How do you record your hardware into the computer?

[spunktronics]

Stereo? Multi tracked?

 

Been working on stuff for past 10 months with no computer. Samplers and synths...I was going to just record stereo mixes but I wanna do some micro editing stuff on some of the bits...

 

I'm running up to 16 tracks in to mixer plus fx n shit.

 

I started tracking everything in to computer so I can go mix on a bigger console with better monitors etc..

 

Then I realised that a lot of the sampler stuff could be recorded separately. So as apposed to 4 channels of sampler stuff I want to track out all the parts..

 

So now one track I started tracks has gone from 6 channels to about 20+...

 

Where do you draw the line..

[Entorwellian]

I mix it into a cheap stereo usb hub with a noise remover unit attached. I either recording both the input channel and the computer bits all in one go or I separate the hardware mix into one mixdown and insert it into a DAW to work around it. Just in terms of time and system resources I don't think I would record each hardware channel one at a time. The only way I would ever record each instrument and track seperately is if I sequenced everything on the computer and I needed to do some really detailed EQ'ing or panning techniques. At that point I'd probably treat the recorded track like a sample than a full layer, however, and just compose on the computer with it.

[Guest Chesney]

Depends on the track/gear used/mood/time/what's needed/the style of jam/need for editing later.

 

Most of the time tracks start with a jam with a few synced pieces of gear and jammed for a good while, Some elements will be through mixer if say loads of synths are playing together and i'm happy with how they sound together and the rest are individual into the interface.

Drums are usually just a stereo track maybe the kick is fed through it's own seperate channel purely for mixing later. Then as the jam is chopped and arranged a song starts to appear and then I can jam over the top and add new parts/instruments/jams etc.

 

Every track is different though depending on what sound kicks off the idea.

[spunktronics]

These are pretty much fully composed and sequenced (mpc) and just need recording in to computer but I just want to be able to have loads of control over all the elements when i start to mix them.

 

When i was just using the computer for everything i would compose and mix everything at the same time.

[modey]

I just record stereo mix, partly because I'm too cheap to invest in a multi-input interface, but partly because I also process the entire mix using hardware effects, so it becomes one big block of sound—my hardware jams tend to be a lot more raw (intentionally) than my DAW-based prog stuff.

[AWW]

Everything is recorded onto an old clunky but trust worthy KORG D888 then I transfer the .WAV files on to PC.

8 separate tracks or a stereo mix (to edit, reload, repeat, etc, etc, etc... simplicity, necessity, invention, etc etc etc.)

I am NOT jealous of large studio setups. REALLY. Poker face emoji.

[TRiP]

Was experiencing a similar dilemma till a few months back when we purchased a Tascam US-16x08... can't say i'm totally convinced by it yet, but at least it speeds up the stemming process of recording multiple instruments at once

 

Before that we'd record each individual instrument, one at a time, through a Komplete Audio interface...extremely time consuming!

 

What's funny is - when I do a rough jam recording of a song/idea - it usually has alot more character and glues everything together better than early mixes...and then there's always those happy accidents and moments which you capture in the stereo once-off recording sessions that you can NEVER recapture when recording it 'properly'

 

Ultimately it comes down to a simple question - is the stereo demo you initially recorded as good as you'll ever make it? If yes - just try polish it with some EQ'ing etc. - if not, strap yourself in for a much longer process

 

I find mixing to be a completely different beast to making tunes - and have experienced times of the rough demo sounding 100% better than the fully stemmed (poorly) mixed version - so just figure out what process works best for you

[spunktronics]

I think i will end up tracking it all in the end, even all the individual drum tracks cause some times you wanna whack that echo on a snare for that 1 bar every 32 bars you know!

 

I've managed to sync pro tools with my mpc fine and and i have an 8 input motu, i could lug all my gear to the other studio with 32 in's but it's not the same as your own comfy spare with everything setup perfect.

 

It's just a pain re assigning all the outs in the mpc, now it's setup with channel 1-2 is all beats channel 3-4 is all the resampled fx and shit channel 5-6 bass things.

 

That's a sneak peak at one of the tracks that was a rough stereo mix

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w34ec6veazmdqs5/nexhap.mp3?dl=0

[sweepstakes]

I really dislike tracking. I'd much rather just get a complete record stereo recording and gently massage.

[sweepstakes]

I occasionally like tracking to 4-track. But usually I have no idea where I'm going and am often not even particularly bothered to listen to the contents of the previously recorded parallel tracks as I record new ones. Basically casting a wide net for happy accidents.

[Guest Chesney]

Yeah, I kinda like it too, you lose so much magic by tracking everything but if you go all in you run the risk of not getting what you wanted and not being happy with the result.

[spunktronics]

totally know what ya saying and i have that fear! But i have the option of mixing on a big console with loads of sexy outboard as apposed to my home setup which is pretty basic.

[sweepstakes]

I've always been happier with the result of stereo jams or with aforementioned sloppy azz parallel 4-track jams. I'm not exactly sure why though it surely has to do with the unplanned "magic" of jams, thinking with your fingers and ears instead of your frontal cortex.

 

Usually the parts of my tracks that other people or I like the best were totally spur-of-the-moment, not usually something completely new but a sort of response to an existing structure I set up in a sequencer. Basically that's where I want to do most of my planning, in the sequencer, and then the jam becomes a playthrough of, like, a video game level. This seems to make the transition to playing the tracks live a lot easier too, because basically my recordings are all "live in the studio".

[ZoeB]

I record each part monophonically, one track at a time, sometimes twice to get a nice doubling effect. Rarely, more than twice, to really thicken it up.

Occasionally, I might record a single part onto two channels, using a voltage controlled switch to toggle between them, so I can later apply particular effects to only certain specific notes, while otherwise keeping the dynamic sound consistent between them. It's the easiest way I can think of to change the timbre while playing (live expert knob twiddling, yay) and to also be able to apply effects later on to only some notes.

 

Live twiddling doubled tracks doesn't tend to work out so well for me, kind of like making the panning drift, so I tend to automate those beforehand instead.

[sheatheman]

Mono in

[MisterE]

yeh ive been mixing down lots of synth layers to mono before recording, lately

i mean, the entire basis for the whole track is just one mono recording.. lately

[sheatheman]

Laptop internal mic

[maitake]

Laptop internal mic

 

You on a macbook? My friend does this and it's constantly surprised me.. It's not a great mic but there's lots you can do to get creative with it.

[sheatheman]

Yeah. It's an amazingly horrible mic. The iPhone mic is actually good, but for some reason the laptop sounds like a 144p Skype call to a chai farm

But it lends a great texture

[sheatheman]

i've been working with the tempest and a few effects, and have got it sounding pretty good straight out of the mixer (soundcraft epm12)

 

my soundcard is just a 2i2, so i'm good for recording the master, or sending a mono signal on one channel from ableton and receiving the post hardware effects signal on another mono channel without feedback worry, but it's annoying. i'm definitely upgrading to at least an 8i8 soon, but i'm making do.

 

i really like using the mixer tho, A: it's good practice for playing live, and B: i like the inspiration of composing w/ effects on. the tempest is way more inspiring if i run it through my effect modules while using it (firm believer in writing w/ effects on).

 

so, the reason for this post is i just figured out i can send the prefader signal of each channel using the inserts AND let the signal go into the mixer mains, all i have to do is plug a cable in halfway, so i get the best of both worlds.

 

once i get an expanded soundcard, i will try having the inserts going in, plus the L/R master, so i'll get a dry and wet recording of everything.

 

anyone know of a good rack-mountable interface in the $300 range?

[LimpyLoo]

Recently upgraded from 2i2 to RME Babyface and i was fucking shocked at the difference

(Even in mere playback)

[sheatheman]

what's the difference?

better qual/less latency? etc....

[Squee]

 

Laptop internal mic

 

You on a macbook? My friend does this and it's constantly surprised me.. It's not a great mic but there's lots you can do to get creative with it.

 

 

Shitty mics are the BEST! I bought one a couple of years ago and have used it on pretty much all my tracks since purchasing it

[TubularCorporation]

Hardware into a Soundcraft EPM8, Alesis Microlimiter on the 2buss to give it a bit of ugliness (The Microlimiter sounds great, one of the best ways you can spend $30 on gear) into channels 5 and 6 of a Black Lion Audio Signature Mod Digi002r I picked up used for not that much money a few years ago (it's the 4th quarter 2012 version of the mod). The Soundcraft is definitely the bottleneck for sound quality but I'm going for a kind of mid-fi sound anyhow, and it's good enough for Legowelt so I can't really complain. The main problem is the preamps don't distort in a pleasant way at all, when it reaches a certain level you get clicks and pops that sund closer to digital buffer underruns than distortion, and it doesn't really sound good unless you really hit it hard, and even that's a really bright, fuzzy, harsh distortion. None of the great, wooly sounding overdrive of the pres on the old Tascam portastudio I still use and love. The EQ is pretty musical for an inexpensive mixer though.

[TubularCorporation]

Re

 

 

 

Laptop internal mic

 

You on a macbook? My friend does this and it's constantly surprised me.. It's not a great mic but there's lots you can do to get creative with it.

 

 

Shitty mics are the BEST! I bought one a couple of years ago and have used it on pretty much all my tracks since purchasing it

 

 

Shitty mics rule. I just got one of these:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251948818544?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Still a couple left (hint: I got them down to $2.99, and I bet they'd go as low as $1.99).

 

 

The trouble with internal laptop mics is fan noise, but any cheap electret (i.e. a used, low-end lapel mic) should be similar.