LGC's Recording Thread.
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:51 pm
Amidst assembling peoples Supa Chan's I am finally working on recording my music how I want to. I thought I'd make a thread and do sort of a pseudo blog you can follow along if you are interested and for my own records as well.
I am using a Tascam DP-008 and a couple inexpensive Nady mics (SP-1 is the model). I have various novelty instruments, an acoustic (70's 'Pan' pseudo lawsuit OM style, sounds lovely to me), an electric (Fender 65 Reissue Mustang!), various Casio keyboards, a Yamaha CP25 electronic piano, and busted little drum kit. I intend to record the majority of the guitar tracks myself, but I may enlist some guest friends to add some spice. I will also recruit people to play bass and drums and possibly keys. The style can be a bit eclectic, but it's generally fairly jangly fun indie/twee. Some stuff is very upbeat folk country, some in minor keys, but mostly I have been really inspired by 50's and 60's garage and surf pop so as much as possible I want to emulate that sound. With that in mind, some songs may end up being released as just fun little side project singles because I would like to gather what songs I can into a cohesive EP or LP.
8/4
Today I created blank files for fifteen different songs. I used a Realistic Rap Master toy keyboard (actually a Casio keyboard rebranded by Radio Shack) to create drum beat click tracks as the metronome in the DP-008 (and most other multi tracks in my experience) is too quiet to be heard in the mix while recording. I jammed out a little to figure out what tempo I wanted to record each song at. Here is a list of songs, in no particular order, that I will be working on. Some of them are working titles, others are more well established tunes I have had for awhile.
1. Sand Dunes
2. Sky Blue
3. Eastern Shores
4. Russian Olive
5. So Bright
6. Your Ride
7. Cascade Locks
8. In The West
9. Where'd You Go (To Tell Your Friends)
10. Little You
11. Get Down Town
12. A House is Not a Home
13. Untitled Jam
14. To The Sea
15. You Took Everything
I recorded a quick acoustic scratch track about a minute long for the untitled jam (#13) as it's just an idea I came up with yesterday and I don't want to forget it. Since it is just an idea it may hit the cutting room floor anyways.
I recording the acoustic rhythm guitar track for Cascade Locks (#7), which I think sounds good. I learned how to use the auto punch feature on my Tascam which is necessary because of a mid-song key change. I recorded the acoustic both with a mic on the sound hole as well as installing one of those clip in sound hole pickups made by Bill Lawrence. I figured the electric pickup (like a regular solid body pickup, it's magnets and wire, not a piezo) would give me some nice top end sparkle and brightness, and the mic could pick up the bassy warm resonance of the body. This way I have two sounds to mix with. I think it is a good technique, I don't know if anyone else does this but they sound pretty good blended together. I think after some EQ it will sound great. The pickup was run direct into the Tascam.
I am using a Tascam DP-008 and a couple inexpensive Nady mics (SP-1 is the model). I have various novelty instruments, an acoustic (70's 'Pan' pseudo lawsuit OM style, sounds lovely to me), an electric (Fender 65 Reissue Mustang!), various Casio keyboards, a Yamaha CP25 electronic piano, and busted little drum kit. I intend to record the majority of the guitar tracks myself, but I may enlist some guest friends to add some spice. I will also recruit people to play bass and drums and possibly keys. The style can be a bit eclectic, but it's generally fairly jangly fun indie/twee. Some stuff is very upbeat folk country, some in minor keys, but mostly I have been really inspired by 50's and 60's garage and surf pop so as much as possible I want to emulate that sound. With that in mind, some songs may end up being released as just fun little side project singles because I would like to gather what songs I can into a cohesive EP or LP.
8/4
Today I created blank files for fifteen different songs. I used a Realistic Rap Master toy keyboard (actually a Casio keyboard rebranded by Radio Shack) to create drum beat click tracks as the metronome in the DP-008 (and most other multi tracks in my experience) is too quiet to be heard in the mix while recording. I jammed out a little to figure out what tempo I wanted to record each song at. Here is a list of songs, in no particular order, that I will be working on. Some of them are working titles, others are more well established tunes I have had for awhile.
1. Sand Dunes
2. Sky Blue
3. Eastern Shores
4. Russian Olive
5. So Bright
6. Your Ride
7. Cascade Locks
8. In The West
9. Where'd You Go (To Tell Your Friends)
10. Little You
11. Get Down Town
12. A House is Not a Home
13. Untitled Jam
14. To The Sea
15. You Took Everything
I recorded a quick acoustic scratch track about a minute long for the untitled jam (#13) as it's just an idea I came up with yesterday and I don't want to forget it. Since it is just an idea it may hit the cutting room floor anyways.
I recording the acoustic rhythm guitar track for Cascade Locks (#7), which I think sounds good. I learned how to use the auto punch feature on my Tascam which is necessary because of a mid-song key change. I recorded the acoustic both with a mic on the sound hole as well as installing one of those clip in sound hole pickups made by Bill Lawrence. I figured the electric pickup (like a regular solid body pickup, it's magnets and wire, not a piezo) would give me some nice top end sparkle and brightness, and the mic could pick up the bassy warm resonance of the body. This way I have two sounds to mix with. I think it is a good technique, I don't know if anyone else does this but they sound pretty good blended together. I think after some EQ it will sound great. The pickup was run direct into the Tascam.