HOME RECORDING - The Verdict!

bnicholas26

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After trial and error I have found a winning formula for home recording.

1) Tenor Ukulele with passive pickup.
2) Sony Acid Pro 7 (Home recording software)
3) Alesis "GuitarLink" 1/4" to USB Guitar Cable
4) Decent computer with Windows Vista

Trust me, the possibilities are endless.
 
After trial and error I have found a winning formula for home recording.

1) Tenor Ukulele with passive pickup.
2) Sony Acid Pro 7 (Home recording software)
3) Alesis "GuitarLink" 1/4" to USB Guitar Cable
4) Decent computer with Windows Vista

Trust me, the possibilities are endless.

Ahh, because with the "GuitarLink" cable, the sound goes directly to your computer, correct??? Hmm...home recording for those with a p/u of course though, but great none the less. Thanks for the tip.
 
what, no mic?

what kind of tone do you get with only a pickup?

I still use the old Turtle Beach with mics, had it for 15 years now, trust me, the possibilities are endless...
 
I prefer dedicated digital recorders these days. I used to use analog until the digital stuff became good enough to get nice warm tone.

I use three systems, depending on need. I have a ZOOM MRS-8, digital 8-track recorder. I have a Fostex VR-160 (16-track) hard drive recorder, and I have a Roland rack-mounted system.

The Roland is the best and has the steepest learning curve. The ZOOM actually sounds the best over all, but it is the newest technology of the three. With the ZOOM, I can remove the SD card and insert it directly into my laptop for the mix. That system works out perfectly for me.
 
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I use three systems, depending on need. I have a ZOOM MRS-8, digital 8-track recorder. I have a Fostex VR-160 (16-track) hard drive recorder, and I have a Roland rack-mounted system.

Details of the digi 8-track please Pippin...
 
All I have is a Zoom H4. I'm amazed at the clarity of a recording from this little unit. I'v used good mics on it but the built in mics sound better to me.
 
that's right no mic because sony acid pro 7 can do anything. and that includes getting rich concert or studio sound. (but it won't sacrifice sound quality like other digital software) it's kind of like waiting for digital photography to get as good or better than film and THEN making the switch.
 
Details of the digi 8-track please Pippin...

The ZOOM MRS-8 is a small digital recorder that stores recorded tracks on an SD card. There is a built-in rhythm machine that I don't actually use, but I tested it just to check the quality. It is a nice rhythm machine and fully programmable, but I prefer playing drums of sorts the old-fashioned way.

There are lots of built-in effects and various filters. You have four straight tracks and two stereo tracks that can be used independently with a work-around. You record on tracks 1 and 2, for example, then drag the tracks to 5 and 6, then you can record on 1 and 2 again. 5/6 and 7/8 are together. This is very common in 8-track units these days. I prefer the old way, eight distinct tracks with their own EQ and sliders.

The unit can be used with a track management software utility that you download from Zoom. It enables you to use all eight tracks independently, and all virtual tracks (eight per track) as well. The final mix, then, can be up to 64 tracks.

The effects sound really great and there are "mastering" effects as well as individual track effects. In other words, if you want to warm the entire recording and give it that old analog sound, you can do it there. I figured out a way to use that on the input side, too. There are also guitar amplifier modeling effects in it, too. You want the sound of a Marshall stack, no problem.

The unit can take XLR and unbalanced cords. I use a Behringer UB1202 for the phantom power and run the output to the input on the Zoom. That gives me some really great quality clean recordings with excellent dynamic range.

My final mix is done on the laptop with MixCraft and VST plugins (Master Limiter, and EQ, for example).

Hope that gives sufficient information.
 
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I use:
1. MacBook Pro w/ Snow Leopard

2. Mbox2 Mini w/ Pro Tools LE
or
2. Mbox2 Mini w/ Garageband 09

3.Mainland Honeybee with pickup (and Mainland Concert with Mi-Si, once I get it in on Wednesday) plugged straight in to Mbox
or
3. Mainland mic'd with a pretty decent condenser mic (the name and model escapes me right now, I've been using the pickup lately) run straight into Mbox

Works perfectly for me :D
 
Are the two toddlers too young to bribe into silence with ice cream?
 
Whatever else you use, get a large diaphragm condenser mic. The quality of your vocals will be enourmously better than with anything else, and it's also the best way to get acoustic uke tone. More expensive than a cable, probably, but much more flexible. You can get a Samson CO3 which will plug into your USB port for around $100. You won't be sorry.
 
After reading thread after thread about this wood and that wood, it's funny to read that lots of people just go DI with their ukes when recording...

Guess I am a curmudgeon, fuddy-dud, luddite after all. Give me a mic any day. And yes, I have a toddler, so I feel your... well, pain's not the right word, but you know what I mean.

That being said, I haven't done any home recording in - actually, the lifespan of my son. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.


:rolleyes:
 
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