davylynne wrote:

I'd like to record my rock band on my PC using cakewalk sonar and I'm
looking into the required hardware.

Depending on the cost of the rest of the equipment I will be looking
to get either a M-audio delta 66 (if I can live with 4 inputs) or 1010
sound card. The number of inputs will mostly be of concern for
recording the drum kit. How many can I get away with?

What I can't quite pin-down (I've been looking on the web for some
time now..) is what I need between the mics and the sound card
inputs? We have a Peavey xr 800F plus PA. Someone else is in charge
of that but I assume its only got two outputs and wouldn't work as a
pre-amp for 4 or more simultaneous tracks? What should I really be
looking to use?

Some sort of mixer would be a good idea - Behringer do a range of good value
cheapies with four outputs (guess at around £100, maybe less).


The other band members have rented a studio before but they found it
far to rushed especially as we have around 20 songs to record.

If you're planning on doing that in one session, you're going to struggle,
especially if you're unfamiliar with recording. Even with a full day, you'll
likely spend far too much time fiddling with settings. If you're monitoring
in the same room as the band is playing, getting a decent mix will be much
harder - and, because you're mixing down to 4 tracks, it's all the more
important to get the mix sorted.

Aside from getting the recording process sorted out, trying to pull off 20
songs could be a stretch. Not impossible, but the band have to be very well
rehearsed - preferably good enough to pull it off in one take per song. I
don't know how long the set lasts, but 20 rock songs could be about 1.5
hours - if you did two takes per song, that's three hours of playing, plus
breaks.

It might be a good idea to substantially drop the number of songs. If you're
unfamiliar with recording, it would be better to treat this as a first
session and use it to learn about recording set up and technique. Still aim
to record some songs, though - folks will want to take something away from
the session, and it's valuable to be able to listen to your recording
outside of the studio or rehearsal room environment (listen on the computer
at home, make MP3s/CDs/tapes and try them on various home hifis, car
stereos, personal stereos, etc).

When you gravitate towards a mix that you think is good enough to record a
few songs with, take notes. Note down the mixer and computer settings,
describe the room (size, furnishings and surfaces), the layout of the drums
and amps in the room, which mics were used and where, the volume settings on
the amps. Note whatever you need to be able to return for a second session
and recreate the set up that produced the first recording.

When you've listened to the first recording 11,327 times, you should have
got past the buzz of listening to yourselves without having to play while
doing so, and will have started to pick holes in the mix (distorted cymbals,
too much bass guitar, etc). You can then apply what you know about the first
recording to the original set up and make the changes that you think will
remedy the orginal's shortcomings.

Some general tips for recording: don't try to push the mixer levels too
far - they don't have to be nudging 0dB for the recording to be worthwhile.
Digital recording has a low noise floor, and it's far easier to get a decent
result from a quietish recording than trying to get rid of clipping from it.
Ensure that the band are mindful of the need to keep volume levels
sensible - watch out for levels creeping upwards. If you can, try to isolate
the musicians sonically to some extent to reduce spill-over from one
instrument to the mic of another.


--
Wally
www.wally.myby.co.uk