Play It Again, Sam!

[jimk]

Well.....here goes. It's my first audio post on the forum. As always, constructive comments are welcome.
I'll Probably Feel A Whole Lot Better When You're Gone

Recording Data:
TASCAM DP02
Mics: MXL 990, CAD CM217, Shure SM57
Bass direct into the TASCAM
Rickenbacker 360/12 string-->Kustom K200-->MXL 990; Pickup selector, middle position
Gretsch 5120-->Kustom K200-->Shure SM57; Pickup selector, bridge position
Kick drum-->MXL990
Overhead drum mic-->CAD CM217
All vocals-->MXL990
All instruments and vocals by Yours Truly,
JimK

[beatbyrd]

Hi Jim. Welcome to the one man band recording club. I think that your first effort sounds fine. If you get hooked on it, there will be an endless cycle of reading gear reviews, upgrading/learning new equipment, and reading books about mixing, mastering, and general recording techniques.

In my experience, each new song that you tackle will teach you something. I'm working on my 92nd song right now and I still feel that there are incremental improvements happening. My first recording ("I'll Be Back" by the Beatles) is pretty painful for me to listen to. My advice after hearing your Byrds cover is to maybe pick up a tube preamp/channel strip for your microphones (and anything to be recorded direct). There are some decent, inexpensive ones available, like the Tube Pac or Pro Channel by Art. Whatever you get will be better than the onboard ones in the Tascam. Another good investment would be some decent monitors. Then, just keep cranking them out.

Here's looking at you, kid. Nice work. PM if I can be of any help. Tom

[jimk]

Thanks, Tom. I have some basic beginner's questions. What does a tube pre-amp do? And why does one need one?

I forgot to mention the studio monitors in the gear list. They are M-Audio BX5-a. I hope these are decent.

Here's the same recording tweaked with a little compression, and some leveling. I used Audacity.

Take 3 version 2

P.S. I know what you're talking about when you mention the better quality of an outboard pre-amp, if these things can be judged by the quality of the effects that the TASCAM generates. They're mostly pretty cheesey.
JimK

[beatbyrd]

Thanks, Tom. I have some basic beginner's questions. What does a tube pre-amp do? And why does one need one?

I forgot to mention the studio monitors in the gear list. They are M-Audio BX5-a. I hope these are decent.

Here's the same recording tweaked with a little compression, and some leveling. I used Audacity.

Take 3 version 2
JimK

I think that the BX5a monitors are fine for your studio. I also think that the newer mix is improved.
As far as a tube preamp goes, they aren't essential, but they can help add some 'warmth' to digital recordings. Right now, you're using the onboard preamps in the Tascam unit to boost the levels of your microphones and guitar (if you're going direct). That's fine and all, but a dedicated preamp or channel strip will generally provide a higher quality signal than just going straight to the recorder. Tascam made a lot of compromises in the design (and pricing) of the recorder. An external preamp will be an upgrade to the ones that they provided. You should notice a cleaner, louder signal with less noise and more 'presence'. Any preamp should give you an improvement. Tube preamps will add a little warmth. Cheap ones are $50 - $200. Or..... you can jump right to the Avalon, Universal Audio, etc. and spend north of $1500 - $2500 (per channel - for stereo, you need a pair). Good luck with your recordings. Tom

[jimk]

Clean and loud signals...you put your finger right on it. This has been the bane of my home studio recording existence. I'll look into some of the pre-amps out there. And thanks, ever. I appreciate your advice and suggestions.
JimK