A more useful thread (Recording Music brahs gtfih)

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Pugilistic

Guest
A long while back, I made a thread about making songs. Fast forward to now, I've been practicing guitar and ukulele pretty consistently and writing lyrics/poetry as well. I have a notebook filled with my writing that I've been keeping since my coffee shop girl days. I've also taken a few basic music lessons and watched a few youtube videos about it. I've been able to make several songs, including some I dare to say are okay. I'm also going to perform a couple of my songs on stage later this month for a small NYE event. I'm stoked but also incredibly nervous.

Anyway, I would like to record my songs and make them more "polished." I have no idea how to go about this. So far all I have are some songs recorded on my phone. I have a mic, my phone, and audacity installed on my computer. Is this all I need? Is it a possible to "layer" different audio tracks into a song? Like, can I record a riff and record a solo or a drum beat over it?

Any tips, hints, resources?
Any musicians in the Berry? I know @serenety now is a rapper. Can't recall anyone else.

In before people make jokes about me doing this to impress a chick.
<1>
 
I've never used audacity, so unfortunately I can't comment on that specific software. If you are interested in focusing on acoustic + vocals, I would think you'd be okay with your current setup though. Audacity should allow you to create multiple tracks that can be recorded and tinkered with separately.

You could look into purchasing a cheap recording kit as well. A few years back I purchased something similar to the Focusrite Scarlett. These sets often come with their own recording software and will definitely allow you to layer tracks, record vocals as many times as you want for harmonies/chorus, and add effects. They are fairly user friendly. My brother and I had no problem setting it up, and we are far from geniuses.

For backing tracks, I actually used the free version of FL Studio. If you tinker around with the sounds enough you can add a fairly convincing bass, keyboard, and drum track to your songs. I believe that Logic is another program that you can use for this purpose, however I think it can be a bit pricey unless your name is Captain Hook or Blackbeard.
 
Pugilistic said:
A long while back, I made a thread about making songs. Fast forward to now, I've been practicing guitar and ukulele pretty consistently and writing lyrics/poetry as well. I have a notebook filled with my writing that I've been keeping since my coffee shop girl days. I've also taken a few basic music lessons and watched a few youtube videos about it. I've been able to make several songs, including some I dare to say are okay. I'm also going to perform a couple of my songs on stage later this month for a small NYE event. I'm stoked but also incredibly nervous.

Anyway, I would like to record my songs and make them more "polished." I have no idea how to go about this. So far all I have are some songs recorded on my phone. I have a mic, my phone, and audacity installed on my computer. Is this all I need? Is it a possible to "layer" different audio tracks into a song? Like, can I record a riff and record a solo or a drum beat over it?

Any tips, hints, resources?
Any musicians in the Berry? I know @serenety now is a rapper. Can't recall anyone else.

In before people make jokes about me doing this to impress a chick.
<1>
Click to expand...
I heard @Clippy , @Zer play the skin flute very well.
 
Here is my honest advice. Unless you have a desire to learn the engineering side of audio, you should never spend time thinking about how to record. Just pay someone else to do it. Put all your energy into writing and playing.

I would check out the local studios and find one that fits your budget and aesthetic. Set up a meeting with the owner and tell them what you want from the studio. If I read your post correctly this is what you want: decent recordings of you playing guitar and singing. However this is what I would be looking for if I was you: a studio/owner/engineer who would let me come in for like an hour at a time (3 to 4 times a months) and just play while the record button was pressed for a relatively cheap price. Think of it like a gym membership. Just focus on playing in the studio and getting comfortable with the environment and flow that exists. Don't worry about any actual recordings just go in and play while they record you and listen back to it...come back in a week and try to do better than last week. Most owners/engineers that I know would be more than happy to take a client on who works likes that and it can give you some pricing flexibility because you are using the studio more as a practice space than a studio. Also let them give you as much advice as they will and take that advice to heart. Do that for like 6 months to a year and you will find that you have a few important things going for you
1. A studio that you are comfortable in
2. People that you are comfortable working with and vice versa
3. Experience with the recording process
4. Possibly a batch of good songs well suited for recording
Now you are set to record an EP, an album or just a song and you should be able to do it relatively fast and cheap while giving yourself the absolute best chance to catch a great take.

Seems like a pain in the ass but it will really up your chances of getting recordings that you are happy with long after the fact.
 
PaulSafranek said:
I've never used audacity, so unfortunately I can't comment on that specific software. If you are interested in focusing on acoustic + vocals, I would think you'd be okay with your current setup though. Audacity should allow you to create multiple tracks that can be recorded and tinkered with separately.

You could look into purchasing a cheap recording kit as well. A few years back I purchased something similar to the Focusrite Scarlett. These sets often come with their own recording software and will definitely allow you to layer tracks, record vocals as many times as you want for harmonies/chorus, and add effects. They are fairly user friendly. My brother and I had no problem setting it up, and we are far from geniuses.

For backing tracks, I actually used the free version of FL Studio. If you tinker around with the sounds enough you can add a fairly convincing bass, keyboard, and drum track to your songs. I believe that Logic is another program that you can use for this purpose, however I think it can be a bit pricey unless your name is Captain Hook or Blackbeard.
Click to expand...

Wow that's some great stuff. Thanks. I've heard of FL Studio and I'll look into Focusrite Scarlett if you say it's easy. I am not an engineering genius at all. I did download an "unofficial" version of Cubase though and the interface is overwhelming.


Losfer Words said:
Here is my honest advice. Unless you have a desire to learn the engineering side of audio, you should never spend time thinking about how to record. Just pay someone else to do it. Put all your energy into writing and playing.

I would check out the local studios and find one that fits your budget and aesthetic. Set up a meeting with the owner and tell them what you want from the studio. If I read your post correctly this is what you want: decent recordings of you playing guitar and singing. However this is what I would be looking for if I was you: a studio/owner/engineer who would let me come in for like an hour at a time (3 to 4 times a months) and just play while the record button was pressed for a relatively cheap price. Think of it like a gym membership. Just focus on playing in the studio and getting comfortable with the environment and flow that exists. Don't worry about any actual recordings just go in and play while they record you and listen back to it...come back in a week and try to do better than last week. Most owners/engineers that I know would be more than happy to take a client on who works likes that and it can give you some pricing flexibility because you are using the studio more as a practice space than a studio. Also let them give you as much advice as they will and take that advice to heart. Do that for like 6 months to a year and you will find that you have a few important things going for you
1. A studio that you are comfortable in
2. People that you are comfortable working with and vice versa
3. Experience with the recording process
4. Possibly a batch of good songs well suited for recording
Now you are set to record an EP, an album or just a song and you should be able to do it relatively fast and cheap while giving yourself the absolute best chance to catch a great take.

Seems like a pain in the ass but it will really up your chances of getting recordings that you are happy with long after the fact.
Click to expand...

Good stuff. I always thought of studio recording as something I would do "in the future" if I got good enough. It also just sounds expensive and I am poor but I could look into it. What I really want is to layer tracks like bass lines, drums, etc to make my songs more complete. How much is considered cheap for a studio session?
 
What are your thoughts on an external sound card? My friend who is an musician suggested that I get one if I want to plug in my guitar although my guitar doesn't have an audio port. Is this necessary for recording music?
 
You can record music with your phone and stuff but yeah you kinda need an audio interface for your computer if you want to record music on your computer.
 
Losfer Words said:
You can record music with your phone and stuff but yeah you kinda need an audio interface for your computer if you want to record music on your computer.
Click to expand...

Before I get anything, I'm going to record stuff on my phone or my mic (my Samsung S9 seems to have better recording quality actually) and edit it on Audacity. I'm going to see how good I can make it before I pay for anything.
 
Pugilistic said:
Before I get anything, I'm going to record stuff on my phone or my mic (my Samsung S9 seems to have better recording quality actually) and edit it on Audacity. I'm going to see how good I can make it before I pay for anything.
Click to expand...
Smart move. If you really like the engineering side of audio you should download Reaper. Its free, its professional but its got a steep learning curve.
 
Losfer Words said:
Smart move. If you really like the engineering side of audio you should download Reaper. Its free, its professional but its got a steep learning curve.
Click to expand...

Holy shit so many options. I think I got like 5 suggestions for programs here on top of the one I was thinking of using (audacity), and my friend tells me I should use Cubase. Should I just pick one and go with that?
 
Makes me wanna break out the sp 1200 and sl 1200’s..
 
Pugilistic said:
Holy shit so many options. I think I got like 5 suggestions for programs here on top of the one I was thinking of using (audacity), and my friend tells me I should use Cubase. Should I just pick one and go with that?
Click to expand...
Go with a free one. Audacity if fine and free. Reaper is professional and free. Cubase and Abelton are not free.
 
Pugilistic said:
A long while back, I made a thread about making songs. Fast forward to now, I've been practicing guitar and ukulele pretty consistently and writing lyrics/poetry as well. I have a notebook filled with my writing that I've been keeping since my coffee shop girl days. I've also taken a few basic music lessons and watched a few youtube videos about it. I've been able to make several songs, including some I dare to say are okay. I'm also going to perform a couple of my songs on stage later this month for a small NYE event. I'm stoked but also incredibly nervous.

Anyway, I would like to record my songs and make them more "polished." I have no idea how to go about this. So far all I have are some songs recorded on my phone. I have a mic, my phone, and audacity installed on my computer. Is this all I need? Is it a possible to "layer" different audio tracks into a song? Like, can I record a riff and record a solo or a drum beat over it?

Any tips, hints, resources?
Any musicians in the Berry? I know @serenety now is a rapper. Can't recall anyone else.

In before people make jokes about me doing this to impress a chick.
<1>
Click to expand...
get a blue yeti it is about $120 on sale. get a pop filter. as a retired pro gamer i can tell you the blue yeti is as good as a $1000 studio mic
 
Losfer Words said:
Here is my honest advice. Unless you have a desire to learn the engineering side of audio, you should never spend time thinking about how to record. Just pay someone else to do it. Put all your energy into writing and playing.

I would check out the local studios and find one that fits your budget and aesthetic. Set up a meeting with the owner and tell them what you want from the studio. If I read your post correctly this is what you want: decent recordings of you playing guitar and singing. However this is what I would be looking for if I was you: a studio/owner/engineer who would let me come in for like an hour at a time (3 to 4 times a months) and just play while the record button was pressed for a relatively cheap price. Think of it like a gym membership. Just focus on playing in the studio and getting comfortable with the environment and flow that exists. Don't worry about any actual recordings just go in and play while they record you and listen back to it...come back in a week and try to do better than last week. Most owners/engineers that I know would be more than happy to take a client on who works likes that and it can give you some pricing flexibility because you are using the studio more as a practice space than a studio. Also let them give you as much advice as they will and take that advice to heart. Do that for like 6 months to a year and you will find that you have a few important things going for you
1. A studio that you are comfortable in
2. People that you are comfortable working with and vice versa
3. Experience with the recording process
4. Possibly a batch of good songs well suited for recording
Now you are set to record an EP, an album or just a song and you should be able to do it relatively fast and cheap while giving yourself the absolute best chance to catch a great take.

Seems like a pain in the ass but it will really up your chances of getting recordings that you are happy with long after the fact.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Or just use garage band or something like it. If you want to put it out there for other people to hear, pay a studio.
 
My band records every practice session we do, we just use a high quality digital recorder in the center of the room. You can pick one up for a couple hundred dollars and the sound it actually pretty good. You can also add high quality mics to that recorder and get even better sound.

Eventually we are going to go into a 16 channel mixer and then into some recording software for better recordings.
 
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