Let's talk (budget) home recording setups!

[DSOP]

Anyone have any experience with these things?

http://www.samsontech.com/zoom/products/multi-track-recorders/

There are definite advantages as well as disadvantages to the Samson recorders. The deal-breaker for me was that phantom power was only available on certain inputs. Also, the equalization was limited. If you can work around that, they're interesting units for the money (and they can be chained together). I like the Roland/Boss units for my purposes, and you can find used ones pretty cheap. They have their own issues too though.

We'll see if anything new comes out at NAMM. I kind of doubt it.

[chris perra]

If your just wanting to improve the sound without spending too much.. Try to get your room and kit sounding great from you sitting perspective..
Use towels, blankets, pillows, whatever you have to break up reflections...so you get a more focused direct drum sound

The set up your Roland unit over your head or over right shoulder ...

The lower you can put it the more toms and kick you'll get..

The hard part is getting a good kick sound... If you can and you have room in the blue room .. try to set the kick up so it's killing you from your sitting location..

Another thing to consider if you don't want to get in to full on recording is another video recorder that has stereo audio placed in another location then you have 2 camera angles and 2 audio sources.. It's not as good as individual mics but it does give you some more flexibility video and audio wise..

I used an Olympus ls 20 video/audio recorder with a roland hr09 to record this..
I blended the 2 together and did some eqing and compression... Mostly cutting mids and boosting bottom end a bit

The Olympus had some trouble with the volume.. So most of the sound is the roland I believe..

[deseipel]

my setup is still in progress, but basically it's a small Peavey mixer, DBX gate/compressors, Aural Exciter, Furman Power conditioner and some Shure mics. I need better mics, but it works ok and I also have a rack case w/wheels (that I added later) as well. I use Ableton to record. I strayed away from most USB/Firewire mixers because you can't do true multitrack recording on them (this may have changed by now, but the peavey mixer I bought has usb, but it just sends L & R to the computer). Any way, my setup was probably around 7-800 bucks.

[Josiah]

I think stand alone recording units are out dated, and quickly going the way of the do-do bird. Digital recording onto a computer just kills them in every way.

With a mac, you're already halfway there. I'm sure they make some sort of firewire external interface? A external HD is a good idea, and they are cheap.

IMO just step up from the M-Audio gear for a little bit more you can grab a Presonus firestudio and get 8 simultaneous inputs, the software, great pre's, etc all in one. And the units can be daisy chained later if you want to go 16, 24 or even 32 channels. You can grab them for about $250 off ebay used it looks like.

A great SUPER cheap room treating option is to get cubicle panels, Re-Stores (habitat for humanity's construction store front) have them for about $5 and generally have a several hundred to pick from in various sizes. It's a very common thing used in high end studios, their sound dampening qualities are exceptional, they are light and easy to move, angle, etc

For under $1,000 you could get a 500gig HD, a firestudio project(8 inputs), any one of many very good Shure drum set mic kits and still have money left over. You would truly ready to rock and roll.

Combined with your already great drum sound and touch, it would be hard to get it much better. The PHX's help of course, they record like monsters.


*I got the e600's because they have the same frequency response as 57's, but are smaller and nearly the same cost.

[Steve Holmes]

Helpful

[markie04drum]

Steve do you have another computer or just the Air with a USB? That will be a bit limiting, to something like the Fast Track Ultra.

I had a Fast Track Ultra, and if I remember correctly, it would only work with M-Powered Pro Tools, if you plan on going the Pro Tools route. I found it limited in other ways (USB slowdown and freezes), and moved to a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40, but that requires a firewire drive. I will say once you start recording yourself, it is so much fun, and addictive, you will likely, like many of us, want to expand.

I prefer working in Pro Tools myself, as it seems to be more universal with most people I work with. If someone is using Logic, which is cool too, I just bounce down to wav files and drop them in.

Mics are key! Your playing is always so dynamic and played a such a high level, I really think a few condensers or ribbon mics would pick it all up really well. I wouldn't get to caught up in using a "bass drum mic". I find myself using a large diaphragm condenser about a foot and a half in front of the reso head, and a couple of ribbon or condenser mics in front of the kit just a little above and facing slightly downward gets a good mix. Especially when treated correctly (panning, reverb, etc). Then you have more universal mics for recording other instruments really well.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Markie. The guy in they vid I just posted is using the Fast Track Ultra with garage band, unless I'm missing something?

[sturla]

Mics are key! Your playing is always so dynamic and played a such a high level, I really think a few condensers or ribbon mics would pick it all up really well. I wouldn't get to caught up in using a "bass drum mic". I find myself using a large diaphragm condenser about a foot and a half in front of the reso head, and a couple of ribbon or condenser mics in front of the kit just a little above and facing slightly downward gets a good mix. Especially when treated correctly (panning, reverb, etc). Then you have more universal mics for recording other instruments really well.

I´ve also found this to be very much the key and I could´t agree more. I think a setup like described above would sound amazing with your playing, Steve.

[Juan Expósito]

Helpful

Clearly spoken.

I wouldn´t attach the snare mic to the HH stand. It will catch a lot of noise of the stand/pedal/foot mechanical movements/vibrations...

[Rodge]

Helpful

I was thinking about posting that video, I think I saw that one some month ago on Andy Fisenden's facebook, that guys must be a friend of him, very interesting video.