Seeking help with beginner setup!

icy_wind500 · #1 10-29-2014, 06:13 AM

Hi guys,

I'm slowly getting my feet wet with recording. I've bought an EDIROL UA-25 audio capture and I am plugging my guitar into the LR baggs venue.

I've tried recording using iMovie but it doesn't sound good at all. I've tried playing with eq but it seems to do very little to the sound. Did I buy the wrong audio interface? Do I need to get a mic?

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction coz I am absolutely lost

YamaYairi · #2 10-29-2014, 06:43 AM

To have your recording sound like your guitar sounds, you need to use a microphone.

icy_wind500 · #3 10-29-2014, 07:23 AM

Would any mic work with my UA-25? And do I need to use an eq infront of the mic? Thanks

MikeBmusic · #4 10-29-2014, 08:01 AM

Yes, you can use any mic with the Edirol as it has switchable phantom power for a condensor mic. YOu can certainly record using your Baggs Died, but you will get the sound of a plugged-in guitar, not the natural acoustic sound you get by miking.
You EQ your tracks in a mix in software, not going into the interface/recording.

What device are you recording to - computer, iPhone ....? Wondering why you are using iMovie.
You should be using a dedicated DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), in other words, recording software.

YamaYairi · #5 10-29-2014, 10:21 AM

For recording software, you can download Audacity for free.

icy_wind500 · #6 10-29-2014, 02:20 PM

I'm recording to my macbook, I wanted to have the video as well thats well I did it in iMovie. (And also I didn't know about DAW until now...)

Would this mic "sE Electronics X1 Studio Bundle X1 mic" be an over kill? It looks good though. I can find one at my local store for $350.

A question regarding eq, if I eq in the software instead of the preamp then why do I need the preamp at all? And the guy at the store recommended a mixer, do I actually need it? His suggestion was: Guitar -> Venue DI -> Mixer -> AI -> Macbook

YamaYairi · #7 10-29-2014, 06:25 PM

You do not need a mixer. The purpose of a preamp is to boost the very low level mic output to line level for recording. Your EDIROL UA-25 has a mic preamp on board so you don't need anything else between the mic and the laptop.

icy_wind500 · #8 10-29-2014, 07:55 PM

I have bought the mic and now recording through garage band. The quality had increased heaps!

How do people record video with a different sound input though?

icy_wind500 · #9 10-30-2014, 05:39 AM

Now I've got the video and the sound but can't put it together ....

YamaYairi · #10 10-30-2014, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icy_wind500

Now I've got the video and the sound but can't put it together ....

When you figure that part out, let me know

. You are now beyond my area of expertise. The integration of the sound and video supposedly is done in the recording / editing software.

Rudy4 · #11 10-30-2014, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icy_wind500

Now I've got the video and the sound but can't put it together ....

Either shoot video with a higher dollar camera which allows external micing or do what most folks do and combine them in post. It requires a simple video editor, and I believe current versions of Reaper will allow comping audio and video done seperately. There are examples of post on my website that were done with the no-cost Moviemaker included with Microsoft Windows.

http://www.bluestemstrings.com/pageRecording1.html

icy_wind500 · #12 10-30-2014, 06:52 AM

At the end I did it with iMovie !

saxonblue · #13 10-30-2014, 07:10 AM

Very new to this as well.

Just ordered a Rode NT-USB. $180 incl. shipping. Seems good value. Have been messing around with Audacity for a while.

Hopefully by using the usb mic I shouldn't need any other links in the signal chain.

MikeBmusic · #14 10-30-2014, 07:30 AM

Basically (which youprobalby figured out):
Record the audio with mic/interface/computer.
Video (with external camera, not the cheap one in the laptop) at the same time you are recording audio.
Edit/mix the audio in your DAW, when you ar edone export the file to stereo WAV (or AIC).
Import the sound file into a video software (like iMovie), mute the audio track the camera picked up, and synch up the sound file. Doing a loud handclap at the start of the process is good for that, then just edit that out in the video software.

Rudy4 - I've never used Reaper for video, but understand that it can be used.

Saxonblue - I guess its too late now, but USB mics limit you because you can only ever use that one mic to record (most computer systems will not let you use two USB audio devices at one time).