Topic: NEW TO TS AND HOME RECORDING

[Cayden]

Hello All,
I have just registered and am looking to increase my very limited knowledge of current home recording technology.  I play Irish Whistle, am a habitual listener of Irish Traditional Music, and seek to make recordings of myself and friends playing music.

I just recently purchased a Zoom H4N recorder to get started.  I will also be looking to purchase a laptop / DAW that can be used somewhat dedicated for audio recording / editing, and for limited home use of emailing, surfing web, etc.  I have prior experience with PC, none with Mac, but am open minded to suggestions.

So, that pretty much sums up my recording interests, equipment base, and needs.

Cayden

[runonce]

Check the Pittsburgh team thread...Not sure any of those guys play the Irish Whistle...but I've heard a couple of them are pretty good on the skin flute.

[Cayden]

Check the Pittsburgh team thread...Not sure any of those guys play the Irish Whistle...but I've heard a couple of them are pretty good on the skin flute.

Runonce,

Two entirely different instruments, and this Lad is NOT a "skin flute"kind of guy.

Cayden

[hoppedup]

You won't find a lot of love for Zoom products around here but the H4N may be okay depending on what you want to do. I have read here and elsewhere that the H2 had decent internal mics. I have used, but never owned, an H4N. I know it has very sensitive inputs that would necessitate some type of attenuation if you plan to record from a hot board feed. If you are just sitting around with friends making non-amplified music, the internals could do fine. The best recordings I've heard from internals were all close to the source of the sound. You could add external mics and pre-amp as your budget allows. It is good to post a budget if you do ever ask for suggestions on gear, because you can spend from $100 to $10,000+ on a rig.

As far as a DAW, get the fastest processor and most amount of RAM you can afford.  If you have any thoughts of doing HD video, or think you might in the future, definitely get as much of both as you can. Up until two years ago, I was processing on 2003 desktop with 512 megs of RAM and slow processor. When I got a new laptop, my processing time was cut by about 80%.

I use Audacity for most of my processing.  It is free, open source software that serves my needs just fine. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

 Take a lot of what you read here with a grain of salt. There are lot of opinions here and some defend theirs with incredible fervor.

[Cayden]

Hoppedup,
Thanks for your helpful reply.  I am sensing thst the Zoom products are not the most favored on this forum.  The H4N shoulf fit my needs and budget nicely now and for the futue fow how I plan to use it.  If not, Imwill make needed adjustments down the road.  I have no plans to make video of any kind so that is moot.  Most any music I record using the H4N will be accoustic in small venue spaces and within close proximity to the source.  If not as mentioned, I may need to invest in appropriate gear to address those conditions.

Audacity has been suggested by a few of my friends for consideration, and one certainly can't beat the price.

Cheers,
Cayden

[acidjack]

Hoppedup,
Thanks for your helpful reply.  I am sensing thst the Zoom products are not the most favored on this forum.  The H4N shoulf fit my needs and budget nicely now and for the futue fow how I plan to use it.  If not, Imwill make needed adjustments down the road.  I have no plans to make video of any kind so that is moot.  Most any music I record using the H4N will be accoustic in small venue spaces and within close proximity to the source.  If not as mentioned, I may need to invest in appropriate gear to address those conditions.

Audacity has been suggested by a few of my friends for consideration, and one certainly can't beat the price.

Cheers,
Cayden

I like Audacity a lot; I own an expensive audio editor as well (Audition) yet find that for most of my needs, Audacity still does the trick. I also find it easier to use, and it has the added advantage of making it easy to track your files.

Zoom products are not loved here, but for what you are doing the Zoom is a fine start. If you are really going to be close to the source, I'd recommend investing in some inexpensive omnidirectional mics that you could plug into the Zoom.  If you want something small and unobtrusive, the Naiant X-X would do the trick.  Also, Jon Stoppable, who is a member here and is the maker of Naiant products, could probably recommend the right product for you.

[Cayden]

Acidjack and Jon Stoppable,
Thank you for the information.  I am not really looking to make "studio" grade recordings, as I am not really set up for that when realistically looking at my work environment.  I will largely be using my recordings as an evaluative tool for my own whistle play, learning new tunes, and sharing my tunes with friends and family members via email and burned CD's.  Nothing too technical for most of you, but a certain challenge for me.  I need to get equiped while keeping my total investment as minimal as practical (kid's in college).

I really do appreciate the advice.

Cheers,
Cayden