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Old 08-28-2021, 04:43 AM
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ssstewart ssstewart is offline
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Default help me. new to recording acoustic guitar

im old and not very tech savy. looking for advice on easiest way to record my acoustics to share with friends afar, family, AGF, etc. i own alot of different pick up systems for acoustics/classicals but looking to record just the pure acoustic guitars without plugging in to anything.

I have a new pro dell laptop and a s20 samsung phone. not sure if i should just use youtube or zoom? ... somehow to record and how to do it? and if their is any software to use in conjunction? and what cheap mic sys to record. ive been looking through this forum section but alot of it is greek to me and not looking at spending a lot of money..all my money goes into GAS. Im new to this thought so need alot of help or reference to guidance on how to start off as a newbee to recording. appreciate any help.
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Old 08-28-2021, 06:25 AM
terryj47 terryj47 is offline
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Hi Don,

You'll have to decide whether you want to keep it simple or "dive into the deep end".

Simple: A portable recorder. Zoom and Tascam both make units in the $100 range.

Deep end: Add a recording interface to your PC. Approx. $100-$200. Most of these interfaces come with a stripped down version of DAWS software (Digital Audio Work Station) software. Reaper is a very good inespensive DAWS program. $60 US. Then you'll have to either get microphones which can vary for $tens to as much as you want to spend.

I have some moderate priced condenser mics but get better results recording my guitars direct into the interface. Poor acoustics in my office/music room I guess.

Good luck. I recommend the deep end approach. You can get into it for a few hundred bucks (beyond the PC of course) on up to as much as you want to spend.

Terry

Edit: I notice you don't have a bass in your sig. I do but I sometimes use the MIDI editor in Reaper and compose the bass part using a free bass guitar plug-in for Reaper (and most other DAWS software). If you have a bass, you still can use the MIDI editor. It's fun. If can just barely read music, it is quite easy. There are also lots of free or inexpensive plug-ins for other instruments. I have piano, organ, sax, drums, and other VST plug-ins.

Last edited by terryj47; 08-28-2021 at 06:33 AM.
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Old 08-28-2021, 08:52 AM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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I suggest a Zoom H1n recorder.
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Old 08-28-2021, 09:10 AM
6L6 6L6 is offline
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For what you propose doing in your post, I'd suggest just getting an iPhone 11, push record, and have at it. That's what I do and it works out fine.
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Old 08-28-2021, 09:35 AM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ssstewart View Post
im old and not very tech savy.
That's a problem because none of us know what your tech ceiling is. I'd suggest watching as many YouTube videos as you can on how to operate a Zoom handheld recorder so that you can determine if that is something you think you can learn of if it's so over your head that you'd have to rule it out.

If you rule it out, stick to phone recordings.

If the Zoom looks like something you think you can handle, look at videos on some of the free daws and again assess whether that's something you can wrap your head around or if it's so far beyond your capabilities that it has to be ruled out. If you rule out learning how to use a daw program, stick to the Zoom.

There really is a ton of information on YouTube that will give you an opportunity to see just about any piece of gear in action. My general M.O. when buying any kind of tech is to soak up as much information about it as I can before I put my money down. You avoid a lot of mistakes that way.
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Old 08-28-2021, 09:37 AM
DCCougar DCCougar is offline
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I was super excited to turn my computer into a recording studio years and years ago. As Terry said, this just involves getting an audio interface (I've got a Focusrite Scarlett) which often comes with free software that turns your computer into a recording studio (I bought Cubase Elements on sale for something like 80 bucks). I just love multitracking! There is, however, a significant learning curve with this option.

Lots of guys just record with their phone, and frankly, that's probably what you ought to do, at least to start. And you don't just get audio -- you get video, too! Actually, I haven't used this method yet, and I really should start making videos. There's only one thing -- a phone's microphone might work OK, but it's not the greatest. Better to get a mic you can plug into your phone and place more optimally.

There are undoubtedly videos on youtube that are instructive about using a phone for recording. Best of luck!
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Old 08-28-2021, 10:15 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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As said above there are two ways to go, with different "lanes" in each road too. Road 1 External device or Road 2 computer based recording.

You indicate cost is an a factor, and showing stuff to friends and family it the goal.

The simplest easiest Road 1: use your phone. There are inexpensive gripper tripods to hold the phone up, or you could get one those attachments to a mic stand if you have an extra one one handy. Video quality assuming decent light is often quite good, audio less so. Your friends and family will get to see you while you play, and they might like that.

Another lane: get an external microphone for the phone. I personally don't know what works with your phone, so I can't recommend. That should let you put the mic and the camera in the best place.

Yes, you can put your videos on YouTube or share them any number of other ways.

If you don't want to do video, there's likely audio only recording software available for your phone too. Same options apply.

By going with just your camera you can see how you like doing this sort of thing and what sharing them will be like without any significant expense.

Standalone digital recorders mentioned upthread from Zoom and Tascam are another way to do this. The argument against them is the practical one that a great many stand-alone digital devices have largely been replaced for most people by modern smart phones: cameras, note-takers/calendars, music players, GPS devices, and so on. Standalone digital recorders are not that expensive, but they have their own learning curve however small, and where they have built in mics they are often better than any camera's built in mics. And software apps on phones have some of the potential issues that software of any kind can bring: developers or software distributors going away, incompatibilities with you next phone, upgrade or subscription fees.

None-the-less, I'd say go with your phone to start with. Prove to yourself you like doing this, figure out what your "audience" likes.

There's a middle road with the external digital recording devices: the fancier standalone devices allow overdubbing, plugging in instruments direct or additional mics. One fairly expensive and unique digital device, the Izotope Spire is designed to work with your phone provide multitracking abilities and uses some pretty cool software that tries to magically add studio polish to your recordings. My experience with the Spire was that it can make very nice recordings, and in some ways is very easy to use, but that the same easy to use aim of the device cramped my established workflow and style.

Road 2, the record on your computer with an interface and software road is extraordinarily flexible and scales from around what a Spire standalone device costs to the most prestigious and high-budget professional recording projects. Computer recording doesn't have to be that daunting, but the human factor of so-so-many choices and being frozen and sometimes making the choices "Murphy" suggests mean it's not for everyone.

If you start with your phone, and after that experiment start thinking about adding bass parts or additional guitar parts, or maybe other musicians, or maximizing the quality -- or a world of other things -- you can graduate to an interface and software for recording on a computer. It's an extraordinarily powerful option I'm grateful exists. I'm able to do a great many things simply with such a system that would be extraordinarily complex and unaffordable without modern computer recording.
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Last edited by FrankHudson; 08-28-2021 at 10:21 AM.
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Old 08-28-2021, 12:36 PM
Tempotantrum Tempotantrum is offline
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The OP didnt mention what his expectations are for sound quality. Everyone has correctly pointed out that the spectrum of recording goes something like Phone>Zoom (or other portable)>basic PC recording w/Interface, DAW> More advanced PC recording with separate components. Not only does complexity and cost increase along the spectrum, but typically so does the quality of the outcome. So it might be a good idea to know if you are okay with your audience just hearing you play and sing, or do you want to impress with some level of a quality production (balanced sound, real depth and articulation to the guitar, etc.). I just jumped down this rabbit hole myself because I want to hear what others hear when I play and sing (a sort of quality control), I want to write and share some material, and I want to record my really expensive instruments and vocals as accurately as possible. I know I would never be happy with plain phone recording, but moving up the spectrum can be technically challenging and expensive. But it is a fun journey - I think learning new skills as we get older keeps us young and there is tons of helpful discussion here and elsewhere that can help maximize your results at whatever point along the spectrum you decide to go to. Have fun with it!
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Old 08-28-2021, 01:04 PM
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ssstewart ssstewart is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankHudson View Post
As said above there are two ways to go, with different "lanes" in each road too. Road 1 External device or Road 2 computer based recording.

You indicate cost is an a factor, and showing stuff to friends and family it the goal.

The simplest easiest Road 1: use your phone. There are inexpensive gripper tripods to hold the phone up, or you could get one those attachments to a mic stand if you have an extra one one handy. Video quality assuming decent light is often quite good, audio less so. Your friends and family will get to see you while you play, and they might like that.

Another lane: get an external microphone for the phone. I personally don't know what works with your phone, so I can't recommend. That should let you put the mic and the camera in the best place.

Yes, you can put your videos on YouTube or share them any number of other ways.

If you don't want to do video, there's likely audio only recording software available for your phone too. Same options apply.

By going with just your camera you can see how you like doing this sort of thing and what sharing them will be like without any significant expense.

Standalone digital recorders mentioned upthread from Zoom and Tascam are another way to do this. The argument against them is the practical one that a great many stand-alone digital devices have largely been replaced for most people by modern smart phones: cameras, note-takers/calendars, music players, GPS devices, and so on. Standalone digital recorders are not that expensive, but they have their own learning curve however small, and where they have built in mics they are often better than any camera's built in mics. And software apps on phones have some of the potential issues that software of any kind can bring: developers or software distributors going away, incompatibilities with you next phone, upgrade or subscription fees.

None-the-less, I'd say go with your phone to start with. Prove to yourself you like doing this, figure out what your "audience" likes.

There's a middle road with the external digital recording devices: the fancier standalone devices allow overdubbing, plugging in instruments direct or additional mics. One fairly expensive and unique digital device, the Izotope Spire is designed to work with your phone provide multitracking abilities and uses some pretty cool software that tries to magically add studio polish to your recordings. My experience with the Spire was that it can make very nice recordings, and in some ways is very easy to use, but that the same easy to use aim of the device cramped my established workflow and style.

Road 2, the record on your computer with an interface and software road is extraordinarily flexible and scales from around what a Spire standalone device costs to the most prestigious and high-budget professional recording projects. Computer recording doesn't have to be that daunting, but the human factor of so-so-many choices and being frozen and sometimes making the choices "Murphy" suggests mean it's not for everyone.

If you start with your phone, and after that experiment start thinking about adding bass parts or additional guitar parts, or maybe other musicians, or maximizing the quality -- or a world of other things -- you can graduate to an interface and software for recording on a computer. It's an extraordinarily powerful option I'm grateful exists. I'm able to do a great many things simply with such a system that would be extraordinarily complex and unaffordable without modern computer recording.
Thank you very much everyone for your input and help.

Tempo, DC, Jim, Run, Terry & of course Frank

I think i will follow this model and start simple with using my smart phone (dip my toes into the water) and then look at buying a Tascam...seen a nice one on amazon for only $300.00 and has most everything ill need as a package...but ill start with the phone

tks peeps !!
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1929 SS Stewart Pro Archtop
1921 G Houghton Archtop Banjo
2007 George Rizsanyi Custom Maple Banjo Killer
2017 James Malejczuk Custom OM Black Limba
1980 Norman B50-12
Norman B-20
Recording King single 0
1996 Takamine
1967 Yam G-130 Melvina
1980s Seagull S6 Cedar
2003 Briarwood
1970s Eko Maple
1982 Ovation
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Old 08-28-2021, 07:45 PM
shufflebeat shufflebeat is offline
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If you're only playing guitar and not singing as well then one of these works really well when recording audio or video to the phone or iPad.

iRig Acoustic

Phone on tripod, press record, play tune, edit the end bits off, done.
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Old 08-28-2021, 08:54 PM
YamaYairi YamaYairi is offline
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If you want the best fidelity, you need decent microphones, but they don't have to be expensive. I use MXR V67G large diaphragm mics and you can buy them for around $89 brand new. Sweetwater has them. You need either a digitial recorder or an audio interface for your computer, with built in mic preamps and phantom power to power the mics. The price of a good digital recorder and the audio interface is about the same, but the advantage of the digital recorder is you can use it to make on location recordings as well. I recommend:
2) MXR V67G mics $180
TASCAM DR-40X $200

If you go the audio interface route:
2) MXR V67G mics $180
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 $170
And use Audacity recording software, free to download.
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Old 08-29-2021, 06:33 AM
Gdjjr Gdjjr is offline
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I'm 73 and I make videos for the same reason, posterity.

I use my 2020 iPhone 7 and it works just fine- I tried an iPad mini and sent it back. (Dell inspiron 15 3000) to load from my phone to upload to you tube-after you do it a couple times it's easy- and it gets easier as we get older-

I use the lap top in the open position to support my phone with the screen and I'm only a couple of feet away from the phone.
That works better than the phone tripod I have. I guess the screen reflects the sound into the phone directly, It's like the sound goes past the phone on the tripod- IDK the why it works better the way I do it, but, it does.
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Old 08-29-2021, 07:20 AM
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ssstewart ssstewart is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gdjjr View Post
I'm 73 and I make videos for the same reason, posterity.

I use my 2020 iPhone 7 and it works just fine- I tried an iPad mini and sent it back. (Dell inspiron 15 3000) to load from my phone to upload to you tube-after you do it a couple times it's easy- and it gets easier as we get older-

I use the lap top in the open position to support my phone with the screen and I'm only a couple of feet away from the phone.
That works better than the phone tripod I have. I guess the screen reflects the sound into the phone directly, It's like the sound goes past the phone on the tripod- IDK the why it works better the way I do it, but, it does.
Awesome tips!!! thanks muchly Gd
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1929 SS Stewart Pro Archtop
1921 G Houghton Archtop Banjo
2007 George Rizsanyi Custom Maple Banjo Killer
2017 James Malejczuk Custom OM Black Limba
1980 Norman B50-12
Norman B-20
Recording King single 0
1996 Takamine
1967 Yam G-130 Melvina
1980s Seagull S6 Cedar
2003 Briarwood
1970s Eko Maple
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Old 08-29-2021, 07:40 AM
Gdjjr Gdjjr is offline
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Awesome tips!!! thanks muchly Gd

You're quite welcome- glad to be of help when and if I can.

I operate on the K.I.S.S. philosophy- using the phone is about as simple and effective as you can get.
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Old 08-29-2021, 08:45 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gdjjr View Post
I'm 73 and I make videos for the same reason, posterity.

I use my 2020 iPhone 7 and it works just fine- I tried an iPad mini and sent it back. (Dell inspiron 15 3000) to load from my phone to upload to you tube-after you do it a couple times it's easy- and it gets easier as we get older-

I use the lap top in the open position to support my phone with the screen and I'm only a couple of feet away from the phone.
That works better than the phone tripod I have. I guess the screen reflects the sound into the phone directly, It's like the sound goes past the phone on the tripod- IDK the why it works better the way I do it, but, it does.
Just a theory, but I wonder if the phone's internal microphones are set to best work with the screen facing the sound source? The "selfie/Zoom/Facetime etc" camera on the screen side is a lesser one than the one on the back that's best for video quality.

You and I agree (and I think the OP has decided to agree too) to start simple with their smartphone. The next step might be to get an external mic for their phone, but they can start with what they have.
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Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
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