karpsmom said:
haha, thanks for the explanation on HH. Believe me, I couldn't be happier about his prevalence, he's my favorite drummer aside from Asgeir Mickelson (another drummer who gets around quite a bit).
Man, everytime I read threads from Andy about recording, it scares the crap out of me for when I record my own band. I know nothing about recording, what equipment is good, and what equipment I will need, but I know I really want to make sure I have a solid sounding album. I want clarity, balanced layered, a strong sound all together. Andy, do you have any basic advice for a beginner in the realm of recording/producing/mixing etc. (equipment suggestions?) Thanks man!
Yeah, it really depends on what kind of level you want to be at. I mean, out of all the bands on our label I don't think anyone is more advanced than us in this field, but at the same time they also managed to produce some really great sounding albums none the less.
Most musicians don't really know anything about production and recording. I am by all means no expert either, but for being a musican and not an engineer, I dare say I know a lot. My advice would be, if you can afford it, to hire someone that knows more about it than your do (for example a producer or a studio). This is what most bands do, but of course it costs money.
For hobby-based home recording I'd say get a decent computer and a software program for multitracking (Sonar, Nuendo, Cubase, Logic, Vegas, Paris, Pro Tools, just to name examples of the most common ones). Sonar probably has the lowest entry level as far as knowledge goes so that's a good place to start.
Then you need a good sound card, I can recommend M-Audio as I have previously had it myself, and their entry level cards start at $100 and up. That's all you really NEED, but for direct recording of guitar, get something like POD or SansAmp, (there are lots more options too like Johnson, Damage Control, etc, etc).
Then you need a decent preamp and compressor. Some units have both included, I can recommend Focusrite as a good brand. They start at a few hundred bucks, probably used.
As a general rule though I would say that it doesn't matter that much what kind of gear you use unless you are at the pro level, because what you put in is a lot more important than what you run it through. In other words, your skill on the instruments, not the gear, is what matters the most.
Of course, with home recording you can only get so far anyway. The last Winds record was mixed in a studio where the mixing console alone costs several hundred thousands of dollars, and each pre-amp for each channel in that board runs about five thousand each. So of course it costs quite a bit of money to rent a studio like that, and someone who knows how to use it.
Best of luck!
Andy