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Author Topic: Multitrack recording  (Read 2317 times)

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Clive Williams

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #20 on: February 15, 2020, 10:24:49 PM »

I have always used Mixcraft DAW - (Digital Audio Workstation ) you can buy it on download.

I use Mixcraft too - got it on your recommendation! It hits the sweet spot between functionality and ease of use for me; perfect for TOTM stuff.

rees

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #21 on: February 15, 2020, 10:39:29 PM »

Please note, MixCraft is not available for Mac.
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Alan Pittwood

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #22 on: February 15, 2020, 11:32:47 PM »

For sometime [quite a longtime] my home and field recordings have been made on a Roland R05.

But, since 2018, Roland have produced the R07 as the competitor to the Sony, Tascam and Zoom products.
The R07 has Bluetooth and wireless monitoring and control from a phone, tablet, or even Apple Watch.

I bought the R05 as it can simultaneously produce a WAV file and a MP3 file recording onto a micro SD/SDHC memory card.
I have not multi-tracked, though both the R05 and R07 can do that.
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penn

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #23 on: February 16, 2020, 12:11:44 AM »


I’ve worked for a company developing computer recording and editing software for about 30 years, so I haven’t use a hand held recorder for multi-tracking for at least that long - computer software is quicker to use and offers so much more.
My own software is a bit expensive to recommend for home melodeon recordings, but we have recently partnered with a company called Tracktion who offer a free version....
https://www.tracktion.com/products/t7-daw


I had a go at it tonight for the first time for my THOTM recording and it was quick, simple to use, has good edit features, plugins and the rest. It works on Mac Window and Linux , so if you’re looking for a free alternative to Audacity, (T7 is better suited to multitrack music than Audacity) it’s worth a try.
Gren
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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #24 on: February 16, 2020, 08:52:56 AM »

If people are looking for a computer based mixer/editor (and I'm not entirely sure that the OP was) I should mention Ardour which is free, multiplatform and professional quality. I use it for all my YouTube video sound, as well as everything from tune-learning mp3s to full CD albums. Far more powerful than audacity, which is also a great program within its limitations.
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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #25 on: February 16, 2020, 09:38:13 AM »

Just going to chuck in my ha'pennyworth. I use GarageBand on my iPad. I’ve tried quite a few DAWs on PC. The general problem with them (for me anyway) is a steep learning curve and a lot of time spent wondering how to do a particular thing, which 'ought' to be easy. Then there is all the hassle re sound maps etc and hooking  up a keyboard, and getting an audio to digital interface (if you are recording straight to the PC). And then you hit latency issues and it all seems like a job for a professional (which I am not). Having said that, Audacity is good and free. And I find using a mouse such a pain after a touch screen. As it happens my laptop does have a touch screen but it’s not as good as a tablet. So after all that, GarageBand on an iPad is an astonishing piece of software for the money (how much is it now ...£20?) and it's pretty intuitive. It does have a few limitations, but not so as you'd notice. I recently transcribed a piano piece onto it, playing it in bar (or three chunks), and adding the left hand on a separate track. Even the onboard mic on the iPad is pretty good , though I do have a mic.

Graham Wood

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #26 on: February 16, 2020, 10:08:30 AM »

I've always used standalone multitrackers because they just work. And the BR 80 is as good as any for what the OP is trying to do. Most modern DAW's require a fairly fast computer to run them and then you have to worry about latency issues, driver issues and all the other stuff that will turn a half hour job into a full day. With a multitracker, you just stick it in front of you and press record, and then when you want to lay the next track, put your headphones on, press play for track 1 and record for track 2 and off you go. If you want to do waveform shaping and edit out clicks, grunts and groans and other frequency based distractions then a PC/Mac based DAW would be more useful. The process can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. But for simply just getting the job done, then a BR80 is fine.
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Graham Wood

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #27 on: February 16, 2020, 10:32:57 AM »

This is one of many Youtube videos showing how quickly you can lay down tracks on the BR80. Obviously he covers a lot of things here that you won't use and also he is using line in direct from guitar so he doesn't need headphones, but it gives you an idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p099o7gKXo

Search for other Youtube videos for acoustic recording as well.
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Howard Jones

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #28 on: February 16, 2020, 11:52:32 AM »

Standalone recorders are good for the initial recording process, but they can be fiddly when it comes to editing and mixing.  I prefer to transfer the files to a DAW on my PC.  There are plenty available, many for free or at a modest price, and it's just a question of finding one which is easy to use without a steep learning curve.

So far as the Boss BR-80 is concerned, my main question would be the quality of the inbuilt mics.  I guess that the OP will mainly be recording using a mic rather than direct input, so this could be crucial.  Boss claims they are "high-quality", but they would, wouldn't they?  Mu guess is they will be at least adequate for most purposes, but an external mic will probably give better results if only because it can be placed more precisely.  The unit will take an external mic, but has only a jack with an unbalanced input.  Balanced inputs are usually preferred for mics, to reduce noise, although I am not sufficiently expert to say whether this would make much difference in a simple home-recording setup.

Graham Wood

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #29 on: February 16, 2020, 12:18:05 PM »

I've never had a problem with the internal mics for home recording. External mic is 'as you say' 1/4" mono and not balanced. If you want to use mic's with XLR balanced connector then you are probably better off buying a separate mic pre-amp unit with XLR input and also 48v Phantom supply if you want to use condenser mic's. The output from this unit would go straight into the 'Line In' socket as opposed to the mic/guitar socket. I have a valve mic pre-amp with phantom power and it is exceedingly good for acoustic guitar because it warms the sound nicely. These unit's are about £30 but you need a decent mic to make best use of them. To be fair I've never had cause for complaint whilst using the internal mic's on the BR80. Another point to note is the mic/guitar input is switchable which alters the input gain and impedance depending on whether you plug a mic or guitar in. Also from experience you need a pretty fast SD card for this unit. I use a Sandisk SDHC 16Gb card and it works. Any card which can't keep up with the data transfer rate of the recording will fail and recording stops. So you need a decent SD card.
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Alan Morley

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #30 on: February 16, 2020, 05:04:59 PM »

I have always used Mixcraft DAW - (Digital Audio Workstation ) you can buy it on download.

I use Mixcraft too - got it on your recommendation! It hits the sweet spot between functionality and ease of use for me; perfect for TOTM stuff.

I have just bought the latest version - Mixcraft 9. As a previous owner, they give you 70% discount on the updated version, so around £26.
To be honest, it's not much different to previous versions for me - I don't need all the extra stuff the new version has.
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #31 on: February 16, 2020, 05:46:21 PM »

I have one of these.

https://www.zoom-na.com/products/production-recording/multi-track-recorders/zoom-r16-recorder-interface-controller

Ii works well as a USB controller and recording interface for multitrack work.  It can be used to directly control DAWs (I use Reaper).

I rarely need anything this sophisticated, though. I find my old Zoom H2 is ok and easier.

The pre-amps in the R16 are the same as in the H2N.  It dates back to pre-melodeon days (I've had it about 8 years). I used it a lot when I first got it. Mostly for field recordings. It also got pressed into service as a Battery powered mixer, before I got a Behringer  1002B which was a lot cheaper and I fretted about less on gigs. That makes a fairly decent multitracker as weell.

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Alan Morley

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #32 on: February 17, 2020, 09:30:41 AM »


I rarely need anything this sophisticated, though. I find my old Zoom H2 is ok and easier.

I have a Zoom H1 which I occasionally used to record music sessions so I wouldn't forget the tunes when I was sober next morning.  :|glug
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Jozz

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #33 on: February 18, 2020, 08:28:54 AM »

You could simply upgrade to the Olympus Ls-p4. Keep the same basic functionality, small form. But it has dedicated overdub functionality, so you can take the step with the computer out of the process.

Alternatively you could look for a recorder that does file formats with timecode for easy syncing of tracks (like bwf wave).
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Graham Wood

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #34 on: February 28, 2020, 05:54:36 PM »

I don't know where you are with this because the thread has gone quiet. However I did a small demo of the BR80 capabilities by taking the video that I did for TOTM and adding a guitar track to it using the BR80's internal mic's.

This is the result: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjr_D8dP5bo

What I basically did was export the audio from the video as a .wav file which is uncompressed. I dropped it into track 1 on the BR80 in MTR mode. Recorded the guitar on track 2. Mastered down the 2 tracks and imported them back into the video to replace the original audio. It probably took about 20 minutes. Simples.
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Pearse Rossa

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #35 on: February 29, 2020, 12:08:59 AM »

This is the result: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjr_D8dP5bo

Nicely done. Very tasty. I am going to give you one piece of advice seeing as you mentioned elsewhere that you wanted to play Scottish and Irish music;
Get your thumb under control. It should be anchored in the thumb groove. You're going to find it impossible
to play faster stuff with your thumb waving around like that.
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Graham Wood

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #36 on: February 29, 2020, 07:35:06 AM »

This is the result: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjr_D8dP5bo

Nicely done. Very tasty. I am going to give you one piece of advice seeing as you mentioned elsewhere that you wanted to play Scottish and Irish music;
Get your thumb under control. It should be anchored in the thumb groove. You're going to find it impossible
to play faster stuff with your thumb waving around like that.

Yes, thank you for the advice. Having re-watched the video, I was totally fixated with my thumbs waving about like palm trees in a hurricane. One should be on the air button and the other should be in the groove. I will make a conscious effort to fix that. Cheers.
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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #37 on: February 29, 2020, 09:03:11 AM »

Thank you for the demo, Graham. I'm going ahead with the Boss BR80 so I hope to show my own efforts round here some day soon once I get to grips with it. Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to chip in. (:)
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David Summers

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #38 on: February 29, 2020, 06:30:19 PM »

Very interesting thread, as I plan to record a 3 voice choral bit of music, with me singing all three parts.

Me i've ordered a quality condenser microphone (Blue Ember), and Focusrite Scarlet USB amplifier. Its around about the same cost as a Zoom H4, but far better quality microphone, and the Scarlet has very low noise preamps, and can provide the phantom power needed by the conderser microphone.

I was planning to use audacity to merge the vocals, but will have to look into the above software.

Advantage is if i move on to record the melodeon, I can get to two tbone gooseneck condensor microphones for the left and right sides of the the meoldoen. But yes the software needed to merge files is critical.
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Graham Wood

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Re: Multitrack recording
« Reply #39 on: February 29, 2020, 09:28:11 PM »

Thank you for the demo, Graham. I'm going ahead with the Boss BR80 so I hope to show my own efforts round here some day soon once I get to grips with it. Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to chip in. (:)

Looking forward to it. Give us a shout if ever you need any help with it.
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