01-30-2009, 10:29 AM

Hi, I need some help on information on how to record a band. Specifically a hardcore band. I'm not sure what software to use, I'm guessing I should use garageband but I also need to know what kind of mics I need for the vocals and the drums and how should I record the guitars, Mics or Interface?

02-02-2009, 07:53 AM

Hmm, for a hardcore band ( I am assuming you mean hardcore-metal, not hardcore punk) I would mix the drummers real drums with samples if possible, use Drum Kit From **** in the EZDrummer plug in, it's cheap, $150.00 and it works in Garageband, Ableton, Reason, Logic Pro-Tools, etc etc. For guitars, I use POD Farm that came with my Line 6 KB37, theres a literally ton of different amp models you can build. I also use Guitar Rig 3.1.0 by Native Instruments, it's pretty inexpensive too. For drum mics, use Shure Betas on the drums, if you can't afford Betas you can use PG series as well, but it will not sound nearly as good and you will need more sampling. Make sure the drummer plays with a CLICK TRACK, force the issue, it will make your life so much easier if he is sloppy.

02-02-2009, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by jakeummsi

Hi, I need some help on information on how to record a band. Specifically a hardcore band. I'm not sure what software to use, I'm guessing I should use garageband but I also need to know what kind of mics I need for the vocals and the drums and how should I record the guitars, Mics or Interface?

How good are they expecting to sound? I was using probably about $5000 in equipment to record and that was on the cheap.

My suggestion is if you really want to do this, then ditch garage band. Logic is so much better. Find an 8-10 input fire wire a/d converter, and rent mics. That will probably be the cheapest thing I can think of.

Mainly this is because of your drummer. Last heavy heavy heavy band I record had a drummer with a snare, four toms, kick, and a ton of cymbals. I find that they don't travel light. I was just getting by with 7 mics for recording the drummer.

And you're going to have to record them generally one at a time.

What I do it start with the the drums, bass, and guitar. I record the drums the first time with a click track playing and just do scratch tracks of the bass and guitar so the drummer knows where he is in the song and so they can get a solid base. Then I record guitars and bass. Finally vocals.

Quailty will depend on equipment. Cheap mics and cheap preamps aren't going to sound as good as tube mics and nice pre's.

Also, knowing how to record is a big plus. I hate modeling instruments. It just doesn't have the same sound as recording a nice rig. What's the point of having a 300w tube amp and amazing sounding 4x12 cabinet when you're recording from a line out into a box. When I recorded the guitar I used two mics. One infront of the cabinet and one on the other side of the booth. Other tricks can be helpful. Layering vocals to make a much stronger sound sounds better to me than using chorus and a ton of digital effects. Knowing how to chop pieces together is invaluable. I'm pretty sure that you're not going to be able to go through a whole song without having people miss parts. It's a lot of pressure recording. You'll need to be able to count in and then make sure it sounds like there was never a break or pause in the music.

Good luck.