- Thread starter
- #21
Right so,how to make some recordings.Its simple.Really.
So lets assume you've got all the stuff.You've spent 2 hours/days or
maybe more probably, figuring out how it all connects up until the point
where when you talk into your microphone a little LED style meter of
hope flashes inside REAPER.
I don't think theres any point in me going into HOW you do this because
everything you've acquired will either
a) come with installation instructions
b) will be on google.
TOP TIP-I know this seems obvious but lets say you are having a problem
getting you're soundcard to "talk" to your computer.What do I do?
Literally type your problem into google and I'd be surprised if you
can't sus it out yourself.If that fails ask on a forum thats relative to
the bit of kit thats not playing nice.Theres a benifit in doing this-
which is simply that fixing problems like this by research and trial and
error will start you on your way to understanding WHAT is going on
inside your studio and so when the moment of creativity is happening and
something goes wrong technically(which it will,often),you'll be in a
better position to get your session restarted quickly.
Plus learning is fun.
Now as this is only a guide for TOTAL NOOBZ I'm just gonna plough ahead
and give you a run down of how to make DECENT recordings( I cant
gaurantee they'll be worth listening too however). and I'm gonna
dispel a couple of myths to save you time worrying about them.
1.Signal to noise ratio etc.
What your looking for when you record something is to get it onto disc
loud so that it obscures any noise the mic will be picking up(from the
hoover going downstairs etc)but not so loud as to introduce
CLIPPING.Clipping is the distortion that happens when a digital signal
passes over the 0db threshold.On a guitar amp this might be desirable so
you can rip peoples face off with a few hot licks but in the digital
realm it is UNACCEPTABLE EVER.
You'll avoid your signal clipping by VISUALLY ensuring that your
record level meters dont go into the red.A good rule of thumb here is
that you should actually record to a maximum level of -6Db(if you expand
your waveform on screen you will see the Db numbers running vertically
along the side).This is the IDEAL level you should be strivng for.
You can go lower if you desire(realistically down to about -12 before
hiss becomes an issue)because in the digital world we can ALWAYS
increase the level by various means after the fact.
We cannot however fix a recording that has clipped by doing the inverse
so its a GOLDEN RULE.Clipped-BIN.Simple.
A small point of clarification.
Why do we only record tp -6DB and not all the way up to the max?
This is to leave whats called HEADROOM.Headroom is WAYY important and
something the novice needs to understand from the get go.Say you record
something at 0DB and then you decide its a bit flat sounding so you need
to use some EQ(equalisation) to boost certain frequencies(this is just
an example) if you've already got the signal as loud as it will go
without clipping you'll have nowhere left to increase whatever
frequencies you need to get your sound right.So headroom MUST be left.
HOWEVER..and I might as well just say it now that I think of it,because
its a valuable point..when using EQ start by doing whats known as
SUBTRACTIVE EQ..ie..only LOWERING stuff.Makes sense right?
If you need a bit more upper mid on your track,lower the surrounding
frequencies.You can then simply increase your track volume on the slider
yoke to bring the overall level up in your mix .
But,as usual I'm rushing because you'll do far better to use as LITTLE
proceesing on your tracks as possible!
This is an interesting matter and one that will ultimately result in you
getting the most from your DIY endeavours.
When you sit down to do some recording(I suppose I'm mainly talking
about the dude with a few songs and a guitar etc. but it applies to all
production)You should be striving to reproduce on disc the sound you are
making faithfully,bearing in mind its relation to the other sounds you
record.So if your voice and guitar sound melodious together try and get
them to sound the same recorded.You can't make a bad sound good after
the fact(experienced engineers have a lot of tools for getting the most
out iof a shitty singer and they need them quite frankly or there'll be
trouble when it comes to getting paid).The novice recordist however has
the same tools available but not the understanding of how these gizmo's
work so will invariably only make things worse.
So NEVER EVER ASSUME that you can just FIX IT IN THE MIX something badly
recorded because that path leads to nothing but frustration.
Get the sound right at the start.Your ultimate goal is that you will
only need to adjust VOLUME levels in your mix(this is an over
simplication, I know, but bear with me).Now no matter how well you
record,you'll still need to do some tweaking of the sounds but the less
the better.
That brings me nicely to a myth that needs to be debunked for the
amateur recordist.
NO AMOUNT OF EGG CARTONS GLUED TO YOUR WALLS or other
room treatment will make you sound any
better,so don't waste your time worrying about the SOUND of the room etc
you're recording in.The average quiet bedroom has adequate acoustical
properties for recording music in.So don't set up your microphone in the closet,
unless you are specifically looking for the "closet Sound"..which
you arent believe me,I've tried it.
Every room will sound different in your house depending on what soft
furnishings there are and what reflective surfaces there are and room
size etc,so its worth trying moving your microphone around a bit(its
also fun to experiment,natch)but as your going to have no more than
about 12 cms between your gob and the mic it dosent really make a whole
heap of difference whats going on outside of that area.I would recommend
that you keep your mic placed so that you arent less than a meter from
the wall behind the mic.this is because the sound bouncing off the wall
back at you will be out of whack(hope thats not too technical a term)
and will colour the sound picked up by the mic.Although I don't follow
this rule myself so its entirely at your discretion.Its a trial and
error job innit.
Edit..If the room you choose to record in is UNUSUALLY reflective and you can
DEFINITELY hear it on disc,throw a few duvets and the like around until you get a drier sound.
So I think theres a bit there to get you going.
Next time I'll get into something complicated but THE BEST SHIT EVER-
compression and its associated processes.Oh yeah and a bit about
recording Electric guitars.bass etc...
But now its breakfast time.
So lets assume you've got all the stuff.You've spent 2 hours/days or
maybe more probably, figuring out how it all connects up until the point
where when you talk into your microphone a little LED style meter of
hope flashes inside REAPER.
I don't think theres any point in me going into HOW you do this because
everything you've acquired will either
a) come with installation instructions
b) will be on google.
TOP TIP-I know this seems obvious but lets say you are having a problem
getting you're soundcard to "talk" to your computer.What do I do?
Literally type your problem into google and I'd be surprised if you
can't sus it out yourself.If that fails ask on a forum thats relative to
the bit of kit thats not playing nice.Theres a benifit in doing this-
which is simply that fixing problems like this by research and trial and
error will start you on your way to understanding WHAT is going on
inside your studio and so when the moment of creativity is happening and
something goes wrong technically(which it will,often),you'll be in a
better position to get your session restarted quickly.
Plus learning is fun.
Now as this is only a guide for TOTAL NOOBZ I'm just gonna plough ahead
and give you a run down of how to make DECENT recordings( I cant
gaurantee they'll be worth listening too however). and I'm gonna
dispel a couple of myths to save you time worrying about them.
1.Signal to noise ratio etc.
What your looking for when you record something is to get it onto disc
loud so that it obscures any noise the mic will be picking up(from the
hoover going downstairs etc)but not so loud as to introduce
CLIPPING.Clipping is the distortion that happens when a digital signal
passes over the 0db threshold.On a guitar amp this might be desirable so
you can rip peoples face off with a few hot licks but in the digital
realm it is UNACCEPTABLE EVER.
You'll avoid your signal clipping by VISUALLY ensuring that your
record level meters dont go into the red.A good rule of thumb here is
that you should actually record to a maximum level of -6Db(if you expand
your waveform on screen you will see the Db numbers running vertically
along the side).This is the IDEAL level you should be strivng for.
You can go lower if you desire(realistically down to about -12 before
hiss becomes an issue)because in the digital world we can ALWAYS
increase the level by various means after the fact.
We cannot however fix a recording that has clipped by doing the inverse
so its a GOLDEN RULE.Clipped-BIN.Simple.
A small point of clarification.
Why do we only record tp -6DB and not all the way up to the max?
This is to leave whats called HEADROOM.Headroom is WAYY important and
something the novice needs to understand from the get go.Say you record
something at 0DB and then you decide its a bit flat sounding so you need
to use some EQ(equalisation) to boost certain frequencies(this is just
an example) if you've already got the signal as loud as it will go
without clipping you'll have nowhere left to increase whatever
frequencies you need to get your sound right.So headroom MUST be left.
HOWEVER..and I might as well just say it now that I think of it,because
its a valuable point..when using EQ start by doing whats known as
SUBTRACTIVE EQ..ie..only LOWERING stuff.Makes sense right?
If you need a bit more upper mid on your track,lower the surrounding
frequencies.You can then simply increase your track volume on the slider
yoke to bring the overall level up in your mix .
But,as usual I'm rushing because you'll do far better to use as LITTLE
proceesing on your tracks as possible!
This is an interesting matter and one that will ultimately result in you
getting the most from your DIY endeavours.
When you sit down to do some recording(I suppose I'm mainly talking
about the dude with a few songs and a guitar etc. but it applies to all
production)You should be striving to reproduce on disc the sound you are
making faithfully,bearing in mind its relation to the other sounds you
record.So if your voice and guitar sound melodious together try and get
them to sound the same recorded.You can't make a bad sound good after
the fact(experienced engineers have a lot of tools for getting the most
out iof a shitty singer and they need them quite frankly or there'll be
trouble when it comes to getting paid).The novice recordist however has
the same tools available but not the understanding of how these gizmo's
work so will invariably only make things worse.
So NEVER EVER ASSUME that you can just FIX IT IN THE MIX something badly
recorded because that path leads to nothing but frustration.
Get the sound right at the start.Your ultimate goal is that you will
only need to adjust VOLUME levels in your mix(this is an over
simplication, I know, but bear with me).Now no matter how well you
record,you'll still need to do some tweaking of the sounds but the less
the better.
That brings me nicely to a myth that needs to be debunked for the
amateur recordist.
NO AMOUNT OF EGG CARTONS GLUED TO YOUR WALLS or other
room treatment will make you sound any
better,so don't waste your time worrying about the SOUND of the room etc
you're recording in.The average quiet bedroom has adequate acoustical
properties for recording music in.So don't set up your microphone in the closet,
unless you are specifically looking for the "closet Sound"..which
you arent believe me,I've tried it.
Every room will sound different in your house depending on what soft
furnishings there are and what reflective surfaces there are and room
size etc,so its worth trying moving your microphone around a bit(its
also fun to experiment,natch)but as your going to have no more than
about 12 cms between your gob and the mic it dosent really make a whole
heap of difference whats going on outside of that area.I would recommend
that you keep your mic placed so that you arent less than a meter from
the wall behind the mic.this is because the sound bouncing off the wall
back at you will be out of whack(hope thats not too technical a term)
and will colour the sound picked up by the mic.Although I don't follow
this rule myself so its entirely at your discretion.Its a trial and
error job innit.
Edit..If the room you choose to record in is UNUSUALLY reflective and you can
DEFINITELY hear it on disc,throw a few duvets and the like around until you get a drier sound.
So I think theres a bit there to get you going.
Next time I'll get into something complicated but THE BEST SHIT EVER-
compression and its associated processes.Oh yeah and a bit about
recording Electric guitars.bass etc...
But now its breakfast time.
