Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: glocke on December 08, 2018, 05:18:20 AM
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I want to start recording myself playing bass..both solo and I also want to make recordings where I am playing basslines over tunes coming from my iPhone/ipod.
Whats the simplest most cost effective way to do this ? Small mixer going into my laptop (older MBP)? I see all kinds of audio interfaces that cost hundreds of dollars and having owned something similar in the past that did not work so well (Apogee something or other), Im not interested in spending tons of money, but I also don't want something that is super cheap and crappy either.
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I use one of these as my input device:
https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-Audio-Interface/dp/B00154KSA2 (https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-Audio-Interface/dp/B00154KSA2)
It includes version of Studio One. I've not used the newer versions but like the one I have. I have also used Audacity which is a free open source editor and recorder and works well to
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+1 on Audacity.
I had it a few years back on a pc and found it very easy to use. I would use my Zoom H4 as an interface to the computer.
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I use a Focusrite Scarlett for my portable set-up; usb powered, solid metal case...and
there are options for around $100.
My DAW is Reaper(free until you decide it's worth paying for).
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I too use a Focusrite Scarlett and Reaper. I also have Audacity, which is free and easy to use. Reaper is $60 and a much steeper learning curve.
My Scarlett is the 6i6 as I wanted the S/PDIF capability. If I recall correctly, the least expensive Scarlett did not have stereo headphone out; so compare specs when researching.
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hmmm...the guy at Sam Ash was steering me towards the scarlett as well...
Does it have the ability to accept input from an audio source such as an ipod/iphone? Like I said part of my goal is to record my bass overlaid on existing audio tracks...I know I can probably use the audio software to import an audio track and than record over that, but for a few different reasons Im trying to avoid doing that.
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The models that are less expensive than the 6i6 only have two inputs; so if you wanted to input a stereo track plus your instrument, that's three inputs.
Here are some comparisons (https://www.sweetwater.com/store/compare.php?items=(ScarlettSoloG2,Scarlet2i2G2,Scarlet2i4G2,Scarlet6i6G2)) of some Scarlett models at Sweetwater.
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I use one of these. Just put it in the same room and turn it on. Surprising quality and it couldn't be easier! O.K., call me a luddite!
Bill, tgo
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Garage Band is good. It's even on my IPhone. Sonar Platinum is now bought out and being offered for free (PC), but takes time to learn (super deal considering I now have over $700 into buying it). M-Audio 610, Presonus Firestudio, etc are good and inexpensive used. I find bass can really benefit from a good preamp though, like an Alembic F2B, before going into a computer. I also have a Zoom and love it, but I import it into my DAW and tweak on it.
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I've got a Zoom H2n & a Zoom H6 - I think you could benefit from the H4n, you don't need the 6 inputs of the H6. I enjoyed experimenting with recording my bass with one channel through a DI and another with a Shure Beta52 mic on my GK cab.
I think a lot depends on what you want to do with the recordings. Is it just to listen back? Or do you actually want to add bass to an already existing recording of your band for example? If it's just to listen back, then probably something like the Zoom H4n would be sufficient. It can even do multi-track, though not sure how you would get the music to the recorder, you might have to import files rather than record the song direct in - 2 of the tracks are the built in microphones, not sure if you can do line in AND the 2 XLR ins at the same time. If you got the H6 then you definitely could use 2 tracks for the music, then 1 or 2 tracks for your bass (and ignore the 2 "built-in" mic channels). I love the H6, I've recorded music with it and also my podcast (though I then dump stuff into ProTools to edit)
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Hey, Wolf: Bill's using his Zoom to establish his bona fides as a follower of General Nedd; c'mon, show us your Studer......... 8)
Peter
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Yamaha Pocketrak PR7. Amazing little device.
Bill, tgo
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I use one of these. Just put it in the same room and turn it on. Surprising quality and it couldn't be easier! O.K., call me a luddite!
Bill, tgo
I'm not a luddite...Im just lazy/lacking in free time and do not want to spend time dealing with a bunch of cables, figuring out software, etc..etc...
I took a look at the Zoom H4n...Looks like it is close to what I am looking for.
1/8th inch line in that will accept audio from my iPhone...that line in would record to one track on the zoom?
The only thing I don't like about that setup is that I'd have to transfer the files to a computer for playback I guess (like I said I tend to be lazy).
As for the focusrite products...I guess if i wanted to get the music on my iPhone into that unit I could just use a 1/8th inch to 1/4" adapter coming from the lightning port of my phone to one of the inputs of the scarlett?
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I don't know about the Zoom H4, but on my Pocketrak I can play what I recorded through its own tiny speaker. Not the greatest quality, but I can hear what's going on. In the car, (where I do a lot of listening to rehearsals), I use the headphone jack to plug in one of those fake cassettes with a wire, and run the sound through the cassette player. (I said I was a Luddite!) I also use this system to listen to podcasts I download onto the Pocketrak (Car Talk, and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me). In my studio, I plug the headphone out directly into the PA for playback. And, of course, I can download everything onto my computer. Quite versatile and as simple as it gets.
Bill, tgo
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I'm not a luddite...Im just lazy/lacking in free time and do not want to spend time dealing with a bunch of cables, figuring out software, etc..etc...
I took a look at the Zoom H4n...Looks like it is close to what I am looking for.
1/8th inch line in that will accept audio from my iPhone...that line in would record to one track on the zoom?
The only thing I don't like about that setup is that I'd have to transfer the files to a computer for playback I guess (like I said I tend to be lazy).
As for the focusrite products...I guess if i wanted to get the music on my iPhone into that unit I could just use a 1/8th inch to 1/4" adapter coming from the lightning port of my phone to one of the inputs of the scarlett?
I'm sorry I didn't get back to this sooner - you might want to check if you can actually use the line in simultaneously with the XLR inputs. In fact, looking at the manual, I don't think there is a line-in, though I thought I saw one - I think it might only be the headphone/line-out jack.
You could, though, record a song into it (in real time) and then afterwards go back and play over it. If this is what you were planning on doing, then I think that is doable - you'll just need an adaptor to go from your mini-headphone jack (1/8"?) on the iPhone/CD player/etc. to two quarter inch plugs. I've recorded like that into mine and there shouldn't be a problem.
But if you wanted to play along as everything was recording, then unless you use the built-in mics to record your amp, then I don't think you can do it.
Also remember that recording the songs into the unit in real time is relatively time-consuming. You'll have to keep an eye on the unit so that you stop it at the end of the song so you don't have a huge file with empty space at the end.
Re: listening back: it does have a mono speaker that you can listen on, or you can listen on headphones (or plug it into a speaker system). You can just leave the files on the H4n and play them from there - I do that with stuff I record at rehearsal - listen to the tracks and only import what I want to into my computer.
I hope this helps! Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about it, or ask here is fine too. By the way, the manual is here:
https://www.zoom-na.com/sites/default/files/products/downloads/pdfs/Zoom_H4nPro_English.pdf (https://www.zoom-na.com/sites/default/files/products/downloads/pdfs/Zoom_H4nPro_English.pdf)
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I'm sorry I didn't get back to this sooner - you might want to check if you can actually use the line in simultaneously with the XLR inputs. In fact, looking at the manual, I don't think there is a line-in, though I thought I saw one - I think it might only be the headphone/line-out jack.
You could, though, record a song into it (in real time) and then afterwards go back and play over it. If this is what you were planning on doing, then I think that is doable - you'll just need an adaptor to go from your mini-headphone jack (1/8"?) on the iPhone/CD player/etc. to two quarter inch plugs. I've recorded like that into mine and there shouldn't be a problem.
But if you wanted to play along as everything was recording, then unless you use the built-in mics to record your amp, then I don't think you can do it.
Also remember that recording the songs into the unit in real time is relatively time-consuming. You'll have to keep an eye on the unit so that you stop it at the end of the song so you don't have a huge file with empty space at the end.
Re: listening back: it does have a mono speaker that you can listen on, or you can listen on headphones (or plug it into a speaker system). You can just leave the files on the H4n and play them from there - I do that with stuff I record at rehearsal - listen to the tracks and only import what I want to into my computer.
I hope this helps! Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about it, or ask here is fine too. By the way, the manual is here:
https://www.zoom-na.com/sites/default/files/products/downloads/pdfs/Zoom_H4nPro_English.pdf (https://www.zoom-na.com/sites/default/files/products/downloads/pdfs/Zoom_H4nPro_English.pdf)
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Yeah I mistook the headphone jack for a line-in.
Im also realizing I might be a luddite after all...I ordered the Soundcraft 8 channel mixer from amazon and it arrived last night. I played around with it for a little last night after downloading Reaper and than spent a few hours this morning with it and ended up getting pretty frustrated with it.
I plugged the USB cable into my MacBook pro, and I used the RCA jacks on the soundcraft as an input for audio from my iPhone, channel 1 had the DI from my demeter going into it...and for playback/monitoring I was using a bose revolve plus bluetooth speaker. audio from the phone played back fine, however there was some weird latency issue with the bass. I'd pluck the string and it would come out of the bluetooth speaker a second later than it registered on the reaper software or from what I'd hear from my amp. Playing back the recordings I made there seemed to also be some lag between what was coming off the audio from the iPhone and what i was playing on bass. At first I thought my timing was just off with whatever track I was using but I verified it with a metronome and the lag seemed reproducible.
Next I tried just using headphones for monitoring and I just simply could not get any sound out of the headphone jack of the mixer. There was nothing but some sort of electronic noise coming from somewhere.
Frankly dealing with the software and the mess of cables is just far more effort than I want to put into this...All I want to do is critique the bass lines I'm coming up with against existing recordings or apps like irealpro of drum genie. I think this mixer is going back to amazon and I'll just stick with the old Sony PCMD50 i have..Not perfect but probably good enough for my purposes.
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Not sure which model Soundcraft you have but if it was showing up in Reaper at the correct time then it is not related to the mixer. I would suspect it has more to do with your computer and the Bluetooth speaker or you have some type of delay effect set for the bass channel in Reaper.
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Not sure which model Soundcraft you have but if it was showing up in Reaper at the correct time then it is not related to the mixer. I would suspect it has more to do with your computer and the Bluetooth speaker or you have some type of delay effect set for the bass channel in Reaper.
I have the notepad 8 channel. I think the lag was Bluetooth related to be honest. Still puzzling why the only got noise from the headphone jack also.
Kind of disappointing but at the end of the day given my limited free time and energy levels I just don’t want to wrestle with technology.
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You did switch the master to headphones or if using the Aux set it to headphones?
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If I understand correctly, you are trying to record yourself playing along to a recording for reference purposes. If that is the case, may I suggest a far simpler solution. Check out the Blackstar Fly Bass amp. I have the guitar version. It is truly the best tiny mini amp out there. I have the mini Fender and the mini Marshall. They are both cute toys. The Blackstar is a real amp. It has an aux in where you plug in your phone, ipod, CD player, or any other source you want to play along with. Then you can take an out, with speaker simulation, directly to you recording device, in mono or stereo You can get an extension speaker for the Fly that turns it into a sweet portable stereo.
Bill, tgo
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For simple ambient recordings of all my rehearsals and gigs I use either my ZOOM H5 or H6 . With both of these units one can use interchangeable microphone capsules and combine line and /or microphone level feeds .I highly recommend both units , The H5 will do 2 channel stereo or simultaneous 4 tracks. The H6 will do a maximum of 6 simultaneous tracks . I mostly just do the 2 channel ambient function with the integral removable microphone capsules . Both these units are highly coast effective :)
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If I understand correctly, you are trying to record yourself playing along to a recording for reference purposes. If that is the case, may I suggest a far simpler solution. Check out the Blackstar Fly Bass amp. I have the guitar version. It is truly the best tiny mini amp out there. I have the mini Fender and the mini Marshall. They are both cute toys. The Blackstar is a real amp. It has an aux in where you plug in your phone, ipod, CD player, or any other source you want to play along with. Then you can take an out, with speaker simulation, directly to you recording device, in mono or stereo You can get an extension speaker for the Fly that turns it into a sweet portable stereo.
Bill, tgo
Correct....Examples, playing the melody of jazz tunes with aebersold play-alongs or real pro going as the backing track, working on bass lines with DrumGenius as the backing track, all played through my iPhone. I took a look at the Blackstar, something to think about but I don't really need another amp.
I did make some progress with the Soundcraft Notepad. Headphone output works today, not sure why it did not work yesterday. Using Garageband I am able to get a recorded signal from my bass and my iPhone when it's going to the RCA jacks, however I only get the left channel...which is the bass and drum track. Sigh...For whatever reason I am unable to use Reaper. First off the signal level is way too low to be of any use in that program, secondly there is this weird sine wave sounding high pitched feedback that occurs in reaper, I have to turn the levels down very low for that to go away. That feedback occurs in Garageband as well..but at least there Im able to get a usable signal, but like I said I only get the left channel out of the RCA jacks.
Sonicus, looking at the zoom it doesn't appear that it would do what I want to do. See my first paragraph in this post...I need one of the inputs to come from the headphone jack of my iPhone. I don't see how thats possible on the zoom.
Frankly Im really sort of amazed by all this..I didn't think what I wanted to accomplish was that difficult, especially given todays tech, but either the technical side of all this just escapes me or I am just asking too much.
Edit: finally got all this to work...Apparently there is a setting in garage band to choose between mono in or stereo in...i had it set to mono but once i switched it to stereo both channels from the iPhone ended up getting recorded.
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glocke ____ , It would being easy to do with the Zoom H5 &H6 in that the Zoom H5 &H6 can handle LINE level signal levels at the inputs . Your headphone outs from the iPhone can be patched in with the correct adapters and attenuation . A simple patch .