Noob alert - some questions. Please help :)

[CARABAO]

Hello good sirs! I'm a noob here at this part of Philmusic.
I'm open to your advice regarding basic home recording. I tried to read back on articles posted here, but I'm not sure I was able to get what I wanted.

Situation is that we have a band, and we'd like to record our own demos without spending much. So we decided to just go the DIY route. We have these to start with:
1) Mac / Garageband
2) USB link
3) Pedal preamps
4) Roland vdrums / guitars / bass

Questions:
1) Are these enough?
2) What are the cheapest but quality mic options for vocals? (where in the house should we record the vocals?)
3) Will headphone monitors do? (we don't have a treated room. It's just basically our living room / bedroom )

That's basically it. Any replies appreciated

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Hello good sirs! I'm a noob here at this part of Philmusic.
I'm open to your advice regarding basic home recording. I tried to read back on articles posted here, but I'm not sure I was able to get what I wanted.

Situation is that we have a band, and we'd like to record our own demos without spending much. So we decided to just go the DIY route. We have these to start with:
1) Mac / Garageband
2) USB link
3) Pedal preamps
4) Roland vdrums / guitars / bass

Questions:
1) Are these enough?
2) What are the cheapest but quality mic options for vocals? (where in the house should we record the vocals?)
3) Will headphone monitors do? (we don't have a treated room. It's just basically our living room / bedroom )

That's basically it. Any replies appreciated

Ano yung USB Link niyo sir? I'm assuming Audio Interface to. pero ano siya mismo? para alam natin kung capable ka ba of monitoring while recording and kung ilang inputs ang kaya mo.

Also, the Roland Drums, USB out ba siya? or MIDI?

[CARABAO]

Ano yung USB Link niyo sir? I'm assuming Audio Interface to. pero ano siya mismo? para alam natin kung capable ka ba of monitoring while recording and kung ilang inputs ang kaya mo.

Also, the Roland Drums, USB out ba siya? or MIDI?

Hi sir, thank you for your reply.

Yung Roland drums, I think MIDI ata sya, pero nagawa ng kabanda ko dati na gamitin yung usb link na pang gitara. Yung USB link ganito lang siya:
http://www.olx.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/37876708/USB+guitar+link+%28generic%29+no+box+500+pesos+only+%282+weeks+old%29

Yan yung ginagamit ko para kumabit sir sa Garageband.. Hehe. Okay naman so far (sa standards ko hehehe).

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Hi sir, thank you for your reply.

Yung Roland drums, I think MIDI ata sya, pero nagawa ng kabanda ko dati na gamitin yung usb link na pang gitara. Yung USB link ganito lang siya:
http://www.olx.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/37876708/USB+guitar+link+%28generic%29+no+box+500+pesos+only+%282+weeks+old%29

Yan yung ginagamit ko para kumabit sir sa Garageband.. Hehe. Okay naman so far (sa standards ko hehehe).

hmmm.... USB Guitar Link... I'd say invest in a decent Audio Interface muna bro. para highquality sounding na yung guitar tracks and basstracks.

also, ano pong model nung roland drums natin para alam natin ang pwede gawin to utilize the capabilities?

[skin]

Behringer Q502usb. 2.9K (usb audio interface)
Samson Q7. 1.6K (mic)
Kung walang usb output yung V-drums, get a midi to usb cable.

Puede na yan!

Record drums first, then bass, then guitars, then vocals.

[CARABAO]

Hi mga sir, ito po yung drum kit: http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/drums/roland-td-4kx-electronic-drum-kit-240624/

Actually wala akong alam sa drum kit kung MIDI / USB.. hehe. But I think MIDI at a sir. If ever ba sir kaya ba ganito:
Roland vDrums (headphone out) > USB guitar link (computer out) > Garageband
Roland vDrums (headphone out) > USB guitar link (headphone out) > Monitor / earphones

Hehe.. Or kailangan pa sir bumili ng USB audio interface + studio monitor for the computer?

Thank you sir sa mga inputs. I'll try to look for a midi to usb cable para malinis talaga. Okay na rin ba sir yung headphone studio monitors? Kasi sir bedroom lang talaga eh, wala kaming dedicated treated room.. Thanks again sa inyo

[skin]

Hi mga sir, ito po yung drum kit: http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/drums/roland-td-4kx-electronic-drum-kit-240624/

Actually wala akong alam sa drum kit kung MIDI / USB.. hehe. But I think MIDI at a sir. If ever ba sir kaya ba ganito:
Roland vDrums (headphone out) > USB guitar link (computer out) > Garageband
Roland vDrums (headphone out) > USB guitar link (headphone out) > Monitor / earphones

Hehe.. Or kailangan pa sir bumili ng USB audio interface + studio monitor for the computer?

Thank you sir sa mga inputs. I'll try to look for a midi to usb cable para malinis talaga. Okay na rin ba sir yung headphone studio monitors? Kasi sir bedroom lang talaga eh, wala kaming dedicated treated room.. Thanks again sa inyo

Dump the USB Guitar Link.

The midi to usb cable won't make your recording cleaner.  You just have the options to use samples triggered by your drums.

[CARABAO]

Dump the USB Guitar Link.

The midi to usb cable won't make your recording cleaner.  You just have the options to use samples triggered by your drums.

Alright sir. Noted checking the stuff that you suggested. Thanks sir for putting the price, really appreciate it po

[coy_2cute]

Dump the USB Guitar Link.

The midi to usb cable won't make your recording cleaner.  You just have the options to use samples triggered by your drums.

Ahhh.. so gagamitin mo yung vdrums as a "midi controller" to record patterns rather than sound... Interesting!

[KitC]

At the very least, you can record audio and midi simultaneously. You didn't mention what model vdrums you have, but later and higher end models have midi via usb capability IIRC. Theoretically, you can set up an audio track plus midi track in GB, record guitar to audio and vdrums as midi. You can then record the vdrums as audio later on, plus you get the benefit of editing midi data if you want to remove flubbed hits.

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Dump the USB Guitar Link.

The midi to usb cable won't make your recording cleaner.  You just have the options to use samples triggered by your drums.

My Thoughts exactly hahahaha! and great suggestions for interfaces on a budget.

@TS, the default sounds on the DRUM MODULE will not sound as real as acoustic drums. no matter what patch you use. Triggering a good VSTi (i.e. Superior Drummer/EZDrummer) would get you as close as possible. I'll post a sample recording here once I get some time.

Ahhh.. so gagamitin mo yung vdrums as a "midi controller" to record patterns rather than sound... Interesting!

Yeaps. sobrang naelibs ako dito when I used my E drums to trigger my VSTi. sobrang real sounding nung drums.

[CARABAO]

Hi good sirs, good morning! Thanks for all the replies. Ang gaganda ng inputs! Salamat sa pasensya and sa tulong
So sir lahat kayo pag nag rerecord ng actual drums talaga? Kung ganun parang sa studio na nga lang.. hehehe.

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Hi good sirs, good morning! Thanks for all the replies. Ang gaganda ng inputs! Salamat sa pasensya and sa tulong
So sir lahat kayo pag nag rerecord ng actual drums talaga? Kung ganun parang sa studio na nga lang.. hehehe.

dehins bro. sa bahay lang din ako. same setup with you, pero a little bit more sophisticated equipment. I use a dedicated Audio Interface for recording. tapos yung DDrums ko, nag MIDI2USB ako to trigger VST Instruments. I'll post a link of the rough recording here later para magkaidea ka kung ano kaya maachieve ng gamit mo. mejo similar kasi tayo ng setup eh.

[chiqgarcia]

soon enough, you will realize that the roland v-drums was a tad expensive if you use it exclusively for MIDI input... not unless you gig with it, you have annoyed neighbors, or you simply have a lot of extra moolah lying around. hehehe, pilitin niyo yung drummer niyo to sell his v-drums and buy the needed equipment from the proceeds and an alesis e-kit... kung papayag, hehehe. ay wala atang rimshot yung alesis eh *oops* wag niyo na lang ikwento sa drummer niyo. hehehe.

[Ralph_Petrucci]

soon enough, you will realize that the roland v-drums was a tad expensive if you use it exclusively for MIDI input... not unless you gig with it, you have annoyed neighbors, or you simply have a lot of extra moolah lying around. hehehe, pilitin niyo yung drummer niyo to sell his v-drums and buy the needed equipment from the proceeds and an alesis e-kit... kung papayag, hehehe. ay wala atang rimshot yung alesis eh *oops* wag niyo na lang ikwento sa drummer niyo. hehehe.

Kaya ako nag MEDELI DD518DX instead of a roland and an Alesis eh 40k price, for 120k features HAHAHAHA tapos derecho trigger nalang ng VSTi. mesh heads pa! =)))

[chiqgarcia]

Kaya ako nag MEDELI DD518DX instead of a roland and an Alesis eh 40k price, for 120k features HAHAHAHA tapos derecho trigger nalang ng VSTi. mesh heads pa! =)))

MEDELI aka Ashton... ganyan ang WAIS. hehehe.

[skin]

May silbi pa pala ang USB Guitar Link!

Use asio4all drivers so you can use more than 1 audio interface.  Plug the guitars sa USB Guitar Link.  Use midi for the Vdrums.  Connect the bass on the audio interface (q502usb).  You can still do everything in 1 take.

[sonicassault]

When I had that much gear, I just programmed the drums through MIDI (yes, you click the notes on a grid, like a piano roll), and had all my electric instruments run through the Mic in using a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. The vocals ran in using a CDR King mic (yes). It looked like this:

Throat > CDR King mic > Mic In > (Autotune/ gSnap) > DAW (this would be Garageband for you)
Electric guitar/bass > (pedalboard) > 1/4" to 1/8" adapter > Mic In > amp sim (I use Guitar Rig 5 or Shred 2.0, I don't like the built-in one) > DAW
Mouse clicks > software drums (I use Independence Free, the one in Garageband may be fine) > DAW
Keyboards/iPad > Mic In > DAW

If you're good with a muddy demo record, you can actually stop reading now. But please do read on.

When I got some cash, I bought this now kinda hard to find gear called M-Audio M-Track, which has two XLR(mic)/TS(guitar) simultaneous inputs, as well as MIDI in and out, phantom power (for condensers), headphone and monitor outs. All for around P5,800. A comparable product without MIDI I/O would cost around 9-12K today (MBox comes to mind). You can plug in two mics and/or guitars simultaneously with this one, and if using your digital drums, you can plug it in using a MIDI cable you can get for a couple hundred bucks. You'd still need to use amp sims for the guitar signals, but at least you won't need the preamps.

I used to use an Avid Vocal Studio, which is a USB only condenser mic, worth around P6,400 I think. Don't do that for now. If you have an interface like the M-Track with XLR inputs, invest in either an Audiotechnica AT2020 condenser mic (great for vocals and acoustic instruments, P4K++) or an Audix i5/Shure SM57 (it will record everything, P5K++).

The gear may seem rather expensive for just demos, but these stuff will last you until you're rich enough to have your rough song sketches recorded by professionals every time you please. Especially the SM57/i5. Those will record everything and they last pretty much forever.
Do the math too: single purpose USB converters you can only use one at a time cost P2,000 each, and you'd have to buy two (guitar to USB and MIDI to USB), and still they'd last two years tops, no resale value. And you still have to buy the mics.

[chiqgarcia]

Throat > CDR King mic > Mic In > (Autotune/ gSnap) > DAW (this would be Garageband for you)
Electric guitar/bass > (pedalboard) > 1/4" to 1/8" adapter > Mic In > amp sim (I use Guitar Rig 5 or Shred 2.0, I don't like the built-in one) > DAW

pre, subukan mo kerovee which is, in my opinion, better than gsnap and autotune. yup, i said it, better than autotune. if you want to conceal a supposedly good singer's flaws, then by all means use autotune (nakakahiya, take two dapat yun)... pero since people use pitch correction software mostly for creative purposes (as a special effect like a vocoder) --- kerovee is better primarily because of the formant shift knob. if you want to sound like a machine, kerovee can do the job really well.

[sonicassault]

pre, subukan mo kerovee which is, in my opinion, better than gsnap and autotune. yup, i said it, better than autotune. if you want to conceal a supposedly good singer's flaws, then by all means use autotune (nakakahiya, take two dapat yun)... pero since people use pitch correction software mostly for creative purposes (as a special effect like a vocoder) --- kerovee is better primarily because of the formant shift knob. if you want to sound like a machine, kerovee can do the job really well.

Ahh, thanks for the tip sir! Subukan ko yan. I'm not really happy with gSnap, and autotune doesn't work at roboticizing a really good vocalist.