Westsidewill - Wild Off The Air

Today we need to talk about what sort of recording software you have to install on your computer to get those Phat tunes homie.

Here is the thing, if you read the previous day’s lesson you know that it is all going to depend on 2 factors:

1) What sort of computer you have (OS, Processor, etc.)
2) What sort of sound card you went with

Those are 2 very important questions you have to ask yourself before you hit this step. But let’s pretend that you have a sound card, computer, and no software and want to find some software on the cheap! What to do, what to do?

Simple, download Audacity. What is Audactiy? It’s a FREE audio editor and recorder. The key word there is free. Although to be fair to Audacity, it is a very powerful program for being free. The nice thing about Audactiy is that it is easy to use and there are communities set up all over the internet where you could ask any questions that your heart desires.

What if you are superman money-bags and want to buy some awesome software? Well here are a few that you can check out:
Magix Music Maker could be a cool piece of software. I have a version of this that I did not enjoy, but some of my friends really were quite good with it, so it’s possible that I’m just not so talented.

Cakewalk: This is a nice piece of software (there are a lot of cool things Cakewalk makes) but keep your eye out because a lot of different sound cards do come with a form of Cakewalk installed.

Pro Tools: The classic, the beast of this group really. Pro Tools is very professional hardcore software that you would really only need if you become experienced with other basic software first.

And there are a ton of others out there. What I really wanted to impress upon everyone today is that if you don’t know what you are doing download Audacity, learn it, learn to produce your music, then move on to something else. There is nothing wrong with Audacity, in fact it’s one of my favorite pieces of software of all time, it’s a great learning tool and the music sounds great after using Audacity to record.

Your Homework: See how skilled you think you are at recording and producing your music, if you aren’t skilled at all download Audacity and take some time to learn about it and how to use it. Don’t worry about recording anything yet, we haven’t gone over mics or how to set any of this jive up. So just think about what you want to do, then be patient for tomorrows class!

Class Dismissed

Professor Nooge

Today my friends we talk about the sound card! Exciting stuff right? Well it may not be “exciting” like a Steven Segall movie, but it’s important.

Your sound card is going to dictate the quality of music that you create in your home studio. The sound card is what transfers the sound from the Mic or Keyboard or whatever the heck you are trying to get sound out of, to your computer and it’s recording software. So as the theory goes, the better the sound card the better the sound.

When we are talking about a “sound card” we don’t necessarily mean an internal sound card that you have to bust open your computer to install, we could also be talking about a card (or box really) that you connect to your computer via firewire or USB.

Let’s talk about WHY you need a new sound card, one that is better than the pre-installed card that comes with your computer. The cards that generally come with computers aren’t exactly designed for the type of recording you are doing, there is going to be a delay from the inputs to your computer, that means everything is going to be slightly off. We call this effect latency. You don’t want that, because when you play back your tracks you’ll notice whatever you just recorded is off from where you want it to be, that’s lame.

A sound card (or box) is specially made so that this effect is minimized. So why do you want a new sound card?

-They come ready to record without that latency issue thanks to ASIO drivers that were created to help you record your first hit!

-Unlike the sound card that is currently sitting inside your computer you can plug all sorts of stuff into a sound card that you buy! This means a mic, a guitar, a keyboard, a whatever else you can find a plug for. Neat!

-A lot of sound cards have some software that ONLY come with that particular sound card. For example my personal favorite cheap card, the Toneport UX2, comes with GearBox. It has all sorts of neato preamps you can play with and make your mic sound like a multitude of things. But this software doesn’t only distort the mic, if you want you can give your instruments added effects (like playing an acoustic guitar and making it sound like an electric!)

-You now have the ability, with most sound cards, to record multiple instruments at once. So your band can jam with headphones on, and instruments attached the sound card so you get a really nice, clean, sound. Awesome!

So what sort of sound card do you want? That’s a great question, there are a lot of really great ones out there, but you have to ask yourself how much recording are you going to be doing at once. If you are just a one-man-ban you aren’t going to need a multitude of inputs, just 1 of each you are using (Microphone, Instrument, Other?). Or if you are a rapper and just want to sound good over beats you really just need a sound card with a phantom power mic in. Sound Cards go from the not so complex, to the very complex ready to rock your rear off.

Some sound cards that I prefer (remember I don’t prefer any sound cards that you have to install in your computer. Every time you bust open your computer that runs a risk!)

Toneport UX2 - This one is one that I really like, it’s cheap (you can find it on Ebay for around 140 new…and much less used), and it comes with a great software bundle that will save you money later on.

Edirol UA-25EX- This is another one that I approve of, it’s kind of like the UX2, but a little bit more pricey (around $240.00). It’s a Roland so it comes with a powerful recording software that the world loves, cakewalk.

Lexicon Lambda - This is a cool little unit, the really nice thing is that like the other cards I listed it’s not huge. You can move it around with your laptop or whatever you want to do. My favorite part about this unit (because it has all the parts you want) is the price tag -you can get it on Ebay for like $70 used. Nothing wrong with a used unit people!

Those are just some of the units out there, honestly there are a ton that could fit your needs just hit up eBay or whatever the heck you use and look around. If push comes to shove you can ask me and I can help you out even further if I know your exact situation.

Your homework - Get out there on the web and decide what type of interface you are looking for in terms of a sound card. Remember, know your computer, that is key if you want to get an interface that will work with your computer/operating system!

Class Dismissed!

Professor Nooge

I was going to skip this part of the set up process, but I did get 3 different emails from people asking this question so I figured I’d spend today’s class talking about it, what sort of computer do you need for your home studio?

This question can be so simple to answer and it can also be very complex, so let’s take it from the top.

For a very basic studio, all you need is the computer that you use every day. I know, when you look up home studio’s there are dudes out there with super computers that can control rocket launches AND make great tunes, but you just need one that can help you make great music. Of course your computer has to be somewhat modern, if you can run XP or Vista you are fine, and it has to have a pretty good sized hard drive and a nice amount of ram.

Why? Ram is what helps your computer run programs smoothly along with the processor and the hard drive is where you are going to be saving all of your fine fine work. One thing you should know is that making music takes up A LOT of space on your hard drive, but with the size that hard drives are today you should be more than fine. Heck a 20 gig hard drive will be more than enough space for you to save a few tunes.

One thing to note is that before you start buying things and set up your home system is that you should KNOW YOUR COMPUTER! Know all about your computer, what OS you run (easy), what type/speed processor you have, how much ram you have, and what size is your hard drive. Also know what sort of USB port you have (it may sound stupid but there are 2 types out there).

So after today’s short class your homework is to learn all about your computer, KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE, so when we get into the real nitty gritty tomorrow you will know what will and what will not work with your computer!

It was a short one, but class is out

Professor Nooge

Today we are going to focus on the set up of a home studio. I know a lot of you reading this are already “experts” so I guess you can skip today’s lesson, OR you can read it as a refresher course.

A home studio set up can be as basic as a computer, a USB mic, and some sort of recording software. I’m going to pretend that everyone already knows how to set that up (and knows that it’s a pretty crappy set up when recording music anyway) so we are going to move on to the most basic USEFUL set up.

A basic set up is a good thing, because you can expand and upgrade as you see how your needs expand. Here is what you will need for a basic set up:

A computer…if you don’t have one, I have no idea how you are reading this blog anyway…it’s kind of creeping me out thinking about it.

A sound card. Ok, I don’t mean the sound card that is just factory installed on your computer, I’m talking about a USB box. What is a USB box/Sound Card thingy? It’s something like the Toneport UX2: You plug the box into your computer via USB, and then plug your mic and/or instrument wire into the UX2 (and the mic slot is Phantom Powered. I don’t care what sort of USB interface you decide to buy, just make sure it has phantom power (phantom power means it can supply power to the mic)). The UX2 also comes with a “gearbox” which helps you control preamps so you can get some custom sounds out of your mic.

The next thing you are going to need is some recording software. You can plug all the crap into your computer that you want, but if you don’t tell it what to do with it it’s pretty useless. For recording software on the cheap I suggest going with Audacity, it’s a freeware program that is pretty powerful for the price (of nothing). There are a lot of others out there that you can pay for, we will break all of that down in a later chapter of this blog.

This next one is optional, but some people recommend that you get a hardware controller in your set up. It’s not a bad idea, it’s just not necessary for a simple recording job. Hardware controllers are things like midi keyboards or usb mixers. You only really need them if you know what you are doing with them anyway.

Of course you are going to need a microphone! There are TONS AND TONS of microphones out there so you might want to stay tuned for the blog on that for all of the information that you will need when deciding what sort of Mic you need.

And finally there is the optional Headphones/Monitors so you can actually hear what you just recorded. Here is my thought on this, you always need headphones so you can hear the music while you record and it doesn’t get picked up twice on the mic, and the monitors are great so you can hear the final cuts full effects. It will play what you really sound like, laptop and PC speakers just won’t do the job.

Those are the components of a basic studio. Are you excited about your home studio project yet? You should be, starting tomorrow I’m going to be breaking down each section of the “what you need” department to hopefully give you a better understanding of what type of things YOU need for your studio. All needs are different so the following blogs will help you understand what your needs are and what best fits your needs.

Class is out

Professor Nooge

Today I’m going to actually write a blog that should help out most of our wonderful artists, we are going to touch a little bit on home recording, and how to make it better for cheap.

The ultimate goal here is to do what you do for cheap but still create a song that sounds good enough to be proud of. In order to make this work I’m going to make this blog a daily/multi-parter, so this is part 1.

The first thing you have to do when considering the sound quality of your home studio is to consider where you have it set up. A lot of people think right away, “I have a bathroom let’s record in there! Lil’ Jon does it!” While sometimes this is the best solution for the place to set up your MICROPHONE ONLY, it isn’t the best place to plan on having all of your equipment.

So here is what you have to look for when finding a place to set up your studio, it has to be somewhere you can actually do all of the things you need to do when creating a masterpiece (I don’t know what all that entails, it would depend on your genre: Do you need room for your whole band, or is it just you and a beat?). You will also have to find a place that when you play/record at a comfortable level you aren’t going to have any weird sounds added by your environment (if you are recording in a garage are you going to rattle the tools that are hung up if you hit the high note? Is there a lot of aluminum where you record that you can’t hear while playing but the mics will pick up?).

What I suggest (to those who have them) is using a basement. Usually basements (even when finished) are a pretty darn sturdy place that won’t have anything rattle on you (because it’s a basement people…it has some thick thick walls). Also consider that full basements are pretty darn big places that, even when finished, give you plenty of room to set up your control console and your recording area in 2 separate places. There isn’t really a place that I don’t suggest using because you know your location better than anyone else. You just have to ask if it is big enough, if there will be no added sounds, and if it is a place that when you record you won’t have your neighbors come and bang on your door.

Many of you probably already have your “home studio” set up one way or another, it may be cheap as hell and just a mic and a usb plug for your computer, but if you follow this series I’ll show you how to take what you have, with a few additions, and have a functioning studio that will produce some high(er) quality music.

Is this your current studio? We can make it better!!!!

Tomorrow - We talk about the basic set up of a computer based home studio. Then after that each day we will break down the components and find out how you can have one for cheap. There are a lot of great freeware programs, cheap mics, and other great things you can use to improve your studio for less than $150 bucks.

Homework: If you have not done so yet, pick a place to set up your home studio. If you already have a home studio set up somewhere evaluate if it is still a viable place to record based on what was talked about above.

Handshakes and High Fives,

Professor Nooge