Recording at home (VST instruments)

[Belizer]

Hi

If ayne here is working with VST instruments common in share your experience, links, discuss instruments and more.

I am writing in 70es rock music style. Want my songs to sound as realistic as it is possible (for example http://www.realmusic.ru/play/file/hifi/35799/228949/itbmtvbr_228949.mp3) currently I have problems with bass and drums. I feel that Steinbergs Groove Agent is not quite ok. Quality and balance of presents is something I do not like.

What VST drums do you use?

[mlr_pa]

Tough question there. I mdon't use VST stuff, since I've yet to find something I like enough to use constantly

I use Adobe Audition 1.0, that came bundled with Loopology, and that has a crapload of samples, from drums, bass, guitars, to the occassional horn solo or 2. (it's 3 in the morning, and for some reason the Bass player doesn't want to come over. With just a few clicks, you have the walking bass line for your song demo.)

I also use the mfiles that came bundled with Guitar Tracks Pro 2 from Cakewalk. Not mquite as good as the Adobe stuff, but it works in a pinch.

I tend to use 2 drum machines. An ancient Korg DDD-1, and a even mor relic Roland CA-30 Intelligent Arranger. These bad boys I run thru an Emu Proteus and a Roland SC-7 for the actual voices.

I think it's best to have a stand alond drum machine, since it's easier to write out those tricky parts, then sitting there, and working with 10 tracks and single one shot drum samples to get that 2 second ending. Good luck in your hunt!


www.musicforte.com/member/mlr_pa

[Belizer]

[mlr_pa]

no my friend, they're all hardware, and quite old actually. The Korg just having its 19th birthday party last week. I am used to the old tech, and love it for that special sound and feel that you can only get from the "vintage" stuff. (Ihate that term! It was all cutting edge when I bought it! sigh,.... I'm old......) You can find most of this stuff on ebay for around $50 or so.

And yes, any info of the VST stuff would be appreciated.

[Belizer]

[astcyr]

The only place that I can redord is at home as there are no studios anywhere close to where I live. I record everything live using my Privia PX-300, a Peavey mic, and a Fender KXR amp.
Not being able to afford high-end software, I use MM Jukebox and/or N-track studio.

[mobilehomeboy]

If you listen to my stuff, it's all pretty clean. And you'll find that I don't use VSTs, at least not frequently.

Here's how I do it:

Recording Software:

All in the IDE. SONY'S Acid Music Studio 6.0. EXACTLY like the Pro-Tools rigs you see in the "professional" studios. Gives you the grid to line-up your tracks with to keep them nice and tight.

Drum tracks:

Just that, groups of "one-shots". Bass, snare, hi-hats, toms, crashes, all one-shots, then "grouped-and-looped". Snapped to the grid to keep it metronomically perfect (also why it's so hard for me to find a drummer I like, I've been spoiled by perfection, lol).

Bass tracks:

Regular guitar played straight-in, clean into the IDE, then dropped an octave in the post, reinforced with the bass synth on the crappy Casio CTK 600 I have. Keeps the lows where they need to be.

Guitar:

Les-Paul copy. Got it for Christmas, $99.00 from K-Mart, Tuned WAAAAAAY low, for the heavier sound. Through a Digitech GNX-1., again, run straight-in, no hotbox, just line-out from the pedal to the PC.

Vocals:

I used PC headphones run into the mic jack on the PC. Which is why it sounds like a duff-mic, because it's not a mic at all, lol.

Since I'm pretty skilled and well-rounded with all of this stuff (not bragging, just EXPERIENCED, been doing it longer that some of you have been alive....) it comes out pretty clean.

No harmonizers, no "cheats", no even real thought into post-production, just raw skill, pretty much.

Except for the PC, my whole equipment totals about $200.00 - $300.00 in net worth. Including the price of the software.

It's not what you have, it's what you DO with it.

And PRACTICE helps.

[Belizer]

[Belizer]

[mobilehomeboy]

To be quite honest, though, the reason I don't have a whole HOUSE full of gear is because I can't afford it.

I'm totally NOT against using tons of it, because there USED to be a day when I could afford it and HAD it, but those are gone, lol.

Trust me, I've had my eye on this KILLER triple rec head (I was gonna invent one until I saw someone YET AGAIN beat me to it...) at a local music store.

Needless to say, I don't get out much. I'm a hermit these days.........

[mobilehomeboy]

And on top of everything else, my guitar didn't survive the move.... so that's the end of THAT for a while, too.

Yup, life happens.

[Belizer]

Sorry for that.
Actually it is not the point whether we have or do not have. Point is is it necessary to acquire stuff like that and what stuff. Regarding guitar I remember )) Once I bought acoustic fender (made in china). It has eqializer and output (jack) for recording. It did sound ok but when i made recordings it was very terrible. I spent half of my salary but in spite of this it was so nasty for recordings that I crash that guiar. And no regret. There many things that are fake. Lets say - Creative Audigy Soundcard. This is s***. And it also was expensive for me. But for me unfortunately there were nobody to tell me "Hey I have worked wih this soundacrd and it is not worth buyig. You'd better raise more money and buy something beter like TC Connect 8". Thats why I am talking about VST soft here. To discuss and to share experience. There are a lot of advertising for them and words "high quality" "professional" nd etc. But many of them ae just s*** )))) Steinberg Virtual Bassist for example, virtual bass guiar that plays within only two octaves. Did they tell about it in their advertising? But here I can confirm )))) and warn - do not buy it. Hardcore Bass and Trilogy are much better. Magestic as guys say are even better. But i do not have it and can say nothing.
)))

[mobilehomeboy]

I agree. Totally.

But the point is, I WANT a whole house full of gear, lol.

Two full stacks and a loaded rack FULL of toys in each room.

Ah, those were the days.....

[Belizer]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

I see.
In spite of the fact that most of them may be useless I would not refuse from having them all neither )))))

[ITP]

Hey mate
for giving the vst sound bigger u need -
a: to use serious vst's ( like native instruments for example).
b: then u take it and try to pass it through serious amps ( we use the UAD Niegel for that ) , it gives the sound width and power.

great day

SAMI@ITP
www.itpmusic.net