The DTF Recording/Producing Thread

[Gwii]

Since everything else has its own thread, I figured I'd start one for the members here that do their own recording and production work, whether its just you recording on your laptop or you have a small studio setup.

Here's a template.  Try to follow it, but you can add whatever you want.  Post a link to your material as well if you want.



Computer:

DAW:

Other programs and plugins:

Interface and recording setup:

Other recording gear:

What's one recording/production/mixing tip or trick that you have for the forum?:




I'll fill this out in a minute

[Gwii]

Computer: Just my Gateway laptop, nothing all that special. 2.5 gigs of ram.

DAW: Cubase SX3

Other programs and plugins: Reason 4.0, Superior Drummer 2.0, Plugins for impulses, Sonnox Oxford Plugins (there's like 6 of them), various other freebies as well.  

Interface and recording setup: For recording guitar, I hook up my POD via USB.  I've just started playing around with impulses, so hopefully I can get some good sounds with them.

Other recording gear: None.  Until I get a new computer, there's no point in buying any.

What's one recording/production/mixing tip or trick that you have for the forum?: When mixing, listen to your music through several types of media, such as car stereo, iPod, good surround sound system, standard laptop speakers, etc.  I find that this helps alot for adjusting highs and lows.

This site has a lot of good info as well: https://emusictips.com/  It's kind of geared toward MIDI, but there is plenty of helpful information.


I'm hoping to finish some new music soon, so I'll post it once it's done.

[ZBomber]

I've done very little recording/mixing, and that little bit was very non-professional... but I absolutely love being able to craft how a song sounds. I'm working with the bare minimum equipment, but I think getting an old analog mixing board in order to learn how to use it would be something I'd love to do once I get enough money.

[SPNKr]

I love mixing and mastering (or producing is it?). For the moment I just use Audacity , and I'm really familiar with it.

[antigoon]

I'm really itching to get into recording. I'm gonna be building a desktop soon and I was wondering if there was anything particularly important to get. Is music production something that requires a lot of processing power?

[RobD]

Home (mostly for rough demos/writing really)

Computer: pc laptop, Windows XP, no idea of specs but they aren't good enough

DAW: Cubase SX 3

Other Programs: Drumkit From Hell, Amplitube, Guitar Pro, random effects, processors and impulse responses gathered questionably over the years.

Main I/O: Creative Audigy 2ZS pcmcia card.

Monitoring: Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones.

Microphones: Rode NTG2


And in work (studio)

Computer: Mac Pro (Logic) & Apple G4 (Pro Tools 5) synched

DAW: Logic Pro 8   & Pro Tools 5

Other Programs: Far too many to list, but include DKFH, BFD, Vienna samples, Waves plugins, etc

Desk: Audient ASP 8024

DA/AD Conversion: Apogee Symphony (Logic) & Digidesign 888 (Pro Tools)

And a delicious array of microphones plus the ones you'd expect (414s, 57s, U87, etc)

My main tip to the forum is this: Get the sound right in the room first. You get your source sounding right, then the recording will sound good. It's a cliche but you cannot polish turd, but merely disguise it in shiny decorations. It's simple advice, but all too often forgotten.

Also as an extra, non-specific bit of advice - if there's something wrong, it's usually simple. Problem solve from the ground up, not searching about in the hazey upper levels of intelligence. Most likely you forgot to plug it in properly.

[MetalMike06]

Computer: An old home-built computer. Windows XP Pro, 768 Ram (I know... ), 120 gigs, Athlon 64 3200+...My roommate threw it together out of older parts.

DAW: Cubase 4

Other programs and plugins: Gearbox (goes with the toneport)

Interface and recording setup: I use a Line6 TonePort for recording guitars and vocals. (I have yet to serioulsy record vocals though)

Other recording gear: Shure SM57

What's one recording/production/mixing tip or trick that you have for the forum?: None really...I'm not to experienced with it all. I just basically record guitar riffs atm. Don't have any VSTs or anything.

[Adami]

Computer: Mac 8 core tower.

DAW: Pro Tools HD 3 V.8

Other programs and plugins: Waves Mercury Bundle

Interface and recording setup: Pro tools HD, Pre-Sonus and many other such things.

Other recording gear: Too much to name.

What's one recording/production/mixing tip or trick that you have for the forum?: gate the drums

[robwebster]

I'm pretty amateur, but I use...

Computer: Macbook Pro for GarageBand, stinky old Windows 2000 'puter for CoolEdit Pro.

DAW: Cubase 4, GarageBand.

Other programs and plugins: Gearbox (goes with the toneport)

Interface and recording setup: I use a Line6 TonePort for recording bass, vocals, and occasionally guitar and keys. Since I got a lovely massive digital piano I've been plugging that in as a midi controller.

One tip: Layers upon layers upon layers. Seriously, I had this really wanky little keyboard from 1995 that I used to use, which sounded shit, but layered 10 times over it's seriously neat.



I'm not very good, it's more a hobby than anything. I just recently got a keyboard, and I've been recording a few demos with GarageBand. I do find this kind of stuff fascinating though, so it's something that I do quite a lot when I'm bored. I don't have access to my proper recording stuff at university, though, so it's all GarageBanded as late.

This is the first thing I made since getting the digital keys, it's a piano-led reworking of an old song. Comments and crit would be grand!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIn9Wn-h5mY

[aurorablind]

Computer: HP Pavillon something.. 4GB ram, 650GB HD, 1.7 ghz.. Stationary, with a 20" screen. I split my harddrive, so i have Vista for basic stuff, like internet, schoolwork and such, while i have Windows XP for recording and photoshop-stuff.

DAW: Cubase 4 Essentials, Nuendo 3 on the laptop (only for demos)

Other programs and plugins: Native Instrument Kontakt 3, B4 II and FM8, Ez Drummer/Drumkit from hell, Line 6 Podfarm, Waves Mercury Plugins Bundle.

Interface and recording setup: Line 6 Toneport UX2 for guitar, bass and vocals.

Other recording gear: Korg TR set up as a MIDI-controller, Perception 120 mic.

What's one recording/production/mixing tip or trick that you have for the forum?: Im not really that good.. Im a plug-and-record guy  But, what i usually do with the guitars is to layer the fuck out of a rhythm-track. I usually have two tracks with the same sound in stereo, and then use two or three tracks with a completely different sound just to add thickness to the sound. For a heavy section i could have two tracks played through a Marshall JCM in stereo, with lots of bass and treble (the middle is almost completely down), then have two tracks with an AC30 with different gain-levels, with lots of bass and middle, and maybe have a track with a dirty Orange-amp in the background. All amps are modelled in Podfarm, offcourse.

[carl320]

I'm really itching to get into recording. I'm gonna be building a desktop soon and I was wondering if there was anything particularly important to get. Is music production something that requires a lot of processing power?

Yeah, but how much depends on the program.  To be safe, it would be good to have a lot of hard drive space, a lot of RAM and a fast processor (especially with Native programs like ProTools LE).  Also, Firewire (1394) ports are very helpful for connecting interfaces.  (Or you can buy a standalone workstation and save yourself the hassle)

I have a Digi 002R, but I haven't used it very often, since my computer doesn't meet any of the requirements I stated above 

[Gwii]

After playing around with Superior Drummer, I realized I am definitely gonna need some more ram.  I have 2.5 gigs right now, and Cubase/SD are using 80-90% of it.  I'm afraid to try to rewire Reason with both running (comp asplode!)


SD is a pretty awesome drum VST though.  The amount of control you have over the sounds is ridiculous.