How Can I Produce My Own Music? - General

Ive done some research and so far I know I would need the following: Frooty Loops Studio Guitar to PC adapter Mixcraft 4 Condenser Microphone Does anyone know of any tutorials on how to mix the tracks, vocals and all that? Am I missing anything? If it helps I'm going to be producing it on this [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115717[/url]

Get Audacity. It's free and you can simply record your guitar from a computer microphone. Condenser microphones are expensive.

You can't just plug a condenser into the computer with a simple adapter, they require phantom power. You will need a preamp or mixer to put between the microphone and the computer. [url=http://www.amazon.com/ART-Tube-Studio-Mic-Preamp/dp/B0002E50MC]This ought to do the trick.[/url]

[QUOTE=CorpseRida;21110875]Get Audacity. It's free and you can simply record your guitar from a computer microphone. Condenser microphones are expensive.[/QUOTE] A good solution for beginners indeed. Working with it, though, I noticed it places the recorded track a little further than the rest of the tracks(And here I was thinking I just recorded my tracks badly). Not to mention it's tendency to crash right after you record something.

[QUOTE=STeel;21114042]A good solution for beginners indeed. Working with it, though, I noticed it places the recorded track a little further than the rest of the tracks(And here I was thinking I just recorded my tracks badly). Not to mention it's tendency to crash right after you record something.[/QUOTE] You can adjust the latency in the settings so that it will record at the exact timing that you played it. And the crash you described has never happened to me. I use audacity a lot :)

[QUOTE=b4nny;21114485]You can adjust the latency in the settings so that it will record at the exact timing that you played it. And the crash you described has never happened to me. I use audacity a lot :)[/QUOTE] It is set like that, but that's no big deal, I just adjust it manually after recording. Another good program I recently found is Reaper. Although it is not free, it has a month long trial, it is lightweight, and overall is more comfortable to record with, than with Audacity, at least in my opinion.

You don't need a guitar to PC adapter if you get a mixer that can take guitar line ins, like the one I have. It's a simple mic/guitar mixer that connects to a USB port. It works perfectly fine.

[QUOTE=STeel;21114889]It is set like that, but that's no big deal, I just adjust it manually after recording. Another good program I recently found is Reaper. Although it is not free, it has a month long trial, it is lightweight, and overall is more comfortable to record with, than with Audacity, at least in my opinion.[/QUOTE] Reaper is good, it accepts MIDI as well.

[QUOTE=KanonieR;21124009]You don't need a guitar to PC adapter if you get a mixer than can take guitar line ins, like the one I have. It's a simple mic/guitar mixer that connects to a USB port. It works perfectly fine.[/QUOTE] What mixer do you have?

Reaper is quite nice for simple stuff, it's a little more complex than audacity but it sure is more powerful.

[QUOTE=Epic Sandwich;21124164]What mixer do you have?[/QUOTE] M-Audio Fast Track. [img]http://j17productions.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/m-audio-fast-track-usb-audio-interface.jpg[/img]

Another option would be to get a mixer (the m-audio thing above is not a mixer.. it can only receive one channel of sound at a time I think) You can find mixers used on craigslist or the like for very good prices. Look for Mackie or Yamaha, from my experience avoid Behringer. Other brands, I have never tried but don't take that as meaning they're terrible. For your purposes you won't need a big mixer, something small like less than 10 channels will work fine for you. If you do that, get an RCA to 1/8 inch jack and plug it in to the line-in of your computer and record with audacity. Then you can use that as both a mic preamp and "guitar to pc adapter" in one, and in the future you can plug in multiple mics if needed, and record all at once. You can also use the microphone to record your guitar amp which probably sounds better than just plugging right in.

Actually it can take guitar and mic at the same time, but that's it. That's why I called it a simple mixer.

[QUOTE=KanonieR;21130298]M-Audio Fast Track. [img_thumb]http://j17productions.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/m-audio-fast-track-usb-audio-interface.jpg[/img_thumb][/QUOTE] This is a good choice as well. I recently got mine, but I have the Mobile USB version. It's just a little more advanced. Very good sound quality though for both.

Keep in mind that condenser mics pick up EVERYTHING so you'll need to sound proof your environment if you want to use one and get a good sound. And learn EQ techniques before you start recording because its VERY important.

Stay away from FL Studios, it is an amateur piece of shit software that eats up resources. Look up different audio sequencers.

I agree with snake, its overrated on this forum, ableton live is much better, and if you can afford it, get Reason - its the best for composing.

[QUOTE=Snake31;21158707]Stay away from FL Studios, it is an amateur piece of shit software that eats up resources. Look up different audio sequencers.[/QUOTE] I use it to create drum tracks, combined with the EZ Drummer plugin. It's good for creating patterns. Although, I never tried other programs.

What I have is a Line6 Pod Studio GX, it's basically a little thing I plug my guitar into, and that thing goes into the PC's USB. It works as a separate audio interface basically, and because it's USB, it's lag free (it doesn't deal with the onboard sound card at all). For the DAW, I use Cockos Reaper. It's extremely lightweight but it's so powerful and easy to learn. For the effects I have Pod Farm and some other stuff. I don't use any kind of hardware. No amps, no mics. Just guitar->cable->GX->PC

Well I saw a very talented young musician named Kane recording his stuff. All he had was a guitar, mix desk, mic, laptop with programme and some chords. His music is amazing. [url]http://www.purevolume.com/KaneStrang[/url] [editline]02:50AM[/editline] My favourite has to be Rusty I got a limited/rare original cd version of the demo. [editline]02:50AM[/editline] with 1 extra song

[QUOTE=overdark;21163130]What I have is a Line6 Pod Studio GX, it's basically a little thing I plug my guitar into, and that thing goes into the PC's USB. It works as a separate audio interface basically, and because it's USB, it's lag free (it doesn't deal with the onboard sound card at all). For the DAW, I use Cockos Reaper. It's extremely lightweight but it's so powerful and easy to learn. For the effects I have Pod Farm and some other stuff. I don't use any kind of hardware. No amps, no mics. Just guitar->cable->GX->PC[/QUOTE] what is the buffer settings on your gx? and do you use asio drivers as i have a fair bit of lag

[QUOTE=mak364;21164892]what is the buffer settings on your gx? and do you use asio drivers as i have a fair bit of lag[/QUOTE] The GX works as an ASIO card. It does not need the 'fake' ASIO4ALL drivers. Mine is currently set at 512 samples and the latency is around ~14/29ms but I use 512 as failsafe against crackles (if the speakers pop, it's either because you have a too low sample buffer or because the output levels are too high - I turned it higher in order to find the root of my problem). Make sure your current audio device is set to ASIO or ASIO GX, not WDM or Default Mapping bla bla.

ok cheers, i did wonder why i was getting the odd pop and crackle and i have the output full with +18 turned on, on pod farm

I actually used Audacity, but find Mixcraft to have alot more features and more comfortable for me to use. I've also decided to start a band so thanks alot guys for those mixers i'll pick one up when my band starts recording sometime this summer

[QUOTE=CorpseRida;21110875]Get Audacity. It's free and you can simply record your guitar from a computer microphone. Condenser microphones are expensive.[/QUOTE] Amen. Audacity is a must-have. and if you like to have it convert to mp3, LAME mp3 for audacity is all ready to be added, consider sponsoring Buanzo who's hosting it for you. A small donation of a buck or two will help. Not sure if he needs it, but it can always go towards his new kid's college education :-) I have a few resources on audacity, not much, some tute perhaps for starters and links. [url]www.thebest3d.com/audacity[/url] - perhaps it'll help -Philip

[QUOTE=overdark;21163130]What I have is a Line6 Pod Studio GX, it's basically a little thing I plug my guitar into, and that thing goes into the PC's USB. It works as a separate audio interface basically, and because it's USB, it's lag free (it doesn't deal with the onboard sound card at all). For the DAW, I use Cockos Reaper. It's extremely lightweight but it's so powerful and easy to learn. For the effects I have Pod Farm and some other stuff. I don't use any kind of hardware. No amps, no mics. Just guitar->cable->GX->PC[/QUOTE] I wanted to get this pod, even had the money, and then I realized that import taxes in my country would almost double it's price. Shame, they kick ass.

As for a computing solution, what you need is something with rather generous HDD space (if you plan to use virtual drums/bass libraries such as Superior Drummer 2 or Spectrasonics Trillian) and a good CPU (I have an E4400, a dual core running @2GHz each). Also you should look for at least 2GB of RAM since you have to load those libraries in order work with them fluently. My Superior Drummer 2 preset uses around 1GB of ram; if you add the other tracks I can easily reach 90% ram usage.

[QUOTE=Snake31;21158707]Stay away from FL Studios, it is an amateur piece of shit software that eats up resources. Look up different audio sequencers.[/QUOTE] That's because your computer is a piece. I use FL Studios, the only thing I don't like about it is; you can't mix live with it. Other than that it's really easy and moddable.

I use FL Studio, and I have no problem with it. When it comes to equipment, get some ground before you buy anything. Start producing without it to get the hang of it, and to know that this is what you want to spend your money on. I would recommend buying M-Audio Producer USB. For its price its really good. I have no problem with it personally. You also want to go slow. Don't go out and buy everything all at once, go slow, and learn about producing and become a good producer without equipment. You don't need fancy equipment to be a good producer, you just need have technique and knowledge of music. Get everything you can free. Samples, VST's, and more... If you want to get money out of it, produce for other people. Go to places like [url]www.soundclick.com[/url] , and give out leases to your beats. Make sure that your beats are good, and go around and talk to other producers for tips. Go online and look at tutorials. One last thing, if you wanna be a good producer you need to be a unique producer. Not "unique" as in sloppy, and bad. I mean put something in your songs that people can listen and know who produced it, and still have each song be different and as good as the other one.

I recommend Mixcraft for recording SERIOUSLY.