Beginning recording for dummies............

milamber

O.k. I've been writing a bit of my own stuff just lately and I'd like to be able to record more than one track onto something. I don't need absolutely top quality - it's not stuff that's ever going to be sent off to anyone, just bugging me that I have some ideas which require a backing track and then something else over the top. Not necessarily vocals at this stage which would require a third track. It's just on an acoustic guitar, which does have a pre-amp which I've never used.

I've read through pages of stuff in this section, but most of it seems to assume a reasonable working knowledge of the subject, which I don't have.

Can anyone recommend a way for me to do this which is pretty simple to understand for a complete beginner?

The equipment I have to hand is a couple of electro-acoustics, one cable for connection to an amp, a Macbook, iPad and iPhone.

No amp or any recording software. Not sure if I should go down the amp route with bundled software, something like a THR5a perhaps or whether there is anything else more suitable. I'd like to keep the sound as close to the original acoustic sound as possible.

Any basic advice would be greatly appreciated. Assume I know absolutely nothing about the subject, which is true. I'm reasonably technically competent with computers.

paul_c2

I'm about 2 days ahead of you so I won't be much help but I'll be keenly following this topic for tips. My situation is slightly different because its an electric guitar (and bass), I already have an amp, and I have a Wintel machine not a Mac.

steamabacus

I can think of two approaches -

The first approach would be to equip yourself with a basic computer-based multitrack recording setup (assuming your laptop is up to it) - a budget wide-diaphragm condenser microphone (&  mic stand!), an audio interface (with phantom power for the mic) and some kind of DAW (digital audio workstation - multitrack recording software) [edit] I forgot - a decent set of headphones too. There is loads of free and cheap software out there so you don't have to spend a lot to get started (many audio interfaces come bundled with basic DAW software such as Cubase or Ableton).
You would need a suitable recording environment - a room that's not too boxy sounding and quiet enough that extenal noise isn't a problem. You can record electroacoustics direct in but it takes an awful lot of effort to get a sound even remotely as good as a microphone recording.
Basically, the sky's your limit if you have a good space and a good basic computer recording setup.

The second approach might be to get a small acoustic amp and a looper pedal. This is a great, intuitive way of working out simple ideas. If you just want to play a chord sequence and work out melodies on top it's hard to find less intuitive method than a looper pedal. Depending on the pedal, you can export recorded loops onto the computer. Also, amps such as the THR you mentioned often come bundled with some basic software.

BahHumbug

I would agree with @steamabacus , but if you are not after great quality there is a third approach.  You can record multiple tracks into GarageBand on your iPad, simply via the on board microphone.  Record one track, say a guitar.  After that you need to plug in some earbuds or headphones to listen back to it while recording a second track, say vocals (you need the headphones so that the playback doesn't bleed back into the microphone).
Like I said the quality isn't that great although the results can be improved by positioning the iPad mic carefully near the thing that you are recording.  Or you can buy condenser mics that are designed to plug into an iPad.

spark240

Firstly, I'm going assume you understand the basic terminology for recording and the basic equipment you will need.?

Take a look at Presonus artist software ( there are many others )  it's free and whilst it will look complex at first you will soon be up and running on basic tracks and songs, im quite familiar with Presonus om Mac so happy to help you with this. You will need a basic interface to do any reasonable work with any Daw , trust me if you are serious about it and start with something too basic, you will be upgrading wishing weeks !

pm me of you need more info on Presonus.

milamber

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll do some more research today into what I need. I think I'd assumed that any recording would be done directly from the guitar's pre-amp into something, but it seems that opinion is geared more towards a decent microphone and audio interface using my Macbook.

Appreciate the detailed advice @steamabacus. I've certainly got some of the essential requirements - a Macbook pro which is reasonably high spec and a dedicated music room which whilst not soundproofed is a decent size and free from external noise. Any thoughts on a decent microphone? Also not entirely sure of the difference between an audio interface and a DAW so any pointers on those would be great. Budget isn't a major consideration. Obviously don't want to spend any more than necessary, but also don't want to have to upgrade a few weeks in as @spark240 suggested.

@spark240 I suspect I'm familiar with some of the basic terminology, but definitely not so much with the basic equipment. I'll certainly look at Presonus - again I'm not really up to speed with the difference between the interface and DAW. Assuming there is something else between the microphone and the Macbook? Assume the DAW is where any tinkering with the sound and arrangement can be done?

Again, apologies for the basic questions, but anywhere else I've looked again assumes a working knowledge of the subject. Local guitar shops just point me towards an amp and bundled software, even amps designed for electrics which is daft.

I can certainly try GarageBand. It's cheap enough for a tinker about, but any other basic recording I've done through the internal microphone of the iPhone or iPad has been pretty dire quality.

spark240

Ok, so Daw ( digital audio workstation) is the software part, the interfere is the hardware part that you will plug your stuff into.

Now...if you are generally working alone, a basic small interface will be fine, if you plan on having a few people record at the same time, you will need more inputs,https://www.thomann.de/gb/usb_audio_interfaces1.html, check these out for starters.

Most interfaces will come with a DAW of some sort, but this is worth thinking about and maybe checking free demos  as I have been through at least 3 setups before stopping !

Almost any basic mic will suffice to start, Ive used SM58 in the past for everything, acoustics , vocals ...the lot, mics can get expensive so be sure you want to get into it before spending ££££.

If you want to use synth sounds and drum parts to build up your mix, then a very basic keyboard can be useful, but not essential to start.

TheBigDipper

For your setup, if you're considering making the move to an "entry level" audio interface, I'd recommend the one I use. It's a PreSonus AudioBox iTwo. Works well with an iPad and a Mac without any extra interfaces or cables required.

I'd also suggest you just use GarageBand on the iPad to start off. It's more than you'll need to meet your stated goals. Just plug your guitar into the interface and get started. You can port those recordings to the Mac at a later stage if you want to.

The trick with home recording, IMHO, is finding that balance between being the performer AND being the recording engineer. You want to spend more time recording than you do playing around with the equipment. It's a slippery slope and a huge time sucker. "Just get it down" would be my advice. 

Good luck!

milamber

Is the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo Package worth getting rather the interface on it's own? Seems to come bundled with everything I might need including a microphone, software, cables and headphones, but usually a bit wary of bundled items as they are usually fairly poor quality. Seems pretty good value though at £135 on Amazon.

LooseMoose

GarageBand plus a cheap interface = done. It's amazing the quality you can get from that!

Plus spending less on those two means more money for a nice condenser mic

stratman3142

The Line 6 GX is worth checking out. You can use the built in sounds for monitoring so you don't have to worry about latency. Although I've got a fairly sophisticated home set up, I take a GX on holiday with me to use with a small laptop.

I think the GX comes with bundled recording software. Other than that you could try Reaper, which is very powerful and inexpensive.

TheBigDipper

milamber said:

Is the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo Package worth getting rather the interface on it's own? Seems to come bundled with everything I might need including a microphone, software, cables and headphones, but usually a bit wary of bundled items as they are usually fairly poor quality. Seems pretty good value though at £135 on Amazon.

If I was starting from scratch again, I might be tempted. It won't hold you back at this stage even if they're not the greatest add-ons once your recording expertise and ear improves.

EDIT: However, if you do buy that bundle, I'd still suggest you use GarageBand rather than Studio One. Studio One looks like a great, pro-standard DAW. That brings with it a large learning curve that will get in the way of getting your ideas down. GarageBand won't - at this stage, anyway. FWIW, I also use a fantastic DAW on my iPhone when I'm in the field (or rehearsal room) called "Multitrack DAW". Easy to learn and quick to just start recording at good quality when you just want to capture the moment. Even records ambient sounds well over the iPhone mic. I once spent a happy day on the Underground just recording background sounds for a project using this and my phone. Came out really well. 

wave100

All good advice here, I would just like to reiterate to use a mic if possible, acoustic guitars tend to sound "quacky" if you just plug them straight in.

milamber

Sounds like all I really need is a decent mic then and a cheap interface. Presumably the money is better spent on the mic rather than the interface. Any suggestions for either? Quite happy to have a play around with GarageBand at this stage. At £4.99 it's not going to break the bank. I'll also check out Multitrack DAW as well, thanks @TheBigDipper

spark240

Daws are very much based on your personal taste, as I said, I have gone through the. A few already, I hale need to look S1 ...but it's not for everyone.  Personally I think the audio box bundle would be fine but there again ...I like Presonus !

all the other suggestions would work well I'm sure, and at starter level you will surely chop and change a few things as you progress. 

In short , as long as you get the basic gear, you will have lots to work with and plenty to Learn !

milamber

Cheers for all the advice. Really appreciated. As someone wisely pointed out earlier I want to be making music, not spending hours attempting to be a sound engineer so need to keep it as simple as possible at this stage, though preferably with quality gear that won't need to be changed if I get more serious.

spark240

Try a few free software demos ...

steamabacus

milamber said:

Appreciate the detailed advice @steamabacus. I've certainly got some of the essential requirements - a Macbook pro which is reasonably high spec and a dedicated music room which whilst not soundproofed is a decent size and free from external noise. Any thoughts on a decent microphone? Also not entirely sure of the difference between an audio interface and a DAW so any pointers on those would be great. Budget isn't a major consideration. Obviously don't want to spend any more than necessary, but also don't want to have to upgrade a few weeks in as @spark240 suggested.

The type of microphone I'd suggest is called a 'large diaphragm condenser' which is a side-firing, phantom powered microphone - they have a good full-range detailed sound and will be good for acoustic instruments, vocals .... in fact anything that's not too loud (like a cranked guitar cab).

The default budget option was always the Rode NT1-A which has become a bit of a classic but that may have been superceded for quality/value by now. Personally, I have a Superlux (don't know the model) that I won in a Future Music magazine competition (probably 15-20 years ago now). It was probably around £100 or so back then and has done me sterling service ever since. Thomann sell several chinese made mics under their own brand name although I can't personally vouch for their quality.

In terms of audio interface, I would go for the one with the best quality mic preamp you can afford. Back when I bought my interface, my sound engineer friend recommended TC Electronic or Focusrite. The TC was too pricey (and are now discontinued, I believe) but I picked up a Focusrite Sapphire 6 for around £150. It's done a good job and came bundled with some useful software Ableton Live (a loop-based DAW, which I don't use), a Novation Bass station vst instrument plug-in and the Scarlett fx plug-in suite - compressor, eq, gate and reverb.

As people have said above, what DAW software you use depends very much on what works for you. I use an old version of Cubase (on a WinXP machine!) because it's what I know. Many here swear by Reaper as a good budget DAW.

One thing to mention would be the type of headphones you'll need. If you want to track one mic'd acoustic guitar part while listening back to another rhythm part, you don't want the rhythm part to 'bleed' into the mic while recording the lead part - which means you'll want closed-back headphones. These don't have quite the fidelity of open-back types but decent sounding ones can be had fairly affordably. Or you could do what I do. I have a pair of Shure SRH1440s (open-back) for mixing, etc - which sound great - and a couple of pairs of cheapy closed-backs for tracking/singing in front of a mic.

£150-200 or so should get you a very nice sounding set of headphones - personally, I would recommend spending as much as you can afford on a pair that sound good and are comfortable to wear for long periods.

mellowsun

Another option is to get a digital portastudio, or a handheld recorder that allows overdubs.

No faffing, just plug in, select a track, adjust your levels and hit record.

duotone

Was watching this last night and found it very informative