OK, Instead of putting instructions for Harmony engine private, I'll put a basic outline on a new thread.
HTH. On 22/06/2012, Poppa Bear <heavens4r...@gmail.com> wrote: > Nice stuff Scott. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Scott Chesworth" <scottcheswo...@gmail.com> > To: <ptaccess@googlegroups.com> > Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 5:18 PM > Subject: Re: Mainstream Recording? > > > This is a really interesting thread! > > For anyone that might care to listen, my band tracked this tune > entirely in a spare bedroom. Thanks to the modern miracles of DI and > MIDI triggering, the most noisy member was our vocalist. So far, we're > two albums down the line and haven't touched what most people would > consider to be a proper studio yet during tracking and production > stages. > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI8Xrup5akw > > Cheers > Scott > > > On 6/21/12, Chris Norman <chris.norm...@googlemail.com> wrote: >> Please, when you read this, note, I'm not saying anyone who's >> responded to these messages is wrong, there's some great people who >> know infinitely more about what they're talking about than I, but I'd >> like to give the view of a hobbiest. >> >> I have a studio in my spare bedroom, it's not professional in any way, >> shape or form. I'm sure if anyone who turned up and knew their stuff, >> they'd probably leave on a stretcher from laughing so hard, but, the >> point is, it works for me. >> >> I have spent a fair amount of money over the last couple of years >> getting the stuff I wanted. I do not know what's good or bad, but I >> followed the suggestions of people on this list, and others, and got >> stuff which was affordable, and good. >> >> With this stuff, I can get the sounds I want and rely upon. They might >> not be radio quality, or up to the standard of Lianne Rhymes, or >> anyone like that, but they work for me. >> >> Judging by the stuff you've written Christopher, you're in a similar >> situation to myself, you're just recording for fun, and you probably >> don't want to do it seriously. Even if you do, I see no reason this >> stuff, with some modifications, could get you a fairly decent recorded >> sound, which you could sell to people. >> >> Below is my gear list, as far as I know it. I'm actually not sure what >> my monitors are, but they're MAudio somethings, and they were were >> some £300 for the pair. >> >> I'm using Pro Tools 10, running on a MacBook Pro. It's not the latest >> one, but the one before that I think. I (stupidly), brought it about a >> week before the new MacBook Pro with the Thunderbalt ports came out. >> Off course I use a full sized apple keyboard, and, when I've saved up >> all the money for my iMac, I'll be using the Magic Trackpad too, so I >> can sit of my sofa to record, instead of cluttering up space I don't >> have, with another chair. >> >> I'm using a Euphonix Artist Mix control surface, and an MBox Pro >> (which I find quite unstable with Pro Tools and Mac OS X 10.7.whatever >> it is). >> >> The monitors, as I said, are MAudio something or others, not really a >> clue. >> >> I have 2 Rode NT-1A's, which I use for tracking both acoustic guitar, >> and vocals. >> >> For the rare times when I record amped electric guitars, I borrow a >> pair of SM57's, which I went halves on with a friend of mine. For the >> times I'm feeling lazy, and actually, I still love the sound, I use a >> Vox something or other preamp, which my girlfriend and another friend >> of mine brought me for my birthday. >> >> My main guitar is a Faith acoustic, again, not sure of the model, but >> it was supposed to sell for £512 or so, but I got it for about £400, >> because the shop I got it from (Noise Works in Coventry, England), had >> an offer on. My electric guitar is a Fender Blacktop, and I have a >> Crafter (I think), fretted acoustic bass, and a Spector Electric bass, >> which I've had for years, and never changed the strings on, so it's >> got a lovely basy sound. >> >> I am using an Axium 49 as my MIDI controler, but for one song, for >> which I tracked the MIDI while on the road somewhere, I used an Akai >> LPK24 or something, basically, a keyboard with 2 octave, bus powered. >> >> I have no soundproofing of any kind, apart from a bed setty in my >> studio (if that counts), and the house is fairly old, so it's got nice >> thick walls. >> >> I've also used an MAudio Mobile Pre, which I use to record my band >> mate, who plays a Clavia NordStage 88, to save us the ball ache of >> carrying the damn thing up the stairs. >> >> I have absolutely no idea what my headphones are, but I brought them >> from a PX in Germany, when I was visiting my uncle for like 130 EUR. >> >> I could probably never achieve a totally dry sound in this room, but >> luckily, I've never felt the need too. If I did want too however, I >> could probably hang a quilt from the wall some how or something. >> >> It is a very basic setup, probably costing somewhere in the region of >> 5 or 6 grand in total, but, as I said, this stuff has been collected >> over a few years. The desc, the audio interface, my control surface >> and monitors were all brought fairly recently, but the guitars I've >> collected since I started playing when I was 6. >> >> If you like, I can send you some of the stuff I've done, so you guys >> who know you're doing can have a laugh at it, but my aim isn't to >> become the next big star, my aim is to make and play music until the >> day I die, and love every minute of it. If I make money off it in >> return, more the better. >> >> As far as setra software goes, I use AutoTune EFX from Antares to >> pitch correct my vocals, as I'm not really a singer, and on the rare >> occasions when I want digital harmonies, I use Harmony Engine EVo, >> also from Antares EFX. I can use the latter to sort of simulate the >> sound of the TC Helicon Voice Live 2 which I use live. >> >> None of the leads are anything special, I'm using the leads which came >> with the monitors, and the XLR's which came with the Rode. The rest of >> the cables are bits I've cobbled together as I've gone along, there's >> a Parana guitar cable which I use some times, and a bunch of standard >> guitar leads, which are by no means anything special. >> >> The only thing which I've done which I do think is quite clever, and I >> would recommend for anyone, is I've partitioned my mac 3 ways. >> >> Partition 1 has the main Studio stuff. Alls that's on there is Pro >> Tools it's self, the plugins I use, and the drivers for my desc and >> audio interface. >> Partition 2 has the main machine, with user accounts for me and my >> girlfriend, my emails, all my apps, etc. I also have Pro Tools on this >> partition, and at the minute, it's almost exactly like the setup on >> the Studio volume, but I use it to test stuff, before I put it on the >> main studio partition, because I've found that Pro Tools becomes very >> slow to load etc, if you leave crap lying around on the machine, not >> sure if that's fact, but it's definitely what I've discovered. >> >> Partition 3 has Windows on it, mainly because I use Vipmud far too >> often, but as far as recording goes, I use QWS to fix all my MIDI >> tracks. I record them in Pro Tools, then export them (right click the >> midi track from the tracks list), and then re-import it (command >> control shift I I think), and send it to the correct place. >> >> As far as fx go, I tend to use presets a lot of the time, because I >> don't really know much about affects and all that, so I only tweek >> something if I'm really not happy with the sound. >> >> There's a couple of semi clever things I do, like before I bounce, I >> make sure the master's not clipping once I've given it it's fx, this >> prevents Winamp's eq from compressing the hell out of it. >> >> I don't drink anymore, so it's probably worth noting that any spare >> money I have goes into buying more music gear. I wouldn't say I have >> no life, but music is definitely one of the things I love most, and >> now I've got my friend playing keyboards, maybe we'll even have a band >> on the go. >> >> And that's about it. I like things simple,,I'm not pro, I don't want >> to be pro, I just want to enjoy myself, and it is my firm belief, that >> if you don't care that your sound isn't perfect, you can get one which >> you equally love with a budget. If you do want that super clean sound, >> as Nick said, go to school, as everyone else says... Well, do whatever >> they said really, spend money, etc. >> >> Sorry for the rambling, but I didn't really plan this message, it's >> just kind of happened LOL. >> >> On 20/06/2012, Nick Gawronski <n...@nickgawronski.com> wrote: >>> Hi, One point I should also make is if at all possible anyone should go >>> to school to learn audio engineering as learning it from a professional >>> in my view is the best method and you can also meet other people who >>> have interests like yourself. As one of my instructors said in order to >>> know what sounds good and what does not sound good you have to hear what >>> sounds good as if you have never heard what good sounding music sounds >>> like then how can you create this stuff? Once you hear what good >>> sounding stuff is there are good methods for producing these same types >>> of good sounding audios but you have to listen to the music or audio in >>> an uncompressed format not an mp3 downloaded a raw wav or aif file. I >>> have done just this listened to two songs the same song one in mp3 and >>> the other off of the original CD and if you are listening to it yes you >>> can totally tell the difference. I think that learning at home is also >>> great but for those of us like me who want to do this for a living I >>> knew I had to go to school where this stuff is being tought. Nick >>> Gawronski >>> >>> On 6/20/2012 6:24 AM, Christopher-Mark Gilland wrote: >>>> I was about to say. >>>> >>>> Chris. >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Poppa Bear" >>>> <heavens4r...@gmail.com> >>>> To: <ptaccess@googlegroups.com> >>>> Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 2:36 AM >>>> Subject: Re: Mainstream Recording? >>>> >>>> >>>>> Chris, the tools are so numerous and vast depending on the recording >>>>> house. First off, no, most grammy recording houses do not just have a >>>>> good Mac with PT, an good control surfase and mic, most big houses >>>>> have decades worth of outboard equipment that goes back to the days of >>>>> the beetles. Compressers, lunch boxes, equalizers, limmetters, >>>>> exciters and on and on. On top of that, some recording booths run in >>>>> the 6 to 7 figurs just to construct. Then, you have ingeneers and >>>>> mastering houses that have over 100 combined years of experience in >>>>> some cases. I am hardly scraching the surfase either. Keep in mind, >>>>> todays average home recording artust does have much more ability to >>>>> get a better sound then more than a few studios did just 20 years ago >>>>> with a fraction of the investment. >>>>> Adieu >>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher-Mark Gilland" >>>>> <clgillan...@gmail.com> >>>>> To: <ptaccess@googlegroups.com> >>>>> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 5:48 PM >>>>> Subject: Mainstream Recording? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> OK guys, I know this may sound like a dumb question, especially >>>>>> coming from a almost considered newby, but I can't help but ask. >>>>>> >>>>>> So many professionals I've talked to have told me that the industry >>>>>> standard is definitely ProTools. I always hear people saying if i >>>>>> turn the radio on to any Country music FM radio station now a days, >>>>>> or say, top 40 station, etc. Everything that I pretty much here will >>>>>> have been done strictly in ProTools. nOw, there may be paid plugins >>>>>> that were used, not just the stocked ones, but then again, some times >>>>>> it may! just be stocked stuff. I posed the argument question of, ok, >>>>>> now hold on. Who's to say they're not using something like QBase, or >>>>>> say Logic, or what not? I was given the answer of, it's possible, >>>>>> but highly unlikely. MOst likely, you can bet money on 99% chance, >>>>>> everything would be done in ProTools from the actual recording to the >>>>>> final master/mixing. So for instance, let's just take Leann Rimes >>>>>> for instance, with her You Light up my Life Inspirational songs disc, >>>>>> as that's absolutely by way! far and away one a my favorite discs of >>>>>> all times, that I practicly ware out darn near. LOL! Something like >>>>>> that, you all really mean to tell me a recording that sounds that >>>>>> good literally can be totally done in nothing more than just P T with >>>>>> a good interface, microphone, and maybe control surface, with exactly >>>>>> the same software that I am using? ProTools 10? That's >>>>>> unbelievable! So, granted I have a $300 or so mike, and maybe a $300 >>>>>> or so interface. NOthing fancy. What she would probably be using, oh >>>>>> God heavens alive! I'd think the surface alone! would probably be >>>>>> 10's of thousands of bucks, but generally, for a regular recording >>>>>> artist like her or Randy Travis, Amy Grant, or Steven Curtis Chapman, >>>>>> or Alan Jackson, etc. YOu know, basically, the big dogs, does anyone >>>>>> know exactly down the the make and model what basically a big time >>>>>> studio like that would consist of for really full grammy based >>>>>> artists like that using ProTools? >>>>>> >>>>>> Chris. >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> Take care, >> >> Chris Norman. >> >> <!-- chris.norm...@googlemail.com --> >> > > -- Take care, Chris Norman. <!-- chris.norm...@googlemail.com -->
