Finally recording my songs
I have been saying for ages (years?) that I should record the songs I have written. I have done Youtube videos, but the quality of those is lacking. I have all the equipment I need to make decent audio recordings. I have a Linux PC running Ubuntu Studio and that includes the Ardour DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). For capturing sound I have an M-Audio Fasttrack Pro interface (thanks to @stav) and an MXL 990 condenser microphone.
My 'studio' is my home study. It is lacking in proper audio treatment, but I hope it is good enough for my needs. The first song I have attempted is a simple one that I do on ukulele. I wanted to add some percussion to this. I first recorded the vocals and a uke track with it plugged into the interface. I was trying to use a click track to get a constant beat, but I had trouble playing with that. I found I did speed up a bit, but that makes it a more natural performance. Having a fixed speed makes it easier to work in other tracks that may be automated, but that does not apply to this.
The recorded ukulele sound was a bit thin, so I did a second one using the microphone. For percussion I have a wooden frog where run a stick down his back to get a 'croak' sound. Then I had to search out my djembe that I have not played in years. I did a bass drum with a microphone on the floor and then a snare recorded from above. Those used a cheap dynamic microphone.
I will not post the audio here yet as I am having a couple of friends listen to give me suggestions. I have adjusted the levels and used compression and reverb on the vocals. I really do not know too much about how best to tweak the sound for a professional result. That can take years to learn. This is only for a bit of fun and perhaps to make CDs for the family. When I have what may count as an album I may put it on Bandcamp, but I do not expect people to pay money for it.
I have some time this week to experiment with recording and learn a little more about it.
Something unexpected I discovered was that I could get VLC to play back audio through my Google Home Mini. I did not realise it could do that.
I will document other steps in the recording process. Stay tuned!
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Busy looking studio!
Some might just say it was messy. I should use some of this free time to tidy up a bit.
Congratulations on the setup and good luck. I feel you with the need to improve the set up. I'm working on the very basic camera/audio for my silly little youtube videos, but since starting the endeavour I find it all fascinating. And I also find myself researching so much more the technical things, which is also sort of fun.
I can't wait to see and hear your next phase of this! I feel like 2020 is going to be a good year for we Steemians, it's like we're all upping our games :)
There is so much to learn about audio. I just have to try and get the basics right. Getting a good recorded sound is key as you can play with it in the PC.
I have so many things I want to achieve and just getting started is the main thing. The years are going by so quickly.
Are all men's workspace that messy? Hubby desk is covered with all sorts as well, he just bought a new table last week to make an L shape workspace, I'm going to see how long it takes him to cover that with his stuff...
I would argue that my other half can be messier. Stuff just builds up and I don't find time to tidy, but I will attempt that this week.
So we're going to get to see a tidy studio and listen to some new songs next week? Look forward to it.
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Short answer; yeah pretty much. xD
Just get adobe audition and you can remove room noise from recordings. My setup is similar to yours where the mic picks up reflections from the room. With audition there is no need for a proper room treatment.
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Foam pads are really cheap to pick up from amazon though, if echo is the issue. :-) You could even use used egg-cartons like in the ooold days. And free vst plugins such as the Reaper ones also help a lot.
Yeah i tried it all as well from foam to vsts and every little bit helps, but without the noise print remover in audition there is always a lingering of the room noise. Also if an external noise accidentally happens you can remove specific noises ie a phone ring, or a car driving by or even a chair creak.
Did you ever post any pics from your setup, like @steevc above?
I should lol but i have to clean up a bit :-). That includes a fish tank next to my desk. I'll see if i can get a post about it this week.
Fuck cleaning up man, post raw! xD
Haha the horror of it though
You should check out some of the software from propellerhead. It is kind of expensive I think but they have some really good drum synth's if I remember right. It has been a while since I looked at it all actually. The one I used to use was called Rebirth, but I think they had a product called HammerHead too.
Some of that stuff is not available on Linux, but I have some synth and drum apps. I decided to play my own drums on this. I prefer real instruments where possible.
Pardon my ignorance, but which is the M-Audio?
Edit: Someone should found a community for home studio dabblers, plebs and pros alike.
It's this
There ought to be a recording community. I haven't made it a habit to use them yet.
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Cool good luck with the recording and mixing/mastering - the mixing and mastering process is really where a lot of the magic happens, a good original recording is important of course but the difference between a well mixed and mastered track and something more raw is pretty incredible at times. I am sure there will be a learning curve but it will be fun to follow along with you as you go! Cheers
Cheers. I got some ideas back from my friends. Just have to work out how to implement them. I think I have all the tools I need, but things like EQ and compression are tricky.
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Nice set up!
Cheers. It's all budget stuff, but should be good enough for my needs.
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