The Recording Project starts.....

[Wolfboy1]

Okay here goes with the initial post.....

A goal of mine when Brad decided to fire some life back in this forum was to learn and help others learn about recording their guitar to their computer using free software, doing some basic mixing and exporting it in a format they could enjoy themselves and share with others. My first efforts a few years back led to some recordings I'm still kind of proud of and I think once you record yourself a few times you'll liklely find you sound prettty darn good.

I started off in the forum with the Audacity program in this thread http://truefire.com/forum/showthread.html?t=509

After using that program I realized 2 things
1) It's about as easy as it gets bor basic audio editing and recording
2) Learning a little more full featured program will let you do a whole lot more in the long run

I then looked at Kristal it's a little more robust and I was going to do this project but then I realized it did not include midi features. Now I really don't know squat about midi but hopefully I can learn here and, those of you who want to throw things in, hijack the thread for your own teaching etc. will feel free to do so.

The program I decided to use is Reaper and can be downloaded here: http://www.reaper.fm/download.php

Here is a screen shot


and another even more indepth


Here are the system requirements:
Recommended system: Multiple processors, Windows 2000/XP/Vista with 1GB RAM, >1GB free disk space, 1280x1024 in 16.7M colors, ASIO sound drivers

Minimum system: 500mhz processor, Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/WINE with 128MB RAM, 10MB free disk space, 800x600 in 256 colors or higher, Windows compatible sound hardware

and here is the wikkopedia online manual and about everything you might want to know about Reaper http://www.cockos.com/wiki/index.php..._Documentation

[Wolfboy1]

Okay ....what else are you going to need besides Reaper?

Well lets back up a bit....
If you are completely new to this I recommend you download this file it's about a 10 min tutorial on sound and even though it starts off very basic it ends up building on each bit of knowledge and giving a handy explanation of recording digital/midi audio. http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=5862

Next you might want to go here, one of the best resources ever (IMHO) for the beginer http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
Just look at the list of topics on the left of this page....scroll down....lots of answers to be found here

[Wolfboy1]

Another site I hadn't visited for awhile is http://www.musicxp.net
It used to be a free site now it's about $1.00 for 6months via paypal or 2pounds for a life time. I joined for a lifetime...no hassle.

Here are 25 tuning tips for audio recording on your PC. On the web site each of these has explanations plus there is a wealth of other info....
Some suggested tuning tips are listed below. Cliick on each tip to expand the details.


1. Set processor scheduling to background services rather than programs.

Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced Tab > Background Services




2. Set visual effects to a minimum.

Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Settings > Visual Effects Tab > Adjust for best performance




3. Switch Off Desktop Background Image

Right Click Desktop > Properties > Desktop Tab > Background None




4. Disable Screen Saver

Right Click Desktop > Properties > Screen Saver > None




5. Disable Fast User Switching

Start > Settings > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change the way users log on or off > Untick Use Fast User Switching




6. Switch Off Power Schemes

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Power Options > Always On > Turn off monitor and turn off hard discs to Never




7. Switch Off Hibernation

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Power Options > Hibernate > Untick Hibernation




8. Disable System Sounds

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds Tab > Sound Scheme to None.




9. Do Not Map Through Soundcard

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Hardware Tab > (highlight your soundcard from the list) > Properties > Audio Devices > (highlight your soundcard from the list) > Properties, and check the "Do not map through this device" checkbox.




10. Disable System Restore

Start > Settings > Control Panel> System > System Restore Tab. Tick the "Turn off System Restore on all Drives"




11. Disable Automatic Updates

Switch off Automatic Updates by going to Control Panel, System, Automatic Updates and ticking the box labelled "Turn off automatic updating. I want to update my computer manually.".




12. Startup and Recovery Options

Right click My Computer and click on Properties > Advanced > Start Up & Recovery Settings and uncheck "Automatically Restart".




13. Disable Error Reporting

Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced TAB > Error Reporting > Click the Disable Error Reporting box (Tick the "But Notify Me When Critical Errors Occur" if you prefer)




14. Disable Remote Assistance

Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Remote > Untick "Allow Remote Assistance Invitations to be sent from this computer"




15. Fixed Swap File (Virtual Memory)

Select the Advanced tab of the Systems applet and then select the Performance settings button. Then select the Advanced page. In here it is possible to customise the Virtual Memory. For custom size, this is often recommended to be 1.5 to 2 times the amount of your total RAM for both initial and maximum size. Set this to a fixed minimum and maximum value according to your existing RAM




16. Speed Up Menus

You can use this tip to speed up the Start Menu in Windows XP. You can customize the speed of the Start Menu by editing a Registry Key. Click Start, and then click Run. Type Regedit in the box, and then click OK. Expand the menu in the left panel and select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop folder. Scroll down in the right panel and double click on the MenuShowDelay file. In the Value Data box, change to default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1. Click OK.




17. Disable Offline Files

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Folder Options > Offline Files > Untick "Enable Offline Files"




18. Disable Remote Desktop

Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Remote > Untick "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer"




19. Disable Internet Synchronise Time

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Date and Time > Internet Time > Untick "Automatically synchronize with an internet time server"




20. Disable Hide Inactive Icons

Start > Settings > Taskbar and Start Menu > Taskbar TAB > Uncheck "Hide Inactive Icons"




21. Disable Automatic Desktop Cleanup Wizard

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customise Desktop > Untick "Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days"




22. Disable NTFS Last Access Time Logging (NTFS Only)

Start > Run > regedit > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CURRENTCONTROLSET > CONTROL > FILESYSTEM Add a new DWORD value - "NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate" (without quotes) and set the value to 1. Then reboot to make changes effective




23. Disable Notification Area Balloon Tips

Click Start , click Run , type regedit , and then press ENTER. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced Right-click the right pane, create a new DWORD value, and then name it EnableBalloonTips . Double-click this new entry, and then give it a hexadecimal value of 0 . Quit Registry Editor. Log off Windows, and then log back on.




24. Disable CDROM Autoplay

One of the very important (and well documented) tweaks in Windows 98SE, was to disable CDROM autoplay (auto insert notification). Disabling CDROM autoplay no longer offers a significant performance benefit in Windows XP, and therefore you do not need to disable it. Just don't insert a CD during a crucial recording.

However, if you really want to disable it then click here to expand the section below describing some different methods.




25. Disable Disc Indexing

Indexing Service is a service that extracts the information from a set of documents and organizes it in a way that makes it quick and easy to access that information through the Windows XP Search function, the Indexing Service query form, or a Web browser.

[Wolfboy1]

I will add more after debate

[slasner]

Hey, you guys got a lot of great info here! I notice it doesn't say it will work with Linux, maybe the Linux community has a fix for this, I'll look into it!

I have winblows on a few machines and will check out this software.

I'd enjoy jumping in on your recording project..

The music on my myspace page was recorded yrs ago on my pc using Jammer Pro, Cakewalk, and Sound Forge. I'd create a song pattern in Jammer, then export a midi file and open in cakewalk, adjust the instruments, add audio tracks with my guitar plugged into my pc, then save it as audio and open in sound forge and do the final tweaking.. It was an easy process.

[Wolfboy1]

Now if anyone can post how to do a screen capture for me (a skill I have never figured out) I would appreciate it and then be able to post samples.

[Wolfboy1]

Okay....installation.
I assume if you are interested you have down loaded Reaper as well as figured out that the Wikki stuff (especially some of the quickstart stuff)is a great resource but it leaves out some stuff and might assume you know more than you do.

I am trying to do this on on a budget so I am just going to use my computer sound card.

When running setup make sure the boxes for all componets are checked.

When it's done installing it will ask you if you want to "Run Reaper Now" go ahead and select yes.

You will get a screen asking you to purchase Reaper. Right now you have an evaluation copy. You can use it indefinetly but after 30 days each time you start it up you will get a friendly purchase reminder. If you find Reaper to be something you will use and enjoy I strongly recommend you send them the $50.00 they want as it seems to be a pretty awesome program and cheaper than Sonar and most other options.

[gadlaw]

And it needs to be stuck up there. And so it is. Shazam.

This is where I do my Henry Fonda speech from Grapes of Wrath - I can't follow ya to the promised land but every time a kid cries or a hungry man asks for a job - I'll be there.

[Wolfboy1]

Now the fun starts

Note I revised this a bit as I re-installed just to check a few things

Seriously, this is the tough part. I think when I first loaded Reaper it started with a tune all ready to play called...no kidding...."BradSucks."
If that's the case try hitting the play button, it's on the little control strip about 2/3s down on left side of screen. Regular cassette type buttons.
If it plays and you hear everything fine then you've led a pure and pious life. If, like me, you hear nothing and get an error message you need to beg for forgiveness here's the next steps.

1) Go to "Options" tab at top of screen click open

2) Select "preferences" from the drop down panel...this is the heart of it all.

3) On the left of the screen scroll down to "audio" then click on "device"

4) The first time I did this for driver I selected "Wave Out" for Audio Systems
Then input and output were selected as Realtek rear input/output

These were my first try using my computers sound card only and it worked. I don't have access to that screen any more but if anyone gets stuck ask a question and I'll reload the program if I can't answer it.

A Better option mentioned in the Wkki info and used by me in the past is a different set of drivers called ASIO using the brand (for want of a better name) ASIO4ALL.

These drivers and support can be found here:
http://www.asio4all.com/ - ASIO4ALL Web site
http://mtippach.proboards40.com/ - Support forum

Why ASIO?
Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) is a computer soundcard driver protocol for digital audio specified by Steinberg, providing a low-latency and high fidelity interface between a software application and a computer's sound card. Whereas Microsoft’s DirectSound is commonly used as a stereo input and output for non-professional users, ASIO allows musicians and sound engineers to process their audio via Windows computer software instead of external hardware.

ASIO bypasses the normal audio path from the user application through layers of intermediary Windows operating system software, so that the application connects directly to the soundcard hardware. Each layer that is bypassed means a reduction in latency, the delay between an application sending sound to the sound being reproduced by the soundcard. In this way ASIO offers a relatively simple way of accessing multiple audio inputs and outputs independently. Its main strength lies in its method of bypassing the inherently high latency of operating system audio mixing kernels (KMixer), allowing direct, high speed communication with audio hardware. Unlike KMixer, an unmixed ASIO output is "bit identical", that is, the bits sent to the sound card are identical to those of the original WAV file, thus having higher audio fidelity. (from Wikki)

Why ASIO4ALL?
It is a free universal ASIO driver for Windows that brings ASIO support to users of virtually all consumer-grade soundcards and integrated audio chipsets. It also supports semi-pro and pro digital audio systems


When I started this I created a directory for Recording with subdirectories for Reaper, ASIO and Plugins. Then downloaded things as I went to their respective directories and installed thing to their respective directories.

So next:
1) Close Reaper
2) Download ASIO4ALL
3) Install ASIO4ALL as instructed
(Note there is a large instruction manual with these drivers read it if needed. It discusses latency touble shooting etc. For now just install and see if it works)
4) Restart Reaper
5) Return to preferences
6) Select Audio System as "ASIO"
7) Select "ASIO4ALL v2" as the audio driver
8) Checked the box "Enable Inputs" then under that heading
first - Realtek HD Audio rear input 1
last - Realtek HD Audio rear input 2
Outputs
first - Realtek HD Audio rear ou 1
last - Realtek HD Audio rear ou 2
9) Go to "File," "Open Project" select "BradSucks_Making Me Nervous"
10) Hit play and I hope voila.....music.

Note in the ASIO4AALL control panel (available in your windows tool bar I hope) if your having static try this: Click on the wrench and check the box "Hardware Buffer" (Does not always work). In this panel I have the following and it works. In 48 samples, Out 64 samples, check in Hardware buffer, Buffer offset 14ms, ASIO Buffer Size=1024...Hope that helps.

Tomorrow I'll start in on recording. Please anyone with questions post them and we can all trouble shoot together.

[Wolfboy1]

Thanks Gadlaw for the sticky!

Now lets make a track. This is not difficult if you have everything working and I'm going to try to step right through it.

1) Open Reaper
2) Go to File, select New Project
3) Go to Track, select Insert New Track

The first track should have been added to your project.

Make sure you have your guitar plugged in to your sound card via the blue 1/8inch input port (using you $1.49 radio shack converter on the end of your guitar cable)

Now we are going to arm the track for recording and make sure you can hear your guitar coming out of your pc speakers. Any questions....jump on in.

[Wolfboy1]

Next

1) Arm your track for recording by clicking on the "R" in the little box under the [1]. The [1] represents the track number. The R should turn red and if you pluck your guitat you should see the levels move on the master monitor and track monitor down in the bottom left of your screen. You will not hear your guitar.

2) There is a little speaker symbol under and a little to the left of the "R" click it one time so it turns solid white. This is to monitor the incoming signal. Now strum your guitar.

Hopefully you will hear a nice sound with little or no latency issues. If you get a lot of static try switching back to "Wave Out" instead of "ASIO" and "ASIO4ALL" if you loaded that. Sometimes it's best to just keep things as simple as possible in the realm of audio recording. Adjusting the number of buffers might decrease your latency as well.

Any Questions so far?

[Wolfboy1]

Finnaly....actually recording a track.
Leave everything where it's at, "R" is red and the speaker symbol is white.

1) Adjust volume levels so nothing peaks in the red on the monitors in lower left.

2) Press the red button with the white dot and viola...you are recording.

3) Press the space bar when you are done to stop recording.

4) answer yes to the "save question.

5) Rewind by pressing the left facing arrow and then press the play arrow. You should hear what you recorded.

6) Go to the "edit" menu if you want and click undue and presto your recording is gone. This is an infinite "undue" keep unduing as far back as you want.

Next putting in a rhytm track......

[Wolfboy1]

Drums.
I'm going to be using free acidized loops I got from Smart Loops here:
http://www.smartloops.com/Free/

Once you register it will take you where you can down load samples from several of their collections for free. There are plenty to get you started including some percussion ones as well.

Why Acid loops?
Acid Loops are specialized music clips. They were originally created for use with Acid, the loop-based, music-sequencing software, created by Sonic Foundry in 1998. The program made the arranging of sound clips to form a song much simpler than ever before. Renamed Acid Pro, the program is now owned and distributed by Sony, and is currently up to version 6. Sony also sells a line of CDs containing "Acidized" loop samples for use with Acid, as do many third-party companies.

Similar technology was added to Cakewalk's Sonar (called "Groove Clips") and Cubase (called "Audio Warp"). Another very popular program for the use of loops is Ableton Live. There are several other loop based programs, including Mixcraft 4, FL Studio, Garageband, Magix' Music Maker, and EJ's multiple versions of their loop program. Many of the new music genres today utilize loops extensively.

"Acidized" loops contain tempo and key information, so that Acid and other programs that can read the "acidization" can properly time stretch and pitch shift them. Although the phrase "ACID loops" technically only refers to loops which have been "acidized", some people use the term to refer to loops in general, even when used with other software packages. (from Wikki)

***This is the key, you can strech their time signature to some degree and the y still sound great.

I put a sub directory under "reaper" called "free loops" and downloaded about a different zip files from Smart Loops for this project right to that directory.

[Wolfboy1]

After down loading and unzipping all the free loops I did the following:


1) Used "undue" to get rid of the last recording if you aren't starting with a new project
2) Decide on the tempo you want. I chose 90 BPM, by typing in 90 in the BPM box in the middle of the screen to the right of the recording buttons (default is 120)
3) Go to "insert" menu
3) select media file
4) Go to directory where free loops are and pick one, I chose
"Smart_Loops_Straight_Brush_Heavy_06.wav" and on another track
"Congas21.wav"
5) Now once it shows up in track [1 and or 2] scroll your mouse over the right side of the loop until you get a double arrow.
6) click and hold on the double arrow and drag out the drum loog to the right while holding the mouse button down. I drug it until 2:32.
7) let go the mouse button hit the rewind button then play and you should have 2 minutes or so of a drum pattern.

Now
1) Go to track menus
2) insert track, should be track[3]
3) arm it for recording
4) rewind and press play (not record yet)
5) play your guitar and use the feeders on your two tracks at the bottom to balance out the levels....try to keep both out of the red. Then use the master volume to increase or decreased the balanced levels together.
6) When You got it set you are ready to record over the drum tracks.
7) press stop (or space bar), rewind, then record and start jamming.

Don't worry about racing to start with the beat, you can chop off the
begining later.

Try putting down a rhythm track then inserting a new track for lead.

You can futz with the drums all you want putting in percussion and breaks etc. this is the basics to get you going.

I will post my lame 4 track recording so you can hear it if you choose. Nothing special.

Next....effects

[Wolfboy1]

okay before you are done.
1) Save your project
2) If you like, use the Render function to output your file as a .wav file to share.
3) select output format as .wav
and select "render entire project"
all other default settings should be fine

later I will work on fade outs and effects I gotta watch the Buckeyes now


Also tips and ideas etc. are always welcome. I'm kind of learning this as I go.

[Wolfboy1]

Okay here it is....I converted it to an mp3 before uploading.

http://www.4shared.com/file/65694003...aperdemo1.html
:guitare2:

[gadlaw]

okay before you are done.
1) Save your project
2) If you like, use the Render function to output your file as a .wav file to share.
3) select output format as .wav
and select "render entire project"
all other default settings should be fine

later I will work on fade outs and effects I gotta watch the Buckeyes now
Also tips and ideas etc. are always welcome. I'm kind of learning this as I go.

Looks like the Buckeyes pulled that one out. Just listened to your demo - very nice. I'm thinking Hawaiian Punch sounds like a better name than Reaper demo. I'm still having the nightmares from your Sweet Dreams version. YOu'll have to put that on a loop when you give out candy on Halloween.

[Wolfboy1]

Thanks Gadlaw. I really didn't think about the lead work over top and it show but the rhythm patterns I chose sounded cool but were tough to mesh with for me for some reason.....could be my lack of rhythm

Buckeyes did all right, The new quarterback and having Beanie Wells back in the lineup has really made a difference. Of course the rest of the nation is kind of sick of us. We aren't hated near as much as Notre Dame and Charlie Weiss but we ain't to well loved either.


I should have never posted that Sweet Dreams effort

[Wolfboy1]

Anybody having any luck with this?

[JasonE]

I have been reading as I have had time. I pulled reaper down and I just pulled down the loops. I will try to play with this throughout the week. I know I am busy on Tuesday night and won't get to play with it then. I also have to work on some songs for a get together with some guys next week so I have to get that in. I have put a little time on the songs already so I just need to fine tune them and put more details in them. I want to play with this as well though. I will let you know how it goes.

[JasonE]

Oh, and I forgot, GREAT JOB Wolfboy on pulling all of this information together. You are doing a great job of larning and sharing!

[gadlaw]

Oh, and I forgot, GREAT JOB Wolfboy on pulling all of this information together. You are doing a great job of larning and sharing!

I completely agree with Jason here Wolfboy - great job, a lot of work put into it and since it's a lot of work it might be taking some time for the community to figure it out and respond.

[Wolfboy1]

Well thanks for the responses

I'm getting something out of it and I was hoping at least one other person was as well....and I see that's true. It's now stickied so for a few months it can serve as a reference. This week I'm going to delve into some of the nifty free effects you can add and eventually I would like to put some synthesizers into the recording, we shall see. I will keep plugging along. I gottat check out this other new software mopper mentioned as well.

Thanks again JasonE and Gadlaw

[mopper511]

Hi,
Wolfboy, you really did a great job here, thanks for that!

I just wanted to add that i found a very good site about Audio-Plugins
with plenty of information, news and ratings.
Especially helpful are the user-ratings of the free plugins. So if anyone needs a good synth, chorus, mastering effects or whatever: have a look

http://www.kvraudio.com

Mopper

[Wolfboy1]

I intend to do the next round this weekend. I will be using the KVRAudio plugins. Mopper is right they are very decent. Several other freebies I will mention then as well so.....stay tuned, working with basic effects coming next.

[Jestme]

Wolfboy !!!

Nice job here. I have fallen seriously behind in this thread and need to do mucho catch up. Looks like lots of great info and links... Thanks

[Wolfboy1]

Okay I got a new backing track done last night with 3 guitar parts. I will post it this evening. Each guitar part is straight through my sound card with no effects. I will then add effects in the recording (I hope).

The effects I will put on can be found here:
http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/classic-series.php
This is a very solid performing line of freebies including EQ
flanger
Delay
auto-filter
and several others

I have used these successfully with cakewalk products but will try putting them in Reaper tonight....stay tuned

[Wolfboy1]

Another site with some historically good plugins is the "Betabugs" site:
http://www.betabugsaudio.com/plugs.php

KVR Audio is a great resource. Here is a user rating system for plugins. Click on "freebies" and "GUI" for instance and it takes you to a list of about 25 top rated user plugins with links to their download site. Very handy. Also forum support and a ton of cool stuff and links

http://www.kvraudio.com/ratings.php

[Wolfboy1]

Okay here is the basic song. Two minutes long made with Reaper using 4 "Smartloops" percussion loops and no effects. It's 2 minutes long, Dmin-G-A progression:

http://www.4shared.com/file/67729780...ified=771f42ed

[Wolfboy1]

Same song after using the Kjaerhus classic delay on analog mode for the "lead" part. Everything else the same:

http://www.4shared.com/file/67729847...ified=771f42ed

[Wolfboy1]

Here it is one more time with the Kjaerhus flanger on the single note rhythm and the Betabugs-Spinbug leslie simulater plus Camelphat distortion on the chord rhythm part. The lead part is clean again:

http://www.4shared.com/file/67729910...ified=771f42ed

[Wolfboy1]

Here is the link to Camelaudio freebie:
http://www.camelaudio.com/camelcrusher.php


There are a ton of free things on the internet and all of these recordings use absolutely free stuff through my computer sound card. Most of you can likely play way better than me and I bet if you record yourself you will be amazed at how good you sound.

I will discuss the procedure for adding effects tomorrow for now I highly recommend downloading the 400+ page free Reaper manual....tons of info, I got lost in it several times and not sure I will be ablie to explain every step but the answers are in the manual.

[Wolfboy1]

Anybody having any luck or any questions? I haven't seen any recordings posted yet

I think I am going to switch on over to using my presonus firepod again with Sonar 7 and see how that goes. I wish I would have known about Reaper before I did the whole Cakewalk excursion because Reaper is a wonderfuuly complete program. I had some latency issues with my soundcard but I was able to tweak it and get other drivers so recording can be done with virtually no cost. I think I would recommend an interface though if you intend to get serious with home recording.

Anyone who tries it out let me know how it works for you.... :guitare2:

[Josh Gibson]

Sorry to bail out on you there, Wolfboy. I have several irons in the fire right now and just can't commit the time. Hopefully I can try some of this out when I come up for air.

Anyways, thanks for putting so much effort into this. I'm sure there are folks who are learning from your adventure!

[Death Magnetic]

Anybody having any luck or any questions? I haven't seen any recordings posted yet

I think I am going to switch on over to using my presonus firepod again with Sonar 7 and see how that goes. I wish I would have known about Reaper before I did the whole Cakewalk excursion because Reaper is a wonderfuuly complete program. I had some latency issues with my soundcard but I was able to tweak it and get other drivers so recording can be done with virtually no cost. I think I would recommend an interface though if you intend to get serious with home recording.

Anyone who tries it out let me know how it works for you.... :guitare2:

Howdy wolfboy--

I noticed no other nibbles on recording/posting tracks... I've been using Cakewalk Home Studio 9.0 (Sonar is just way too bloated an application for me), and have been recording tracks with it for quite some time with my online "band" project, The Killing Fields (http://www.ursession.com/thekillingfields). As I gear up for recording some original tracks, I'm laying down the guitar tracks to Alice In Chain's "Again" (with MIDI bass and drums converted to stereo WAV output as backing tracks) and tweaking settings as necessary. That said, if guitar tracks recorded w/ Cakewalk would suit your purpose, I'd be happy to hop on board and contribute to your own project. Let me know what you think.

[Wolfboy1]

Thanks for posting!!!
I tried to listen but I get "ERROR 404. The file you are looking for is not available."
I am starting to try and figure out synthesizers. I got an EMU X-Board 49. I want to see if I can use it in recording synth stuff. So this weekend I might get some free time and Tuesday I'm off due to Veterans Day (Navy vet myself) hopefully I will learn something. I will post questions for you. Thanks

[flathead]

Sorry to bail out on you there, Wolfboy. I have several irons in the fire right now and just can't commit the time. Hopefully I can try some of this out when I come up for air.

Anyways, thanks for putting so much effort into this. I'm sure there are folks who are learning from your adventure!

I too do appreciate your effort you put into this, but likewise, I just don't have time. It just keeps getting pushed back on my 'to do' list.

[Wolfboy1]

Thanks guys, hopefully it will stayed pinned for awhile and Death Magnetic, myself and anyone else who wants to can put some tips in or ask questions.
Time is everything and their is never enough. I just got done with marching band and crue season for my kid, now I am a mock trial coach for the winter. My last kid in HS and I have been volunteering alot so my time for leisure activities is not great. Personal free time gets split between band stuff, truefire stuff and recording stuff in that order with walking the dogs and exercise thrown in as well so.....I can relate

But thanks, I was wondering if anyone was interested.

[Jestme]

If it's questions ya want...

How do I increase the volume on recordings. I am using Audacity, playing fingerstyle on an acoustic guitar and just not getting enough volume. I am recording using an SM57 mic plugged into my sound card. Any ideas?

Thanks

P.S. I too have time issues as well as improvising skill issues but hope to one day be more of a participant. - Thanks

[Death Magnetic]

Thanks for posting!!!
I tried to listen but I get "ERROR 404. The file you are looking for is not available."
I am starting to try and figure out synthesizers. I got an EMU X-Board 49. I want to see if I can use it in recording synth stuff. So this weekend I might get some free time and Tuesday I'm off due to Veterans Day (Navy vet myself) hopefully I will learn something. I will post questions for you. Thanks

Hey bro--

Sorry for the misleading URL, the auto-inline complete feature added an extra parenthesis, ")", so you got an IE error 404. Here is the CORRECT URL:

http://www.ursession.com/thekillingfields

You'll be greeted to an audio clip of the undead which is the opening for "Dead By Dawn", a musical tribute to the Evil Dead sequel of the same name. Enjoy!

The tunes I've recorded and which are available there (including "Dead By Dawn") were all done using Cakewalk Home Studio 9.0, guitars by yours truly, bass is a mix of yours truly and MIDI, and the drums are MIDI (although they sound rippin' live); some new drum soundfonts I've recently acquired make 'em sound even better.

I also got a hold of a nifty little freeware app, SynthFont, for auditioning MIDI files and comparing soundfonts, especially as pertains to bass and drums, here:

http://www.saunalahti.fi/kru99/SynthFontSetup_exe.php

...and the freeware SFArk app, for downloading and decompressing *.sf2 and *.sfark soundfonts:

http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/sfArk/download

I hope this additional info will attract a few nibbles towards the online recording project, as these apps are dirt simple to use and produce awesome-sounding results. In fact, to back that up, I'd be happy to upload the drum/bass/backing track to AIC's "Again" so that people could get a taste of how little effort is needed to produce some killer sounds. Can you recommend a free hosting site I can upload the track to?

[Death Magnetic]

If it's questions ya want...

How do I increase the volume on recordings. I am using Audacity, playing fingerstyle on an acoustic guitar and just not getting enough volume. I am recording using an SM57 mic plugged into my sound card. Any ideas?

Thanks

P.S. I too have time issues as well as improvising skill issues but hope to one day be more of a participant. - Thanks

Howdy Chris--

I'm surprised that the SM-57 isn't giving you enough decibels; those things can usually pick up a mouse taking a crap in the next county. In any case, I'm sure you've already opened your SC's sound control and set the recording volume to around 80% on the slider (you have, right? ).

OK, so the slider is cranked up and still not enough sound coming in from the acoustic. What I have done in the past to resolve just such an issue is to use a Boss GE-7 graphic equalizer pedal from my electric setup, placing it between the mic and the soundcard. "But my tone is fine, I don't need EQ, I need more decibels!" The beauty of the GE-7 is that in addition to the 7-band G-EQ, it has an output level slider which, when pushed to the top, will give you a whopping extra 20 dB with only minimal noise at full crank. Halfway up, at around +10 dB, there is NO extraneous noise, just a louder signal. Plus, with the added benefit of the EQ available to you, you can tweak your acoustic tone as you see fit, should you need it. Note that just about any G-EQ pedal will work well for these purposes, so if you already have one, or come across one in a pawn shop or something for like $25, snag it.

One last thing I'd recommend if you want to use this setup: the extra input generated by the G-EQ pedal that is fed to your soundcard needs to be kept in check, lest you accidentally overload it with input and subsequently fry your soundcard. This is very easily accomplished by using a Y-splitter in the EQ pedal's 'output' jack, then run one cable to your soundcard and the other to your amp. BEFORE you establish the connection to your soundcard, test it out on the amp only. You'll know if you're generating too much input if your amp starts to fart and crackle. Find a suitable level, plug into your soundcard, and have at 'er.

[Jestme]

Howdy Chris--

I'm surprised that the SM-57 isn't giving you enough decibels; those things can usually pick up a mouse taking a crap in the next county. In any case, I'm sure you've already opened your SC's sound control and set the recording volume to around 80% on the slider (you have, right? ).

Thanks for responding. I am clueless about PC recording and more than likely doing something wrong. I have the mic cranked up on the Master Volume panel but ... I dunno

I can't play with it right now but will try to review my settings and set up over the next couple of days. Basically everything is set to defaults.

The sliders on Audacity seem odd to me in that if I touch either the Input or the output level the master volume immediately jumps up to full volume.

Here is a sample recording http://www.myspace.com/nhsixstringer

There again maybe the problem is my playback is too soft. If you check out the sample, please let me how the volume is.

BTW I don't have any pedals

Thanks for the encouragement.

[Wolfboy1]

Hey Death (can I call you that?),

Those are some really good and powerful recordings
I love the depth you get in your guitar tones. I think I could learn a lot from you! I love horror and sci-fi films myself by the way although not the real hardcore stuff and I try to stay away from the satanic ones as well. Give me a good monster or insane asylum and scantily clad women any day.

I do not know enough to respond about your download links yet, but I thank you for them non the less. I kind of know what soundfonts are and I have the soundfont players that have come with the various Cakewalk products I have purchased. My challenge now, and I'm such a noobie, is to get my x-board to work and understand it a bit better.

I have it working through Sonar but I don't know how to assign anything to all the knobs or really program it do anything. It seems like a steep learning curve. But I'm learning....just need time.

Jestme....your recording is good, nice playing! I always loved "Starry, Starry Night"
I think your problem is understanding those sliders. I looked at Audacity and there is a little bar in the top right with a microphone picture that has input volume. You have to pay attention to where that is set and a few other things as well. When you hop back in to this check it out. As Death said, and SM57 should be fine for what you are doing.

[Death Magnetic]

Thanks for responding. I am clueless about PC recording and more than likely doing something wrong. I have the mic cranked up on the Master Volume panel but ... I dunno

I can't play with it right now but will try to review my settings and set up over the next couple of days. Basically everything is set to defaults.

The sliders on Audacity seem odd to me in that if I touch either the Input or the output level the master volume immediately jumps up to full volume.

Here is a sample recording http://www.myspace.com/nhsixstringer

There again maybe the problem is my playback is too soft. If you check out the sample, please let me how the volume is.

BTW I don't have any pedals

Thanks for the encouragement.

Hiya Chris--

That recording on your MySpace page sounds absolutely pristine, save for a little background hiss (which can easily be removed post-recording without sacrificing any of that awesome tone). I'd encourage anybody reading this to check out that sample of yours, and I'm fairly certain that most, if not all, would agree that this unadulterated acoustic tone of yours (which I assume is your guitar --> SM-57 --> sound card) is veeeery sweet! :guitare2:

I took a hop over to SourceForge.net and checked out the Audacity app, as I am unfamiliar with it. From what I can gather, if it seems that when you adjust the sliders that your volume goes from sort of low to maxed out, it would seem to me that this is simply a limitation of the Audacity app coupled to the SM-57's sensitivity. That said, if you wish to keep using that current setup for recording your tracks, I'd recommend you jot down a few notes in the way of the current Audacity settings, your sound card settings, and most importantly, the position of your guitar in relation to your mic. The reason the positioning factor is important is that once you have the software and sound card settings adjusted, the only remaining variable is you and your guitar's distance away from the mic. Given the SM-57's sensitivity, to get constant and reproducible tone and volume from your setup, get into position like you normally do when you record, then have a second person take some measurements: the distance of the mic from the guitar's soundhole, the approximate angle of the guitar in relation to the mic, etc.. You don't need to be accurate down to microns; an inch or so (give or take) should get you in and out of recording position as necessary.

This might seem like quite a bit, but you only need to do it once, and then you have your reference points noted. There is another alternative: purchasing a soundhole pickup (which would eliminate the positioning variables), but on top of costing you an extra $75+, you'd lose the flexibility of using different soundhole angles with the SM-57 to get different tones. Personally, I'd definitely opt for keeping your current hardware setup, as you already have just about everything you need for getting killer sounds (as your MySpace clip certainly attests to). Worst case scenario with your current setup is if the Audacity slider issue becomes too much of a pain in the ass to deal with; if so, then simply finding another recording app that doesn't have this inherent flaw will resolve the problem (and there are a ton of free ones floating around out there on the 'net.

Hope this helps; please keep us posted, as I'm sure there are other folks reading this that would love to hear some of your different acoustic tones produced by moving your SM-57 to different angles with respect to your guitar's soundhole.

Best regards!!

[Death Magnetic]

Hey Death (can I call you that?),

Those are some really good and powerful recordings
I love the depth you get in your guitar tones. I think I could learn a lot from you! I love horror and sci-fi films myself by the way although not the real hardcore stuff and I try to stay away from the satanic ones as well. Give me a good monster or insane asylum and scantily clad women any day.

I do not know enough to respond about your download links yet, but I thank you for them non the less. I kind of know what soundfonts are and I have the soundfont players that have come with the various Cakewalk products I have purchased. My challenge now, and I'm such a noobie, is to get my x-board to work and understand it a bit better.

I have it working through Sonar but I don't know how to assign anything to all the knobs or really program it do anything. It seems like a steep learning curve. But I'm learning....just need time.

Jestme....your recording is good, nice playing! I always loved "Starry, Starry Night"
I think your problem is understanding those sliders. I looked at Audacity and there is a little bar in the top right with a microphone picture that has input volume. You have to pay attention to where that is set and a few other things as well. When you hop back in to this check it out. As Death said, and SM57 should be fine for what you are doing.

Howdy Wolfboy--

Yup, plain ole "Death" works for me! :mariole:
(note: this is the ONLY time I can think of in my entire lifetime where using that air-quotes smilie is less than slightly annoying, heh...)

Those guitar tones, as huge as they are, are simply: guitar --> Boss MT-2 Metal Zone --> Boss GE-7 graphic EQ (with the sliders in a "scooped" layout) --> Soundblaster Audigy soundcard. Little or no post-recording processing was done, except for some track volume levelling at mixdown.

That X-Board setup of yours looks like it means some serious business. I've no doubt that once you've gotten your bearings about it that we'll be able to collaborate and compile some killer sounds.

Say, can you post a URL to where I can upload sound clips and files for others on here to share? If we're gonna get this project up and running, we'll need to use such a site for up/down xfer on a regular basis.

[rjbasque]

Actually sort of a related question. Does anyone have a standalone recorder, like the Zoom H2 or the Roland BR series? I specifically have the Micro BR and I'm embarrassed to say I've never recorded with it. Just use the mp3 player and effect processor for travel playing. Just wondering about others thoughts

[Death Magnetic]

Actually sort of a related question. Does anyone have a standalone recorder, like the Zoom H2 or the Roland BR series? I specifically have the Micro BR and I'm embarrassed to say I've never recorded with it. Just use the mp3 player and effect processor for travel playing. Just wondering about others thoughts

Howdy rj--

About a month ago, I saw a guy doing a live demo of the Micro BR at a local music store. I have to admit, I was rather impressed with the capabilities of the thing, but despite the guy knowing that thing like the back of his hand, most of us watching him go about practically recording his own symphony on it were looking at each other with the dreaded "Dude, I'll need a degree in electronic engineering and about 9,000 hours of practice experience to ever be able to do that with such efficiency-- maybe I'll take up nuclear physics instead!" look.

On a more practical note, one of my friends has a Micro BR which he uses on a regular basis, and he also is of the opinion that while it's a powerful little device, it's really only convenient for two things: 1) to record riffs on-the-spot (instead of constantly lugging around a bulkier tape machine), and 2) using it as an effects pedal or loop when recording with external recording equipment.

[Wolfboy1]

I have a Zoom H2. Works GREAT. I record our band practices and my sons HS band concerts on occassion. For $199.99 it's amazing and really one of the easier gadgets to use.

Now as to upload sites....use Truefire!
Go to the home page, log in, click "self-publish" at the top and follow the directions. I have put a few examples in myself

or

Go to 4shared.com and register for 5gb free space to share

I've used both :guitare2:

[Death Magnetic]

Howdy gang--

For those who have been following this thread, Wolfboy and myself are in the process of gathering fellow musicians for an online music recording project. To give all potential interested a small taste of what something like this can sound like, please grab the following file (or play it from the host site):

Theme to Halloween H20 [Death By Guitar version]

I put this version of the Theme to Halloween H20 together this afternoon, using MIDI percussion, live synths and live guitar. Enjoy!!!

[beboy]

Death, I like the way you roll...

The theme to Halloween is one of my favorites and John Carpenter is one of my favorite movie composers. His music always scares the crap out of me and it really adds tension to his movies. Oh my gosh, I just looked it up and Halloween (the original) came out 30 years ago (1978). I guess I was 12 when I saw it.

Cool tune Death. I really like the job you did, it sounds great.