Home Studio

Home Studio
Simple but Sweet!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

How did I get started in home-recording?


The foundation for my home-recording hobby started in the 90's when I was first introduced to the concept of using a midi sequencer. I was working as a keyboardist for an evangelistic ministry and we were short, well, the rest of the band. So, I went to the music store to find out what I could do about it because I wanted a full band sound. Surprise! In came the Roland MC-50 II sequencer. I of course had no idea at all how to operate the equipment nor did I have an understanding about midi.  I know it's not popular but I actually had to read the entire manual with a highlighter and note pad! (LOL)

My first misconception was that I had somehow bought a band in a box. I was so wrong! The MC-50 didn't contain any sounds nor did it store or record any sounds. What I learned was that I could share the sound data (not the sound!) from my keyboard to the sequencer of the MC-50. Then this data could be stored in the MC-50 on a floppy disk and played back later. When the data is played back from the MC-50 it must be connected to the same keyboard because it records key signature, key number, etc. Dave Roos of howstuffworks.com writes an explanation that explains the operation of a MIDI controller is:
So what's a MIDI controller? A MIDI controller looks just like a MIDI synthesizer, except it doesn't emit any sound by itself. Think of it like a joystick or a mouse. A MIDI controller only generates pure MIDI data that's interpreted by either a computer or an audio-enabled MIDI synthesizer.
For example:  If you have saxophone data recorded in the sequencer that was played on middle C but you try to playback the data on a different keyboard that has a bass guitar on Middle C (for that given midi channel) then you're going to hear the bass! That's why it's important to remember that data is shared, not actual sounds.

The MC-50 had eight tracks so I could record eight different instruments individually, recording the data from them, and play them back simultaneously while accompanying with the keyboard live. At first, musicians who dive into sequencing might feel overwhelmed.  But after becoming familiar with your particular sequencer functions you will find the ease of creating quality tracks. 

I learned lots of helpful tips along my journey into sequencing i.e. using a foot pedal as remote control to stop the sequencer at desired times, how to adjust the tempo in desired sections of a song to add affect which is called closing the gate/open the gate depending if you're speeding it up or slowing it down and my favorite the wonderful world of transpose, which is simply changing the song to another key without replaying the song. Another great bit of knowledge learned from this experience is the preciseness of digital signals. From the start I realized that if I'm going to be a quality musician I need to record often so that I can really judge where I'm at in the development of my talents, because recording digitally captures exactly what you play--no fluff. The built in metronome, the signal processor, the punch in and outs, it all is precise. I knew at that moment that if I really wanted to be an excellent musician that I needed to record often, at home, to increase my skills. 

Although today I still have my MC-50 sequencer I don't use it.  It's tucked away in my closet.  My Yamaha Motiff 8 has a built in sequencer that is genius.  Happy sequencing.  

                                                                                                                               
Oldie but a goodie!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Multi-track recording: digital or analog

     I am a musician.  I play drums, keyboard, bass guitar, rhythm guitar.  I also sing both lead and harmony.  I have a home-recording studio that is equipped with a Roland VS-1880, Tascam 388 1/4 reel-to-reel, CD-RW, Yamaha Motiff 8 Keyboard, Roland MC-50, several guitars and many microphones.  I've been a musician for almost thirty years.  The majority of my musical experiences is across all genres of church/gospel music.  I spent six years working in music ministry abroad.  Including most of the United States, Freeport Bahamas, Nassau Bahamas, Andros Bahamas, and Trinidad West Indies.  I've been on both sides of the recording industry--as a musician, a vocalist and as an engineer.  I've produced/engineered five projects (all for various local artist) with a sixth in process now.   
     In times past, home studios were extremely limited in the quality of the sound they could produce in their final mastering process.  Formerly, it was necessary to have sound proof booths in order to record each acoustic instrument.  The audio signal would continue to weaken as the signal traveled to the analog mixer that would then be mixed down to a reel-to-reel.  After all of this, the project still had to be mixed to a final master.  All of this would  further degrade the quality of the signal. Now however, we have the use of digital audio which works like a closed system.  The signal strength remains strong.  This combined with the modernization of musical instruments allow home-recording engineers to produce high quality digital recordings.   
     There are a lot of myths, facts, and opinions regarding which is better--analog or digital?  For me, there's nothing more satisfying than the fragile delicacy of playing a grand piano.  The dark sound quality, the elegant appearance, the ivory keys all combine to flood your senses.  But I can't fit a baby grand in my bedroom studio! (grin)   I can, however, fit a Yamaha Motiff 8 synthezier that in fact has several baby grand and grand piano sounds along with hundreds of other quality instrument sounds.  Digital home recording is not a short cut.  It is the way to produce a high quality recording with less head-ache than analog and works great in a home setting.