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Collaborating on a New Song

Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of writing new music for a vocalist and lyricist I have not collaborated in years. Dave Gr...

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Sep 23, 2018

Where to Start?

The first place to start for me is a part of my hobby. I like to record at home and have been doing it for years. I don't have top of the line equipment. Just my mac and a few tools. Well, with the exception of one of my guitars - back in 2009 I bought a Santa Cruz orchestra model steel string. Other than that - here is my list of equipment.

Music Equipment:
  • M-Audio 45 key USB Midi controller 
  • SCGC OO Guitar
  • Sigma D28 Guitar 
  • Yamaha Classical G-55A 
Recording Equipment: 
  • Logitech Desktop Microphones (2) 
  • Blue Snowball iCE Condenser Microphone
  • Sennheiser headphones - HD 202 

Garageband, which came for free on my Mac, fits my needs perfectly. I frequently reminisce about the days of renting a Fostex 4 track recorder - we would drive into the "cities", knowing a bit more now today it was the suburbs of Minneapolis, rent a 4-track - a few microphones and spend the day recording songs.  Of course we had to save money to do this - but at the end of the day we would have a cassette of a few songs we had been working on. As I got older, we would find time here and there, typically a few days at a shot, at school recording studios training recording engineers... if that is what they are called.

Interesting tangent is my Sigma D28 was the primary instrument during that time - sill a primary instrument today too.

Garageband along with Audacity amazes me. What I could have done as a kid. More than just 4 tracks, without the ongoing expense or logistical challenges!

I use Garageband to lay down guitar tracks and export them into Audacity for an occasional effect, but mostly cleanup, and then bring it back into Garageband.

The keyboard, or more appropriately MIDI controller, helps fill in a lot of gaps - from bass, stringed instruments and percussion - and of course piano. Weighed touch sensitive keys along with a sustain pedal is important. I think I spent just under $100.00 on the set up. M-Audio was one of least expensive with the features needed. Simple, inexpensive, and effective.

Sound banks (Soundfonts) are key to my hobby as well. They are samples of real instruments matched up to keys in MIDI - Cello, Pianos, etc. They go beyond the interpreted, or synthesized, sounds... Because the are real notes.

Blending synthesized sounds and real sounds fill out the sound nicely in my opinion.

Sound Sampling
Some things I learned (or like):
  • Microphones matter - My Blue condenser microphone picks up a lot less air than my Logitech desktop mics and records better range.
    • Less clean-up in Audacity
  • Use the Garageband metronome - effects later like echo, drums and digital delay are less difficult to work with.
  • Get a MIDI controller with weighted keys and get a sustain pedal. 
  • Use Soundfonts with MIDI sounds for realistic effects. 
    • Blend with synthesized sounds.