This Forum is where you can find out what guitars, pickups, mics, amps, software and mixing tools members have used to record and mix their recordings. It is intended to be used by all members of every level whether you are just starting out at recording, or are more experienced and using more complicated set ups and mixing skills.
Hopefully it will be a useful guide for everyone to understand what different studio set ups sound like, and how the hardware and software is all put together to produce a finished recording.
It is intended to be different from the Guitar Gear, Lets See your Equipment, and Music Software Forums. Those forums are more for members to show off their latest gear, or to ask about different hardware and software, or to get help for any problems they might be having with them.
This sub-forum will hopefully demonstrate how others have put their equipment together, and what is possible to produce using that equipment.
There is also the sound quality versus cost issue, but most important of all, being able to see and hear what others are able to do with what they have. I find it's a bit of a trap to research endlessly for equipment because you don't really know what you need, then you buy something, and then find out it's not what you thought you needed. Or, you had similar gear all along and didn't realise what could be done with it.
If you upload a recording that has been produced using that particular set-up, into your thread, it will give an audible example of what can be done and how it sounds.
To make posting easier, use the STICKY TEMPLATE at the head of this Forum where you can copy/paste these headings, see the sort of info that members want to know, and then replace those suggestions with your own info about what you used for that recording.
Many members want to know the following sort of information:
What type of guitar - classical (nylon), steel acoustic, acoustic- electric, electric, semi hollow etc.
What brand of guitar - including what type of pickups on electrics, or acoustic pickups, nuts, bridges, and special features that give it a particular sound.
Playing Accessories - string gauges, plectrum (heavy or light) thumb pick or finger pics etc
Playing Style - plectum, fingers, thumb pic, hybrid, etc
Settings on Electrics - bridge, neck, or in between. Tone knob settings if that is important for your sound.
What Microphones - what type (dynamic, condenser, ribbon etc), brand (instrument and vocal), what position for recording. Also the brand of pickup on acoustics if not already specified.
What Soundcard or PCI Interface - brand, and if you like, why you use it and how it affects your sound. Is it USB, or integrated into your computer, or firewire or do you plug direct into your computer's line in?
Any Amps, Pre-amps, Guitar Modelers, Pedals or any other equipment in the recording line between guitar and computer, and how it is physically linked together and in what order. Brands are useful to know and also the settings you used if possible.
What DAW (recording software) did you use - for example, Audacity, Reaper, Garage Band (on Macs), Audition, Band in a Box.
Making the Recording -
- Did you do one track for vocals and guitar or separate tracks?
- How many vocal and guitar tracks did you use?
- What bit rate and other recording details, mono or stereo etc.
- What FX (effects) - the brand, and what you used eg chorus, reverb, compression etc and roughly how much.
- What plugins did you use (if any).
- What panning, EQ or other mixing tips did you use to get this particular sound.
- Did you use loops or drum software, and if so, where from (website or separate hardware unit), or from Garageband, or other sources.
- Are they free or purchased.
- It's also useful for beginners to know which loops you used, where you got them and any other tips about putting it all together.
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Make music, record music, and then tell us how you did it!
One good thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain - Bob Marley
