Newbie home recording tutorial (1): Audacity

Episode 1: Multi-track recording for free!

Really basic information how to connect microphone (1/8" TRS jack - or 1/4" TRS jack using a converter), how to check out Windows settings for it and how to make Audacity software up and running.

Audacity is free open-source project:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Accompanying blog post: http://virgo47.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/multi-track-home-recording-for-free/

As someone mentioned in comments (thanks), this is really not the right way - it's the cheapest way. You should use preamplifier for the microphone - be it some little box, or on an audio interface or on a mixer. For more information about this check episodes #5 or 6:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF6eU9njVaA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5olV6yphC4Q

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• home recording
• music recording
• multi-track recording
• microphone
• audacity

[AM22DABEAST]

Hey man nice video but i have phantom power and i just cant seem to make it work can u make a video about that or message me please

[virgo47x]

@AM22DABEAST I'm sorry, the question is rather very generic. Where is your mic connected? Can you hear it from monitor directly on that device (audio interface, mixer, ...)? Generally - you should ask someone who knows the device you use, you may try that mic in some other device first as well. Try to find the problem with ass little devices as possible. If something doesn't work in a chain of 5 devices, you may have a hard time to find the problem.

[bankai2790]

yeah!!! great!! but i need some help...i'm a newbie on recording using mixer+RCA cables, Speakers plug it to the laptop....i can control it using the mixer and it is recording the sound i produce but when i sing i here my voice delayed and it confuses me especially when it comes to hitting the right tempo of the song...what's the best thing to do? im using audacity also....

[virgo47x]

@bankai2790 You may have problems with latencies (see my video #2 talking about this topic). Generally you have 2 possibilities:

1) don't monitor your voice, just previously recorded tracks, record it (the voice) and shift it on the place after you record it - that way you see only the track, no confusion

2) if you want to monitor your voice along with your track, you have to lower latencies -> better HW/SW, possibly ASIO driver, ... see my video ga9dNHoGqxM

[SeeYouWhenTheSunSets]

did you even understand what i asked?

[virgo47x]

@SeeYouWhenTheSunSets

I'm not sure really... I don't work too much with Audacity, I worked with it before, but after last year working with REAPER I have difficult time to do anything in Audacity, really. It is normal to pick guitars with mics actually - micing the amplifier. I don't do it, but then ... I can't (have bad room for that, no experience in it, etc.). I don't work with EZ drummer either, so I don't know what you can do with its loops. Sorry, maybe someone else helps.

[OutofNothing71]

thats very childish

you better be informed before talking, as the people that come from USA have the worst accents. I mean it, they are a mess when talking other languages because the accent that they use is very soft and so they sound like FAGS when speaking in Spanish for example. This guy is from Slovakia and he speaks english perfectly, now the question is if u tried to speak slovak, how would you sound? Like shit

[r3bol]

Thanks, that was a great intro.

[AM22DABEAST]

lol ok thank

[technicalfucker]

great video man thanks, i wanna start recording at home and have no idea on what to do so ill be watching your channel then ;) nice lml

[JameZzrockz]

i really want to ask...why does if i speak to the mic while recording,then i stopped speaking,it stoppes the recording.then if i speak once again,it will start recording...plizzzhelppppppppp

@virgo47x

[sticksbass]

why is there sometimes just clicking sounds when i try to play what i just recorded?

[111nuthead]

Thank U ! Good video.

[naturaltoby]

@OutofNothing71 I hope you don't take the babbling rant from an ignorant ass as an opinion that other americans share. The U.S. has more people with accents than anywhere else and SOME americans seem to presume that american english should be the norm on an international website such as YouTube. I wish I could speak another language as fluently as virgo47x speaks english.

[bankai2790]

i'll try it tnx sir...i'll ask again if there's a problem...thznk you very very much you're very good.