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Torquehd
Posted on Monday, May 16, 2016 - 11:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I know i'm not the only musician here on Badweb, surely someone has experience in this field...

Years ago I recorded a bunch of music (multi-track acoustic/vocals) using my laptop's internal mic and Audacity. I want to record it for real in the near future, on the cheap. I'm not going for Abby Road, but I would like for it to sound halfway decent.

I know 20 years ago, the Shure SM58 was the go-to microphone, but my friend recommended a Behringer XM8500. Google told me it was similar quality to the Shure, at 1/5 the cost.

My friend is the sound guy at my church, he said I should be fine running an XLR to 1/8" adapter, using my computer's built-in soundcard and mic jack. (i guess it's "plug-and-play", and wouldn't need a preamp?)

He recommended going to something better than Audacity if I wanted to do any serious editing or multi-tracking. I'm not looking to get too serious into effects or anything, I just need to be able to equalize acoustic music.
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Court
Posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 - 05:15 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

It's STILL . . . . after all these years . . .going to be tough to beat the Shure SM58. I have 57's for amplifiers and 58's for vocal.

They are CHEAP . . .at $99 and still among the most respected.

If I were upgrading . . . I'd look are RODE. But . . . the Shure mics remain the standard.

http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/studio-microphone -buying-guide/

Opinions . . obviously . . . will vary.
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Xdigitalx
Posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 - 06:50 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I want to record it for real ......

I believe, most musician sites have bundles that have everything you need to record to your laptop... (in much better quality)

search: recording pacjkages/bundles, prices vary from 99 buks and up.
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Torquehd
Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 - 01:14 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Court, you are really a jack of all trades.

Thanks for the replies gents.
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Jeepinbueller
Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 - 10:58 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I'm been playing around with ProTools that I got through a student discount a long time ago ... the audio interface one of their older units (I think it's an MBox 2?) and I can record two tracks at a time. It uses a Type B USB on the component end to give you an idea of timeframe, haha.

The real magic to recording for me is getting a solid track without clipping and trying not to overprocess things and compress the crap out of it. With all the plug-ins available it's easy to go overboard. A little panning and (mostly)latency/delay to form some dimension to the soundstage, sprinkle some normalization and reverb in there. I find it doesn't take much, but then again biased ears are biased. It's just fun.
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Ratbuell
Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 - 11:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Dig out the wallet...this snowballs quickly and you'll look around one day and be amazed at how much crap you have stacked up.

www.peglegaudio.com , for example ; )

For recording, get good audio INTO the computer. I always used XLR balanced inputs. 1/8" can work...sorta. But if you get into high-quality mastering and outputs...you'll notice the difference. There are many XLR-to-USB (or now, Lightning/thunderbolt) input mixers, and they're not pricey.

Software is where they getya.

I run Presonus live mixers (a StudioLive 16.4.2 and a StudioLive 24.4.2) - both came with Presonus' version of recording software, Capture (to record the tracks) and Studio One (for mastering, plugins, and export). I record every show I do through Capture (about 25GB per show for 14 channels), and upload it from my Macbook to a 5TB external drive when I get home so the Mac doesn't get filled up.

Then...as Josh said above...the fun starts. A 3 minute song, 14 tracks...takes about an hour to get right, and I don't use a lot of plugins at all. But until you get a software suite and start tinkering, all this is purely academic. I can talk, but it won't mean anything. Yet.

Big thing: get strong input signals. I would not use anything other than XLR. SM58 is a tank. Beta58 is a little warmer, with a slightly broader range. I'm switching my live mics over to Beta87C's because they're a supercardioid pattern which is designed to work with the in-ear monitors I use onstage (cuts down on proximity and echo effects). If all you're doing is studio work..pony up and get a good studio mic.

When you're mixing down and outputting, you have to decide "what's my target output device?". Are you listening to it on a good stereo? Or putting it online so people can listen to it through laptop speakers and mobile devices? And that...is trial and error.

And that's the best part about any of this - sure, there are some baseline ideas, but for the most part, there's no "recipe" - it's art. Do what you like and have fun!

Just be prepared to buy some gear along the way : )
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Xdigitalx
Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2016 - 06:28 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Hey Rat, I use Samplitude/RME/Waves/Tannoy...(pc) If you ever need a second opinion..(mix) hit me up, although I work reg job then barely have time to play anymore, I still enjoy mixing ITB.
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Xdigitalx
Posted on Friday, May 20, 2016 - 11:52 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

That Presonus gear looks pretty freaking slick. Nice gig.
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Torquehd
Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2016 - 12:46 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

This thread has been dead for awhile; I never had time/money to get anything except an XLR to 1/8" adapter(wife and kids come first you know).

Trying to claw my way back into music; I need to record acoustic instruments.

I've been tinkering with plugging the mic directly into the 1/8" jack on my laptop.
It gives me a lot of background noise and of course generally bad quality recording. I'm not looking for Nashville recording quality here but I'd like to be able to cut out background noise and have better sound. On the cheap.

This is what I'm thinking:
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-302USB-BEHRINGER- XENYX/dp/B005EHILV4/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=148303 2631&sr=8-10&keywords=usb+audio+interface
or
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Q1202USB-12-Chann el-Mixer/dp/B008O517IW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=148 3030052&sr=8-11&keywords=behringer+usb+interface

Mic into this, USB into computer, Audacity. They say they have integrated audio interfaces for USB, so they should be able to be used without any additional equipment right?
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Bluzm2
Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2017 - 10:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The old adage "You can never have too many channels" is true. Get the most you are willing to spend.
Mics are more important than the recording gear. The old garbage in, garbage out comes in to play. If you are recording acoustic instruments you want a diaphragm mic. Unless it's a loud acoustic, then a condenser is better.
The reason the direct into the laptop stinks is the quality of the DAC on the motherboard. Even a cheap USB audio sound cable is better than the laptop chipset.

Audacity is a good place to start, lots of things to play with. I've used it tons for voice work on phone systems etc.
Get a good basic kit put together and learn and play. This will dictate the direction you take it.
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