Lessons 12 Comments On Home Recording

Supplement 5:         Comments on Home Recording

These days, making decent musical recordings at home is cheaper and easier than ever with

used gear available at music stores, pawn shops, thrift stores, and online.  Cost is a primary consideration, of course, because new recording gear can be expensive, especially regarding dedicated computerized recording equipment.  But used 6-track, 8-track, 12-track and larger stand-alone digital multitrack recorders are available (although considered obsolete), which put pro-quality home recording within reach of most musicians with steady incomes.  Also, some multitrack recorders include digital effects, much I/O versatility, MIDI compatibility, and even built-in CD burners. However, it is best these days to post your music online, if you have an internet connection and a way to turn your recordings into mp3 files.

I was able to get my computer to convert some of my CDs to mp3 files. Then I went to Sound Cloud, which allows musicians to upload up to 3 hours of music for free, which I did, but will also be paying for some of their promotional deals and for more uploads.

I can only speak with authority based on my own experience and will therefore speak relative to my own personal efforts.  Additional information must be obtained from other sources.

First, consider the kind of gear you want, based on budget, goals, and availability.  For example, I knew from past experience that I needed an 8-track recorder, minimally, and at least an ordinary stereo CD recorder, but no microphones, since I planned to record direct with the guitar, the bass, and an electronic keyboard that has many built-in sounds.  But I did not have the budget to purchase new top-of-the-line recording gear.  Thus, patiently going to music stores that sell used gear, pawn shops, and even thrift stores, I eventually acquired a minimal amount of equipment, which included a keyboard, an 8-track recorder, and stereo CD recorder, plus a number of patch-cords and various adapters, although I already owned a Strat-style guitar with amplifier, and a 6-string bass with amplifier.  Later, I obtained a larger keyboard (also loaded with many sounds, and which I long used but subsequently sold), a stand-alone electronic drum machine, and two more 8-track recorders.

If you're like me and can't afford high-end gear, I recommend a minimum of 6 pan-enabled tracks on a stand-alone digital recorder, so you can record on four tracks, then mix the four tracks down onto the remaining two tracks, referred to as “bouncing”, to make a stereo pre-mix; thus freeing up the first four tracks.  This will allow for up to eight stereo tracks to be mixed down to another recorder.  However, you get more flexibility with an 8-track multitrack recorder where the first six stereo tracks are bounced to the 7th and 8th tracks, for a pre-mix which is played back while recording over the first six tracks.  And, if needed, you can record on four of the six, mix those on the 5th and 6th tracks, record on the first four once again, or on the first two which are mixed on the 3rd and 4th tracks, which thus frees up the first two tracks for further recording.  This would provide up to 14 tracks on the final mix.

Caution: I eventually discovered that on my main recorder, a bounce of several tracks onto one of its tracks does not bounce in stereo, despite each track being pan enabled. Rather, no matter the pan settings on each track to be bounced, the bounce becomes a mono track, but it can still be panned. So, for true stereo with a bounce, I use two tracks to bounce to, one at a time, and pan the results accordingly; one left and the other right.

The reason for needing so many tracks has largely to do with drum-kit sounds.  A guitar, bass, and a keyboard only need one input each on separate pan-enabled tracks.  But a drum-kit requires one track for kick-drum with snare, another for the ride cymbal, another for the crash cymbal, and yet another for additional percussion (if desired), if you want separate control of volume settings on each piece of a drum-set, which is doubly tricky for a two-drummer sound. You quickly use up tracks just for drums, unless you are content with putting automated drums on a single track, with no other drum sounds, and no changed in the drum pattern, but which sounds automated. Sometimes I leave the automated track in, but still add manually played drum sounds as well. In any case, this is where bouncing becomes a necessity.

One way around this issue is to use a programmable drum sequencer, which I do not, but can guess that these too are available as used gear at music stores, pawn shops, and online. The drum machine I have is programmable, but I never use it that way. The reason is that I don't want to bother with trying to make sure my rhythms correspond exactly with all the changes in a pre-programmed drum track. I would rather use a click track, lay the rhythm down, then go back and make the manually played drum sounds correspond to the rhythm.

On my main 8-track recorder, I start with automated drums on track 8 as a click track and put rhythm guitar on track 1.  Then another guitar or the bass goes on track 2 while drum sounds played manually go on other tracks, to make the drums sound realistic.  Typically, I bounce the manual drums onto track 8, recording over the auto-drums, leaving the rhythm and bass to their first tracks, or I bounce those to track 7, thus freeing up six tracks.

If everything turns out OK at this point, I keep recording using the guitar and/or keyboard

until the song is complete (with melodies, background orchestration, and the guitar solos). 

Yet, it often occurs that I want even more tracks (for more guitar work, extra percussion, more orchestration, etc.).  In that case, I mix down to stereo on two tracks of another of my 8-track recorders, then play that back to bounce it as two tracks on the main recorder, leaving six extra tracks for additional recording efforts.  I have also tried this several times, but too much noise gets introduced with two or more such bounces.

Yes, digital recorders have much higher fidelity than old analog recorders using magnetic

audio tape, and you can get away with up to three iterations of bouncing before electronic noise of even an expensive digital recorder becomes an issue.  But continually bouncing a number of mixdowns to add more tracks eventually involves noise floors that are far too loud. 

One solution to this problem is to use a larger digital recorder, such as one having from 10 to 24 tracks, or yet more, and which usually comes with added features, such as a built-in CD burner (which are not common to most smaller recorders).  I lucked out, however, finding a stand-alone CD recorder and can thus bounce between two 8-track units before being ready to mix down to a stereo CD.  This allows for the equivalent of up to 24 stereo tracks to get mixed on the CD recorder with minimal bouncing, and thus minimal noise, which is more than enough for my needs, as I do only instrumentals recording direct (no microphones).

A complete original song of mine usually includes two rhythm guitars, two lead guitars, a bass-guitar, a keyboard, melodies (using guitar or keyboard, or both), sometimes harmonies for the melody or in a solo, two drummers and extra percussion (congas, tambourine, etc.), orchestra sounds, such as string, horns, or a full orchestra, and synth or other special sounds.

In my experience, it is best to relegate effects to each track.  Reverb, echo, chorus, distortion,

and other effects work best if tailored to a particular instrument on its own pan-enabled track, rather than applying an overall effect to a multi-track mix-down.  In fact, the only effect you may want for a final mix is a very small amount of reverb, to make the recording sound as if

it was done in an auditorium or a large music hall. 

The last 8-track digital recorder I bought has built-in preset effects corresponding to “small hall”, “large hall”, “small room”, etc., so custom reverb and echo are not needed (requiring only adjustment of intensity to taste).  But I personally do not use this across the board.  I use

it only on individual tracks where the instrument will sound better with reverb + echo than it would without it, such as increasing the duration of cymbal sizzle.   

My Recording Equipment:

Tascam DR-01 Digital Portastudio; 8-track digital recorder.

Fostex VF80EX and MR-8 Multitrack Recorders; each 8-track digital recorders.

RCA dual-deck home-stereo CD player/recorder.

Yamaha PSR-E323 electronic keyboard.

Boss DR-550-MKII “Dr. Rhythm” drum machine.

Ordinary Strat-style electric guitar; Johnson brand, “Baltimore” model, 6-string.

Shredder’s electric guitar; ESP brand, custom “LTD” model, 6-string, w. active electronics.

BOSS SY-1 Guitar Synthesizer.

Fender Mustang III guitar amplifier, with built-in digital effects.

6-string J.B. Player bass-guitar.

Fender Rumble 350 bass amplifier.

Phillips home stereo system with Bose speakers. 

My Audio-CD recordings are not available by mail. However, you can hear my music on Sound Cloud. Go to https://soundcloud.com/h-kurt-richter

Contact Info: Phone (828) 279-0955.  Email hkurtrichter@gmail.com.