AboutKyle Aylor Expertise U.S.
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I can answer in-depth technical and creative questions regarding studio/home recording and mastering. Questions to me should limited to these areas.
Experience I owned and operated a recording studio for 7 years and currently own a digital mastering and duplication facility.
Organizations National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences
Education/Credentials Bachelor's degree in Business Management
Past/Present Clients One Less Reason, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joan Red, Scott Sudbury, SoundRight Productions, Avari Williams, James Burton, Mr. Del, Skinny Pimp, Ty Oliver, Jean-Michel Danton, Canton Jones, Justin Posey, Epoch of Unlight, Kurt Clayton, EZ Rock, Otis Redding III, True, Cool Ace, Al Gamble, Will Graves, Da Ladie, Mea Culpa, Tommy Wright III, A440, Clayton May, Mickey Utley, Holy South, John Williams, B.B. Cunningham...
Question QUESTION: Hey, i've been recording my whole drum set in one channel and i'm sick of it. I'm getting a mixer, and I wanna know what program that will have each channel recorded as an individual track on the software, and if you know how to do so, can you please tell me? It seems real complicated. Thanks.
ANSWER: Jake,
This is a topic that I could write volumes about but it's really not complicated at all. There are quite a few programs that I could recommend, Cakewalk Sonar, Sony Acid Pro, but Digidesign Pro Tools is probably the most widely used. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it is an excellent program and you will also need an interface between the mixer and computer such as a Digidesign Mbox. I personally think the more important choice will be the mixer and mic selection, not to mention recording technique. I will be glad to give you tips on those if you need. Keep in mind, depending on the genre and the size of the kit, drums will require quite a few tracks. Feel free to write me back for more details regarding the drum recording process.
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QUESTION: I'm on a slight budget for the software so I might be using Cakewalk SONAR Home Studio 7 XL, which is around $150 or so. The mixer i'm buying comes with a USB/audio interface so i'm assuming I wouldn't need to hook up an interface between the mixer and computer? So, it should detect my mixer when I hook it up. Now, I really don't get this part - how will the program see each channel and have them in individual tracks?
ANSWER: It's a detect and assign method with your incoming tracks. Here is a basic scenario assuming you have a single input or pair of inputs.
1.Track 1 is an audio track. Locate the input and output routing fields in the Track Pane.
2.Select the input source by pressing ENTER on an INPUT field. Select the desired input from the list.
3.The Input Echo button should be OFF. You will be direct monitoring the input through your midi Interface.
4.If you have an interface, press the Direct Monitor button. If you are recording a mono track, set Direct Monitor to Mono by pressing the Direct Monitor (Input Echo) button again.
TIP, If you don't see meter activity on the track after enabling Record, check the Input for the track. Make sure you are selecting the proper input source.
5.Press the Track Record Enable button for the track. The track turns a dull red color to indicate that it is record-enabled. You should now see activity on the Track Input Meter when inputting a signal.
If your input signal is either too weak or too strong, adjust the input level.
7.Optional Step – Metronome: From the Options Menu, select Project. Select the Metronome tab. Next select Use Audio Metronome. Click OK. Make sure the Metronome During Record button in the Transport Bar is On.
8.Press Record on the Sonar Transport control and start playing.
9.Press Stop when you're finished recording the first track.
10.Press Play on the Sonar Transport to play back your track.
11.If you want to dump the track and start over, Right-click over the wave form display in the track and choose Delete.
TIP, You can create a new track by selecting Clone, from the Track menu. This handy feature duplicates the currently selected track complete with input/output routings.
12.From the Insert Menu, select Audio Track. Track 3 appears in the Project window.
13.Select Track 3 and click the Restore Strip Size button to expose the input and output routing.
14.Set the Input source for the track. Click on the little triangle on the rightside of the track Input box.
15.Disable record for Track 1 by clicking on the Track Record button Off.
16.Enable recording for Track 3 by clicking on the Track Record button On.
17.Press the transport Record button and you're recording.
Hot Tip: A quick way to record additional tracks using the same input is to simply drag the Part (audio region) you just recorded up or down to another audio track in the Sonar Project Window, then just hit Record again and go. Choose Blend Old and New when asked in the Drag & Drop Options.
18.Choose Save As from the SonarFile menu to save your project. Choose a name and location that will make the project easy to find later.
Here is a link to a video tutorial that I believe could help.
I know it sounds complicated but after you have run through it a few times you will have the hang of it.
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QUESTION: Very....complicated sounding, but i will save the whole tutorial and try it out when I purchase it. Thanks so much, if you don't mind, I have another question. Why do USB mixers usually only send 2 channels to the computer? This totally ruined my plan on buying the XENYX. What sort of interface can I use that will let me record 6 to 7 tracks at once without any problems??
Answer Firewire will open up a ton of options. Just about as many tracks as you could possibly need. There are interfaces out there that will handle more than 2 at once. Check the Echo Layla 3G. It has 2 mic pres and 8 1/4 I/O. MOTU also makes several interfaces with plenty of ins and outs.
