thebrig

Bump!

[quote name='LZD56' timestamp='1476034826' post='3150667']
Well, as the original suggestion for sonic blue with tort guard was mine & now there may be the possibility of a jazz neck then I'm more than just interested. Dots or block inlays on the neck?


[/quote]A bit of binding would look good on mine!

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1476037292' post='3150718']
So sorry to hear about your health. I had to stop gigging about 8-9 years ago due to health issues. Being only 30 then and gigging regularly it was quite a kick in the teeth. I did the odd recording session for a while after but could never guarantee if I'd be in a fit state to play on the day, so I faded it out as I had a tendency to push myself too far.
But on the bright side, I still play as often as I can on a set up which I have at home. I have some fx and preamps that go into a Mini Mackie mixer, also into that goes a drum machine and a MP3 player and a set of headphones. This way I can jam to drum tracks or tunes and still enjoy playing and appreciating fine basses. I just feel blessed that I can still do that, there's too many stories of people who had to stop completely due to health which is a great shame. Best of luck to you.
[/quote]Thanks for your kind thoughts, but it must have been far worse for you having to give it up at only 30, but its great you've found something you can do at home so you can still enjoy your music.

My last gig was a couple of weeks ago, I felt so guilty because my wife had to carry my gear into the venue, and I had to play the whole gig sitting on a stool because standing is too painful, and having to take a cocktail of drugs just before the gig started meant I was in my own little world most of the time.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1476023741' post='3150497']
Before you go hogwild buying an expensive multi channel interface, it is worth IMHO looking at the full signal chain of the equipment you already own, and make an honest assessment of whether you are genuinely being limited by the equipment.

You already own a Zoom R16 - so how many recordings of your band have you made with it using all 8 channels?
what mics did you use?
how much time did you spend on mic positioning and gain adjustment before starting to record?
and what were the problems with the end results?

The preamps and AD conversion in the R16 are not on the same level as you would find in a pro studio, but problems with room acoustics, bad mic placement, poor mics or improper gain staging are much more likely to hold you back, and won't magically disappear buy buying a more expensive interface.

At the point where you can positively identify that something in your signal chain is a problem, and why it is a problem is the point when it makes sense to make an informed decision to upgrade.

Just to illustrate the point, go listen to Bruce Springsteen's album Nebraska which is notable for being recorded on cassette 4 track portastudio in his spare room with a couple of SM57s - it really illustrates what can be achieved with very basic equipment.
[/quote]Thanks for the tips and advice Subsonic, you are right in saying I already have the equipment to do a job, and I get the point you make about setting everything up properly, I've only tried recording the band a couple of times, really without a clue about what I'm doing, but I did read up a bit on the subject and watched videos about how to record a band, but there is only so much you can do when you are doing it at a rehearsal or a gig, you don't have much time to get things right, its hard to isolate the instruments so there is going to be a lot of bleed, lack of space prevents you from proper placement of the mics, so it really is a case of "just do it, and see what it comes out like" which isn't ideal to say the least, but like I said, I'm a complete beginner who can only record something by seeking advice from videos etc.

The guitarist from our band came round last week, and I downloaded the drum tracks and vocal tracks to a couple of songs that we wanted to try, I loaded them into Logic and we recorded our parts through the Zoom R16 into Logic, obviously, I'm just fumbling around at the moment, but we didn't notice any problems with latency, but I can't help thinking that if I tried recording eight tracks at once we might run into problems, the recorded tracks sounded good to us, but would they sound even better if we had used a Focusrite Thunderbolt interface?

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1476021939' post='3150479']
They are both of an almost identical spec, concerning sound quality and features; the PreX is rather cased to be racked into a studio and never moved around, and so has the connectors doubled up. This would allow having both jacks and Xlr's connected, and the choice of which to use done through software. The Pre version has combi connectors; one would plug in a jack, or an Xlr, but not both at the same time. For your use, I'd suggest that the PreX features are not necessary.
If 8 channels are not enough, either (or any...) of this range can be interconnected to expand the total inputs. It's possible, for instance, to add a Pre4, which would give a total of 12, or a second Pre8, to get 16 channels.The protocol that enables this is ASAT; it's just a way of getting stuff to work together, like MIDI, or USB. ASAT equipment 'talks' to other ASAT equipment, that's all.
A clock is used for synchronising interconnected gear, much like an orchestral conductor. A world clock gives a common timing signal to all, so that the signals stay coherent. It's not a big deal with only an interface and a Mac, but once one gets lots of outboard accessories, such as reverbs, or other recording devices, it's required that one or other of the machines takes control of timing. In your set-up, I'd say it's of no importance; it's perhaps nice to know, however, that it's there if ever it becomes necessary.
How does all this stuff work..? Magic, my lad; magic.
I'd just add the warning that, for recording, live, a whole group, having all of those inputs available is only one of the aspects. Trying to keep each channel clear of the other instruments becomes important, as is microphone choice and placing. It's good to have excellent equipment from a technical point of view, but it's only going to be as good as the weakest link; any more is 'overkill', and won't give a better result. Not to say that your choice is not good (it is..!), but it can't give any more than the quality of signal going in. It's quite a challenge micing up this way, so don't expect to get Abbey Road results, despite the quality of your gear. You're off to a roaring start, though, I'll grant you that..!
[/quote]Thanks for clearing a few things up Dad, just knowing these little things makes it a lot easier when I'm reading through the spec and watching the videos on the Focusrite website.

Sorry everybody, but lots of meaningless questions and queries get posted on here all the time, it was only meant as a bit of fun to find out what people who don't, or rarely gig, do if they don't gig very often.

I started off just collecting guitars when I was in my early twenties, I will be 65 next month and I only started gigging in 2007 when I was 56, so I have spent more than thirty years where I have owned instruments, but did not gig, and because I might have to stop gigging myself soon, I was wondering if I can get any ideas from other BC'ers to find an alternative to gigging.

Once again, I did not intend to offend anyone, it was just a light-hearted question, but if you think this post is offensive, I am more than happy to ask a mod to delete it, because I feel genuinely upset that it could be taken the wrong way.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1476030113' post='3150597']
I have children and a disabled partner, it's not easy to achieve gigging. I can manage OM nights sometimes.

I do find the tone of the question a little unthoughtful to be honest
[/quote]I'm really sorry about your situation and I can honestly say that I did not mean to offend anyone by asking this question.

I am on the verge of having to pack up gigging because of health problems, I am taking seventeen pills a day, plus morphine in liquid form every four hours, and morphine in slow release tablet form twice a day, I'm not able to drive any more due to the drugs and the pain, and I am now in the process of starting to sell gear off so I can fund recording equipment so I can continue to make music at home.

Once again, apologies if I offended you, it certainly was not intended.

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1476028615' post='3150566']
This clearly calls for a poll... Gigs Regularly/Not gigged in several years/Only jam nights, not playing for an audience/Never Gigged or played in public
[/quote]Not sure how to do it I'm afraid.

A pleasure to do business with Tony, he is a highly trustworthy and recommended BC'er.

A pleasure to do business with Mark, he is a highly trustworthy and recommended BC'er.

It was a pleasure to do business with Dunc, the transaction was pleasant and smooth, he is a highly recommended and trustworthy BC'er.

Apologies if this has been done before, but I've noticed after reading many threads over a number of years, that quite often, people mention that they have either never gigged, or not gigged for many years.

Now there's nothing wrong with that at all, but I'm curious to know what you do with your basses, or what do you get out of your obvious interest in all things bass, are you session musicians, just like noodling away at home, just like collecting basses, or just not interested about playing in bands?

I hope you don't think I'm being nosey, I'm just genuinely curious.

Me? I started collecting guitars because I liked them as ornaments, I then got a bass about ten year's ago to add to my collection of guitars, and I took to it immediately and have been playing in gigging bands ever since.

I joined BassChat about five year's ago and if I packed up gigging, I would still check in regularly, because all you guys & gals out there make it such an interesting forum.

Ok, a couple of days ago I introduced myself as a total newbie to recording, and judging by the advice I’ve been given and from reading other threads, it looks like I have a decent enough computer to meet most of my needs, but since reading the threads on interfaces, I now realise that I could do with a better interface than what I’m currently using, and I think it’s looks like its best to go down the [b]Thunderbolt[/b] route.

Having done a fair bit of research, I’ve settled on getting something from the [b]Focusrite Claret[/b] range, and because I will want to record my band from time to time, I want at least eight inputs so that I can record the band in a live situation by micing everything up, and recording them all simultaneously.

The [b]Focusrite Clarett 8 Pre[/b] and the [b]Focusrite Clarett 8 Pre X[/b] both have eight inputs, but if I wanted to record more than eight tracks simultaneously, what would be the best option, and what advantages does the [b]Pre X[/b] have over the [b]Pre[/b]?

Sorry if these are all daft questions, but I really don’t understand how they work, and what things like [b]ADAT[/b] and [b]World Clock[/b] mean or do at the moment, but I think I will be able get my head around them once I start going into shops and seeing them in the flesh, and talking about them to hopefully knowledgeable staff.

I know it’s quite a big outlay for someone new to recording, but I would rather spend the money now on the best I can afford, rather than pay less on something I will probably want to replace in a few month’s time.

All advice is very welcome.

Thanks.

Karaoke-Version is a great place to get backing tracks, in fact only this week I purchased seven songs to mess around with, for example, I put the drums and vocals into my daw so me and the guitarist from our band can fill in the rest, we are a one guitar band so its great tool for learning new songs, you can even choose to have a count in as well.

Each customised backing track is £1.99 and you can download each song indefinitely in loads of different variations.

I've decided to get a decent pair of studio monitors and I'm thinking about getting a pair of KRK Rokit RP5 G3's, any good?

I'm also thinking of getting a dedicated thunderbolt interface as well, as I've said before, I'm getting sounds into my daw at the moment using my Zoom R16, and all seems to be ok, but does it have limitations that I'm not aware of, and if I do get a new interface, should I get one with plenty of inputs so I can record multiple tracks at once?

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1475931293' post='3149855']
This chap's FB page might be of interest for getting your head round mixing, especially in LPX.

[url="https://www.facebook.com/groups/electramusic/"]https://www.facebook...s/electramusic/[/url]

Has a lot of good tips & questions from other members too.


Edit - Just realised it's actually a closed group, so you'd need to ask to join.

His Youtube channel has a lot of good videos too.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIUtwq6jMFYQj2ASOj95TGw"]https://www.youtube....MFYQj2ASOj95TGw[/url]
[/quote]Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, I've just had a quick look at his Logic Pro beginners tutorial video, it looks like its just what I need, I've just downloaded it so I can watch on my TV and follow what he's doing in Logic on my laptop at the same time.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1475917984' post='3149696']
Logic's pretty easy to use. It's similar to Reaper, but a lot easier to set up.

First thing to do with Logic is open a project (new one) & click "File > Save As" & change "Organise my project as a" from package to folder. This way when you record, every thing will be put into folders within the song folder (like audio files, making them easier to locate).
[/quote]Thanks, I will do this with every new project.

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1475883560' post='3149580']
That's not the best way to go about. I've found the easiest way to learn is to start messing around. Once you hit a problem... then you go to YouTube etc and find a solution. If you are as bad as me you'll find you are on YouTube more than the daw but soon you acquire a set of skills and really start to get something from it. Good luck.
[/quote]I know what you mean, its so easy to spend all day just searching and watching videos without actually putting any work into what you are trying to learn.

I've called myself a complete beginner because I don't have any knowledge of mixing etc, but I have worked out how to set up my interface and assign tracks etc, and I know how to record various instruments, I've miced up a whole drum kit, I've also recorded the whole band by micing everything up, but that's where it stops, I end up with seven or eight individual tracks which are all played quite well, in tune, and no mistakes, but I don't know what to do next to make them sound great, I have tried messing around in Reaper and Audacity but they still sound terrible, which is why I have decided to put the time and effort into learning the art of recording properly, with Logic Pro X being my main DAW.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1475880753' post='3149562']
Good to see you here, old bean. I can't help at all with the usage of Logic (I use Reaper on a PC...), but an easy entry into recording/mixing is to just do a bit for a while, just to get your feet into the slippers, so to speak.
Do you already have a set of multi-track 'stems' to play around with..? A good start might be a drum kit, one track per instrument. Play the kit in a loop, and Solo the bass drum, for instance, and try out the EQ that you have. Choose a frequency and sweep up and down, listening to the effect on the drum sound. Same for the snare, the toms, hi-hat... you get the picture.
Add a bass guitar, same exercise. Use a compression fx, and play around, firstly with its presets, then by tweaking the Attack, Threshold etc yourself, listen to what happens.
Solo the bass drum and the bass, together, and try to find a 'sweet spot', where they sound best together, both in volume terms and in 'sonic space'. See what happens if you separate them slightly by 'panning'. Try 'hard panning'; does it sound good or not..?
Two or three evenings messing around in this way will bring to the fore the keyboard shortcuts that'll make life easier, and make you hunt around (at first...) for the basic tools you'll be using mostly in the future. Read the manual, do things slowly and deliberately, so that the Good Habits get a chance to develop. Use either your own band's material, or any set of stems you can find.
Another, more general, piece of advice... Keep your monitoring levels low. Use a headset for just messing about, but beware of Soloing an instrument which comes through at full blast. Force yourself to 'listen', rather than 'hear'. Once you're happy with something, then switch to monitors and listen again. When happy with that (there may be some retouching to do...), then turn up to a more 'normal' listening level.
One last thing... When mixing stuff in stereo, use Mono to get the balance right between the instruments, then separate 'em with stereo. A Mono mix will give a better judgement of the total mix, in general.
Does this help..?
[/quote]Thanks Dad, I will take all your advice on board, I know it will be a long hard process to get anywhere near good enough to produce a decent enough mix for mastering, but I'm determined to give it a go.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1475789023' post='3148860']
What..? Are you still here..? Get yourself over to the Recording section immediately..!

([i]Non, mais..! Quelle toupée..! Harrumph..![/i])
[/quote]I've now gone to the land of the recording maestros!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1475874707' post='3149511']
Get a good large external hard drive for your audio files. Probably Thunderbolt for your Mac (or FireWire) but definitely not USB.
[/quote]I have a couple of very large USB external hard drives, I got them mainly for video storage, but the thought did cross my mind that I could use one of them for music production as well., so what are the benefits of using Thunderbolt?
BTW, thanks for the advice, I do appreciate it, and I would rather start off with the right equipment than splash the cash on gear that isn't really suitable.

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1475865418' post='3149414']
Wow , if you've got that lot and know how to get the sounds on to a DAW , I reckon you've cracked it


It took me months to get that far with just an interface and Reaper

I am sure if you ask specifics you'll get answers but as I recall you tube have a fantastic array of tutorials to get you past those sticky moments when you just want to throw the lot in the nearest skip and crack open that bottle to cry into
[/quote]I've downloaded a lot of Logic tutorials from YouTube and I'm working my way through them slowly, the problem is I don't absorb information very easily these days.

Under Dad's orders, I have finally plucked up the courage to post on the Recording forum, so please be gentle with me.

To put you all in the picture, I am totally new to recording, I know how to get instruments/sounds into a DAW but thats about it, I have no idea how to mix etc, half the time I can't even find where things are, and when I do, I don't really know how they work or how to apply them.

I'm not looking to become an engineer or producer, but I do want to learn enough to be able to have some fun at home making music, and also be able to record my own band occasionally so we can add music content to our website and Facebook page, and maybe make a few demo CD's for anybody who asks for them, and surprisingly, we do get asked quite a lot.

I've listed below what gear I have at the moment, until now I have messed around with Reaper but I've just splashed out and purchased Logic Pro X, and that's the DAW I want to get to know properly, I use my Zoom R16 as an interface, I bought it originally to use as a stand alone recorder because it allows me mic up the whole band individually with it's eight inputs, but one day I tried it as an interface, and it worked brilliantly without any problems, and because it is so simple to use, I will stick with it for now, unless anyone can tell me why I should think about getting something that will give me better results, all advice is welcome.

Can I use my hi-fi by running it through my Yamaha amp, and then into my Tannoy speakers which are stand-mounted, or should I purchase some dedicated studio monitors? my hi-fi is made up of high quality separates.

[i][u]Computer:[/u][/i]
[color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]MacBook Pro 15" Retina Display[/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7[/font][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz[/font][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]16GB 1600MHz memory[/font][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]512GB PCIe-based flash storage[/font][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Intel Iris Pro Graphics AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB GDDR5 memory[/font][/font][/color]

[i][u][color=#333333][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Interfaces:[/font][/font][/color][/u][/i]
[b][color=#333333][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Zoom R16 Digital Recorder, USB Audio Interface and DAW Controller[/font][/color][/b]
[color=#333333][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]8 Mic inputs/2 Outputs (8 x 2)[/font][/color]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#333333]8 balanced combination XLR 1/4" inputs[/color][/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#333333]High-definition 24-bit/ 96kHz recording capability using digital audio software[/color][/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#333333]Built-in effects on R16 can be used as outboard effects as well[/color][/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#333333]1 Hi-Z input for direct connection of guitar or bass[/color][/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#333333]48V phantom power on 2 channels[/color][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][b][color=#333333]Alesis IO4 Channel USB Audio Interface[/color][/b][/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Four-channel computer audio-recording interface[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Record up to 24-bit, 48 kHz audio into virtually any software[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Monitor sessions with balanced studio monitor and headphone outputs[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Inputs for microphones with 48V phantom power, line-level sources, and instruments including guitars[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tricolor stereo level meter and lighted status indicators for visual monitoring[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]MIDI Input and Output jacks for playing and controlling software with instruments[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Mac and PC compatible[/font][/size]

[u][i]Software:[/i][/u]
Logic Pro X
Reaper
Audacity

[i][u]Headphones:[/u][/i]
Sennheiser HD 595 Headphones

Thanks everybody for the advice you have given me so far, and please keep it coming in, I'm getting more and more excited about getting into this.

I officially retire next month, although I took early retirement a few years ago for health reasons, so I know its going to be difficult for someone of my age to learn something so complex as recording music.

I have all I need to get started, Logic Pro X, and a decent computer, I'm not expecting miracles but I will work hard and see where it takes me, I know that I only have to ask, and I will get plenty of sound advice from you guys here on BC.

I suppose I should start posting on the Recording forum, but I'm a bit nervous being such a newbie to the art.

[quote name='Jow Bass' timestamp='1475778978' post='3148751']
Hi, yes the nut is 42mm. I know what you mean about the Jazz nut. I had a Fender Jap 75 reissue for years and the neck was sweet.

Cheers, Jow
[/quote]Hi Jow
Maybe a nice sweet jazz-size neck sometime in the future?