ilovefuzz.com

So I'm thinking of laying down some solo stuff soon, only problem is I have no clue how to record. I'd like it be kinda lo-fi (think Elliot Smith's self titled). Yes, I know I'm a noob. Cheap is better too!


EDIT: I guess I'm asking what do I need?

Get a Shure SM57 and a Tascam porta-studio 4 track and you're good to go for $100. And you get indie-cred for recording on cassettes.

I'm assuming they are easy enough for a caveman to do it?

Get a four-track and some cheap mics. Then just experiment, experiment, experiment. It's the only way to learn that kinda stuff for cheap.
But it's a whole lotta fun if you have the time.

Sounds cool. Now of course people around me won't have indie cred/tape players, so if I want to distribute digitally/cds? (while still recording to tape)

futuresailors wrote:Get a Shure SM57 and a Tascam porta-studio 4 track and you're good to go for $100. And you get indie-cred for recording on cassettes.

Wow both of these are on sale near me, THANKS!

mutmoo wrote:

futuresailors wrote:Get a Shure SM57 and a Tascam porta-studio 4 track and you're good to go for $100. And you get indie-cred for recording on cassettes.

Wow both of these are on sale near me, THANKS!

No problem!
It's pretty simple plug and play stuff. If you want more than 4 tracks, record 3, and then run them all into the 4th. That will then let you record over those 3 since they're all on the 4th track now.
To put it onto a computer you just need a 1/8 inch male-male cable, a 1/4 inch adapter and some program like garage band that can record. Then you're super low-fi because of the shitty 4 track, shitty cable, and shitty connection!

futuresailors wrote:

mutmoo wrote:

futuresailors wrote:Get a Shure SM57 and a Tascam porta-studio 4 track and you're good to go for $100. And you get indie-cred for recording on cassettes.

Wow both of these are on sale near me, THANKS!

No problem!
It's pretty simple plug and play stuff. If you want more than 4 tracks, record 3, and then run them all into the 4th. That will then let you record over those 3 since they're all on the 4th track now.
To put it onto a computer you just need a 1/8 inch male-male cable, a 1/4 inch adapter and some program like garage band that can record. Then you're super low-fi because of the shitty 4 track, shitty cable, and shitty connection!

Nice

Even cheaper solution - if you have an iPhone, there's multiple multitracking apps that will export in .wav format. I use "4 track" and can export individual tracks or a mixdown in .wav format. $9.99.

I went this route to make sure I didn't spend a shit ton of $$ to buy a dust catcher.

futuresailors wrote:It's pretty simple plug and play stuff. If you want more than 4 tracks, record 3, and then run them all into the 4th. That will then let you record over those 3 since they're all on the 4th track now.

Bringing this back from page 6 (lame I know), but i've finally assembled all the gear I need. How would I do what is stated here? Imagine you are talking to a child .I've gotten the basics of recording on it, but adding tracks would be really helpful!

mutmoo wrote:I'm assuming they are easy enough for a caveman to do it?

Mhhhhhhh... yes and no.

It was easy enough for me to figureout the basics of operating my Fostex X-26, but it may take some time experimenting with it to get the best quality recording.

EDIT: Wow, I only just realized how old this thread is. My mistake!

Either way, my point still stands! I still haven't perfected recording on my 4-track... My 4-tracked Noisecore stuff sounds like shit, even for Noisecore!

I think some of the BEST advice is this: buy some 90%-ish isopropyl alcohol and keep your heads and pinch rollers clean... and then buy a head demagnetizer and learn how to use it properly (I still need to do the later!). You don't have to demag very often, but it keeps the metal bits from becoming magnetized and erasing info from your tapes... Just be sure you use it correctly, and keep it stored away from tapes and sensitive electronics!

Your machine will sound better and last much longer with simple, routine maintenance!