Get me started. Or not. (1 Viewer)

GARYXKNIFEDX

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First of all. I'm a lazy bastard and have a total inability to get a grasp of technology.


Having said that I've been thinking I should do something with some things i noodle on guitar and band practice isn't happening any time soon.

Would there be any point in me trying to get my head around recording on a laptop? Would I likely have to spend a ton of money? ( not an option) or should I just make do with ideas on my phone?

Wouldn't need to be great quality just maybe ideas with a drum beat. I dont really write songs I usually come into the practice room and jam until it comes together. So it would only really be to jog my memory


Reaper and audacity have been mentioned


I'm cheap and rubbish with technology.
 
I just bought this for exactly that reason: https://www.thomann.de/ie/behringer_umc404hd.htm

Unless I am mistaken, you plug yer guitar into it, and the your plug that into your computer, and then record. There are obviously loads of different products but that one is cheap, has lots of inputs and a midi connection. This one seems to have best audio and built quality tho- https://www.thomann.de/ie/focusrite_scarlett_4i4_3rd_gen.htm

In terms of recording software, Audacity is a very basic free download that allows you to record, and also do some editing. Pretty sure it has no facility to make sounds (beats etc) Going beyond this you got Reaper, Ableton etc which I know nothing about but hoping to learn once I get my hands on the audio interface.

Basically I am about 2 weeks ahead of you on the learning curve...
 
I'd get a Scarlett 2i2 or one of the Behringer copies. Then Reaper @GO should be able to give you some tips with it. Then some kinda amp plug in so you can just play straight into the computer and sound decent without having to worry about micing up cabs. Then just get sued to playing with that set up. After that it's essentially a matter of pressing record. It's intimidating to start with but ya get into pretty fast with some messing about.
 
Making drum loops in Garageband is ridiculously easy and they sound great. Just discovered this the other day. I've been delving into this a good bit over the last few weeks as well. Already knew how to use Reaper a bit and I have a Zoom H2n which not only has decent(ish) mics but also has a line in to record. It's deadly.
 
Actually yeah a Zoom or Tascam yoke would be a great option for the interface side of things. Can use it for recording real life jams too.
 
Guitars,amps and a laptop.

This is getting daunting way quick

Ok i'll break it down (sorry I was on a phone last time).

What happens in digital recording:

Sound gets turned into data that a computer can understand and save.

What is required:

1. A sound. (guitars/amps here)

2. Something to convert sound to ones and zeros. These are called interfaces*. Or Analog/Digital interfaces which is sometimes written like AD/DA or something like that.

Something you can record and play this on, like a tape machine. (this is called a Digital Audio Workstation), often written as DAW - Audacity and Reaper are two decent cheap (free) DAWs. They are just tape machines with mixers in them.

You could go to


or


right now, download them and in about 5 minutes you'll be able to hit a record button and record through the microphone in your laptop. This will get you demo level results in about ten mins.

*every computer already has somethign in it to turn sound into data, thats how listening to music on them works and doing skypes or whatever - the reason people buy interfaces is to connect good microphones to computers, the one inside it will definitley be at most worth about a euro and make everything sound crap, which is fine if you just want a diary.

TLDR


MOST BASIC THING TO DO:

Download Audacity, plug in guitar, hit record, adjust guitar volume untill the meter at the stop of the screen never leaves the green area.

Record whatever you like.

When you are done, saving isnt what you think it is. It wants to save a map of what you've done - what you actually want to do with demos is go to

File -> export as mp3

and it will spit them out as sound you can play on more or less anythign that exists these days.
 
Starting to look like there are too many gadgets to be bought for me.
I think this is not for me. I dont even know what any of that stuff is nevermind whether it will work on my computer.


I possibly should have known before asking.
 
Actually yeah a Zoom or Tascam yoke would be a great option for the interface side of things. Can use it for recording real life jams too.

One caveat though - I haven't actually got it to work as an audio interface per se (i.e. connecting directly to Reaper). Using the line in to record and then transferring the files over to Reaper which is a pain. But I know it can be done properly - just haven't bothered trying to figure out what the problem is yet.
 
One caveat though - I haven't actually got it to work as an audio interface per se (i.e. connecting directly to Reaper). Using the line in to record and then transferring the files over to Reaper which is a pain. But I know it can be done properly - just haven't bothered trying to figure out what the problem is yet.

I think thats when you connect the usb cable, it flashes usb/something else alternately and you hit record button while the one you want is on screen (this is the H1 I'm talking about)
 
Ann post. Thanks for breaking it down like that. Definitely getting less daunting as a result. I have to get past the lazy bit now and see if I can get a workable volume. It may take a while. Dont holdvyour breath.
 
I think thats when you connect the usb cable, it flashes usb/something else alternately and you hit record button while the one you want is on screen (this is the H1 I'm talking about)

Thanks. Will check that out but it's the H2N I have so possibly different. The problem is more something like this. Reaper recognises it as an audio interface but but there is some weird feedback thing happening all the time. I dunno .... probably something simple. Just need to make an effort to figure it out.
 
I've recorded whole songs using the built-in mic on my computer. Sitting in from of the computer with an acoustic, then clapping for a beat, then singing at the screen. It sounded rough but it was enough to get the ideas down. Also I was too lazy to go setting up mics and cables etc.

You could also just use the voice memo app on your phone. That's great for grabbing ideas and listening back years later.
 
Thanks. Will check that out but it's the H2N I have so possibly different. The problem is more something like this. Reaper recognises it as an audio interface but but there is some weird feedback thing happening all the time. I dunno .... probably something simple. Just need to make an effort to figure it out.

I bet one thumped 2002 rep point that

options -> preferences-> device -> output

is set to the computer/laptop speakers and can be switched to the zoom or headphones as output.

might need to go into mac/pc sound options to tweak this (it 'depends')...
 
I've recorded whole songs using the built-in mic on my computer. Sitting in from of the computer with an acoustic, then clapping for a beat, then singing at the screen. It sounded rough but it was enough to get the ideas down. Also I was too lazy to go setting up mics and cables etc.

You could also just use the voice memo app on your phone. That's great for grabbing ideas and listening back years later.


I'd like to go a little further than just a riff. Which is why I was thinking of using a computer. Maybe a drumbeat and a second guitar melody. Not really wanting to do anything with vocals even.

Just really thinking about if this whole thing is long term.

Usually I come up with an idea a day or two before practice and work on it then with the others at practice.
I dont really want to write songs on my own but if we get back in to practice rooms,it would be cool to be able to work a bit quicker by having a head start.
 

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