anonymous
4 January 2009
Hi, I'm an 18 year old hoping to be a sound engineer. I used to do a lot of hip hop recordings but now I've switched my style into rock and acoustic. I recently just purchased a Joemeek Six Q preamp and although it's fun to use to record vocals, I want to also be able to record vocals and guitar playing together. The only method I know of so far is to record the guitar playing directly into the preamp and then record the vocals separately. Is there a way to record both at the same time?
Comments
Hello & welcome & happy new year. Sure there is. With the righ
Hello & welcome & happy new year.
Sure there is. With the right equipment. And how might you be using your Joe Meek? You have an analog output. You even have a Sony/Philips Digital Inter Face or, SPDIF for short, output. I know that 18-year-olds are not necessarily forthcoming with information. But please tell me your not plugging this in to your computer onboard built-in sound card? If you are? You'll have to ask the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy to get you a professional multitrack computer audio interface of the FireWire variety. This is assuming that you have a FireWire port already on your computer. If not? Inexpensive versions are available for desktop & laptop computers. And you'll need a couple of extra microphones. You can continue using your cracked version of Sony Acid. So no worry there. But as you surmised, to record vocal with stereo guitar, acoustically, you are going to need more stuff.
If you try to do this with more than a single computer audio interface, you will not be able to monitor all of the signals you are tracking. So you really need to do this from a single audio interface that has multiple inputs. These devices will allow pass-through monitoring as well as monitoring already recorded multiple tracks.
A simpler possibility is to get yourself 2 USB studio microphones. You would assign those two, to 2 separate tracks are stereo pair. The output of your Joe Meek, which is in all likelihood plugged into your computer soundcard line input, could be recorded to a third track simultaneously. But you will only be able to hear playback of all three, from your computer soundcard. It won't let you hear the other microphones while you are recording them. Separation? You only have to worry about that after you are married & get a lawyer. You certainly didn't indicate what kind of microphones you are using with your Joe Meek either? But I would recommend a Shure SM58. Then the guitar will provide less interference into the vocal microphone than a condenser would provide.
You might also want to stop by your local music store or Guitar Center and check out some of the recording magazines. You might also want their catalog?
You'll get to know how to do this well soon enough.
Ms. Remy Ann David