Recording your songs...

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Gardner on November 8, 2008 at 2:49pm

I'm sorry, Charles, I have been out of the loop for a little while and just now saw the question you asked me.

About transferring Band In a Box to Sonar. After placing all my chords the way I want and choosing the instrumentals, beat and style I like (they have a huge amount of them to choose from as you know), then I'm ready to transfer my saved work. Normally, BIAB saves in midi, but you can choose wav if you want. I just save in midi to a zip disc and transfer to Sonar. Sonar puts each instrument in it's own track. So, that allows me to manipulate each track anyway I want. I can make it mono or stereo. I love messing with stereo. In one song I did, I wanted a sound effect in it, so I put a rocket taking off sound in the song and it started in one speaker and moved to the other...that was cool. The audio tracks that I add,of course are in individual tracks as well so I can mess with them separately too. Once I get it all mixed...(I need to learn more about mixing, I only know elementary mixing)...I put them all into one audio track to save in mp3 or wav or whatever I decide. Now this might not be the correct or best way, but it's what I do. I would like to learn from you guys who really know what you're doing when it comes to recording and mixing!!

Can you explain "the thing you really like doing with BIAB" where you set the chords font really big....I don't understand that? :o|

Permalink Reply by L nielsen on November 15, 2008 at 8:04am

Does band in a box have virtual instruments? Is that what you mean when you say "place the chords the way I want"? I would always save to midi if you can. Manipulating Midi is very versatile. I would always try to keep everything seperated if you can. It will allow you make changes without messing with too many things

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Gardner on December 3, 2008 at 11:10pm

What I mean by placing the chords the way I want, I mean that I take my song which I've hand written (or typed) beforehand and transfer (type in) those chords in and within the correct places in the measures, etc. I have already pretty much gotten the chords the way I want on paper. I like to invert my right hand chords (piano) because I like the sound better usually. So, let's say I have an interlude in my song, in and within the appropriate measures (that's the tricky part) I might put in something like this....
F G/F G/E Am F/D F/G C F G/F G/E Am F/D G
....then continue typing in the chords to the rest of the song. That's what I meant when I said "placing the chords the way I want". When I assign the instrument mix from Band in a Box that gives the feel and sound I want, then I add an intro and ending and save to Midi. That's when I take it to Sonar. I mess with each instrument track in that and add audio tracks for voice, etc. When I have it sounding the way I want (or the best I know how to get it the way I want), I put in another audio track and record all the midi to audio so I end up with only audio tracks to which I save in WAV file. I hope I explained correctly.....did I answer your question?

Permalink Reply by L nielsen on December 4, 2008 at 4:21am

Thanks Carolyn
I think you did answer. It sounds like band in a box lets you type the chord name and it creates that chord with whatever midi patch or digital instrument you assign it. interesting concept totally foriegn to how I play Thanks for the reply

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Gardner on December 4, 2008 at 6:14pm

Yes, that's right, I type in the chord name and the instruments I assign create that chord sound. How do you do it? I'm guessing that you play your instrument(s) live directly into the track and those instruments that you don't actually play or have someone play, you play them through your keyboard into the tracks?

Permalink Reply by L nielsen on December 8, 2008 at 4:25am

I record live into sonar using my Alesis firewire mixer. I'll make a drum track sometimes live, sometimes midi programmed and what I call a (scratch track) a basic chord track that is less than perfect just to hold the song together. then I'll start dubbing in the finished stuff like bass, guitars, key parts etc. vocals last and then detail touches if I want little effects or tweaks.
I'm slow as frozen butter though and never quite happy with the result so I rarely ever think I 'm finished. thats where some impartial person should smack me on the forehead and take over! I pretty sure I'm not the only one afflicted with this syndrome
I have friends that play all sorts of instruments but finding time when they and I can cut their piece is really hard
I play a bunch lately so I even have less time to record. Some fine day though

Permalink Reply by Charles Wolff on December 5, 2008 at 6:55pm

Carolyn, sorry I didn't check here sooner...

Opt. - Preferences - ChordsheetFont - Custom - and then I set the font size to about 36 points
Opt. - Preferences - Number of Rows - 16

That way I can be sitting several feet away from the computer monitor (which tends to cause buzz when I'm playing my Strat) and see the chords, follow the cursor, while BIAB is playing. I use BIAB to drive a MIDI sound unit and use that to record just the drums (mute everything else), with the guitar going through a PodXT separately into the recorder. Basically, it just helps me be sure I'm at the right place in the song with that first instrument. Then when I'm laying down the other instruments, I have the guitar there as a guide.

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Gardner on December 6, 2008 at 7:31pm

Thanks, Charles. I have only used the instruments that come with BIAB. I haven't played an instruments into a track myself, yet. Something I'm not familiar with doing in that software. I only know how to do that in Sonar...and I haven't had any feedback with my keyboard using that one.

Permalink Reply by pani kronvold on October 28, 2008 at 3:53pm

hi hello i´m from greenland
we have thing in our heart we going to put it in our passion
but we need you help
because in greenalnd
we have worship song´s but they are like 1060´s song
and we like to bring new music style but we are not many people
if you like to enjoy us it will be great...
please praye for us...
we wreting our own songs...
but is not that easy to find people who is like to and have passion to
work with us


please please we need you

Permalink Reply by Kelly on November 17, 2008 at 4:32pm

Hi Pani,
What do you have to work with? do you have a band or just a keybord? How many musicians? let us know so we can get an Idea of what might work. also the make up of your congregation is important try to serve everyone in your church ( I know this can be near impossible, but we are here to serve)
Kelly

Permalink Reply by Matt Hall on June 9, 2009 at 6:01pm

Hello Pani,
Try http://mixr.fm - you can add your ideas for a song and get help from other people around the world.
If you only have words, other people can make some music to go with them.

Hope this is helpful,

Matt

Permalink Reply by L nielsen on November 15, 2008 at 7:51am

I use sonar to record with an Alesis firewire mixer 8 ch. I have a few mics shure 58's a 57, a couple Senhieser dynamics and a couple cheap Nady-58 copies and condensers. I purchased a Rolls 4 channel headphone amp and have a set of AKG 240 studio headphones and 2or 3 other cheap sets. I bought a Pioneer reciever and some ok but cheap speakers for playback monitoring

I have not had much time to record though. My biggest problem right now is that I have no dedicated place to record. By the time I drag out the equipment and set up I'm usually running out of time and energy. ( I'd rather play than set up) leaving the recording equip setup isn't really an option yet. I am slowly and patiently gathering all the equipment and will insulate and finish my garage as a studio. I find it hard to get much recording done in less than a 1/2 day.
I have really been enjoying just throwing down some rough tracks on my portable zoom 4 recorder. It's really quick. I really don't have plans of realeasing any finished tracks soon. I can get songwriting ideas down and work the bugs out of other material. I record band practices and our live performance each week for review and future use.

I don't see my self as ever being a recording artist so I don't feel a tremendous amount of pressure to impress anyone with my ability whether recording or performing But of course everyone wants to improve.

I have a lot to learn about the software also, there is a lot of stuff in these DAW's and much of it is pretty complex

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