Post here and I'll try to answer questions about recording

[guitar man]

In addition to being a musician I'm also a recording engineer and the owner of a modest 24 track semi-pro studio. I've been at it for about 20 years and have made a lot of bad recordings and learned a few things from them. I'm not a midi guy so I can't be of much help there, just about everything I've recorded over the years has been what I call "organic" music.... bands and solo performers and the like.

And hopefully somebody will drop in and teach me something I didn't know too...

[limpyhobbler]

1. Looking for some rock-type drum loops

I either need some pre-made rock drum loops or I need a program that lets me make realistic sounding rock drum loops from scratch.

And then I can layer guitar and whatever over the drums.

Any ideas?

[guitar man]

2. did a quick google search

And found a few links:

http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pirsounds/FreeDrumLoops.shtml

http://www.dooleydrums.com/

http://www.looperman.com/loops?gid=1&cid=1

If you scroll down on the first link there's a link to a zip file full of .wav format loops that doesn't seem too bad

If you're looking for something in particular let me know, I'm planning on going out to the studio this weekend, I'll look through the library and see if I've got some drum tracks you can cut up and use

[Scuba]

3. Thanks, the drum loop links and your offer are both very much appreciated.

[guitar man]

8. did you find what you were looking for?

I've got a bunch of tracks from an album that never got finished I'm going to start cutting up and making into some loops, let me know if you need anything and I'll see if I have something that fits

[Scuba]

10. I have more than I can digest right now, thanks....

... I'm 63 and have been playing for 2 1/2 years. I feel like I'm about a year behind where I should be due to arthritis retarding the muscle-memory process, especially in my left hand.

I also have very little talent, but I'm a practice grinder so I'm gaining competency every day. Some of my songs are actually recognizable now!

Thanks for your support! Maybe someday we'll have a DU Jam!

[Tunkamerica]

17. NI Battery 3 has worked for me

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

4. I've got one

I'm looking into buying a set of monitors, do you have any recommendations? I was looking to spend in the neighborhood of $500 for the pair. The Yamaha HS50M look interesting, I'll have to see if I can find a store to give them a listen. Also where do you stand on ported vs. unported monitors? (not that I was able to find any unported monitors in my price range anyway)

Another question: I'm reading a book on mixing right now, and just finished the part about reflections and resonance in a room. It all made sense, the problem is that I don't have a dedicated room to turn into a studio. I'm set up in my living room, which I obviously can't deck out in acoustic foam and bass traps. Any suggestions as to how I can make this setup work?

Thanks in advance for any insights.

[guitar man]

5. Good questions

Ive been eyeing a pair of the hs80m monitors myself. Yamaha made the NS-10 monitors which were used in major studios all over the world for years, and many are still in use.

As far as ported vs. unported, it's a personal choice. To my ear the ported monitors seem to reach down lower into the bass freq range, but the unported ones seem to present a "tighter" bass response. One thing that every studio monitor has in common is, they've all got a lie to tell.

Take a couple of your favorite CDs shopping with you and see what sounds the most accurate to your ear. Most of the monitors on the market in your price range will get the job done. There's a learning curve involved with any of them, you just have to spend some time mixing on them and taking your mixes out into the "real world" and see how they sound.


As far as yor room, hanging acoustic foam isn't necessarily the best way to treat it acoustically anyway. Diffusion is what you're looking for. A bookshelf full of books or something similar behind your mix position can work just fine and not look out of place in your living room at all.

Best of luck and please let me know if there's any way I can help.

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

6. Thanks!

I was looking at the HS80Ms myself, but I'd have to expand my budget and they seem to be pretty big so I'll have to see how much room I have (I'm moving shortly). Let me know if you have any first-hand experiences with the Yamahas.

The Yamaha HS monitors apparently have some controls on the back that are supposed to help get their sound closed to the NS-10s, so that's a plus. Don't know how close they get though (considering also that the HSs are ported).

As far as rooms, seems like the study at my parents' place would be perfect; three walls with floor to ceiling bookcases! Of course they they probably wouldn't appreciate me setting up shop in there so much...

Thanks again!

[guitar man]

7. YW

Im going to try to get to the music store this week for a listen and if they've got the smaller ones I'll give them a whirl and let you know how they sound.

I was leaning toward the hs80m because I've gotten used to a monitor with a 8" woofer. Since I bounce back and forth between Tulsa and Oklahoma City all the time I've set up a second mix room in OKC. I've got an old set of EV Sentry 100a monitors running off a Crown D-75 amp and they really sound sweet, especially for a set of monitors that were built around '80-81 iirc.

Having 8" ported monitors in both rooms would probably make jumping back and forth a lot easier. I've got a set of Tannoy Reveals in the main studio and well.... they sound really pretty. Too pretty in fact, that's the problem. IMO they make things sound better than they really are. I like a monitor that comes closer to telling the truth no matter how ugly it is lol.

[riqster]

20. Kind of late, but here is a contrarian view

I use Event 20/20's, which are a very unforgiving monitor indeed. $350.00 for a pair on eBay. You can see them here: http://www.rumbleman.com/RumbleGear.html

I have had good results and I recommend them highly!

[guitar man]

9. I finally got to the music store

Gave both sets a listen and I have to say, I really like the little HS50m monitors. For their size they really put out a lot of sound, if you've got a smaller space they'd be perfect I think

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

11. Thanks again!

I've been doing some reading in the meantime and the reviews for the HS50Ms are generally positive, so I'll definitely check them out. Since I'm finally flu-free and I've gotten most of my moving duties out of the way I was thinking of rewarding myself with a trip to the music store tomorrow morning. For some reason though the people at the store tend to get upset at the trail of drool I leave wherever I go...

Well, looks like I won't be buying a guitar amp any time soon... but, considering how much I play live lately (hardly at all), a pair of monitors are the much more sensible (and not to mention cheaper) investment. Lately I've been mixing exclusively on my headphones, because they're better than the cheapo monitors I have...

You can hear my latest effort here:

<\shameless plug>

Anyway, thanks again for the info, if I go tomorrow I'll let you know how it went.

[guitar man]

12. I like it!

That sounds really good, especially on headphones

Ok , since you did a shameless plug I'll do one too. I recorded this one back in May, had a bunch of badass musicians in the studio for this one. I recorded the basic band tracks, drums, bass, keys and guitar all in one pass, one take.

The vocals , slide guitar, tambourine and the mixdown were done down in Texas. We are real proud of this one

I'm not much at making videos though lol

&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

13. Good song.

Especially love the piano part, wish I could play anywhere close to that. And in one take no less.

Thanks for the feedback. I surprisingly got about a 110 views on YouTube (apparently having a video with "Christmas" in the title around the 24th and 25th of December is a major draw), but not one piece of feedback.

Went to the music store saturday, but it was closed... bummer. On the other hand I found an ad of a guy selling a Mesa/Boogie Single Rectifier head for €950, which really got my GAS going... I doubt I'll actually buy it, but it's nice to think about!

[Scuba]

14. Very nice. Congratulations.

[juliazoe4]

15. very nice

did you find what you were looking for?

[IceScar]

16. My music

Hello,
I am a young french musician in the urban music : Can you tell me what you think about this music realised by me please ?
Thank you and good listen !

Peace.

[Andra011]

18. Christian hip-hop

Hi,
My name is Andra Lim, i want to discuss with you that music is great think through which we can entertain everybody. So, as just like rap,rock,hip-hop music. For this discussion, i found Benjah music collection, i listened his "The Breakup" most popular video and really amazing. Can you just define that his creation of music is really good and are able to pay rocking enviornment in any occasion as well as in youth celebration. Benjah music creation provides christian reggae music,christian reggae, christian hip-hop,christian pop and many more.

[Munificence]

19. Mic for Guitar

I play a 1970 Martin D18. Love the sound of the instrument but really despise the under the saddle pickup sound. If I record the D18 with a USB mic (Use a Yeti Pro) it sounds great and I like what sound I get. With all this said and being that you have acted as a sound engineer for a long time, what set-up would you recommend for simply using a mic to amplify the guitar vs using any on-board pickups?

Reason I ask is I am looking for something to use when playing small gigs that best represent the sound of the instrument. I lean more towards folk/bluegrass and do a ton of flat picking a break-neck speeds, and I would like to get as close as to the true instrument sound as possible but I do not want to "plug in" but instead use a mic to get my volume levels up.

Call me "Mr. Anti plugging in" if you will.

[riqster]

21. A lot depends on on the room acoustics and the PA setup

Generally I like a Shure Beta 87a for acoustic guitars in smaller rooms. It has a fairly flat curve for a mic of its type, is quiet, and has a tight pattern, that helps avoid feedback.

If you are picking at warp speed, it can be advantageous to mix in just a hint of your pickup. That can add a level of clarity to your sound, provided you don't use much of that signal.

[Munificence]

22. Thanks

Thanks rigster!

I will look into the Shure Beta 87a

One thing I am trying to avoid in my sound is the pick noise or buzz I get from "pluggin in" the buzz comes from the pick striking the strings. When I record with a mic it sounds great but through the pickup it that string buzz shows up and I despise it.

Again I am pretty anal about "tradition" when it comes to my music. I flat pick a lot of old fiddle tunes that range from around 180 bpm -240 bpm. Do a lot of flat picking in the style of Clarence White, Tony Rice, etc. and am about as anal as it gets when to comes to doing things right and getting a good sound (That's why I am playing a 1970 D18).

Me, I am retired at age 42, played music all my life but it was a "hobby", well over the last 2-3 years in playing (since I retired) 8-14 hours a day I have become pretty good. Good enough that some guys hunted me out to join an Americana/Folk/Newgrass type of group that actually pays (not much but it does pay). However I am having a hard time getting "that sound" from my guitar that I want.

When it comes to the buzzing it is the pickup piking up my pick stroke (slight buzz when plectrum makes contact with string). Sounds like it's a problem with the action being to low but it is not. I recently (3 months ago) shelled out $600 to the best known Luthier in our area to do a neck set and map the frets, add new bone nut and saddle so I am good there...is that damn pickup!

[jeepnstein]

23. Ditch the pickup.

I've had lots of success with K&K's pickup but even that doesn't really give the real guitar sound. It's just me but I've never really heard an undersaddle pickup I liked for a flat picker. I have a pickup-equipped guitar for venues that can't handle my request to play through a mic.

These days we're using a condenser mic. You would be pleasantly shocked how good even a modest entry level mic like the MXL 990 can make your guitar sound. Seriously. Just because they're cheap doesn't mean they're bad. They're just not "great". From there on up the sky's the limit. We don't play on a particularly loud stage so the mics aren't a problem. Seeing as how you're in that Newgrass genre I'm thinking you'd benefit from it as well. We position our mics about a foot or so away from the guitars and kind of move in and out to control the volume. It took a while to teach the sound man to just set it and forget it.

Last I heard Rice was using Neumann mics. Of course when a guy like that plays a festival he's usually stuck playing through whatever the venue provides. In many cases I've seen some kind of Shure microphone.