recording yourself by yourself

lee · Post by **lee** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:17 am

is it imposible to record yourself and actually end up with good tracks? ever since ive started understanding how to get well recorded tracks thru mic placement and using different mics and amps ive found it so frustrating to record myself because its imposible to hear the true sound thru headphones. and thats all i did for years and years! now, because of the power of knowledge, i cant record more than the demos i record so i dont forget a song. i keep trying and every time i go to the control room, and put it thru monitors it sounds totally different. its totally putting a mute on my creative process. its impossible to make good music when your focused on the sound conversion.
am i destined to go to another studio to record myself even though i have the means to do it myself?

rolandk · Post by **rolandk** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:37 am

You're getting a good sound at the source and using proper recording technique, but the recorded sound is different and bad? The sound coming out of your monitors is what it really is, assuming the monitors are fairly accurate. I don't think the problem has anything to do with playing and recording by yourself, maybe try moving your mics around until the sound in the room is the same as whats on tape (or disc). Also burn a cd and listen to it in several different places (somebody elses house, car, etc.) to get some different perspectives.

mjau · Post by **mjau** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:11 am

I just keeping moving the mic or trying a new preamp or whatever until it sounds ok. Sometimes I'm surprised when I get back to my monitors, but I'm lazy and usually just go with it anyway.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:15 am

My brother is basically doing his whole album this way, and it sounds great.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:18 am

When I record my self seriously (which I haven't done in a while) I tend to go back and fourth a bit to get the sounds I like. Set up instrument and mic, patch in pre hit record, run out to the live room and play, run back to the CR and listen etc...

If you're trying to do a 'release' in your home studio maybe you should hire an engineer to come and track your parts. It might be cheaper than a studio and you won't have to be the performer and engineer.

lee · Post by **lee** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:52 am

im wondering if there is some secret that i am missing.
ill do a take and think it sounds fine (from the headphones) then ill spend an hour getting the take just right. then i go to the monitors and the giutar is thumpy, the saxaphones honky, the cymbals are peircing... i was wondering if anyone has found a way around this. will expensive headphones solve my problem? should i use live monitors while recording?

lee · Post by **lee** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 12:02 pm

train my parakeet how to dial in and use compression?

Girl Toes · Post by **Girl Toes** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 12:40 pm

Just do it!!!

I mean, just find a decent place to put the mic. If you keep at it, you'll just end up with a better sense and it will keep sounding better.

But I mean,w hy do you want to record by your self anyways??? What ever your reason, that's the point, not to get a "perfect" recording on every take. Take it slow, don't rush, be patient, experiment, and learn. And if you know what it is you want, then It will turn out great.

Girl Toes · Post by **Girl Toes** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 12:44 pm

lee wrote:should i use live monitors while recording?

I've been thinking about that a lot too. There is such an excitement these days about "Bleeding," so if you do it right, you might be able to get something pretty good, that sounds more and more like a live band.

curtiswyant · Post by **curtiswyant** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:04 pm

Extreme Iso headphones can't cut it on drums by myself. Plus you're not "objective" if you're hitting the stuff and trying to listen at the same time. I suggest doing multiple "pre" takes, like preproduction, for sounds, then commit to tape. The way to get what you want on tape is to listen to it after you've recorded it, not through headphones. Even live monitoring the source is gonna sound a little different after it's on tape.

John Jeffers · Post by **John Jeffers** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:12 pm

curtiswyant wrote:Extreme Iso headphones can't cut it on drums by myself.

Not to mention that they sound bad. I don't know, maybe I got a crappy pair. Even my Senn HD280's sound better, and they're far from great IMO. If I have to use headphones to get sounds or mix, I like Sony 7506's. The only time I use the Extreme Isos is when tracking drums so the click doesn't bleed out of the headphones, because they are great for that.

lee · Post by **lee** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:18 pm

maybe i could ask another musician to come over and play while i get the mics right in the monitors. take a few notes maybe. i wish i had enough equipment to just have stationary mics that i dont move (get 'em right, and leave 'em). thats definately the only way you could get a good sound for a drum set. ive lost a portian of my hearing; blasting the cans, trying to hear the headphones over the drums.

uh, can anyone help me link this thing on the bottom, here.V V V V V i think the html is right, but...

elloweez · Post by **elloweez** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:25 pm

I have used AKG studio headphone monitors for years and so at this point i have a pretty good guess as to how the sound will translate to my NS-10 speakers. If your headphones are total crap then it is probably going to sound quite different once you hear it in the monitors...but with a decent pair of headphones and some time you should get used to how the sound in your headphones will translate to your speakers.

John Jeffers · Post by **John Jeffers** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:30 pm

The HTML is right, but phpbb doesn't let you use HTML in your posts. Try this:

[url=http://www.myspace.com/avici]ive written the song that god longed for as he laid in void. the lack of it envoked him to create a universe where one man would discover inspiration in a place that god never thought to look[/url]

Girl Toes · Post by **Girl Toes** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:32 pm

lee wrote: uh, can anyone help me link this thing on the bottom, here.V V V V V i think the html is right, but...

Its BB Code on this board, so its a little different. Like this:

Code: Select all

 &#91;url=http&#58;//www.myspace.com/avici&#93;ive written the song that god longed for as he laid in void. the lack of it envoked him to create a universe where one man would discover inspiration in a place that god never thought to look&#91;/url&#93;

Cheers.

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