Recording is one of the main areas in music that I have an intense interest in pursuing, the others being performance, composition, orchestration/arrangement, and education. My past experience with recording has been spotty at best but I have learned a good deal about many aspects I need to consider. From a historical perspective I didn't get into it at all until the mid 1980's when I acquired a Tascam 234 Syncaset which was completely underutilized. After my problems with that recorder I started using Reaper, first with a Soundblaster for I/O and then using an FCA-1616 when it came out around 2014. The FCA served me well until a lightning storm in 2018 and rather than paying almost 2/3 of what it originally cost me to repair it I got a pair of UMC404HD I/O units. This was because I only had 4 busses on my MX2642 that I could use for routing and I only paid $99 each for them. They have been good units and I like the portability of the devices being able to take one with my computer to record on the go but when the right channel of the MX2642 finally started giving me serious problems on both the sub and main busses in 2019 combined with the hassle of having to constantly swap cables using the UMC404's I knew it was time to finally upgrade my studio mixer and I/O. After evaluating the available options and saving up the money I decided to get the Behringer X32 and it arrived about a week ago leaving me with the challenge of getting my studio configured for optimal use before school resumes this fall.
One of the ways I approach projects like this is to simply create a list of the things I need to do and tick them off as I complete them. Normally I will write down these lists on a notepad and date them and I started to do this again this morning when I decided I perhaps should simply make a blog post under a category specific to recording on the website. Hence this is the first recording specific blog entry I am making. Before I get into making that list I want to address some higher level considerations that I have about my reasons for recording. My overall goal is to be able to produce music. Any recording I make represents a tangible product or output that reflects my musical interests and tastes and as such I want it to be as close to what I hear in my head as possible. At the same time I want to be sure that I don't violate any copyright laws in the potential distribution of any covers I may record and post. Unless or until I secure permission for posting covers of other artists I will not be able to share any such recordings with my fan base. What this means is that all recordings I publish will only be of those that are my original compositions or songs in the public domain. This does not mean that I won't record covers because I believe trying to recreate the sound of an artist whose music you love is a great way to learn to apply the techniques they used to create that sound. It simply means that I won't be posting covers.
There is a benefit in this policy to me as well. I just means I have to pay more attention to my own compositions and making them sound the way I want so that I can share them with you. That will be the nature of my recording focus throughout the summer and moving forward. Having said that, it's now time to move to the lists. Although I did use the UMC404's to record the first two or three YouTube videos I posted earlier this month I never did use those recordings to master the audio in the videos, opting instead to keep the harsh sound that was recorded by the computer mic and the mic in the Logiteck c920 for expediency in posting. During June my plan is to record a minimum of four short musical compositions, possibly less than a minute each, that will allow me to display a little of my musical inclinations as I configure the studio. The specifics of how each piece comes into existence in terms of how envision and develop the theme or motifs or lyrics that I use will be described in the specific log file for that project. (see The Music Management System (MMS) for a description of how I am keeping track of projects details.) Still, there are some other considerations that depend on the nature of the material I choose to record.
First, what is the instrumentation? If it is a solo instrument then there will be considerations around where to record it, and particularly for acoustic instruments, what microphone techniques to use. Of course, with that and me as the performer I will want to be able to play my best which may or may not sound very good depending on my skill with that particular instrument. I'm tempted to say that if it sounds bad to me I won't post it but it is those performances, or practices that constitute the focus of my companion website Let's Practice Music so there will likely be some commentary about that particular project on that site addressing the performance issues encountered hopefully with suggestions on how to go about resolving them. If it's a multi instrumental arrangement of something then the start will likely consist of establishing some kind of a rhythm track and defining the various regions in the song. Then, what does it take for me to be satisfied with the performance to consider it something worthy of release? I suppose that's my judgement call I'll have to make when the time comes. Last, is it something that I will need to go ahead and file for copyright and have I properly embedded the metadata in the sound recording?
At any rate, back in October of 2019 I was struggling with the hassle of having to use the UMC404's as my mixer and considering the future of my recording efforts - which at the time was a somewhat low priority as I was putting most of my effort into my audition preparations - and I created the following list of things I wanted to do in the recording domain:
- Explore drum sequencing using MIDI, megababy, and MT Drums. [create a project plan]
- Create click tracks with counting in 4/4, 3/8, 3/4, 6/8, 2/4, and other meters as needed.
- Create a drum sample loop library.
- Write down my recording procedures in a handbook.
- Establish the beat or tempo.
- {I didn't get past this]
- Explore techniques
- compression
- EQ
- DAW
- Microphones
- Hardware
- Continue project template definitions
- Record cover of 'Oh Darling'
- Review existing recordings to put on website.
I could say a lot about each of these items and I still want to do and will do most of them but they collectively point to three general things - establishing the rhythm foundation for the recording, having knowledge and skill using recording techniques, and producing content or product. At the time I wrote this my focus was mostly on rhythm and is described in the article on Why I'm Taking Drum Lessons. Now, my focus has shifted and I am chomping at the bit to begin producing a tangible product - my music. Naturally, that subsumes the need to have a strong rhythmic foundation but now, in order to realize that goal, I need to augment the list I made seven months ago with the considerations on the following list.
- Finish configuring the studio to enable the most efficient workflow possible.
- Define and set up the default inputs and outputs to the X32
- stereo in for the MP5
- stereo in for the Nitro
- line in for guitars
- line in for the Hammond
- lines in for the various microphones
- Define and configure the standard default configuration between the X32 and the Dell laptop
- Determine why windows doesn't see all the IO from the X32 (Reaper can see 32 channels of I/O from the X32 but Windows 10 only shows two channels) I've sent an email to Behringer asking about this and the different drivers but haven't seen the response. Although it's not a critical issue at this time it will ultimately have an impact on how I have to configure the channels on the X32 to play back from programs other than Reaper)
- Create new track templates in Reaper that reflect the various instrumental configurations I will be using to record from.
- Studio A (MP5/Nitro/guitars/microphones/other on demand)
- Studio B (Microphone lines to record Hallet Davis Piano
- Studio C (live streaming considerations and other acoustic instruments - not a priority at this time)
- Studio D (Hammond/Acoustic drums - when I get them)
- Define scenes/snippets/cues? for different recording situations on X32
- Purchase cable and connectors to build custom patch boxes and cables for all studio rooms to minimize spaghetti cable mess.
- Define and set up the default inputs and outputs to the X32
- Select projects to record.
- Multi track improvisations
- Compositions
- Public Domain works
As is evident here I have a lot of work to do but feel I've made a great deal of progress already. I've worked to build a foundation for my online presence that reflects my individual interests and that I will continue to support and build upon in the months and years to come. I have improved my performance skills and I have in place a process to continue that progress in the form of an intensive academic program. I am now going to turn to the compositional aspects of my music and hopefully will have something to share in that arena by the end of next week. What I haven't addressed here is the topic of video recording and how I envision that being integrated into the studio. Some of that is addressed in various segments of the Online Presence Blog but the importance of also getting that set up for efficient video production before the resumption of school should not be understated but for now I have my hands full with getting the recording process streamlined.
I don't know if any of this is helpful to anyone but if so, feel free to leave some comments.
Greg