simple two track or as a eight track (simultaneous) recorder, it also doubles as a mixer for live performance. My recently acquired G70 allows six outputs, two for vocals, two for accompaniment, one bass and one drums. If can also using a splitter cable on the mic record lead vocal and harmony separately.

The R16 recoeds in wave format and connects via USB to my PC, Using drag and drop I transfer the files into Cubase for editing and conversion to MP3 files.

Regards

Col

Col,

that's a very cool setup, one that really intrigues me much, especially for the quality/price relationship. I have seen that the R16 can record to SD cards and this offers another, handy, way to transfer your wav files to the PC for the final editing.
One question: don't you feel limited recording the drums with just one output of the G-70? This way you lose the stereo field, don't you?

P.S.; what kind of monitors are you using? I couldn't tell from the photo.

Hi Andrea

You are correct in what you say about the drums, I sometimes leave the bass along with the accompaniment and record the drums in stereo, depends on the song.

The monitors are nEar 4 by ESI I've had them quite a while they give a good response, I just feel at times they can tend to be a touch heavy on the bass.

A couple of other points about the Zoom I didn't mention, you can record up to 16 tracks by over dubbing. The Zoom also has a very comprehensive suite of effects,even a dedicated range of Guitar effects.

I normally record the vocals using insert effects which are applied on the fly and not burnt into the wave file I then apply the effects using Cubase.

If you wish you can also create any number of master's using the Zoom itself which includes the on board effects, the choice is yours.

There are so many different ways to use the Zoom it's really up to you, I would recommend it either for quick recordings or serious multi-tracking. I think it's the nearest thing to a full studio for a sensible outlay.

In this example of "Lyin Eye's" I used 7 tracks, the lead vocal separate, I also recorded the song with the harmony on all the time then used the automation in Cubase to bring the harmony in when required, cheating I know but what the he..

https://app.box.com/s/ruoo5k6xbortwjvc2s88

Regards

Col

Col nice setup only thing that scares me is that
single brace X stand holding up the heavy G70 or any KB...

I use a combination of a DAW and onboard sequencers (if the keyboard is equipped with a decent one). I used to use hardware when I wanted to share music via the web or other ways, but boy I got sick of all the cables for this and that. It's so much easier using a DAW for most of my work now.

Dreamer
I record live to an external Tascam digital recorder.
I use the digital out from my Motif
I record 2 track stereo to a compact flash in wav

Hello Andrea

I used to make very simple
Record direct to the Tyros hard disk in .wav and convert it to mp3.
If I want to record a simple electric guitar performance I use Line 6 UX1 unit
I prefer Audacity + a good desktop PC.
I never use external recorder. Pc are powerful enough nowaday.

I use Mixcraft-6 (Standard Edition). I've gone through so many of the included loops in MC6. Holy cow! there are some really good loops in there. You could make countless (nearly complete) songs from just using the loops alone. There are tons of different styles of music to choose from with a very good selection of loops for each genre.

MC also comes with a very nice set of VST's out of the box. Their Acoustica Instruments are pretty good (not the best but certainly well above a typical GM sound set). There are some Virtual Analogue VST's in there too (plus a nice organ drawbar VST).

MC is basically the Windows version of GarageBand, but with WAY more content, better UI, and has a more polished look as well. Even the basic Mixcraft Home Studio Edition that sells for a mere $50 is a great bargain. I started with the Home Studio Edition and eventually just upgraded to the Standard Edition. Thinking of upgrading to the Pro Edition here real soon.

They have a free demo! Download it and give it a whirl. The program is also CPU friendly (which is a very welcomed feature to any DAW application).

Squeak,

many thanks for your input; I have actually already downloaded the demo version of Mixcraft 6 and am almost sold: even without the loops it would still make for a great bargain as a DAW, given the features and the price. The loops and the VSTs are really the icing on the cake.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas.

I love mixcraft 6.......so efficient, so easy nuff said.

http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/

Hi Dreamer:

You are very perceptive in noticing the similarities of my vocal as compared to Don Mason. He has been a significant influence in my attempts at storming the gates of today's very competitive music world. Our vocal similarities are probably because we are both Southerners and he has been on my "Idols" list for quite some time. If only I had his fantastic vocal skills! Please remember, I'm only a songwriter and I never perform.

Thanks for taking time to listen to a few of my original songs.

Best regards to you,

Dave

Andrea,
I record music with the Steinberg UR824 (extrnal) soundcard into Cubase7 that has great plugins included.
The UR824 can record up to 8 channels simultaniously and C7 tracks are 'unlimited'.

Recording vocals and accoustic instruments works great because of zero-latency and channel presets/DSP.
The UR824 is fully intergrated in Cubase what makes it even more simple.)

Andrea ... I use the ZOOM h4n digital recorder ... I can record 4 tracks individually ... I will usually record through the 'tape out' or 'control room' outs of a mixer, but lately I have just been putting the recorder near one of the Podium 10 speakers - this does NOT give the best results ...

BTW ... I look forward to hearing some of your recorded music in the future ...

Roel,

thank you for your suggestion; I will check the UR824 too (good thing that today is a holiday here in Italy, so I have plenty of time).

Ciao

Tony,

thank you for your input and...careful whath you wish for...

Joe,

what Tascam do you own?

Serge,

can you comment more on Audacity?
I have seen that it's free, so maybe it offers less choices compared with commercial DAWs like Cubase or Sonar?

How you record your music depends on what you want to achieve. A quick, built-in recorder in your arranger does a great job of capturing a 'Live' recording, warts and all. As long as you check your levels, maybe take a peek at the waveform display in an audio editor (Audacity makes a good free one) and check that you never exceed 0db (look for 'flat line' in the loud sections), you are good to go. Then all it is is down to you... Balance it in advance. Mind you, that one thing seems to elude most of us...

If you want to take things further... sky's the limit. Record the arranger Parts as a MIDI capture, edit the heck out of them, record them one by one into your computer as audio, or replace them with better VSTi's or other keyboards, play real guitar (or hire a pro), 'comp' your vocals, use a tad of Auto-tune, fly in audio loops...

It all depends on how far you want to take it.

Beachbum,

I have done a lot of research and the RME sound cards seem to be indeed among the very best in the market. You adviced the HDSP 9632, but I would rather prefer an external solution, should I in the future change PC (and motherboard). Do you have any experience of the RME Fireface UC?

RME Fireface UC

Also, what Heath and Allen mixer are you using?
Thanks.

Although the RME cards are definitely some of the very best in the business (along with Apogee and Metric Halo, UAD etc.), they are also some of the more expensive.

I would honestly advise that, unless you are doing professional work that demands the very highest standards, you can do VERY acceptable work with audio cards a lot less expensive.

Like the Tascam US 144 I currently have?

Or maybe like the Focusrite Scarlet 18i8?

The Focusrite costs less than half the price of an RME Fireface UC