So I need some advice on recording equipment

[redbreegull]

My bandmate and I were all ready to buy some recording equipment... Guitar Center had this package deal... a 2 output interface and pro tools for $350 or so. My bandmate works in another music store and he asked someone in the equipment department about this and he was told that pro tools is a colossal waste of cash and that software just as good can be downloaded illegally and that it is the interface itself that determines most of the sound quality. Does anyone want to weigh in on this? What would you guys suggest?

PS: Our budget is about 400 bucks.

[celluloid_love]

i strongly suggest you grab one of these off ebay and get a couple of mics and cables, and maybe a mic preamp



if you have to go with computer recording (bleh), download Reaper. far better than pro tools imo and only 50 bucks/free

as for quality, that totally depends on whether or not what you're recording is any good

[redbreegull]

We already have an mr-8 and want to upgrade. We want to make real professional sounding recordings and mix. I already have reaper.... is it seriously better than pro tools? It seems so... stripped down. I just always imagined pro tools as being able to do much more. But that is beside the point, we need Mac software and I don't think Reaper works on Macs. We already have two sm-57s and cables... This is our second serious recording. We did our first in a studio but we are looking to save money here because we really can't afford 50 dollars an hour until we get everything to sound perfect.

[celluloid_love]

why do you want to make a 'professional recording'? are you a sound engineer? are you doing this for other people or are you doing it for yourself?

i think you should ask yourself this stuff before investing in something like pro tools, because it's more than just a program, it's a way of thinking about how you make your art. you say pro tools is 'able to do much more'. like what? what is it that you want done exactly? if you don't know then maybe you shouldn't be buying it, because then you're just looking for reasons to avoid doing the real work, which is capturing sound.

it isn't going to make your recordings sound better if you don't know how to record, or aren't familiar with your equipment. being unsatisfied with what you've got makes me think that's the case.

i made the mistake of buying a $1100 interface with 8 inputs before realising all that stuff.

the mr-8 isn't analog either, which is what i was suggesting you get. i think you should at least discover the joys of analog and tape if you haven't already, before blowing all your cash on a piece of software and some generic m-audio box or whatever it is you wanna get

[redbreegull]

Originally Posted by celluloid_love

why do you want to make a 'professional recording'? are you a sound engineer? are you doing this for other people or are you doing it for yourself?

i think you should ask yourself this stuff before investing in something like pro tools, because it's more than just a program, it's a way of thinking about how you make your art. you say pro tools is 'able to do much more'. like what? what is it that you want done exactly? if you don't know then maybe you shouldn't be buying it, because then you're just looking for reasons to avoid doing the real work, which is capturing sound.

it isn't going to make your recordings sound better if you don't know how to record, or aren't familiar with your equipment. being unsatisfied with what you've got makes me think that's the case.

i made the mistake of buying a $1100 interface with 8 inputs before realising all that stuff.

the mr-8 isn't analog either, which is what i was suggesting you get. i think you should at least discover the joys of analog and tape if you haven't already, before blowing all your cash on a piece of software and some generic m-audio box or whatever it is you wanna get

um... this post is overwhelming. I want a professional sounding recording because my bandmate and I are good musicians and are tired of recording into a shitty little box with 20 minutes of available recording time. I don't KNOW what else pro tools does, but I am willing to learn it. Writing and playing music is my main enjoyment in life, why should I not be doing it the best I possibly can? I am not doing this so I can sit in my bedroom and listen back to lo fi recordings or myself, I want to send this out to people and places, try to get gigs, etc. Of course it is also for my own personal satisfaction because I have faith in the quality of my songs and they deserve to sound better than they would using amateur equipment. I'm not arguing with what you said, I just don't understand why it is so important to know why I am doing this before I buy something.

We recorded in a studio before, and it sounds pretty good. Not as good as it should. Why? Because we don't have the money to sit there and seriously perfect things in a studio. I want something that I can learn and grow with and that will yield high quality results. An analog tape recorder just does not seem like the right thing for us. We want very high ability to edit, manipulate, multitrack, etc. We don't want to sound like we are playing live, we want to record something that sounds like a record. And our songs have a shitload of things going on at the same time... we have one song that has two guitars, a banjo, a piano, two vocals, tambourine, shakers, and a slide guitar solo. So... we really need something digital, where we can see the shit in front of our faces.

[celluloid_love]

haha and see the shit in front of your faces you will

[celluloid_love]

i think you misunderstood everything i said

go ahead and buy pro tools, you seem stuck with what you think is best

[Rockin' Cherub]

Originally Posted by redbreegull

he was told that pro tools is a colossal waste of cash and that software just as good can be downloaded illegally

this is true. you can download pro tools illegally.

[Rockin' Cherub]

redbreegull obviously has an entirely different approach to music-making

i'm with celluloid_love, but his advice isn't useful to our little rock star

[RopeyLopey]

I still put more hopes in redbull than our little almost-world-tour-guitarist Isle

[RockLobster]

buy studio time, if you know nothing about recording.
400 is nothing if you want professional quality.

[redbreegull]

Man, you guys are such dicks. Obviously I would not have made this thread if I was stuck on pro tools, I want information about digital recording programs. Like I said, I was under the impression that pro tools did a lot more than reaper, so instead of being a dick to me and demanding to know what I think it does, could you please actually provide me with information as to what it does/doesn't do that makes it better or worse than other programs? I don't want an analog tape recorder, we need more than eight tracks in some songs.

I am just requesting information on digital recording software and interfaces. See my first post.

[agenda suicide]

Originally Posted by celluloid_love

why do you want to make a 'professional recording'? are you a sound engineer? are you doing this for other people or are you doing it for yourself?

i think you should ask yourself this stuff before investing in something like pro tools, because it's more than just a program, it's a way of thinking about how you make your art. you say pro tools is 'able to do much more'. like what? what is it that you want done exactly? if you don't know then maybe you shouldn't be buying it, because then you're just looking for reasons to avoid doing the real work, which is capturing sound.

it isn't going to make your recordings sound better if you don't know how to record, or aren't familiar with your equipment. being unsatisfied with what you've got makes me think that's the case.

i made the mistake of buying a $1100 interface with 8 inputs before realising all that stuff.

the mr-8 isn't analog either, which is what i was suggesting you get. i think you should at least discover the joys of analog and tape if you haven't already, before blowing all your cash on a piece of software and some generic m-audio box or whatever it is you wanna get

100% agree. the most important thing is pre production planning. sit down and talk with people who know what they're talking about

Originally Posted by redbreegull

So... we really need something digital, where we can see the shit in front of our faces.

way too many people get too obsessed with being able to SEE what they're doing. being able to see the waveforms is not what you need to focus on. once you get lost in the idea of seeing what you're doing, you lose track of actually listening to the quality of your song. the most useful tool you can use is your ears.

Originally Posted by RockLobster

buy studio time, if you know nothing about recording.
400 is nothing if you want professional quality.

I would definitely suggest this. if you know nothing about recording on 'higher end' programs, it would be in your best interest to work hard, save up the money, and get a badass recording from a good studio. this would yield an ep(whatever you want) that you can really use to impress clubs, etc etc. In order to get a 'professional sounding' recording from pro tools or some other program, you really need to devote the time to learning the program so you can truly produce a product you'll be proud of. this will take more time (in my opinion) than saving money up for a skilled engineer.

Originally Posted by redbreegull

Man, you guys are such dicks. Obviously I would not have made this thread if I was stuck on pro tools, I want information about digital recording programs. Like I said, I was under the impression that pro tools did a lot more than reaper, so instead of being a dick to me and demanding to know what I think it does, could you please actually provide me with information as to what it does/doesn't do that makes it better or worse than other programs? I don't want an analog tape recorder, we need more than eight tracks in some songs.

I am just requesting information on digital recording software and interfaces. See my first post.

honestly, don't take it personally. you really need to do your research. pro tools isn't 'better' than logic or any other similar program. it's all about personal taste and what YOU want and need as an artist/engineer. if you are really interested in buying hardware and software, I highly suggest doing plenty of research. when I'm home I can look up some of the books my teachers have suggested for us to get more familiar with pro tools. like I said, if you're truly interested, this is gonna take time and dedication. get help where you can, and take advice from others who know what they're talking about.

[agenda suicide]

also, I don't know where you live, but at my school we constantly look to bring in people to record with. maybe you can find a school with a good recording program and try to talk with some of the teachers to get some advice. email around and see if you can get anyone to help guide you through the process of finding what will best fit your needs. it will honestly do you a world of good.

[Hate the Hater]

Originally Posted by redbreegull

I am just requesting information on digital recording software and interfaces. See my first post.

Ableton Live is a really nice program in my opinion. It's user friendly, and comes with a good selection of effects and mastering tools. It also has some built in synths, a sampler, and drum machine. You can download a 14 day trial here: http://www.ableton.com/live

A little bird told me that the pirate bay can hook you up for free.

[Hate the Hater]

Originally Posted by Rockin' Cherub

i'm with celluloid_love, but his advice isn't useful to our little rock star

I would suggest listening to celluloid_love's recording in this thread http://forums.netphoria.org/showthread.php?t=141184 before taking any of his recording advice into consideration.

[celluloid_love]

my point about not knowing what pro tools does means that you're looking for things, for distractions from what's really the important part of making music.

the problem with using one of these programs is that you get lost in effects and vst plugins, and editing, and you lose sight of what you're doing.

if you're recording a rock band, i don't think recording on a computer is the way to go. i know that it's ingrained in your mind and a lot of peoples', but as far as im concerned the best recordings have been done on tape, and i'm yet to hear anything 'live' (as in, not electronic) i liked done digital. it's not just a tool, it has a particular sound, as does a computer, and you can't achieve that exactly with a computer, not just because it isn't chemicals on a piece of tape, but because you're distracted by reverb and bitcrusher plugins that are going to add unnecessary touches to your music and tarnish it.

i have a reel-to-reel 8-track, which you could get for probably less than $400. buy a mixer and some cables and you're set to multitrack record.

[celluloid_love]

forget it though. there's no way you'll buy an 8-track. it's outdated right?

i'm not sure why i posted all this, i guess i'm hoping someone will actually pay attention but eh probbaly not

[kiwi]

some good posting here in this thread, celluloid_love

[TuralyonW3]

hey celluloid can i hear some of your music?

[celluloid_love]

no

[Hate the Hater]

Originally Posted by TuralyonW3

hey celluloid can i hear some of your music?

celluloid_love - rocketmedley.mp3

http://www.sendspace.com/file/0lrbd3

Originally Posted by celluloid_love

forget it though. there's no way you'll buy an 8-track. it's outdated right?

i'm not sure why i posted all this, i guess i'm hoping someone will actually pay attention but eh probbaly not

He clearly stated that he already has an eight track, and wants something that allows him to record on more than eight tracks.

Originally Posted by redbreegull

I don't want an analog tape recorder, we need more than eight tracks in some songs.

[celluloid_love]

yeah but you can bounce things down. whatever. i don't htink anyone needs more than 8 tracks on a song, i think that's part of the problem honestly, that people think they do

[celluloid_love]

by the way i think it's really fucking weird that you found that, i don't even remember doing it

but it's funny hearing it. that was definitely recorded on a computer, you can tell

[Hate the Hater]

Originally Posted by celluloid_love

by the way i think it's really fucking weird that you found that, i don't even remember doing it

but it's funny hearing it. that was definitely recorded on a computer, you can tell

The thread just got updated and there are some new ones...you should download them and have a listen. By the way, I think you did a nice job.

[xyumachine]

I don't want to start another thread like this, so I thought I use this one for advice:

I looking to purchase an analog multitrack recorder that has at least 8 tracks, but don't have an idea of which ones are good. I'm going to use it to record live band demos/ideas while away from the studio. Any help appreciated.

[celluloid_love]

cassette or reel?

i assume cassette if you're looking for portable...

i think tascam make a good product, and fostex aren't bad. i would stay away from yamaha, i dont think their stuff has a great sound. basically just whatever you can get, but try go for tascam

[xyumachine]

Originally Posted by celluloid_love

cassette or reel?

i assume cassette if you're looking for portable...

i think tascam make a good product, and fostex aren't bad. i would stay away from yamaha, i dont think their stuff has a great sound. basically just whatever you can get, but try go for tascam

yeah cassette, I want something inexpensive. Any specific models? (I was looking earlier at a Yamaha MT8X) I also want it to allow the ability to use an external mixer.

[celluloid_love]

cassette 8-tracks actually seem pretty rare to me. the first time i've actually seen one was in a thrift store here, the other day

why not just get a 4-track one? cheap and easy to find, and way more portable than something with 8 tracks

[xyumachine]

Originally Posted by celluloid_love

cassette 8-tracks actually seem pretty rare to me. the first time i've actually seen one was in a thrift store here, the other day

why not just get a 4-track one? cheap and easy to find, and way more portable than something with 8 tracks

I found someone selling a Yamaha MT8X for $125. Everything looks in perfect shape, comes with manual and power cord too. So I'm considering purchasing it, unless I find something better.