[Harp-L] Re : Harmonica recording / Audio Interface

["Hurricane Ramón" <party_man1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Excerpt

Alexander Savelyev axed :

" Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone from the list uses audio interface / sound cards with the laptop - something like M-Audio units or Digidesign Mbox, etc. My plans are to do several CD projects (language course, harmonica instruction and other) and then bring recorded audio material to professional studio and have them mix and master my projects. I think of Mbox 2 as it works directly with Pro Tools - standard pro studio software - though would like to ask around first. 

Best,

Alex "

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Excerpt :

And Then 

Ken Deifik sez :

Engineers. It drives me nuts that for every few hours of studio time I could buy another computer or a week in Hawaii, but the sound is so much better where the big boys play. I do not agree with anyone who claims that you can get anything approaching a master sound in a home studio and an amateur engineer. One guy I used to work for, and who used Tommy Morgan for chrom sessions on my recommendation, started with a home studio and slowly grew it to where he could record masters in it. He built a beautiful recording room and a beautiful engineering space. He worked init all the time, and he had excellent ears so he could engineer stuff like radio spots and sell-at-gigs recordings really well. But when he was producing a recording artist for a label he called in a fine professional


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Hurricane sez :

Alex , there are many really nice cheap ways to get a great recording period . Mbox , Tascam ,  more than likely  there are not to many " BAD " choices  , only the budget limitations of ones bank account . My choice was not cheap at $500.00 :

A Digitech GNX4

< http://www.digitech.com/products/GNX4/index.htm >

Why ?- - 

Well , because of :

It's got a really nice mic input ( XLR with Phantom power if you eventually hit it big and buy a $4000.00 ribbon mic ) and it's FXs are second to none . Plus it's got some of the best 

" classic "

Stomp Boxes ( 10 ) to play with :)

- - And - -

A really nice midi drum machine ( no fooling this sucker is extensive ) that has not only different beats ( 100 ) it also has different " drum kits "  to play these beats with .
 
Besides the guitar input you have R&L line inputs .

The outputs on it are extensive too .

It's got amp & cabinet modeling , 

- - lots of them - - 

and some are really suited for a harp player when considering the Fender amps & cabinets available . There are more there than you need  , and , if that's so why get it ?

Because if in the event you get a guitar player to help you , all he needs to do is bring is his guitar , whether it's an acoustic or electric . 

On the acoustic side :

One really nice Shure SM57 is a great way to get a clean sounding acoustic guitar or harmonica recorded with my GNX4 . Plug a bullet mic into the guitar input and well , do I need to say more ?

This is a stand alone recorder and will give you 8 tracks to play with , you can bounce tracks when full to 1 or 2 tracks , you don't have to have an empty track , you can merge 6 or 7 tracks to a single track with recorded info on it .

With a CF memory card  like a 2 gig max and this is a huge amount of memory , you won't have any issues at all as far as having enough of it . You record 2 tracks at a time max and 1 track at a time if you want to .

If you use it's USB you can record 4 tracks at once with a computer .

Comes with a nice software program , very nice indeed .

This unit gets even wilder . If any one wants to know more about it email me off list . This unit of mine takes electric guitar sounds to the next level and since we harp players use guitar amps it's more than obvious how these units can approach new potentials and possibilities for the harmonica player whether it's a diatonic blues or a chromatic for classical & jazz and what ewer else you want to record .

One of the many great features in my GNX4 is to create two distinct guitar sounds and then " warping them together and combined these two guitars sounds you merge into a

 " hybrid " 

It's like having a guitar/harp plugged into a Fender Bassman and a Marshall stack , wild new and unique amp sounds WOW ! 

The first rule is there are no rules . Create and be unique . 

Ken Deifik makes a good point about mastering your stuff in a state of the art studio 

- - But - - 

As you learn how to use your ears with any of these recommended units , you will in time realize just how to make a really nice recordings and when that happens , with a really good unit ( I love my GNX4 ), you will be able to make a state of the art recording .

Yes it is possible to do it , but like all quality things , it takes time like when making fine wine :) 

Good mics , digital DAW , hard practice ( and throw in talent too :)= Great Sounding CDs !  

I have a short acoustic steel string'd  guitar instrumental .wav file online for free of a Beatles song :

" In My Life "

for anyone to review .

I used my GNX4 and a single EV ( it's a nice one with a sound like a Shure SM57 ) mic , it's not small but clean and super clear at 7.2 megs and 1.25 minutes long . No FXs only the guitar's voice and my hands & fingers :)

" E " me if anyone wants the URL  

Sincerely :

Hurricane Ramon 

Aka :

Party_Man1@xxxxxxxxxx

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