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  #16  
Old 09-16-2020, 09:11 AM
DCCougar DCCougar is offline
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Originally Posted by jklotz View Post
My "recording studio" is quite meager though. Just a couple of mics, an interface and some software. These days you don't need that much stuff to get great results.
That's the thing. I've been an amateur musician most of my life. I've enjoyed recording and listening to what I played since the days of using my parents' wire recorder. I guess that would have been in the 1950s. Then I enjoyed playing two parts on an old stereo tape recorder. Years later there was a big, heavy recorder that would record four tracks on a stereo cassette tape. (Remember you could turn the cassette over and play the other side? This recorder used the stereo tracks on both sides of the cassette for recording, so only had one side, but with four tracks.)

Eventually, computers changed all that. Software was coming out that would turn your computer into a recording studio! You could have practically as many tracks as you liked! Well, this was the holy grail for me. Importantly, it really didn't cost that much -- a few hundred bucks. (I was mostly playing keys at the time and plugging right into the interface, so I didn't have the mic expense.)

Anyway, what with the software available, I figure it's the golden era of home recording. But why do it? I guess mostly for fun, seeing what you can produce. Probably vanity, too. Who doesn't like it when a listener says, "Wow, that was really good."
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  #17  
Old 09-16-2020, 09:49 AM
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raysachs raysachs is offline
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...besides me who would care about the end product? Outside of my best friend and maybe my wife (and definitely not my kids!), who would listen? Really almost no one. So what's my motivation here? Vanity? That wouldn't be the first time but this would be the most expensive time!

I think I'll stick with my Zoom...
I think the use of your end product is really important to think about. I enjoy the process of recording, but I'm gonna hear the end result, in some cases my wife, in a few cases a couple of old guitar playing buddies of mine, who also send me stuff they record. And once in a VERY blue moon, I'll post something on a forum like this or one of the electric forums that I also check out from time to time. But for the most part, I only do it because it's fun to do. Results are always gonna be limited by me anyway, not the gear.

I had a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder back in the day and I found it easy and intuitive to use. I had a mic of some sort that plugged into it. At one point several years ago, I tried getting into Garage Band a little bit and it frankly overwhelmed me. Just too much going on, too many options. I liked to be able to move the sliders and pan dials as I chose during a mix and it seemed like you had to pre-program all of that in Garage Band. Not to mention punching in and out, which was a mystery to me.

So a little less that two years ago, people around here started talking about the Spire Studio, which stresses ease of use above EVERYTHING. I bought one and I've had a blast with it. It's not very powerful, but it's insanely easy to use. It's possible to punch in (but nothing like a footswitch to make it easy) but almost impossible to punch out unless you have a hand free which is problematic to say the least with guitars. The mix is totally static - you set it and that's where it is for the whole track - you can't change an individual track's volume or location in the mix during a song. But with the app on your phone or tablet, it's SOOOOO easy to use. It's got a soundcheck feature that's wonderful - you just play and/or sing and it sets the levels for you and it pretty much always gets them right. And the built in mic is more than adequate for me.

Sometimes I think I should have gotten one of the lower end Tascam or Zoom 8 track recorders. I'd have to re-acquaint myself with setting levels. I don't know if the built in mics are decent, so I might need to buy a mic. But I'd like to be able to punch in and out with a foot switch. And I'd like the ability to change the volume of a track in a mix during a song. As a workaround with the Spire, I have to record separate tracks for whatever I'm doing with my electric guitar while I'm accompanying the song and when I'm taking leads.

But on balance, the Spire does everything I need. I already had an iPhone and iPad, so I didn't need to buy anything but the basic unit which I paid about $280-$290 for if my memory is right. I don't need to spend any more on recording gear because the weakest link in the chain of my recordings will always be ME, so I think I'll just sit tight with what I've got. It's really nice to be able to play around with recording, but when I play or "sing" into my gear I'm reminded that there wouldn't be any real point in upgrading or even side-grading. And I hear the quality of work that some really fine musicians do with the same limited gear and it's a double or triple reminder.

-Ray
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  #18  
Old 09-16-2020, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
It's just fun learning to do stuff and having one project goal or another and figuring out how to try and reach those goals.
Music (listening or playing) has always been an important part of my life. Why not extend it to recording.


I share this view - I love the whole process of playing a piece to a good standard and then recording it for posterity and then “tuning” it a little.

I used to find a similar satisfaction with photography and re-touching my images in Photoshop.

If you don’t find that to be a fun process then stick to the Zoom as the quality is more than adequate.
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  #19  
Old 09-16-2020, 01:21 PM
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islandguitar islandguitar is offline
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I share this view - I love the whole process of playing a piece to a good standard and then recording it for posterity and then “tuning” it a little.

I used to find a similar satisfaction with photography and re-touching my images in Photoshop.

If you don’t find that to be a fun process then stick to the Zoom as the quality is more than adequate.
+1!!
I know the posterity element is important to me (the older I get!! LOL!) Since nearly all my stuff is original, it holds personal value that it is given some "life" and longevity at the moment in time when it's ready to hit the red button.
I think I work best with some kind of project in mind to aim towards, but accept the fact that it won't be "projects" all the time, so there are gaps for 6-12 months here and there.
I still do recording with my trusty Zoom H4n, but have upgraded with Shure mics, mic preamp, room treatment with portable treatment panels, and as it turns out an additional quality guitar or two!
If a tune is headed for a project, I do reach out to an engineer I work with who does the mix/master for me, which brings some significant depth to a piece that I won't get on my own via his experience, equipment and "ears". Here again, these are originals which I want to "be the best they can be" and the expense is more than worth it, in place of more costs for gear and tons of hours devoted to learning a system beyond what I now do informally with Audacity for regular day to day stuff.
So far this seems to work for me and keeps me pointed in the right direction!
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  #20  
Old 09-16-2020, 03:11 PM
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I can see myself going with Barry's approach and using a Zoom product with XLR inputs and some better mics. Maybe when my old H2n finally dies. 9 years and still ticking!
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