Apologies that this is the first post for 3 weeks, I've been away, but here's a bit of info on home recording. Recording is every musicians best friend. The ability to record yourself playing and then listen to it back is one that is highly useful but also highly underrated. And to further this the ease and quality of which home recording can be done these days is fantastic. So how do you get started on it?
First things first you're going to need something to plug everything into. In a pro studio this would be the mixer but unless you've got a spare few thousand lying around we'll be talking about using something called an interface. These come in either a USB form or a firewire form. USB is slower than firewire and can cause problems when recording but should do you fine. However if you've got the money go for the firewire. You're looking at something between £180-£250. That'll be more than adequate and you can get them cheaper second hand and it'll be great quality (these things are pretty damn solid). In short terms, and interface is your controller. You plug XLR's and jack to jack's into the inputs (some will have preamps, some may not) and then use the outputs to send to your monitors.
So next you're going to need something to pick up your sound. At this point in time im talking about doing vocals, bass or guitar (or any other instrument that requires a single or two mics - in other words not drums). If you don't have mics already then you're probably best of buying a dynamic mic as oppose to any others simply because they're sturdy and versatile. Shure's SM-57 is a great buy for anyone. When micing up, be experimental with positioning and amp volume levels. You can get a very wide range of sounds in doing these things. Always record something and then listen back to it because it wont sound exactly the same as you listening to your amp (if that makes sense). You'll also need to purchase some XLR's (microphone cables) and probably a mic stand although you can work around this with some stacks of books etc if you're very short of money. You can also skip out the mic issue if you're a guitarist and go straight into the interface but BE CAREFUL with this because it sounds pretty poor in comparison to micing up. I'll be writing a post on microphones sometime soon so if you want more information then keep an eye here.
You'll be glad to hear the next bit requires no money at all so if your bank is broke then things are all good! You're gonna need something to record to, so with your computer (and you can't say you have to buy one because you're reading this) look into downloading FREE recording software. I've tried numerous ones. Audacity is a popular one but quite frankly its useless. Me, JC and Adam here at Jim Studios all use Reaper and its fantastic and the demo doesn't run out. You don't need to go around buying anything like Cubase or Pro Tools and if you have a Mac, garageband will do you brilliantly.
Finally, you need something so you can listen to all your wonderful work. Headphones and monitors are your two options. With headphones these are great to have whilst your playing so you can hear just what the mic is picking up but dreadful to mix on. Always go for noise canceling headphones as well, just so you get the extra clarity. Monitors are very different to stereo speakers, or an ipod dock or your bog standard computer speakers. They will all slightly skew the sound by adding some kind of EQ. Monitors are designed to keep the sound flat so you hear exactly what it sounds like. Position them at ear level if you can and do go around spending loads on them either.
With home recording, the key is to buy quality but not expensive products. You're going to be limited as we're only talking about a little set up in your bedroom. But it is so helpful to have. If you're in a band you can do demo tracks to send to your drummer or vocalist to work on their parts or if you want to hear what you sound like when you play. We use all this gear to record our videos so its worth buying as there's plenty you can use it for.
Thanks for reading as ever. Leave a comment if you want to ask anything, check out the new videos and tell your friends.
Peace, Linus
Monday, 25 July 2011
Monday, 4 July 2011
Signature Guitars - Part 2 (Building your own)
I doubt anyone reading this has a signature model and if they are then i'd say Jim Studios is going pretty damn well. Sadly, the chances of a guitar great following this blog are slim. All guitarists want a guitar tailored for them - the perfect neck, pickups, looks, EVERYTHING. Oh my. But you have to be realistic in life sometimes...or do you?
Alright its not actually going to be a signature as such but it is made exactly to your spec. What I'm talking about is 'modding' or 'customizing' or 'doing up' a guitar how you want it. I'm going to talk you through my experiences of doing all this (and believe you me it was an experience), tell you how to avoid a few pot holes and a few more tips.
Buying the guitar - 4 words. GO FOR SOMETHING CHEAP. You're going to end up throwing most of it away in the end. I bought my 'Tele' for £55-60 about 3 years ago. Brand new and it was just a starter electric. Unless you own a more expensive guitar that you want to modify DON'T go out buying an expensive one because if it goes wrong or you can't be bothered to finished it you haven't lost too much money.
Changing Appearance - Once you have the actual guitar you might well want to change how it looks. I'd strongly advice settling on something you want and then sticking with it. Also, something simple is a good idea don't go for any extravagant paint jobs unless you have the ability to pull it off - I speak from experience on this front as well. Altering the overall shape of the body is generally a bad idea as well. It can be done but can change the sound and the strength of the wood. Throughout the build try and be careful not damage the body. It's going to take a bit of abuse with sandings, resprays, possible routing etc etc.
Changing Parts (guitar geek time!!) - this is probably the reason you wanted to modify it. Lets start with the pickups. You have a wide variety of choices in brands and what they sell. The biggest choice is of course going to be humbuckers or single coils. For all parts of the guitar im not going to talk in huge depth because otherwise this post is going to be catastrophically long. The pickups are absolutely crucial. Listen to audio samples of the pickups before looking into actually buying them and check that they'll fit your guitar (if not you'll have to get holes routed - most guitar shops will do this). Do plenty of research into pickups and if you're not confident with wiring them in send them to a guitar shop or someone who trust who could do it. You then have the neck which you may already be satisfied with but if not they are rather expensive so again do lots of research. If you've got the money Warmoth necks are a great buy, if not you can pick up a decent one from between £30 - 80. However, be prepared for it needing a refret. Choose wisely, take into account the wood, the fretboard and how many frets it has. The bridge is the final big part. Again it is absolutely crucial because the bridge is at the heart of the guitar being in tune. There are a million and one bridges out there but some work best on certain guitar. I.E don't go wacking a tele bridge onto a Les Paul - bad idea. A few other little things like machineheads, (locking or standard - your choice but good machineheads are well worth the investment) electrics (you may want to upgrade to a higher quality of electrics. By this I mean better tone and volume pots etc) and possibly a new body (unlikely, and yes its not little, but if you're not satisfied with the one that then new ones will cost you a similar price to the neck)
Phew. Bare in mind that this will go wrong and its very very time consuming and you might not like it at the end. But this guitar will have your heart and sole in it and call me a romantic but thats the biggest part of an instrument. You have other options - guitar packs are also a possibility or if you're feeling very inventive building the neck and body yourself. Jim did this and it worked out quite nicely. If you're wanting to do this but want to know more leave a comment here and I'll get back to you on it right away. Its a great project and you learn an awful lot but it costs a lot as well. THINK IT THROUGH!!
Peace, Linus
Alright its not actually going to be a signature as such but it is made exactly to your spec. What I'm talking about is 'modding' or 'customizing' or 'doing up' a guitar how you want it. I'm going to talk you through my experiences of doing all this (and believe you me it was an experience), tell you how to avoid a few pot holes and a few more tips.
Buying the guitar - 4 words. GO FOR SOMETHING CHEAP. You're going to end up throwing most of it away in the end. I bought my 'Tele' for £55-60 about 3 years ago. Brand new and it was just a starter electric. Unless you own a more expensive guitar that you want to modify DON'T go out buying an expensive one because if it goes wrong or you can't be bothered to finished it you haven't lost too much money.
Changing Appearance - Once you have the actual guitar you might well want to change how it looks. I'd strongly advice settling on something you want and then sticking with it. Also, something simple is a good idea don't go for any extravagant paint jobs unless you have the ability to pull it off - I speak from experience on this front as well. Altering the overall shape of the body is generally a bad idea as well. It can be done but can change the sound and the strength of the wood. Throughout the build try and be careful not damage the body. It's going to take a bit of abuse with sandings, resprays, possible routing etc etc.
Changing Parts (guitar geek time!!) - this is probably the reason you wanted to modify it. Lets start with the pickups. You have a wide variety of choices in brands and what they sell. The biggest choice is of course going to be humbuckers or single coils. For all parts of the guitar im not going to talk in huge depth because otherwise this post is going to be catastrophically long. The pickups are absolutely crucial. Listen to audio samples of the pickups before looking into actually buying them and check that they'll fit your guitar (if not you'll have to get holes routed - most guitar shops will do this). Do plenty of research into pickups and if you're not confident with wiring them in send them to a guitar shop or someone who trust who could do it. You then have the neck which you may already be satisfied with but if not they are rather expensive so again do lots of research. If you've got the money Warmoth necks are a great buy, if not you can pick up a decent one from between £30 - 80. However, be prepared for it needing a refret. Choose wisely, take into account the wood, the fretboard and how many frets it has. The bridge is the final big part. Again it is absolutely crucial because the bridge is at the heart of the guitar being in tune. There are a million and one bridges out there but some work best on certain guitar. I.E don't go wacking a tele bridge onto a Les Paul - bad idea. A few other little things like machineheads, (locking or standard - your choice but good machineheads are well worth the investment) electrics (you may want to upgrade to a higher quality of electrics. By this I mean better tone and volume pots etc) and possibly a new body (unlikely, and yes its not little, but if you're not satisfied with the one that then new ones will cost you a similar price to the neck)
Phew. Bare in mind that this will go wrong and its very very time consuming and you might not like it at the end. But this guitar will have your heart and sole in it and call me a romantic but thats the biggest part of an instrument. You have other options - guitar packs are also a possibility or if you're feeling very inventive building the neck and body yourself. Jim did this and it worked out quite nicely. If you're wanting to do this but want to know more leave a comment here and I'll get back to you on it right away. Its a great project and you learn an awful lot but it costs a lot as well. THINK IT THROUGH!!
Peace, Linus
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