Home recording for dummies (Guitar specifically)

Tax Evader · 7 Mar 2006 at 10:26

Following the 'guitar warriors' thread has reignited my desire to do something I've meant to look in to for a while - home recording.

I'm sure this is opening a huge can of 33% extra worms, but where do I start?

All I have at the moment is a fairly decent spec PC (though I can have anything I want if needed), and my guitars and amps. I'm interested in recording both acoustic and electric guitar, and I want to record the sound that comes out of the speaker on the amp (or the guitar, if acoustic) - I don't like the thought of Direct Input into a 'board'.

So how does one get from a simple MP3 backing track (like the slow blues one posted in a guitar thread recently), to one with my own work on it?

I guess the amp would need to be mic'd, and I need to be able to hear everything as i'm recording.. but beyond that I know nothing

Doing my own drum beats, bass etc..etc would be nice too, although I don't play those instruments - they would have to be software generated.

I'm fairly flexible on budget, but I'm by no means 'professional' - this is going to be a hobby for the home.

Over to the experts...

Thanks

ArmyofHarmony · 7 Mar 2006 at 11:23

I make A LOT of random recordings, but unfornatly i don't mic an amp.

I have a v-amp 2 (which is like like device with effects/tones in it, that i can connect to the PC and my guitar).

Using this v-amp 2, you can connect it to the line in on your soundcard...and then set your windows mixer to record from Line In...

I use Adobe Audition software to record/multitrack.

If you want to mic your amp, a lot of people use Shure sm57 Mics for instrument micing.

As for own drum beats, the easiest way would be to use a program like Fruity Loops to program your own beats. You can download drum samples of real drum kits freely from the internet (dont know any links of hand, but im sure you can)...you then import these samples into fruity loops and its pretty simple to contruct simple beats.

Or you could use Cubase to do a similar job, but in my opinion its harder

retribution · 7 Mar 2006 at 16:39

Depending on the quality of recording you are after, what you do will be very different. If, as you say, you don't want to plug your guitar straight into the line-in of a soundcard (iirc, you can't do this anyway, as it messes up your card), and want to record your mic'ed amp, then firstly you'll need a decent microphone (condensors are probably better for this, they have a higher range, although are also more delicate), and also a decent audio interface to put your mic through, which would typically be USB or Firewire. This could end up costing a fair bit (£100).
So if you decide you don't really want to spend this much, then another way would be to route your guitar through some sort of multi-effects unit/cabinet emulator, then send the output of this into your line in of your current card. This would therefore give you more control over the sound. Furthermore, you can also tweak the sound having recorded it - adding reverb, chorus, tweaking the EQ etc.

As for recording, in terms of free software, Audacity seems to do the job. For drums, you could use a software drum machine, Hammerhead is a free one. Bass you could do through a keyboard etc.

If I were you, i'd start at the low end, using free software and what you already have; then see if you're enjoying it. Remember that whilst at a more advanced level, expensive equipment and software can help, the stuff that's being recorded in the first place needs to be decent. Play around, learn what works, what doesn't, and have fun.

Hope this helps,

Rob.

penski · 7 Mar 2006 at 17:09

I record everything using a Shure SM-58 or -57 into a JoeMEEK MQ1 then the line level input of my Terratec DMX 6-fire.

MIDI controller is direct.

Resolutely old-skool as far as PC recording goes but it works well and the whole setup (PC-side) cost me about £800 six years ago.

Amp-wise, I use Marshall practice amps (one with valves, one without), turn them up to 11, stuck them in the bottom of a cupboard facing upwards with a mic sellotaped offcentre to the cone, fill the cupboard with duvets and pillows then rock out.

Remember - you can only do this for a few minutes at a time with valve amps.

My entire setup owes me just over a grand, excluding software.

*n

penski · 7 Mar 2006 at 17:12

And Hammerhead is great for getting yer noggin around e-drums.

Master it, go to fruity loops then wherever your heart takes you. Sample EVERYTHING. I have a 120Gb sample library of everyday sounds, riffs, melodies and so on that I can nip into, chop, change, edit, effect and use to my disposal.

One of the drum-notes in the track in the Guitar Warrior thread was recorded by sellotaping an old Mic inside a big glass jar and dropping it out a fourth-storey window. Makes a great whuuuuooooooooooooooooooop-TSHHH-BANG kinda noise that, if you compress it, flip it backwards, add a long delay, flip it backwards again then squeeze it into a really short soundbite, sounds great.

I cannot recommend the habit of recording sounds and bits and bobs enough.

*n

Tax Evader · 7 Mar 2006 at 17:26

Ok, thanks for that guys

I need to process all that information when I've not had a few beers, hehe

How do you guys listen to the stuff as you're recording it?

Example - If i'm playing (and recording via a mic') through an amp I need to hear everything - the hypothetical background MP3 and what I'm playing. If I'm playing the background through a hifi then the mic would pic it up, so presumably it all has to be done through headphones. (?)

A friend who used to do this has given me his copy of 'Cakewalk' - not tried it yet though.

penski · 7 Mar 2006 at 17:34

I lay down a basic drum track first.

Listen to that on headphones as I fritter around adding other sounds and sequencing.

You may even only need a click track.

*n

SexyGreyFox · 7 Mar 2006 at 19:53

The master on these forums is GordyR and if you've heard some of his proper demos then you'd know why. Here is a post he made that I saved -

Ok well here is a list of the quipment I use:

My Computer
M-Audio Delta 66 soundcard with Omni Studio breakout box (2 built in mic preamps)
Tannoy Reveal powered monitors
Audio-Technica AT 3035 Microphone
Various amplifiers/guitars

The software I use:

Steinberg Cubase SX 3
Wavelab
Some Waves Plugins (EQ/Compressors/Limiter/Reverbs etc... )
Millions of drum samples

As for the recording process, well it varies greatly from song to song depending on what is needed but here is a general outline of what I do.

I'll generally start with a rough acoustic guitar track played against a click track to guide me through the song. This is normally just recorded DI'd as I am not concerned about the sound. If the song is Piano based however then I normally get that down first using a cheapo midi keyboard I have. Once my guide track is in place I will start to build a drum track using either acoustic drum samples or more elctro ones depending on what is required.

Next comes bass... I usually just DI my bass guitar but on occasion I will use a mix of DI and microphone to create the sound I am after.

After this I like to throw a guide vocal track on so I can feel the energy of the song as I continue the recording process. This is recorded through my Audio Technica mic with the 75hz low cut switch on to keep out the boominess. I then go back and redo the guitar part (If there is acoustic guitar in the song) This time by miking it up. I generally place the guitar about 6-12 inches from the point where the guitar neck meets the body. I then point the mic at the soundhole. Doing it this way avoids the boominess of excess air coming from the soundhole.

I then add in any electric guitar, synth noises or anything else that is needed. For the electric guitar I normally either mic up my Marshall amp or on the odd occasion DI it and add some warmth electronically with various manipulation of EQ or other plugins. The guitar solo on "Daddy" was actually DI'd. I put it in as a rough guide solo but ending up liking it so much I kept it. I added some EQ/compression/reverb and a little "DaTube" to give it some character, but that all comes later during "mixing".

Then last but not least I redo the lead vocal and add in any backing vocals and harmonies that need tracking.

Obviously if the song is heavily synth based this process will differ greatly and will generally be built up purely in Midi and then have the vocals added later.

As for mixing... Well thats where the magic happens, to explain what is done there is pretty much impossible as I am sure you are well aware. There are certain guidelines I like to follow but there are occasions when they just have to go out the window. It's purely a case of locking the individual sounds together to form a choesive whole yet give each track the room to be heard seperately. For those who don't know, this is achieved through the use of EQ, Compression and effects like reverb and delays etc...

It's this process that either makes the difference between a song sounding professional or complete crud. The most care and attention is generally paid to the bottem end of the mix as this is the most common problem area. I won't go into what goes on here as I would end up writing an essay.

Once I am happy with the mix I will output it to a stereo wav file and load it up into Wavelab for a little mastering. This just involves generally rolling off the sub bass rumble below around 40-50hz, maybe some EQ tweaks, adding a touch of overall compression, sometimes a multiband, and then putting a limiter on it to bring up the level.

Well there you have it... A rough guide to my general recording process! If you want any more specific info on how I tackle mix problems, what frequencies I cut/boost let me know and I will try to help, but it can be quite difficult to do so as it always depends on the source material.

I tend to use a sampler along with piano samples. I have never found a standard midi piano sound that matches a good set of samples. For "Daddy" I used the "East West Bosendorfer sample set" which was loaded into "Native Instruments Kompakt" which in turn was loaded as a VST instrument in Cubase. This is probably the best Piano sample I have ever heard. Although I haven't learned how to make the most out of it, professional producers can and do regularly on commercial recordings. It was recommended to me by Pete Hammond who has produced hundreds of top 10 hits in his time and used to work for Pete Waterman so he knows his stuff

If a song just requires a little background piano then Steinbergs "The Grand" is a good choice. Also, Native Instrments B4 is an absolutely fantastic hammond VST instrument.

I don't actually have any midi modules at all. I use samples or VST instruments for most things that I don't actually have an instrument of. Although the overhead of using large 2gb+ samples can be quite daunting, the quality attainable is exceptional. It is essentially like using very big, high quality "soundfonts" they way you would with a Creative soundcard.

SexyGreyFox · 7 Mar 2006 at 20:16

My 2p worth -

For many years I used Creative cards to produce music and even made a nice income form it. I've had several people on here ridicule me that you can not use Creative cards for recording but some of my demos prove otherwise :

Ever Fallen In Love
Rockin In The Free World
Personal Jesus

OK, not the best in the world but still quite adequate for demos.

The advantage of the Creative (Audigy) cards is that you can use the soundfonts built into the soundchip or add your own soundfonts, use the sampling capabilities of the card and it all links well with your Cakewalk software.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you want to go a step up then a nice M-Audio card will do.
This will give better inputs for recording but bear in mind that you will now need software synths and drum synths for your backing tracks because the M-Audio doesn't have a soundchip (if I did my homework correct). Most sequencer software comes with VST/DXi plugin synths so not really a problem.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can then go that big step up and buy something like the Focusrite Saffire with a Studio Electronics Condensor microphone which I bought recently but to be honest they should be put in better hands than mine. I really come from the analogue tape age.

Tax Evader · 7 Mar 2006 at 20:28

Thanks, I need to digest all that!!

Ev0 · 7 Mar 2006 at 20:37

ArmyofHarmony said:
I have a v-amp 2

That the Behringer jobbie? I've got an XV Amp which is the little pedal multi fx, but this looked cool as well.

bcjames · 8 Mar 2006 at 01:01

Ev0 said:
That the Behringer jobbie? I've got an XV Amp which is the little pedal multi fx, but this looked cool as well.

DM covered tonnes, so I'm not going to go into any detail here.

While with my band or for proper jamming we all mic up properly (shure mics, mixer, pc etc) for jamming alone or just laying down ideas, my POD is awesome. I don't know about the newer ones, but its so quick and easy to use, its just like having an auditry sketch pad to jot things down. You can also knock up some pretty cool sounding songs with is, as well as getting a decent interface.

For £80 or whatever a guitar port costs, it might be worth trying one of those, as you get the whole deal for the price of a single mic.

SexyGreyFox · 8 Mar 2006 at 07:10

bcjames said:
For £80 or whatever a guitar port costs, it might be worth trying one of those, as you get the whole deal for the price of a single mic.

Forgot to mention that my guitar sounds come from a Line6 Guitarport.
You could also look at the new Line6 Toneports which are designed for home recording and come with the software to do it.
This could be exactly what you're after.

www.line6.com/toneport

OCUK Guitar Warriors

Superdude · 13 Apr 2006 at 14:33

Bit late but hey...

As for mics, SM57 for the win!

If you can stick one on each level of cones on your amp so you get as many tracks as possible.

You can use the SM58 if you want but the SM57 is a much better allrounder. It's ugly as sin but I find I can use it for just about everything.

Never connect the guitar straight into your line in or DI it to mic level. It will sound terrible.

SexyGreyFox · 13 Apr 2006 at 17:28

Superdude said:
You can use the SM58 if you want but the SM57 is a much better allrounder.

Got about 12 of the buggers to mic all the gear on stage.
SM58 for vocals and SM57's for everything else (except bass drum).

sjt269 · 13 Apr 2006 at 19:23

dmpoole said:
Forgot to mention that my guitar sounds come from a Line6 Guitarport.
You could also look at the new Line6 Toneports which are designed for home recording and come with the software to do it.
This could be exactly what you're after.

www.line6.com/toneport

OCUK Guitar Warriors

My demo on the guitar warriors page was recorded with a Toneport, with the guitar going directly into it. It does have a mic input as well though, and the software is so easy to use. You could get a Toneport + mic in the morning, and have an album's worth of music recorded by the end of the day.