which recording unit?
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Posted on Aug 24, 2003 06:20 pm
Benne
Member Since: Aug 24, 2003
Im a complete amateur when it comes to home recording and Im looking at purchasing a unit to use to record dance style music that i produce at home. Ive checked out the recording tips section of this website but it is like another language to me,such as 'rolling off' and 'notching out'.It seems to be geared towards people who already know the basic terminology.Just how easy to use are these home recording units? Is eq,and mixing etc difficult to understand for a novice? which unit would best be suited to me for dance music, I want something with a cd burner and lots of effects.Is it best to get a unit that can plug into a laptop? Im inclined to not listen to music shop salespeople as they make everything look so simple to use. Do the manuals explain things clearly enough for starting out? Anyone else out their that was in my shoes and taught themselves? How difficult was it? Im nervous about spending my hard earned money on something I wont understand how to use! Am I overreacting? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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GeoffSM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic'sContributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002
Aug 25, 2003 02:11 pm alright man first off welcome to HRC . from what it looks like you might be better off diving into the PC based recording area , instead of buying a seperate recorder , where you can spend less to get started on PC and see if you like it . You say you are going to be making dnace music , may i suggest trying out Acid music ( there are a few versions out ) the price is good on the softwarte and it is really easy to use I have friends that know nothing and they were making tunes in a few min . Plus it'll cost less than a recorder . are you goinmg to be using outboard synths , samplers , ect ? If so it would be good to invest into a nice sound card , check out the gear bag section for prefured gear.
Aug 25, 2003 02:15 pm service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear FruityLoops is something else to consider. very sample and loop driven environment, and very good app for making beats for any style. Great app.
For terminology, don't forget to checkout our glossary, it's not all in there yet, but we are working on it.
If you want manuals that explain things well, stay away from Roland gear...
Welcome to HRC, if you don't understand some of the questions and answers, just ask, we'll be nice :-)
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Aug 25, 2003 02:38 pm Honestly I don't have that much to add, I don't work with many of the things dance music folks typically use (MIDI, sound modules, loops, etc) but I would recommend you getting a pc-based system as opposed to a hardware unit for your recorder. You will save money in the long run, and the pc will be upgradable where as your external unit may not be. Also, you can run many programs on your pc that would be able to modify/enhance your music, whereas with the external unit you'd have to port your music into a pc for that, or just use other external equipment.
Aug 25, 2003 03:16 pm benne,
mixing and eq can be challenging to figure out, but it's an exciting adventure, look at it that way. i am teaching myself, and i've found that the terminology is mostly pretty easy to grasp...but the application is another matter. you can learn what you need to know to understand the terminology very rapidly but the only way to get good at mixing is to start doing it. so here's what i would do:
start going a few times a week to your local barnes and noble or borders bookstore, or whatever you have in your area. grab a coffee and just start absorbing ideas. go into the music/home recording section, and pick up books like 'the mixing engineer's handbook' and 'the mastering engineer's handbook' and whatever other beginner books you can find. don't get upset if it doesnt make sense at first. just scan all the books, and pretty soon it will start to become clear. this stuff won't seem so overwhelming if you check out all the books, because then you'll quickly realize that there are only a finite number of ideas that pop up over and over again. you've just got to prioritize your learning.
the EQ stuff is really pretty interesting. once you get into reading, you'll find that 'notching out' and 'rolling off' are EQ operations used primarily to give each instrument its own space in the mix, so that the instruments dont step on each other and become indistinct and muddy. it's all about separation (and tone color).
as far as buying a stand-alone recording unit, i wouldn't, because you'll just wind up getting a computer later. i used to use a boss br-8, which records on zip disks. it was a good introduction to home recording, but i quickly felt its limitations.
good luck. people here love to answer questions so just go ahead and ask.
BenneMember
Since: Aug 24, 2003
Aug 25, 2003 04:34 pm Ok i feel a bit better now,thanks guys. So yall reckon pcs are the best way to go. I am using an akai mpc2000xl for all my loops and drums etc at the moment,actually I use it for everything cause thats my only piece of gear but ive done some interesting things with it. Can I use it with a pc recording program? Geoff,you suggested acid and DB,you suggest fruityloops, are these programs trackers because as I said I already have the loops etc sorted with my mpc? Thanx to fortymile and tincanbug for your advise,I feel more confident now that I have a bit of support.Im glad I found this site, Ill continue visiting and let you know my progress soon. Do I need to post a new message everytime or do I reply here like Im doing now??
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Aug 26, 2003 12:21 am ACID I'm not too sure on but fruity isn't a tracker, more of a beat creator really. You can do some neat things with it, but it's not made for tracking. As far as tracking goes I reccomend Cakewalks Sonar or Steinburgs Cubase. They can be a bit pricy though... If you want something that is cheaper and does a good job look at Intuitive MX, it's a nice app for the price. And yes, you can use the Akai with the PC to import your loops and samples to the best of my knowledge.
MinkusMazBane of All ExistenceMember
Since: Mar 27, 2003
Aug 26, 2003 01:31 am you can track with acid, but it's not that great. it's like a sample-based version of vegas. i use it to put together drumbeats beat by beat rather than with loops. it works for me, because i'm kind of anal about drums. if you're not anal and you just want beats in loop form, fruityloops is great.
Aug 26, 2003 04:53 am my advice would be this.
get hold of a copy of cubase, it can control your sampler from a pc. it can be daunting at first, but, as with most htings, you don't need to master the whole program just to make your tunes. if you are anything like me then you'll find that the more you mess ariund with your own tunes, then your knowledge of your kit grows.
i make dance stuff almost exclusively nowadays, mainly trip hop, drum n bass and progressive breaks, and i use reason 2.5, cubase, recycle and soundforge, but soundforge and recycle would be replaced by your hardware sampler.
if you cna get your head into a hardware sampler, you shouldn't have too much bovva learning software....
...anyway, you can always come back here to ask!!
glynbMember
Since: Dec 16, 2002
Aug 26, 2003 11:01 am I was going to suggest if you were an absolute beginner to get hold of a simple four track recorder, just to learn the very basic principles.
Play around with that then move on to a multitracker or PC recording, but I see from the other threads that you're past that stage so I won't bother!
BenneMember
Since: Aug 24, 2003
Aug 26, 2003 03:34 pm Ok ,what sort of requirements will my computer have to have to run cubase etc. Can you use a laptop? Do I need a soundcard? Anything else?
Aug 26, 2003 03:38 pm Go to the software manufacturers website and look they always post that kind of info. In the case of Cubase, that would be here: www.steinberg.net/
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Aug 26, 2003 05:05 pm You will need a fairly well spec'd PC as digital audio is pretty strenuous for the CPU. Aim for 1.6Ghz+ with plenty (256Mb+) of RAM and a sizeable hard disc (20Gig+ for audio).
I used to own an MPC2000XL and I loved it to death. Now I have the MPC4ooo, which is even better :D :D I also use Cubase SX in conjunction with it. Cubase allows you to laydown full audio tracks - this would help you because you can also use VSTi SoftSynths to add more instruments to your mix. You will also be able to bring the sounds from the MPC2000 into Cubase SX and master them to phatten everything up.
Wait are the main reasons you want a multi-track for? What limiations are bothering you with the MPC2000?
regards
jues.
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Aug 26, 2003 05:34 pm You are going to need a new soundcard, can't be avoided. Soundblasters will not live up to the rigors you're going to put yours through. The majority vote around here is that M-Audio rocks, but many are also fond of Motu. Look in the gear bag to get some information about the cards. Keep in mind whether or not midi will be important to you when picking cards, since some do not have midi ports, such as the delta series from M-Audio.
Sep 05, 2003 09:37 am i'd give my left nostril for an MPC2000XL
