Recording 101/1 - Basics

May 24, 2010 by Neps

Welcome to the 1st in a series of articles regarding recording & mixing. Well, you may ask 'why?', and my answer would be 'why not.' The idea from my side for attempting a series like this is to have a look at recording systems, mixing techniques, recording gear and all those unanswered questions. As with all forums, you are most welcome to ask questions, not agree with me and, if you'd like, mock me because I'm actually a drummer trying  to play guitar!

So, where does one start with an ambitious project like this..? Because, this is not to be like a college, but more like an information source. So after putting quite a bit of thought into it,  I decided to start with a quick, broad overview of different recording systems and formats.

Before investing in a system, you have to go and realistically think what you'd like to achieve from your recordings! And then try and build around that to suit your budget. The reason I say this is that, you can end up buying a system and then only end up using only 10% of it's actual use!

TAPE
To this day, this still remains my favourite format. The reason for me is the sound, and the decision making process that gets stimulated. But, it's not always the best way to go, and I'll go more into depth with it a bit later on. First, let's look  at the format itself.

TAPE Machines (big format)
These come in different shapes and sizes. From 1/4" 2 track to 2" 24 track. And in between various shapes and sizes and track configurations. This has been for years, the favourite of many producers and bands. The reason being the sound!! Tape has this ability to just add 'air' to recordings and make it punchier. The problem with tape however is huge..!

The machines are expensive to maintain, rare, editing tape requires a steady hand and a razor blade, and you're mostly limited to track count!!
That limitation on tracks however does work in ones favour. You learn to make decisions regarding what works and what doesn't, and you become really honest about your music.
Tape also has the drawback, that re-recording this over and over again add noise to the tape and then it's 'welcome to 'hiss' country.'

4 track tape machines
These are little amazing things!! If the world was just, all good recordings would've been done on these!! They are inexpensive, easy to operate, and, with care taken, can produce chart topping productions. (I'm serious)
They however also have the same drawbacks as normal tape, and that is editing, and track count. Then again, who ever said that you need a lot of tracks, and bouncing down tracks do add a bit of identity to your recordings!!
And as an idea pad, these work like a bomb. U2's 'Where the streets have no name'  was demoed this way to Brian Eno.

Hard Disc Recording
These come in various flavours. And to this day is probably one of the best ways to capture a live recording. The 3 big names that I normally ascribe to are: Tascam; Mackie and iZ Radar. These machines function in theory like tape. Almost a 'linear' recording on a non- linear format. In simple terms, analogue recording style on a digital platform. These machines do offer editing functions, but it can be tiresome to get your head around them. Sound wise they are however clean sounding, and the ease of just removing a hard drive makes life a breeze!
The Radar system in particular is a HUGH favourite for the guys in Nashville.

There are also variations that are much smaller than these big, 24 track systems. Boss, Roland, Tascam and Fostex to name a few, have mad smaller systems, ranging from 4-track to 16. Onboard effects, decent mic pre amps etc.
These systems are also, like the tape 4 track, very good to use. With great care, very good recordings can be made. And to be honest, I did own one very nice Tascam, until I dropped a beer on the poor thing. (Apparently fluids and electronics don't go well together.)

Software
Well...! I think everyone is familiar with the various packages that are available today!! And to be honest, there are so many options, that to go into every single one, would take me a couple of years. Just looking at recording interfaces you have a wide variety of options.

First you have to decide what platform you are going to work on. Windows, Macintosh or Linux (Even Atari). Mostly it'd me one of the big 2, and budget wise most people will go Windows. However with the recent drop in prices of some Mac equipment and the useless VISTA OS, Mac has picked up a lot of the slack.

So after you decided on your OS, next in line will be what kind of connections are you looking at. PCi, FireWire, USB. All three of those have their Pro's and cons!! USB on some computers are still USB 1 (very small bandwidth), FireWire on Pc is not always lekker, depending on your motherboard. PCi has some of the biggest BIOS problems that I've encountered. Thus I don't run a Windows based PCi equipped system. (I hate trouble shooting).

Options interface wise are VAST!!! To name a few will show my biased opinion. But systems I've found to be very reliable would be, Digidesign, MOTU, M-Audio, Apogee, Presonus, RME, E-MU. There are MANY more, but these are interfaces that I've used and love. But then, I haven't had the time yet to try everything out there (budget and time sussing out interface problems are to blame here)

Most manufacturers have PCi, PCMCIA, USB and FireWire options.

Next up is software. Now comes the problem. DRIVERS. Most interfaces supports the most common drivers. But then you must be sure your software can be matched with the interface.. Nights of crying and gnashing of teeth has resulted in me trying to match those two with drivers not supported!! So I gave up and bought a Mac.. Expensive solution to an actually not so difficult problem.

mmm, where to begin with software. There are so many software applications that can do so many different things. And that is where the problem comes in. What you ultimately want to do is what you need to look at. Straight record with limited MIDI, Sequencing with limited editing tools, etc.. There are too many options to even start to name them!!!

But in the end one has to decide on budget and what your ultimate goal is with the recording process!!!

Some Gold selling records were made on a Tascam 4 track tape machine, and some really BAD recordings were done on a full blown ProTools HD system!!

At the end of the day, enjoy, learn and ask questions and... Don't take life too seriously!! hahah

This 1st article was just to give an idea of what systems are available, and what you can look at. Next time I'll go into more of how a system can be put together, by looking at a basic option to a more semi pro setup, and looking at how it all comes together.

If you'd like me to cover specific areas, feel free to make a note, and I'll try and cover that.

Neps