crossing the analog divide.

So I am interested in recording some of my music. I have done recording back in the black and white days of tape recording. Since then I have taken up electric guitar and I have had bad experiences with recording. I don't like the sound I get out of the electric guitar on any home use recorder, at all.

Add to that the fact that everything is ditital these day. I am a luddite when it comes to computer programs, prone to thinking that hammers, or explosives are the best way to deal with these digital beasts. However if I want to get these songs recorded without paying for a studio and engineer, I am stuck. I have never made a good electric recording, without an engineer and a studio.

I have mics (no condenser mics), a small mixing board, and a Bose Tower. (I think I may have a 4 track cassette recorder somewhere, but that does not produce files I can send in an email). I play guitar through a Line 6 Spider Jam these days due to its portablity and its jam track library( but have access to a 100 watt older line 6 dual speaker digital amp) . I also play a Parker Mojo Fly Guitar. Lastly, I want to record vocals, possibly after recording the guitar parts.

Does anybody have any useful suggestions as to which digital recording setup are most accesable to analog dinosaurs?

Originally Posted by: snojonesI don't like the sound I get out of the electric guitar on any home use recorder, at all.[/quote]

What home use recorders have you previously used?

Originally Posted by: snojonesHowever if I want to get these songs recorded without paying for a studio and engineer, I am stuck.[/quote]

You'd be hard pressed these days to find a studio still using analog tape anyway. And if you did it would probably cost a small fortune. :)

Originally Posted by: snojonesI have never made a good electric recording, without an engineer and a studio.[/quote]

A great deal of a succesful recording is due to a good mic & outboard gear (preamp, compressor, EQ) combined with the knowledge of how to use them properly to capture an intended result. And that's true with analog tape or digital recorders.

I've had good & bad experiences with both analog & digital. Knowing how to use any given tool is essential.

[quote=snojones]I have mics (no condenser mics), a small mixing board, and a Bose Tower. (I think I may have a 4 track cassette recorder somewhere, but that does not produce files I can send in an email).

If you are comfortable with your 4-track you could always use it to record, then run a line out to a computer to record, capture & create a digital file (wave file or mp3) as a final product to send digitally.

[quote=snojones]Lastly, I want to record vocals, possibly after recording the guitar parts.

Good vocals almost always require a decent condensor mic with a large diaphragm. Are you going to use backing tracks for drums & bass?

[quote=snojones]Does anybody have any useful suggestions as to which digital recording setup are most accesable to analog dinosaurs?

Two things are important at this point.

1. A good computer interface to connect your output to a DAW.

2. Knowledge of how to record.

I don't think it matters much which DAW program you use. The simpler the better to help ease your learning curve. Audacity makes a free & easy to learn program.

https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Focusrite makes great entry level interfaces.

https://focusrite.com/en/usb-interfaces

That way you have some way to plug in your guitar, a mic or mixer to get a decent line signal into your computer.

After that is the hard part: gaining knowledge. :) I encourage you to start watching some YouTube videos on the basics of how to get a good home recording. Then start experimenting!

Hope that helps!

Adding to Chris regarding the DAW etc,

Like Chris mentioned about getting and interface; this is key. The interface is really taking the analog and converting it to digital. And interface like Focusrite does that. In essense, to connect to your DAW, you need an interface and a microphone.

I have have the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2. It does the job very well and very affordble. Unless you're a recording studio, it will be more than enough. Get something like that and a Shure SM57 and you're ready to connect.

It might take a little learn ing to figure out how to get that Interface signal in to your DAW but in short, when you have connect the mic to the interface and plugged the interface to your USB port, your PC alredy knows there is new hardware. Within every DAW is the ability to select an input signal nd likely the interface (ie - Focusrite) will show up and you select it. Now the DAW program knows where to get the dignal from.

A good rousource is the recording Revolution. Though I haven't been over there for a while, it is an enormous resource with lots of free content.

Just to add to this, I looked up your amp and the spec page says:

"1/4" headphone out/POD 2.0-style direct out for practicing with headphones or direct recording"

This is good. You should be able to plug your amp directly into an interface like Chris and Jeff have mentioned and then plug the interface into your pc. This amp can also handle a mic, this is good as well because whatever goes into the amp (guitar, vocals etc) should go right through into the interface and then into your pc.

In addition, it looks like this amp has varied tones and effects which will help add depth and color.

Audacity is a good choice because of all the DAWs I looked at, it had the best YouTube support.

Thank you all for that info, it was exactly what I wanted. Now I am going to attempt to record songs through my amp. Now I have to go buy some equipmet and hole up in the woodshed, until I no longer want to apply my standard SOP digital skills (of exlitives, hammers, and explosives on all those little ones and zeros).

Thank you all for all that info, i hope to be recording some day, hopefully in the not so distant futrure. This is why I stick around GT. It is an incredible resource that I find extremly useful.

Good luck Sno. If you do choose Audacity and need help, I'm sure there's enough people using it here to help you.

Once you get the hang of multiple tracks and editing it goes pretty smooth.

Edit:

just made a couple of quick vids sno. If like me you are a visual learner these might be of interest on using Audacity

Audacity 1

Audacity 2