Home Recording Tips And Tricks, A Thread about Home Audio / Video Recording |
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Home Recording Tips And Tricks, A Thread about Home Audio / Video Recording |
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Apr 6 2012, 02:37 PM |
NEW GEAR IN THE STUDIO! I just got a DBX COMPRESSOR (DBX 1066) http://www.dbxpro.com/1066/ That I"m integrating in to my home studio. It's my first "Hardware" Compressor ever. I"ve always relied on Software Compressors. A producer buddy of mine (Matt Rowles from indieatl.com) suggested it as a way to improve the tone of my direct recordings with GUITAR RIG and for using on vocals during my Vid Chat. Review to follow! Here is a pic. These are about $400 each which is probably why I never used one before I"m curious to see if I like it better than software. [attachment=23650:compressor.jpeg][attachment=23652:1066_rear.jpeg] If you like the DBX type sound then it's fine at what it does but the 1066 is very much a coloured VCA - so don't expect it to be subtle or transparent. It should be fine for drums and vox but I'd think very carefully before using it on the 2 bus. Arguably for a first hardware unit a less coloured box would be much more versatile. Regardless of that make sure you gain stage it properly to your ADC or it'll be a bit of a mixed blessing. Interested in "Mastering"? Don't know where to start? Using izotope ozone? .... http://izotope.fileburst.com/guides/Mastering_With_Ozone.pdf [attachment=25402:mastering.jpg] It's a start but there is too much emphasis on colouring/processing and making things loud, which is not the main purpose of mastering. -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Sep 3 2012, 12:16 PM |
QUICK AND DIRTY RECORDING TERMS:
AUDIO INTERFACE (Often called an "External Sound Card" -Typically, these are external little boxes, some look like mixers. Some have one input, some have many. Most connect via USB, firewire etc. Some Audio Interfaces require internal PCI cards as well as external expansion boxes. Pro Tools rigs at the high end are a good example. They have internal "daughter cards" and external Input output boxes. But for most folks, recording at home, on a budget. you are looking at a USB/Firewire connected box with one ore more inputs. The scarlett is a good example. I know that language itself is sometimes a barrier and that there is a lot of info to track here. So I thought it might help to spell this out a bit? Just so we can establish a reference really. Now if you want to record directly in to your laptop (most of GMC students I"ve spoken with tend to record on laptops but certainly not all. Some use Towers. Most use PC's but some use Macs.) You typically have a MIC LEVEL INPUT that looks like a small headphone jack. MIC LEVEL inputs are different than LINE LEVEL inputs. Here is a GREART ARTICLE ON WHAT THE HECK THE DIFFERENCE IS!!!!! http://recordmixandmaster.com/2010-02-mic-...-the-difference But either way, if you use some sort of adapter, and plug your guitar, or a microphone, or the output of a pedal/amp/rack gear etc. directly in to your laptop/pc, you are "Recording Direct". This can often sound quite bad unless you take some steps. As you are bypassing a speaker cab, you usually have to fake it. Either with speaker emulation of some type, or in software. BACK TO THE DIRECT BOX If you are recording directly in to your machine, the DI BOX alone, probably isn't worth doing IMHO. But if you are going to use some sort of hardware emulation (LIKE THE SPIFFY BEHRINGER DI WITH EMULATION) you may be able to skip the amplitude plugins altogether if you like. This box acts like an amp/speaker etc. It's more about being a SANSAMP type unit than about being an direct box when used like this. So then we have HARDWARE EMULATION -LIke the SANSAMP, or this new BEHRINGER DI, that let you sound like you are playing through a full amp/rig, without needing one. You can record direct to computer, or use an audio interface. SOFTWARE EMULATION -Like Amplitude and such. These let you plug either direclty in or through an audio interface and sound like a full amp/rig without needing one using software running in your computer. RECORDING AN ACTUAL AMP -Here is where new recordists run in to trouble. They may take the headphone output, or line output of their fav practice amp/stack etc. and run that in to their computer/laptop or in to their audio interface. The results can be quite crap. Unless the amp has 'speaker simulation" the signal isn't going to sound right as it's not getting "speaker color" it's not going through a speaker. *The best way to record a real, live, honest to God amp. Is with a real, live honest to Microphone. Usually an SM57 is a good place to start, but in a pinch whatever you have can work. Louder is often better (to a point) and recording loud guitars at home has all sorts of problems. Not the least of which is lack of isolation (unless you put your stack in the living room and have your mix position in the bedroom) and neighbors. Bringing us back to emulation. FULL CIRCLE! Hopefully this lays it out in basic terms and gets you over some of the initial problems / issues of being a new home recordist. It's frustrating at first. Just like playing guitar. But it gets way better the more you do it. And it's no good in a vacuum. So share your recordings and be open to criticism. Also, taking criticism well requires practice. Take in everything, absorb what is useful - Bruce Lee This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Sep 3 2012, 12:20 PM |
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Sep 25 2012, 10:50 PM |
I'm planning on setting up my home studio in a few months and am doing research so I can purchase wisely. What kind of hardeware should be considered if I'm mainly going to focus on using emulation software to record. So far I'm thinking a power conditioner, a direct box, and obviously an interface. Is there anything else that's considered basic that I'm not aware of yet, or that I should not leave to software? That should at least get you started. Like playing guitar building your home studio is an endless process. But yeah with a computer, power, di box and interface your ready to start. Make sure you plan which DAW (reaper is a great place to start) and which AMP SIM (TH1 Triode is a great place to start) you plan to use as well. The DI box is not a "have to" really as your interface will get you going. But it's a GREAT idea and honestly the secret sauce to my tone. Without one, getting signal in to the interface with a low noise floor isn't as easy and IMHO does't push the sim hard enough. For most folks it's fine. But for me, I like a sickening amount of Gain So the boost section on my Behringer Pro rack DI provides something I just don't want to be without. For example, this is all DIRECT RECORDING, no amps, no real anything. All VST and it sounds IMHO like your in the room with the amp. It's harder for me to get this level of tone with a real amp in the home studio just for volume reasons. My rig can sound like this, but only at crazy high volume which is a pain at 3:00 am. http://soundcloud.com/techniqueswithtodd/gmc-lesson-128-backing-six |
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Sep 27 2012, 02:30 AM |
That should at least get you started. Like playing guitar building your home studio is an endless process. But yeah with a computer, power, di box and interface your ready to start. Make sure you plan which DAW (reaper is a great place to start) and which AMP SIM (TH1 Triode is a great place to start) you plan to use as well. The DI box is not a "have to" really as your interface will get you going. But it's a GREAT idea and honestly the secret sauce to my tone. Without one, getting signal in to the interface with a low noise floor isn't as easy and IMHO does't push the sim hard enough. For most folks it's fine. But for me, I like a sickening amount of Gain So the boost section on my Behringer Pro rack DI provides something I just don't want to be without. For example, this is all DIRECT RECORDING, no amps, no real anything. All VST and it sounds IMHO like your in the room with the amp. It's harder for me to get this level of tone with a real amp in the home studio just for volume reasons. My rig can sound like this, but only at crazy high volume which is a pain at 3:00 am. http://soundcloud.com/techniqueswithtodd/gmc-lesson-128-backing-six If a DI box helps to lower the noise floor and raise input signal, it seems like a worthy investment. I'm pretty new at recording but my hatred for excessive noise is growing quickly . I am using reaper now and like it alot. TH1 looks pretty cool I was also considering guitar rig because of all the patches you have shared on here. Have you tried any of the free software available like acmebargig or lepou? -------------------- |
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Sep 29 2012, 07:56 PM |
REAPER is an AWESOME DAW and IMHO, can go toe to toe with Pro Tools or Logic in terms of features and sound quality. Th1 is the cheapest way in to spiff tone that I've found for direct recording. I've tried some of the FREE solutions and didn't like any of them nearly as much.
I still like Guitar Rig too! Either one will get you going. You can download GUITAR RIG FREE which is a free version of Guitar Rig 5 with limited gear in it but it sounds great and it's FREE. You can download demos of TH1 and TH2 I've got presets for all of them in my forum. Here are my FREE Guitar Rig 4 patches (works with GR 5 too) https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...7629&hl=rig And here are my TH1 Patches (works with TH2 as well) https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...2013&hl=rig As for DI, yup, I"m a BIG fan of using an active DI box to bump the signal up before it hits the interface/daw. It helps keep the noise floor sounding lower and drives the software better IMHO. Without it, I just don't like the tone results as much. Try all the freeware amp sims and see what you think. I found them to be a tad fizzy, and not "djenty" or krunchy enough but then again I like LOTS of crunch per the track above. But some folks like the free ones and it fits their style so more power to em! In short, it really is possible to get some killer tones out of the current batch of emulators. Also, for home recording, not having to put my amp in the living room and turn it up to 10 is handy as well since the neighbors were not fans of that approach. A good sim can make it seem like you have a MASSIVE guitar stack in a iso booth set just perfect and miced up. So you are controlling it like you would a real rig in a real studio, from you workstation. Your just clicking instead of using a HUGE mixing board. The mixing board thing is starting to wane a bit also it seems as more folks mix "IN THE BOX" or entirely in a computer. It's a great time to be a musician Todd If a DI box helps to lower the noise floor and raise input signal, it seems like a worthy investment. I'm pretty new at recording but my hatred for excessive noise is growing quickly . I am using reaper now and like it alot. TH1 looks pretty cool I was also considering guitar rig because of all the patches you have shared on here. Have you tried any of the free software available like acmebargig or lepou? |
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Sep 30 2012, 11:02 AM |
If a DI box helps to lower the noise floor and raise input signal, it seems like a worthy investment. ... Not quite - all electrical devices add noise. What the DI will do is help match the impedence of the input to the output and provide the output as a balanced signal. If you are reamping as Todd does a DI is a good idea as it lets you interface an electric guitar signal to the line level XLR balanced input on the mixing console/desk or your AD audio device. -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Oct 15 2012, 10:12 AM |
So it's not neccessary if your interface has an instrument input as opposed to line in, and your just using software? When would you use "reamping"? I'm not 100% clear on what that is. If the input is a HiZ you can use it direct for your electric guitar. -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Jun 17 2013, 08:26 PM |
There are TONS of options but many require spending more money to buy a hardware speaker emulator or such. For free you can always "do it in software" You can come out of your headphone out if you like and run in to your interface but keep the level out of the red.
You will then probably want to use some sort of speaker simulator. The most simple approach would be to download something like the FREE Version of AMPLITUDE and use a clean patch so it does a cab sim on it's way through the software. http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/amplitubecs/ That will get you started But to be honest, with a really nice tube amp like that, it's a shame to fake half the tone. You can get a guitarcab that is closed and reduces the noise to record with called an ISOLATION CAB but it does cost more money. You can get pretty close to the sound of that head just using software such as amplitude but it does take much tweaking. But it's worth a try as any tone experimenting is always worth doing Let me know how it works! Todd Hello Todd, I have a question of tube amp recording. I recently buy EVH 5150 III combo amp. And I have line 6 UX1 as audio interface. I know the best way for recording is to put a microphone in front of the amp. But are there other ways for recording using my amp's tone? Below is the rear panel of EVH 5150 III combo amp. Which jack should I use to connect the Line 6 UX1? Thank you very much!! |
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Jun 19 2013, 05:39 AM
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Thank you Todd, it works!
And I have another question. What is preamp out? When to use it? Thank you veru much!! |
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Jun 19 2013, 07:27 AM |
Wow, that EQ table is awesome. I will definitely try this now.
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