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Hey

Im new and although i have read many guides on audio production, id just like to ask a few questions.

This is way id like to go for recording.

Id like to buy a 8 track recorder of some sort, record to that and then have to it connected to a mixer for mastering. So the tracks would be recorded then go to the mixer get mixed and then go back to the recorder for saving.

Would that work?

That is the way id like to go, without a computer.

Although i may consider a pc if i could have a mixer interface.

So what would i need to record to my pc, bar the obvious pc, instruments and microphones.

Just incase you need to know. I am recording vocals and guitars.

Thanx

Comments

anonymous Sun, 04/16/2006 - 18:30

well, i have a little 8 track digital recorder and its ok if your starting out and good for recording ideas and stuff, especially if you need to record in a few different rooms. but now i wish i would have gone the computer route because you have alot more flexibility (i really couldn't have, though, because i don't have my own computer). anyways, i think you can get better quality and more flexibility from computer recording. you can get DAW (digital audio workstation, also known as the software u use to record) controllers that work like mixers but control the software and stuff. check into those for computer recording.

anonymous Sun, 04/16/2006 - 18:46

hey

dam it, made a big mistake in my first post.

anyway, this is what i meant to ask.

is this possible

record the tracks to my 8 track recorder, then the track would go to a mixer which it is connected to. the tracks would then be mastered and then the finsihed product would go back to the recorder for saving.

would that work? i really need to know the answer for that specific question. i know its general, but if i know if thats possible then i can be more specifc.

nirvalica, thanx for the help!!! im still researching daw but its just that researching. im thinking i do go that way, buy some sort of recorder which send the tracks to my editing. I just really dont fancy buying one of those soundcards with 10 or somethin wires coming out the back.

thanx

anonymous Sun, 04/16/2006 - 18:52

shortty wrote:
is this possible

record the tracks to my 8 track recorder, then the track would go to a mixer which it is connected to. the tracks would then be mastered and then the finsihed product would go back to the recorder for saving.

would that work? i really need to know the answer for that specific question. i know its general, but if i know if thats possible then i can be more specifc.

No. But only because I don't think you know what mastering is.

Even if you did, it's not really practical to use your multitrack as your mixdown target. It can be done, but it's an open, oozing genital lesion. If you add a 2 track mixdown medium you're golden.

~S

anonymous Sun, 04/16/2006 - 18:56

shortty wrote: hey

dam it, made a big mistake in my first post.

anyway, this is what i meant to ask.

is this possible

record the tracks to my 8 track recorder, then the track would go to a mixer which it is connected to. the tracks would then be mastered and then the finsihed product would go back to the recorder for saving.

would that work? i really need to know the answer for that specific question. i know its general, but if i know if thats possible then i can be more specifc.

nirvalica, thanx for the help!!! im still researching daw but its just that researching. im thinking i do go that way, buy some sort of recorder which send the tracks to my editing. I just really dont fancy buying one of those soundcards with 10 or somethin wires coming out the back.

thanx

you have alot of questions. first, you need to understand what mastering is. its not just send tracks through a mixer and record that. your thinking of mixing, and even then what your doing is wrong. pretty much all stand alone recorders have faders and such on the unit, so you do all the mixing there. mastering is totally different.
i understand what your trying to say, but i don't think it'll work. first, because the recorder must have as many outputs as you have tracks recorded (they usually don't, atleast i haven't seen them).

now i dunno much about computer recording, but if you got usb or firewire audio interfaces, you wouldn't need a soundcard with 10 inputs. if you had a soundcard with alot of inputs, though, you would just need a mixer to hook up to it and get everything done. i would think that interfaces are easier to use, but audiocards and mixers and such is more flexible.

for recording on computer, you wouldn't need a recorder going to the computer because the computer does all the recording.... your thinking of either an interface or mixer.

i dunno any specific models or anything, so ill leave it to someone else for that. and i may be wrong on some of this, cause im pretty new at this too.

anonymous Sun, 04/16/2006 - 18:57

Hey The Real Shotugn

Mastering is when you equalise the tracks, make them all the same levels, just make it sounds the same. Its also when you crete your final track. Thats how i got it explained to me anyway.

As for my question, could you please tell me what a 2 track mixdown medium.

Does mixdown basically mean saving the track?

thanx

anonymous Sun, 04/16/2006 - 19:24

Sticker, what the hell?

What bashing are you talking about? The real shotgun said that he didn't think i knew what mastering was, by my posts. Which makes sense as im new to audio production.

I mearly stated what i thought mastering was by what i got told. I mearly only asked a question, for some advice and you post something like that.

Also, what grenade are you taking drugs that make things appear in front of you? You seriously need to chill out and start helping people instead of flaming them.

The real shotgun, if my post seemed offensive which i don't think it did then i apologize for what it may appear, it was not my intention.

Thanx Nirvalica, im researching a audio interface now as a recorder with 8 outputs for a mixer is over my budget.

I'll post once i've researched my intentions.

Thanx

stickers Sun, 04/16/2006 - 19:38

First, The realshotgun comment was in regards to the expected verbal slaying he will be delivering soon to you based on your reply to him.

Second, "start helping people instead of flaming them" ...I listed a direct link to a nice definition of what mastering is, butt-face.

Your friend always and forever,
stickers

anonymous Sun, 04/16/2006 - 20:31

shortty wrote: Sticker, what the hell?

What bashing are you talking about? The real shotgun said that he didn't think i knew what mastering was, by my posts. Which makes sense as im new to audio production.

I mearly stated what i thought mastering was by what i got told. I mearly only asked a question, for some advice and you post something like that.

Also, what grenade are you taking drugs that make things appear in front of you? You seriously need to chill out and start helping people instead of flaming them.

The real shotgun, if my post seemed offensive which i don't think it did then i apologize for what it may appear, it was not my intention.

Thanx Nirvalica, im researching a audio interface now as a recorder with 8 outputs for a mixer is over my budget.

I'll post once i've researched my intentions.

Thanx

Shortpenis--
Stickers (aka Butters) is just bitter because I make him go to bed when I come over to visit with his mom. Don't take him too seriously.

Unfortunately, he's kind of right insofar as you're pretty much living under a big, flashing, neon sign that says "retard". That is, you're fairly clueless about what is, or even should be, going on.

What you've got to ask yourself is: do I really want to be in the rekording kids klub, or am I just jerking myself off here?

Think about your answer for a while. Go have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Take a walk. Wear some sensible shoes so you don't get blisters. At some point the spirit should move you. If you feel a warmness in your cargo pants, that was your bowels not the spirit. The real spirit will be a feeling much higher on the body. Somewhere in the upper torso.

Now, do you really, REALLY want to record music? If so, why? Do you like to write songs and play your nykleharpa? If that's what you're into, just get a little all-in-one unit from Banjo Depot and be done with it. Read the manual and don't EVER EVER worry about what mastering is, or what mixing is, or even why Butters likes to put lipstick on and feel pretty.

If, on the other hand, you get a hardon from your gear; and, you can be perfectly happy spending an entire evening moving faders around, making test CDs and running out to the car to hear them on those shitty Kraco speakers and then running back in to adjust; and, you don't much give a shit about writing songs except maybe every now and then when the wife pisses you off but you dearly love getting on board with a good band or songwriter and you know that your heart will be happy by helping them make their art into something even better than it was before even though you know damn well that everyone that hears the record will never know your name and will think every bit of brilliance that comes out of those speakers is the artist alone (and if you kind of think that way yourself), then...then, my friend, you may just be ready to do a little archiving of audio signals.

Once you've made that decision your next step is to pick up a couple of books or something. Read a few websites, too. Not just this one where a bunch of twits will try and explain shit that THEY also don't understand. But good ones written by professionals. I dont' have any examples, sorry. Buy the books instead. But never trust just one source. Double-check everything, then check it again in actual practice.

You need to understand process flow, signal flow, routing, tracking procedures and basic electronics. You need to understand personalities and working well with small groups of egomaniacs and how to BE in charge even while everyone else thinks THEY should be, and some of them even believe they are.

You need to understand what a TRACK really is and what you do with it and why.

One major thing you're going to need to do is improve your communication skills. Part of being a good audio engineer is being able to communicate. Your posts are like trying to read a word search. I recognize the letters but nothing makes any sense.

To answer your original and followup questions, my predecessors are correct, you're confusing mastering with mixing. The basic, typical procedure is that a song is first recorded with its different elements on individual "tracks" on some medium (be that tape or computer disk). This may involve any number of tracks like 4, 8, 16 or 22 or 9 or 12. Once that is done the tracks are combined and their individual volumes adjusted so that they sound somewhat less disgusting into a 2 track or "stereo" final mix. This process is called MIXING and may also include various kinds of processing to certain individual tracks like equalization and so forth.

Mastering refers to the process AFTER mixing that is SOMETIMES applied to the mixed tracks. Mastering can improve the sound of the mixed song further and, when applied to a full album, allows all the cuts to have a cohesive feel and a similar average volume. Furthermore, the mastering engineer is responsible for all the mind-melting technical black magic that assures the finished tracks are compatible with commercial reproduction equipment such as record lathes or CD presses. Note that mastering is not always performed on every recorded song. But almost always on every commercially recorded song.

That help any?

~S

Thomas W. Bethel Mon, 04/17/2006 - 05:54

These are the funniest postings I have read in quite a while you guys should get a gig doing standup comedy for the AES convention next fall you could have them rolling in the aisles.

On the serious side.

shortty ,

There are lots of good books and websites about recording. You should think seriously about reading them. All your questions will be answered (or at least most of them) and if you have specific questions after doing your homework there is a lot of talented and knowledgeable people on this forum that would be happy to answer your specific questions.

Best of luck! and do some good in depth reading before posting any more postings that read like something that has been put though a paper shredder and pasted back together in a random order. WE are all trying to help you but you have to do your part,