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Old 07-04-2019, 07:58 AM
Analogosaurus Analogosaurus is offline
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Greetings from a new member.

I'm embarrassed to admit I'm an analog dinosaur in a digital age.

My wife is a fine fingerstyle guitarist and I play standup bass to accompany her. Unfortunately, my last knowledge of digital recording was the ADAT machines that recorded on VHS tape. For reasons I can't get into, we stopped actively performing and recording around that time, and have been unable to return until now. Of course, that puts me completely out of the loop as to recording software, online distribution of songs and albums, etc. (I'll never forget the first time I tried to buy my wife a CD only to find the artist chose to release only .mp3's ...)

So I'm looking for input on how to get up to speed in modern PC-based recording. We'd need multiple tracks for guitar, vocals and bass, plus basic signal processing (chorus, delay and reverb, and possibly multitap). We'd also need decent mikes, of course, although her guitar is equipped with a fine Baggs pickup. Finally, I'd need proper data backup to protect her work. (It will be just the two of us to start with; she'll want to multitrack herself, but we will not need the simulated sounds of other instruments, neither by MIDI nor any other means.)

My fears, of course, are that (1) I'll be forced to spend hundreds or even thousands for bells and whistles just because a software company wants it that way, and (2) everything will be obsolete the second the download completes. (Already I know our operating system isn't sufficient even for ProTools' free "beginner" suite.) I cannot afford to become a slave to endless upgrades, nor to re-buy everything should my computer die.

I'd also need beginner's manuals hopefully independent of the software itself. So far, the only books I've found at my local library start with how to apply compression to a signal, while I need to know where the "play" and "record" buttons are and how to set levels.

Any help is gratefully appreciated. Thanks -- Analogosaurus
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Old 07-04-2019, 09:28 AM
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ChuckS ChuckS is offline
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Welcome to the forum.

The more information you supply, and you’re off to a good start, the more applicable the suggestions will be. Could you tell us things such as your range of budget, how simple it needs to be or maybe you don’t mind putting in time to learn, what are your expectations for quality, how many channels do you need to record simultaneously, and what is your recording space like?

You mentioned how to set levels. It will be simple enough to explain once you get a little familiar with digital recording gear, but it’s different than with analog gear; you need to stay clear of clipping the signal.
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Old 07-04-2019, 09:36 AM
DanR DanR is offline
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To start out in digital recording, I would begin with a decent computer, an audio interface and DAW (digital audio workstation) software. I currently am using a rather inexpensive Dell laptop with the RAM maxed at 8 gigs. I have a Steinberg UR242 usb interface and use Reaper as the DAW. My set up is not all that expensive but it works for me. I typically won't record more that two tracks at a time but I am currently working on a song that has about 18 tracks so far. About half of those tracks are taken up by drum software (Steven Slate Drums) and my system has no problem handling that. I should also mention that Reaper (and probably most other DAWs) come with many plug ins.
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Old 07-04-2019, 09:54 AM
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KevWind KevWind is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Analogosaurus View Post
Greetings from a new member.

I'm embarrassed to admit I'm an analog dinosaur in a digital age.

My wife is a fine fingerstyle guitarist and I play standup bass to accompany her. Unfortunately, my last knowledge of digital recording was the ADAT machines that recorded on VHS tape. For reasons I can't get into, we stopped actively performing and recording around that time, and have been unable to return until now. Of course, that puts me completely out of the loop as to recording software, online distribution of songs and albums, etc. (I'll never forget the first time I tried to buy my wife a CD only to find the artist chose to release only .mp3's ...)

So I'm looking for input on how to get up to speed in modern PC-based recording. We'd need multiple tracks for guitar, vocals and bass, plus basic signal processing (chorus, delay and reverb, and possibly multitap). We'd also need decent mikes, of course, although her guitar is equipped with a fine Baggs pickup. Finally, I'd need proper data backup to protect her work. (It will be just the two of us to start with; she'll want to multitrack herself, but we will not need the simulated sounds of other instruments, neither by MIDI nor any other means.)

My fears, of course, are that (1) I'll be forced to spend hundreds or even thousands for bells and whistles just because a software company wants it that way, and (2) everything will be obsolete the second the download completes. (Already I know our operating system isn't sufficient even for ProTools' free "beginner" suite.) I cannot afford to become a slave to endless upgrades, nor to re-buy everything should my computer die.

I'd also need beginner's manuals hopefully independent of the software itself. So far, the only books I've found at my local library start with how to apply compression to a signal, while I need to know where the "play" and "record" buttons are and how to set levels.

Any help is gratefully appreciated. Thanks -- Analogosaurus
First decide on an initial budget range . Because you will be spending hundreds on basics ... Bells and whistles (whatever that means ) can come later or not .

Also how do you know your current PC is not sufficient for PT Free , because of the minimum recommended specs ? You might post them in this thread ) .
As for backup (again depending on your actual computer and its (connections config) you can get outboard storage drives even SSD drives for fairly inexpensive for secondary backup.

As far "obsolete) The bad news is no company producing DAW software (Digital Audio Workstation) is going to stop upgrading its product .....The Good news is just because they continue to upgrade does not mean you have to, and does not mean your system will be "obsolete" Once you get a system that does what you want it to you can just simple stay with that.

So did you not keep the mics you used to use ? If not again decide on a budget range first.

Most DAWs also have a a number of "getting started videos" either on their website or on youtube.

I would say if you PC and not Mac , and you know you your computer is below PT Free specs ( remember however "minimum recommended" does not always mean "will not work" it usually means "is not supported" )

Then other two options (I am aware of ) for DAW are:

Reaper: least expensive of the major full featured DAWs and arguably the most efficient in terms of CPU usage and recommended computer specifications

Studio One: arguably the most intuitive to get going .
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Old 07-04-2019, 11:27 AM
Chipotle Chipotle is offline
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Assuming you have a capable computer already, getting set up to record digital rather than analog doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. You'll need a computer interface to go analog-to-digital. Focusrite makes great inexpensive interfaces; the Scarlett 2i2 is $135 new. Then you need the digital audio workstation software, as mentioned one called Reaper is just $60 (but you can trial it for free for 60 days). You don't need anything at the level (cost or computer resource-wise) of ProTools.

Even if you need a new computer, one capable of handling audio recording doesn't need to break the bank; fast processor and enough memory can be had for well under $1000. But try your current computer first; audio work isn't a huge processor or memory hog for basic stuff.

And the basic stuff isn't that hard. Plug mics & guitar into audio interface, fire up DAW, make sure it's getting the inputs, and hit the record button on the screen. That's it. Viewing a 5-min "how to get started with DAW X" ought to be enough.

You can add effects after (many DAWs some with basic effect plug-ins you can use) for your final mix. Don't go to the library--search YouTube for hundreds of helpful videos for specific things you want to do with your specific DAW and/or interface.
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Old 07-05-2019, 06:40 AM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Analogosaurus View Post
Greetings from a new member.

I'm embarrassed to admit I'm an analog dinosaur in a digital age.

My wife is a fine fingerstyle guitarist and I play standup bass to accompany her. Unfortunately, my last knowledge of digital recording was the ADAT machines that recorded on VHS tape. For reasons I can't get into, we stopped actively performing and recording around that time, and have been unable to return until now. Of course, that puts me completely out of the loop as to recording software, online distribution of songs and albums, etc. (I'll never forget the first time I tried to buy my wife a CD only to find the artist chose to release only .mp3's ...)

So I'm looking for input on how to get up to speed in modern PC-based recording. We'd need multiple tracks for guitar, vocals and bass, plus basic signal processing (chorus, delay and reverb, and possibly multitap). We'd also need decent mikes, of course, although her guitar is equipped with a fine Baggs pickup. Finally, I'd need proper data backup to protect her work. (It will be just the two of us to start with; she'll want to multitrack herself, but we will not need the simulated sounds of other instruments, neither by MIDI nor any other means.)

My fears, of course, are that (1) I'll be forced to spend hundreds or even thousands for bells and whistles just because a software company wants it that way, and (2) everything will be obsolete the second the download completes. (Already I know our operating system isn't sufficient even for ProTools' free "beginner" suite.) I cannot afford to become a slave to endless upgrades, nor to re-buy everything should my computer die.

I'd also need beginner's manuals hopefully independent of the software itself. So far, the only books I've found at my local library start with how to apply compression to a signal, while I need to know where the "play" and "record" buttons are and how to set levels.

Any help is gratefully appreciated. Thanks -- Analogosaurus
I'd suggest a different route. Divide your process into 2 basic steps, doing any audio capture on a machine like the Zoom R24 or equivilant Tascam, and then importing your 24 bit 44.1 khz captures to a PC or Mac to do actual editing and anything else to the final tracks.

Why the stand alone machine?

If you're working as your own engineer then it becomes easier to divide the process. The multi-track recorder lets you record anywhere, is totally quiet because there are no fans to contend with, they are only a bit more complicated to operate than a cassette recorder, and you can do all your recording with nothing more than a few mics, your recorder, and a set of headphones. If you haven't experienced the "joy" of dealing with a computer to record then this technique might not seem appealing to you.

Once you do your basic audio capture and perhaps overdubs then you can deal with the computer side. It's easy enough to then set up your audio interface, computer, DAW, and some nice powered monitors to do your mixing / editing.

If you have some good condenser mics then 24 bit 44.1 khz audio capture on a multi-track can sound very good indeed. Set yourself up with a PC and Reaper for a DAW and get to work! You can control the whole "obsolescence" thing by taking control of your process.

You might find my "Home Recording info" of some use. It's available at the internet archive; photos are no longer there but the text is.

http://web.archive.org/web/201603282...ecording1.html

Last edited by Rudy4; 07-05-2019 at 06:55 AM.
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Old 07-05-2019, 07:02 AM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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The OP's post and the replies are pretty much identical to what was started on the forums at homerecording.com. As of this morning, he hadn't returned to that thread.
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Old 07-06-2019, 08:12 PM
Analogosaurus Analogosaurus is offline
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Sorry I'm late replying. Many thanks for your responses! I have a lot to explore and think about now. Special thanks for the reassurance re not having to overspend. Will check out the gear recommended and consult with my wife, then post further. Thanks -- Analogosaurus
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