Recording at home

malcolmkindness

Hi everyone, I am thinking of making another attempt at home recording, can you give me any advice on software etc. I already have a couple of decent mics and a Zoom H4n but will need to buy a new laptop, (any suggestions).

I believe Audacity and Protools are programmes I should look at, but will I be able to master either? I am quite old and don't want to make problems for myself, but I have a couple of friends, (both younger) who are quite keen to record with me but they don't live nearby, so we would need to share files online.

Any advice appreciated, thank you.

Stuckfast

Assuming your friends are already into recording and have the kit, I'd suggest you try to learn whatever software they're using. That way you'll be able to share projects and they can advise you.

GoFish

I would recommend Reaper as it's free to try and has a good userbase with video tutorials etc. It's pretty unfussy to use and can get as complex as you need it to, but is otherwise stripped down compared to other options. Audacity and Protools are boh at extreme ends of the complexity scale. Audacity is a great programme but better for smaller jobs imo.

You'll probably want to get a basic  Audio Interface - this will allow you to use your mics  and come with preamps / phantom power usually. They come in at all budgets, from Behringer, to Focusrite, to Audient or Motu at the basic end.

Winny_Pooh

As above, Reaper; runs on almost anything, cheap and can get as complex as you want.

A basic interface like Audient or Focusrite.

What mics?

IMO many pencil mics are overrated for acoustic and very bright unless placed at a distance. Up close first choice is a large diaphragm condensor.

malcolmkindness

Stuckfast said:

Assuming your friends are already into recording and have the kit, I'd suggest you try to learn whatever software they're using. That way you'll be able to share projects and they can advise you.

My friends are not into recording and don't have any kit, that's why I'm asking here! One plays flute and sings backing and the other one plays bass.

malcolmkindness

GoFish said:

I would recommend Reaper as it's free to try and has a good userbase with video tutorials etc. It's pretty unfussy to use and can get as complex as you need it to, but is otherwise stripped down compared to other options. Audacity and Protools are boh at extreme ends of the complexity scale. Audacity is a great programme but better for smaller jobs imo.

You'll probably want to get a basic  Audio Interface - this will allow you to use your mics  and come with preamps / phantom power usually. They come in at all budgets, from Behringer, to Focusrite, to Audient or Motu at the basic end.

The Internet suggests that Reaper is not suitable for beginners,  is this wrong?
I guess what I will be doing would qualify as a small job.
I was planning to use the Zoom H4n as an interface, would this not work?

malcolmkindness

Winny_Pooh said:

As above, Reaper; runs on almost anything, cheap and can get as complex as you want.

A basic interface like Audient or Focusrite.

What mics?

IMO many pencil mics are overrated for acoustic and very bright unless placed at a distance. Up close first choice is a large diaphragm condensor.

I have two Audio Technica 3035 mics.

theatreanchor

I use Logic and it’s more than enough. I also learned about midside recording with an acoustic and think that was probably the best lesson I ever learned. If you’re interested in how that sounds - https://suborno.bandcamp.com/album/dark-days

goldtop

malcolmkindness said:

GoFish said:

I would recommend Reaper as it's free to try and has a good userbase with video tutorials etc. It's pretty unfussy to use and can get as complex as you need it to, but is otherwise stripped down compared to other options. Audacity and Protools are boh at extreme ends of the complexity scale. Audacity is a great programme but better for smaller jobs imo.

You'll probably want to get a basic  Audio Interface - this will allow you to use your mics  and come with preamps / phantom power usually. They come in at all budgets, from Behringer, to Focusrite, to Audient or Motu at the basic end.

The Internet suggests that Reaper is not suitable for beginners,  is this wrong?
I guess what I will be doing would qualify as a small job.
I was planning to use the Zoom H4n as an interface, would this not work?

H4n DOES work as an audio interface. It's class compliant (no drivers), but I didn't use mine with Windows, so I don't know what drivers/latency issues you might have.

Reaper is a great DAW, but IMHO, its fans overlook how bleakly unfriendly it looks to newbies. There are tutorials on Youtube.

GoFish

^^I will second this opinion. My thoughts were that some audio interfaces are less hassle than others, due to compatibility etc. I didn't know that the Zoom was class compliant - that will help.

By "small jobs" I was thinking of editing snippets of audio, managing levels of recorded tracks, that sort of thing. I guess I was trynig to say that recording seems to get complicated quite quickly unless you're using Garageband. I want to get my setup ready to record or just mess about with as well, we're all students here!

Okay - first things first:

1) What computer have you got?

2) what equipment do your colleagues have? How would you or they wish to collaborate?

thomasross20

I maintain Tracktion is the easiest DAW to use. 

TTony

malcolmkindness said:

Any advice appreciated, thank you.

A lot depends on what and how you want to record (and what you've got as a starting position).

I started wanting to record electric guitar and maybe add some other instruments and I had an iPad.  Garageband and a cheap interface was my easiest entry point.  I learned some stuff, evolved what I wanted to do, found the limitations of that set-up, and spent some, but not a lot, more cash on the extra kit that I then knew I needed.

If recording purely acoustic instruments, you'll need a mic designed for that, and to understand placement, and an interface to get the sounds into a DAW on a PC/Mac (I found the screen size of an iPad to be a limiting factor).  If recording acoustic and electric (or electro-acoustic) instruments, then you'll still need the interface and DAW.

Interface - how many instruments will you want to record simultaneously?  Assume (not a rule) 1 input per instrument.  I've got a simple 2-input interface because I only ever record guitar + vocals simultaneously - anything else gets recorded as a separate track later.

DAW - if you're starting out, KISS.  ProTools is pro-level.  Try some of the (free) trial versions of other DAWs.  Look at the level of support or tuition that's available (YouTube!) for each of them.

I bought a Presonus interface which came with a trial version of Studio One.  That's what I'm still using today (now a paid version of the software).  I find the UI easy to understand, and there are some professional (ie not some annoying bedroom YT-er tarting for subscribers) YT channels that explain how to use it.  You might prefer a different UI, so try them.

PC/Mac - doesn't really matter (for most DAWs, Apple's ProTools apart!).  But you'll need something decent with A LOT of storage because the working files, plugins and loops (etc).  Which OS are you most familiar with?  (I'm writing this on a ThinkPad, but use a MacBook for my music stuff).  I'd recommend a laptop over a desktop though - means you can play and record more easily anywhere you want to.

Don't worry too much about working collaboratively with your co-recording friends - most of the file exchanging will be standard formats rather than anything that's tied to PC or Mac or any individual DAW.  

Sorry, that's a long reply, but it was a long question

Open_G

GarageBand has been the only package I’ve properly learned how to use in recent years. I’m always amazed at the quality manageable with a basic usb mic into iPad. 

steveh

No doubt Garageband (IOS or Mac) is the easiest but you need an Apple platform.
I’ve had great results with as little as an Apogee MiC into an iPad.
H4n can make great recordings - all of Andrew York’s own YouTube vids are H4n (used with external mics). Being a world class performer also helps…

DavidR

Audacity editing freeware is great but not intuitive. You will just have to look at google/youtube and fiddle, pick up the essentials and gradually build up your expertise. You can do it! Same true for SoundCloud which I use, although takes less time to find your way around the recording facility of the site. I'm 67 btw.

Keeping files as .wav worth while too. Although files are bigger (often too big to email for example if, as you mentioned, you're going to work at a distance with some mates. In which case you will need .mp3 files) they (.wav) are better quality for if you want to burn onto CD's (now a bit old fashioned) or import into free www. publishing websites such as SoundCloud.

Don't underestimate how stressful recording can be for us mere amateurs! I did a lot of recording during the 'Covid Years' using Zoom/Audacity/CD/ SoundCloud/PC W10 and then W11 setup but have now just gone back to playing 'cos eventually recording became a bit diverting and somewhat of a chore. I stopped churning out lots of CD's for my 'family and friends' circulation in 2022 since feedback showed it was not a medium many, especially amongst the kids, were using much any more. Also burning lots of CD's quite time consuming (although doing the artwork was creative and fun!). Anyway, latest album was just on SoundCloud.

Have lots of fun!

Stream D B Rance | Listen to music albums online for free on SoundCloud

malcolmkindness

GoFish said:

^^I will second this opinion. My thoughts were that some audio interfaces are less hassle than others, due to compatibility etc. I didn't know that the Zoom was class compliant - that will help.

By "small jobs" I was thinking of editing snippets of audio, managing levels of recorded tracks, that sort of thing. I guess I was trynig to say that recording seems to get complicated quite quickly unless you're using Garageband. I want to get my setup ready to record or just mess about with as well, we're all students here!

Okay - first things first:

1) What computer have you got?

2) what equipment do your colleagues have? How would you or they wish to collaborate?

1) I will probably need to buy a new laptop as the one I have at the moment is quite old and slow. It has been suggested that I need a 500Gb SSD, with 16Gb ram, is this correct?

2) My friends would only have basic stuff like household computer and phone. One of them says she can record something on her phone, send it to me and I can mix it in with my recordings.

malcolmkindness

DavidR said:

Audacity editing freeware is great but not intuitive. You will just have to look at google/youtube and fiddle, pick up the essentials and gradually build up your expertise. You can do it! Same true for SoundCloud which I use, although takes less time to find your way around the recording facility of the site. I'm 67 btw.

Keeping files as .wav worth while too. Although files are bigger (often too big to email for example if, as you mentioned, you're going to work at a distance with some mates. In which case you will need .mp3 files) they (.wav) are better quality for if you want to burn onto CD's (now a bit old fashioned) or import into free www. publishing websites such as SoundCloud.

Don't underestimate how stressful recording can be for us mere amateurs! I did a lot of recording during the 'Covid Years' using Zoom/Audacity/CD/ SoundCloud/PC W10 and then W11 setup but have now just gone back to playing 'cos eventually recording became a bit diverting and somewhat of a chore. I stopped churning out lots of CD's for my 'family and friends' circulation in 2022 since feedback showed it was not a medium many, especially amongst the kids, were using much any more. Also burning lots of CD's quite time consuming (although doing the artwork was creative and fun!). Anyway, latest album was just on SoundCloud.

Have lots of fun!

Stream D B Rance | Listen to music albums online for free on SoundCloud

Hi David,
I think you have it exactly right when you say it is stressful and frustrating, this is what I have always felt when I have tried recording in the past. Recently however, I made some simple recordings in a studio and they turned out quite well. My friends have been encouraging me to do more, which made me think of trying again. I will be 74 in November by the way, perhaps I should try to find an actual human being to teach me how to use the software, I don't want to spend a load of money and then leave the kit unused because it's too frustrating to use.

victorludorum

Zoom products usually come with a basic version of Cubase. Did you get one with your recorder?

Vintage65

malcolmkindness said:
The Internet suggests that Reaper is not suitable for beginners,  is this wrong?

I guess what I will be doing would qualify as a small job.
I was planning to use the Zoom H4n as an interface, would this not work?

It's as complicated as you want it to be, and the scripting capability is very powerful if you want to dig deeper. There are also a couple of user projects that integrate popular midi control devices into the Reaper environment. As mentioned, it's free to try for as long as you want, and it's still fairly cheap to purchase a licence.

malcolmkindness

victorludorum said:

Zoom products usually come with a basic version of Cubase. Did you get one with your recorder?

Quite possibly I did, but it was a few years ago.

shufflebeat

malcolmkindness said:

1) I will probably need to buy a new laptop as the one I have at the moment is quite old and slow. It has been suggested that I need a 500Gb SSD, with 16Gb ram, is this correct?

2) My friends would only have basic stuff like household computer and phone. One of them says she can record something on her phone, send it to me and I can mix it in with my recordings.

It has been said that Reaper is so well coded that it will run on a clockwork mouse I can say with some confidence that the spec that you’ve been quoted is far and above what you need. I suspect your existing laptop will run Reaper with no issues and let you get aquatinted with the process before getting spendy.

When you’re hosting massive sample-banks to run string sections on your soft samplers you’ll need a large capacity drive, major amounts of RAM and a fast processor, but until then I think you’ll be ok getting a second-hand Focusrite interface and a decent set of headphones - and you’re good to go.

If you’re planning to record to a click (I’d suggest at least get comfortable with the process) then your friends will need to do the same. There are some apps that can make decent recordings on phones but unless it’s one person recording a simple tune without multitracking (in your case, listening back to another person’s track as they record) then Android is a dead end, only iOS can do this reliably, although there are many simple stand-alone recorders available that would be up to the job.