New To Recording (sort of)
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Posted on Jul 15, 2005 09:21 pm
Basil
Member Since: Jul 15, 2005
I had a Tascam 4-Track Analog and I want to upgrade. Digital recording, like the Zoom Palmtop Ps-04 looks really cheap and can do basic things for me, but I am cautious because my band wants a old style sound, like 50's 60's blues recordings. Is it possible to get the sound with Zoom? Any suggestions are welcome.
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RigsbyUltra MagnusMember
Since: Nov 13, 2004
Jul 16, 2005 06:03 am I think you'll struggle with getting a 50/60s drum sound with digital, not to say that it's impossible, things like more simple micing and relatively heavy compression can help with that sound for instance. If you get that sound from your amps then guitars etc are easier, i find that it helps to have a little more gain on your amp than you would usually to add to the old-school sound that you'd get from hitting tape a little harder, again, mic positioning is pretty key. You said you 'had' a tascam 4-track, if you still have it, i'd try tracking some drums to or through that for the 50s/60s grain of sound, but it might be a little hissy, depending on the model. Dynamic mics as overheads can produce a less 'glisteny' cymbal sound which is probably more in keeping with what your guys are after.
Anyway, just some thoughts, good luck fella, let us know how this go.
Jul 16, 2005 11:16 am Welcome to HRC, Basil (reminds me of "Basil Fawlty" from the John Cleese show Fawlty Towers).
Ya, I agree with Rigsby, it might be a bit harder to get that sound. All that tape hiss, ground loops and poor miking techniques from the 50's and 60's would be hard to duplicate digitally ;-)
There are quite a few plugin effects (at least for going digital on a computer) that can saturate sound to add the analog "warmth" and effects to add anomolies like 60 cycle hum, vinyl pops and ticks and tape hiss...
Seriously though, digital has it's best day when it comes down to the editing and mixdown of the recording...perhaps what you could do is track the recordings on analog then dump them into a digital device and get the best of both worlds.
Why the Zoom? What not a PC? Have you even considered going the computer-based route?
BasilMember
Since: Jul 15, 2005
Jul 16, 2005 12:58 pm Well I have not considered PC because I have no idea about cost and how easy it is, I saw an ad for the Zoom Palmtop nad thought it was cheap, and I liked how small it was so I could take it places without lugging around so much stuff. Is the PC route better than Zoom?
Jul 16, 2005 01:30 pm Well, small and portable devices are handy, the one you looked at does look really cool, but be aware it is more for scratch tracking and recording practices and such, not any real production. You can record up to 40 virtual tracks, but only mix 4 down (as I understand it) with a PC, depending on the computer you have now (assuming you do since you are here at HRC, but I might be wrong) it need not be very expensive. a couple hundred dollars or so for a sound card, and many sound cards come with software to record with, generally "light duty" versions of big name, high cost software...
What does you current computer situation look like? Often times you can mix, even with the light duty software, up to 32 tracks, have software effects, and there are many, many free effects around the net that plug in for use in your software...on a PC the possibilities are limitless...
But, it all depends on your goals...and finances...
BasilMember
Since: Jul 15, 2005
Jul 16, 2005 02:09 pm Sounds good but I am weary of spending very much because my band and I have really long periods where we can't get together, and at the moment our drummer and I are considering dismembering and finding new people. Let's say I get the Zoom, how would I burn the final product to CD? Oh, and thanks for the replies.
RigsbyUltra MagnusMember
Since: Nov 13, 2004
Jul 17, 2005 06:20 am Just checked out the Zoom Palmtop Ps-04, it's only 4 tracks, so if you go for this then the four-track might come in handy, you could get the drums down to there and mix to mono or stereo to the Ps-04. Two tracks at once, so no live recording. I don't know, it seems like it's more of a one-man demo box, to get ideas down on the move, it's set up that way it seems to me with all the rhythm stuff etc, i don't see it as being a great thing for band recording personally, but then again at £200 it's not a bad price, but you could get a digital eight track secong hand for a little more which would give you 4 more tracks obviously and probably four tracks at once, so at least you could record a stereo drum track mix and two guitars at once (maybe listening to the bass on headphones as you play/record) and then 4 tracks for bass and vocals (or whatever else). Looks like you'd need to connect to a computer to burn a CD from the PS-04 too.
I'd put the Ps-04 in the gadget category personally, a great gadget for someone who has a studio but wants a notepad for when they're on the move, but i don't see it as a recordign solution in it's self.
Just my $35.
Jul 18, 2005 12:47 pm yeah you sound like a good canadate for a fostex, 8-16 track portable machine..the Roland VS series is pretty nice aswell, and i think Korg has a digital multitracker.....i would go for something with 8 XLR inputs (preamps) which will allow you to record the entire band in one room and in one take. that'll help keep the 'feel' of those days.....if you're band is up to it's chops, and you guys dig how you sound durring practice, you'll be good to go.....i don't think you'll need to be cutting up tracks and re-arranging all that much (which is ALOT easier on a computer) so the over all 'editing' process will be a bit more of a drag, but if you're ready to go strait to the 'mixing' stage (eq, reverb, compresson, FX) then these machines will perform quite well for ya.
what ever ya get, some basic specs i'd stick to for your situation are
8-16 microphone inputs
44.1mhz samplerate (or higher)
16 bit (or higher) ((these are CD quality))
eq and dynamics (compression) on every channel
CD Burner
internal Hard Drive of 2 gigabytes (or more)
cheers and welcome to HRC
wyd
