A thread for the ongoing saga of my new recording setup (and your advice).

I recorded a couple drum tracks for an album using that Tascam DP-008EX. After getting over the hump of figuring out the 90s-ass user interface (at one point I 'recorded' 20 min of takes that were not actually recorded), I ran into a weird problem where I couldn't get both of my mics working:

-Mic A wasn't working and Mic B was
-Swapping the inputs didn't matter
-Swapping Mic B's cable to Mic A DID matter, and then I got Mic A (the better mic) working instead of Mic B. This was weird, since the 'bad cable' is actually the nicer cable, and I've used it for recording into my computer/interface plenty of times recently.

So I decided to go ahead just using Mic A and the built-in stereo mics on the Tascam. Surprise! When I mixed the drums, the built-in mics sounded fantastic. Even better than my Audio Technica AT2035 mic, and they almost sounded like an overhead even though the thing was just sitting on a stool next to my hi-hat and snare. Crazy.

Anyway the tracks were totally usable, and the setup worked well for the kind of jazzy Low-style drumming I was doing (just snare drum, floor tom, and cymbals, lots of brushes and mallets). Adventures in home recording.

finishing up one last recording using our drummer's broken-ass cassette four-track is reiterating to me that i really need to come up with a new system for recording going forward. this thing (tascam dp-24sd) seems like a good option for me. kind of a half-measure between the old-school analog 4-track and recording on the computer, and seems like used/refurbished ones show up for pretty cheap fairly often. i really don't think i can go to a fully computer-based setup without upgrading my laptop and interface, which is a much more expensive proposition, and i don't really enjoy recording on the computer (though i do it as well).

i'm about to convert a 8x20 foot shed into a recording studio/office. any advice on soundproofing would be appreciated

Update to the above: turns out I do have a bad XLR cable, the monster cable just isn't working period. I'm sure it's a simple fix that I'm probably incapable of.

I have to do some brass band recording in my smaller upstairs studio where I actually have my computer and interface. That's pretty hilarious too, I don't like or trust the 'takes'/lanes thing where I can't see my previous take, so whenever I record a partial take and then punch in I'm creating cascades of new tracks to record on.

Heez, do you mean soundproofing inward, soundproofing outward, or both?

The standard advice is: you can acoustically treat a room so that it sounds good in the room. Reflections, bass traps, etc. Loads of foam thingies out there.

But if you are playing rock music with acoustic drums, it will leak. If you have neighbors, they will hear it.

If you want a really "soundproof" room - that is, nothing in or out - you need to construct a room within a room. Framing, insulation, etc. Thousands of dollars and months of project management. More of both if you want it to have ventilation, AC, heating.

yeah, the shed is on the back of our property so i'm trying to minimize the sound coming out for my neighbors sanity. and yes, acoustic drums, keyboards, guitars and stuff. it's actually a 16x20 foot space but we're splitting it down the middle and will have a framed room on one side with drywall, heat/ac, electric. someone mentioned using some putty between the studs and the drywall that reduces the noise going out, but i think it's gonna leak regardless

this is an insane deal if anyone is looking for a multitrack digital recorder

https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H6-Portable-Microphones-Interface/dp/B086653VSH/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=zoom+h6&qid=1667929075&sprefix=zoom+h%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

Yoooo thanks for the heads up!

hmmm

I can't imagine the Zoom would be enough for you though, unless you just wanted to capture the tracks and mix in the computer? Perfect for my needs.

nah probably not what i'm looking for, though the price is tempting

Noooo

Hello Jordan,
We're writing to inform you that your order has been canceled. We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. In most cases, you pay for items when we ship them to you, so you won't be charged for items that are canceled.

Either they sold out, or it was a mistake/not real to begin with?

Ah: We wanted to inform you that the seller of your order is no longer active on Amazon.com and we have canceled your order.

About Seller
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If you want a really "soundproof" room - that is, nothing in or out - you need to construct a room within a room. Framing, insulation, etc. Thousands of dollars and months of project management. More of both if you want it to have ventilation, AC, heating

ok i'm doing this. think using green glue and mass loaded vinyl but if anyone has any advice i'd love to hear it

talked to some specialist in soundproofing and i think i'm going mass loaded vinyl on the studs and drywall on top of that

not as big a savings as the fake sale above obviously but sweetwater has the zoom h6 (and a lot of other zoom recorders) on sale for cyber monday

i'm tempted by this one: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/R20--zoom-r20-16-track-recorder-interface-controller-workstations. reviews make it sound like it would work well with my recording style (quick and dirty).

Thanks, I might pull the trigger on the H6 (again).

Weekend recording diary:
I spent all weekend recording drums for a brass band record in my upstairs studio, where my computer and audio interface is. I don't quite have room for a kit up there, but just enough room to record a bass drum and snare drum/cymbals separately. I dragged up the foam topper from the guest bedroom and a bunch of couch cushions to reduce the parallel walls boing, and used three mics for each drum.

It was somewhat intense recording loud drums in a small room for a long time, especially when I needed to crank up the headphones to hear the track properly in some sections, as well as engineering myself (stepping over to the computer constantly in-between takes). But I can't imagine this particular 9-minute medley getting done in any other way, I'm so glad no one else was there.

There were some hilarious home recording snafus along the way (realizing that one of my track groups had a wrong mic input setting, so I had to redo everything I recorded on that group), but it's done and I'm very satisfied with the results.

Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but I've started to ponder taking my home studio to the next phase of evolution. Currently I use Ableton Live as my DAW to record a few hardware synths and the Roland TR-8S. I find myself flipping through a few different audio interfaces (Expert Sleepers ES-8, the TR-8S, and M-Audio M-Track 8) to make this work as no single one is really doing the trick for me. Ideally I would like a single interface that covers all my needs, so I'm starting to look at mixers like the Tascam Model 16/24. The idea would be to have something that can record all main tracks, synths + multi-tracked drum machine at once, and hopefully add stuff like eq, compression, effects bus. I like that the Tascams have midi ports, which would help me sync everything up, but I think they may have other limitations that might put me off of them.

So anyway, does anyone have a home setup that tackles some of these issues? What would you recommend? I'd like to keep it well under $1000 if possible.

I am all audio (no MIDI at all ever, sorry) and for me the Alesis MultiMix 8 is doing everything I want. Home recording, mobile recording, live use, submixing for full-band tracking... all of it. I've had a few other interfaces but this is the one that works for my needs.

Note, I am going from the mixer to 2-track. Once something has been laid down there is no opportunity to separate and/or fix individual elements. That requires a step or two up in price and complexity. Fortunately I don't need that capability, but if you do, you will find it a more complex challenge.

Yes, I definitely want a way to multitrack as much as possible so that I can refine my parts once I've laid them down. I tend to do a lot of editing, automation, and effects in Ableton once I get the initial tracks recorded. I also need a way to keep all hardware instruments in sync with each other and with Ableton.