When it comes to the actual equipment that is used for multi-track recording, there are two options that can be used to go about it.
The first option is to use a stand-alone multi-track recorder, which is essentially an all in one solution. There is no need for external components to be added to the recording chain. It’s basically plug and play.
The second option, which has become the more popular way of recording, is to use a computer. This method of recording requires an audio interface to route the source inputs to the computer and the software to do the actual recording.
Let’s look at both of these options in more detail.
»» Multi-Track Recorder
The stand-alone multi-track recorder should not be viewed as some dinosaur technology. They are still very much a big player in the home recording market. The thought of being able to hold a 24 track recording device in your hands is truly phenomenal. The only access you had to one forty years ago was by going to an actual recording studio and paying big bucks to record on one.
Besides their convenient size, the stand-alone multi-track recorder has many other benefits as well. These benefits include:
• Dedicated to recording
• Multiple inputs channels unlimited tracks
• SD card file storage
• wave file recording format
• Easily transportable
• Reasonable price
The smaller eight track units are good for songwriters to get their ideas down and put together a complete recording. As an example, with eight tracks you could have a set of stereo drum tracks, two dubbed guitar tracks, a bass guitar track, a guitar solo track, and two vocal tracks. This makes for a pretty well fleshed out song.
The bigger units are geared for recording multiple instruments at a time due to the multiple inputs they offer. On a twenty-four track unit, they usually come with eight XLR quarter inch combination input jacks. Using six or seven of these inputs, you could mic a full drum set and still have one or two tracks available for other instruments to be recorded along with the drum tracks. More on this whole process later, but suffice to say that recording multiple instruments at a time is one of the main advantages of these units. You could easily record an entire album on one of these and port the tracks over to a computer for the final mixing and mastering phases.
»» Digital Audio Workstation
These days, the majority of people use a computer to do most of their recording. With this setup, everything is done in one place, recording, mixing and mastering.
A good rule of thumb when recording on a laptop or a workstation is it should be dedicated for the soul purpose of recording only. For most people, this is not a realistic option since they use their computers for other purposes and not that many people can afford a dedicated computer. In this case, your best bet is to limit the number of programs you have installed and try to focus on what software you actually need. This computer should also not be accessing the Internet unless to install new or update existing software. There are so many gadgets nowadays to access the Internet with, that keeping your computer off of the Internet shouldn’t be too hard to do.
The computer that is used for recording should have a very fast CPU, lots of ram and a big hard drive. Most computers meet these requirements nowadays since the technology has become more affordable. Computers have also come such a long way that you should not have a problem finding a good computer with these specs for a pretty good price. Gaming computers are a good option to go with. You will also need a good monitor. The bigger the better.
The biggest part of the equation when setting up a Digital Audio Workstation will be figuring out what computer system you are going to use, with the main options being a Windows PC or a Mac. For the more tech savvy out there, you could also run Linux on an older computer and go full open source by running the Audacity recording software. The Windows and Mac platforms are the most popular and have a good selection of recording software, but you will have more software options on the Windows platform than with the Mac. A regular PC running Windows is going to cost you a lot less than a Mac, but the quality you will get with a Mac could be worth the price tag.
The computer will be the main component of the Digital Audio Workstation, but there is still the audio interface and the multi-track recording software that needs to be considered.
»» Audio Interface
The audio interface is a major component of the Digital Audio Workstation environment. The hardware you select will depend on what you are looking to do. For the basic home studio, you will just need a simple two channel interface. There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to selecting a unit and the prices vary like any type of audio product. The most common devices will use a USB connection to connect to the computer.
Most of the audio interfaces out there will likely come with a recording software bundled with the unit. Some of these are full-blown applications and some are just simple applications to get you started, what they like to call “lite” versions.
The main purpose of the audio interface is to pass the signal from your instrument or microphone to the computer. From there, the recording software application processes the signal and records the source to the hard drive. When choosing an audio interface, you should also ensure that it can support phantom powered microphones. There will be a switch or a button on the unit to turn the phantom power on or off. We will be discussing this requirement for condenser microphones in an upcoming section.
»» Recording Software
The recording software that you decide to use is probably by far the most daunting part of setting up a home studio. As far as recording software goes, there are many different types of software applications to choose from, from freebies such as Audacity to pro software such as Cubase and Pro Tools.
Each application is going to have its own ways of doing things, but at the basic level, they will all have a window for recording and a window for mixing. There are so many configurations, functions and features that come with each application that it would be impossible to list them all. At a very high level, the software will include tons of effects, audio editing tools, importing and exporting of multiple audio file types, midi capabilities, custom plugin additions, libraries of instrument loops and the list goes on.
So you start to see how robust of a computer system you are going to need to handle all of the processing. The main thing that starts to hog up computers resources is not the number of tracks that are recorded but the number of plugins and effects that are used. When you start stacking effects up, you start sucking up CPU and memory resources pretty quickly.
The other aspect of recording software is that they continue to be upgraded to keep up with the latest operating system updates. New versions of the software have to be created to be able to run on the updated operating systems. There is usually a newer release of the software every year or so, where new features are added, existing ones enhanced and some simply done away with.
»» Monitors
The main form of monitoring that will be used when recording will be headphones. You are going to need a good set of headphones that fit over your ears and that have a quarter inch plug. It’s also important to buy a set of headphones that have some padding which will provide isolation and, most importantly, will provide comfort to the ears when recording for hours at a time. A good set of headphones might set you back a few bucks, but they will be well worth the investment.
You can mix on a set of headphones for basic mixes, but I would not recommend them for bigger projects. After a period of time, you won’t be able to hear the high and low ends very clearly, not to mention the strain on your ears.
You should get a decent pair of monitors for listening to your tracks, but you don’t have to go over the top at this stage either. The main thing to look for when buying a set of speakers is that they are active, meaning that they have an amplifier built into them. The other thing to look out for is making sure that if you buy a set of speakers with built in bass boost, that you have the ability to switch it off or else you will never hear your mixes properly.
»» Microphones
The microphones you will use in your basic home studio will fall into one of two categories: dynamic microphones and condenser microphones. Dynamic microphones are used for applications such as vocals, micing drums and micing amps. Condenser microphones are used specifically for voice applications.
Condenser microphones are very sensitive and are simply the only choice for recording nice clear vocals. They require power to be able to operate them because they contain electronic circuitry that requires DC voltage. Think of a 9 volt battery and you get the general idea. The voltage that powers these microphones in this case is 48 volts. This power is also referred to as phantom power. The 48 volts of power will usually be provided by your audio interface, but if it doesn’t, you will need an external pre-amp that provides it. So, as you can see, these microphones are not just simply plug and play.
Now, as good as these microphones are for recording vocals, they are extremely sensitive. If your dog starts barking or someone is walking on a squeaky floor above you, the microphone is going to pick it up. That’s why it’s best to use them as much as possible in an area that will not have a lot of noise issues. These microphones usually have a switch to cut down the mic’s sensitivity, which will help to reduce background noise. For basic recordings, though, you can get by with a dynamic microphone to record your vocals.
I only ever use a condenser microphone if I’m laying down vocal tracks for recordings I am going to release and I make sure that I record the vocals in a room that is not too active, meaning, the room doesn’t have a lot of echo.