Larry's Home Recording Page
Welcome to my Home Recording page. This is a work-in-progress, where I hope you
will find helpful information related to doing your own recording at home.
This information is a compilation of things I have learned as an independent
songwriter and recording musician, operating on a shoestring budget.
This page is a work in progress, so I hope to add more info on an ongoing basis.
Economical Recording Software
I have personally found PowerTracks Pro Audio from
pgmusic.com to be one of the
least costly and easiest to learn software packages for multi-track recording.
These are the same folks that brought us Band-in-a-Box. Two of my songs,
"Lead Me To The Rock" and
"Everything I Know In Life I Learned From Chris and Paul"
were recorded using PowerTracks Pro Audio.
Combination Mic Preamp and DI Box
A very economical solution to provide both microphone preamp (pre-amplification) and
Direct Input (DI) for directly plugging in guitar, bass, etc, is the Audio Buddy,
currently manufactured by M-Audio. There are two distinct input channels (each one
can handle either a DI or an XLR microphone input) as well as two distinct outputs
(balanced quarter-inch outs). It also provides phantom power for my cardiod condenser
microphones. Older models such as mine may have the MidiMan name on the front, but
both old and new have the Audio Buddy name on the upper right of the front display.
SoundBlaster and Multi-Tracking Tip
I have found that multitracking on a SoundBlaster requires recording at 48,000
instead of 44,100, or else simultaneous recording and playback go out of sync
(noticeable about 40 seconds into a track). When ready to burn to CD, it is then
necessary to convert the finished project to 44,100. I did not have this problem
with my prior PC, which used a Turtle Beach sound card; it appears to be unique
to SoundBlaster, which in my case is a SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit sound card.
Excellent Magazines
I subscribe to and regularly read "Electronic Musician" and "EQ". Both are
excellent sources of info for learning about new equipment, software, hints
and tips from the pro's, etc.
Computer Not Playing Sound?
Be sure, first of all, that your speakers are powered up and the volume knob is
turned up to a reasonable level. Secondly, check to make sure that no cables have
been disconnected, and that they are connected to the right ports (on many sound
cards, the connections may be color coded; for example, green is common for the
speaker connection). Once you are happy with the physical speakers and connections,
it is time to check out the computer side of things.
For Windows, look for the Volume Control icon in the lower right of your task bar.
On some, a single-click will bring up the playback volume control and a mute button
(or checkbox). Be sure it is not muted (in some cases, muting is shown as an icon
with a red circle and red diagonal line thru it). Double-clicking on the Volume
Control Icon should bring up a more detailed window. Be sure the playback master
volume is all the way up. Also, you may have individual volume controls for various
sources such as Wave, MIDI, and CD. Be sure to try various formats (play a .wav file,
play a .mid file, play a CD) to see if it can be narrowed down to a particular format
that is not playing. Among the most common software for playing all of these music
formats is Windows Media Player. It can also be helpful to consider what has been
changed between the time you could hear sound and when you could not. For example,
did you recently installed some software or hardware? Did you perhaps download an
updated software driver, such as for your sound card? Does you sound card include
a diagnostic feature? These are just a few things to consider as you narrow down
the possibilities.
Thanks for stopping by!
larry@larryholdermusic.org
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