HOW TO RECORD MUSIC

From the Simple to the Complex

Beginner’s Music Recording

The most simple way to begin recording is with a 4 track.

The 4 track recorder records onto high bias type ii cassette tapes.

There are a number of advantages to the 4 track:

Zero latency Warm analog tone Portability

Tascam 4 Track

Here’s a picture of a Tascam Portastudio 414:

4 Track Recording continued

4 tracks are still popularly used by musicians just starting off.

4 track recorders are quite inexpensive ($40-$100).

The technology of the 4 track was virtually state-of-the-art in the 60s. The Beatles recorded “Revolver”, for instance, on 4 tracks direct onto tape.

Who needs more than 4 tracks anyways?

Enter the Digital Age

The first major advancement on the 4 track tape recorder was multitrack digital recording devices.

Most of these new-age recording technologies record onto little cd discs and other such modern mediums.

The interfaces of these devices makes them less simple and intuitive to use than tape-recorders like the Tascam shown before, but give more tracks and higher, crisper quality recordings.

Newer, “Digital” Tascams Here’s a picture of the newer age

recording devices. As we all know, you can’t rewind/fast forward a CD like you can a Tape, so overdubbing (re-recording segments of a song) is much more of a pain in the arse:

Dawn of Computer Recording

Music has evolved rapidly since the introduction of technology that can be utilized in a creative way. Examples: samplers, tape manipulations, effects (reverb, flanger, phaser, delay, etc). You can modulate sounds in an endless myriad way.

Computers were the icing on the cake as far as giving artists what they need: facility.

Dawn of Computer Recording

Anyone who wants can directly begin crafting music on a computer, using even free software like Audacity. Audacity permits one to modulate sounds with a variety of built-in effects.

Programs like “FruityLoops” quickly allow an artist to generate entirely digital beats, and make ‘trip hop’, ‘hip hop’, or ‘electronic’ style music very easily.

Dawn of Computer Recording

But, when it comes to actual recording on the computer, one needs a little advice.

A problem called “latency” almost invariably raises its ugly head when one first sojourns into the mysterious land of computer recording.

Old 4 track recorders like the Tascam 414 Portastudio don’t have this latency problem.

The latency problem can be resolved in computer recording…

Latency and Computer Recording

But what is latency? Simply put, its delay. You play a note, or sing a melody into the mic, and it doesn’t come out of the monitors until one too many milliseconds have elapsed.

When you are playing fast tempo music, latency makes it impossible to synchronize parts. Even if you are playing in time, the recording will be off-time.

To get rid of latency on computer recordings, you have to go to the fastest data-transfer rate that you can.

Latency and Computer Recording

A general rule of thumb goes as follows: usb 1.1 < firewire 400 < usb 2.0 <

firewire 800 This is the hierarchy of data transfer. It

isn’t exact, but it gives a general outline. Firewire’s usually the best route if it goes straight to the soundboard.

Computer Recording continued

The quickest way to enter computer recording is by buying what is called an “interface”. An Interface functions as an external sound card so you don’t need to upgrade your computer.

Conclusion

Well, music recording can go from the very simple to the rather confusing and complex.

I hope this PowerPoint Presentation has helped elucidate different methods for you and anyone else you know who might be interested in breaking into the field of music recording.

Good luck and have fun!