PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Beginners Forum recording my guitar

Hi All. I have just registered for the forums and as a newbie would like some information on using BIAB
I play acoustic guitar as a hobby and have done for a good few years off and on, what I would like to do
is record myself along with my guitar into my computer and then maybe add a few touches to the song and see what develops
I intend to purchase a usb audio interface along with additional microphones. one to record the guitar and one to record the vocal.

would I be able to record directly into BIAB and then work on the song.
Looking at various packages on the internet for recording/ mixing and producing they all seem a little complicated and BIAB
came across as easier to use than the others.
I would just like to be able to put together a simple song with me strumming my guitar and doing the vocal then using the
computer to tidy it a bit more interesting.
I have'nt bought any packages yet hence the question here, is it simple enough to use.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Liamster

If you just want to record yourself and then perhaps EQ, reverb, etc., then one of the free tools may be a good choice, e.g., Audacity, Ardour, others.

Where BiaB really score like nothing else is in adding backing, other virtual soloists and helping to manage the structure of the song. It can be very powerful and effective for that, but sometimes it can also be a bit frustrating. It has some quite individual quirks.

Quite few people will record themselves and use BiaB like that, though some work mostly in BiaB, some build the structure and move to a DAW for mix and mastering.

There are various tutorials around. PG Music's can be a lot to wade through, so I usually suggest Henry Clarke on YouTube. He has some really good, approachable and easy to understand stuff, and some good workflow ideas. Try ** Here ** for beginners, or ** Here ** for his full BiaB list.

Thanks a lot for the speedy reply,
i have had a quick look at the youtube videos and they would certainly be very useful
Just one question if you don't mind. If I did just record the the guitar and vocal does this program then allow me to then add bass guitar or drums etc to make it more than just a solo acoustic number without having to start installing other programs etc and start learning how to use them etc.
Hope this doesnt sound silly but from what i can see theses music programs can do an awful lot of stuff in the right hands
I just want what you would get from a 4 piece and i already have 2.
Thanks again

Liamster

Liamster, here is what I would do if I were you:
1-since you are playing guitar you know what chord progression you are going to use and how many bars each chord lasts, right?
2- if so input those chords in the correct measures in BiaB
3- pick a style that best suits your song
4- mute the instruments you do not want to hear
5- record your guitar while listening to BiaB - turn off your speakers/near field monitors and listen via headphones
6- record your vocal

This is very close to my workflow with the only difference is I input the chords in BiaB, select a style, then export the BiaB files to my DAW and record there.

YMMV

{edit} another thing to try and have fun with is to just input some chords and pick a style in BiaB and play along and write some lyrics.

Now I can see a little bit about this package what you have said makes it look relatively easy to do ?? to get started and i can take it from there
Unfortunately I'm the type that prefers to sit and play the guitar than fiddle around with computer software
Thanks a lot for replying guys I appreciate it.
I might invest in the pro version and see how it goes

Again. thanks a lot

Liamster

To add to the other excellent advice, my recommendation is to not start by recording your guitar and then trying to match other instruments to make a backing track, as I think you will have issues with timing.

As suggested, choose a style and let that play as you record your instrument, even if you mute everything except the drum track while you record. That way, your performance will be in sync with the other instruments.

What AudioTrack said; just having a consistent tempo is key.
You can add the chords and other tracks later as desired.
The drum track keeps you on tempo so everything else is open to using later

great Try Musconvtool

A good idea as you'll learn how it works and actually, an upgrade to a bigger version is quite often a little cheaper than buying the bigger versiuon initially.

It's worth mentioning that BiaB comes with some additional applications that can be useful. One of those is a small DAW called RealBand that quite a few users very much like and it's said to be simpler to use than many DAWs and could be a good option for recording.

So, if you want to do this as a hobby and not just as a passing whim......

I recommend the following.

Audio interface that uses ASIO drivers and has phantom power and audio preamps. Avoid the proprietary stuff.
One halfway decent condenser mic. One mic will do the guitar as well as the vocals easily.
Either a set of 5" monitors or a set of the Sony MDR 7506 headphones. You will need the headphones to record with mics anyway. The Sonys are decent enough to mix with.
A copy of Band in a Box that gets you started. I always recommend buying as far up the list as you can afford. But you can get started on the basic version and upgrade later.
A DAW. Band in a Box (BB) comes with Real Band ( the Windows version) which is a free DAW packaged with BB. Or any other DAW that you want.
Obviously, a modern computer running a Windows 64bit OS.

That gets you started. All of that is easily obtained for under $1000. Depending on where you shop and if you buy new or working used gear, that price can be significantly lower.

When you get started, there's a lot of knowledgeable people here willing to help and answer your questions.

That's fairly important, IMHO. The on-board audio in most PCs works 'OK', but has a number of significant downsides ... poorer noise, flimsy connector, wrong sensitivites and output levels to an amp if you use one, no phantom power. Most condensor mics need phantom power.

I think all of the instrument/equipment distributors sell good interfaces ... Sweetwater, Thomann, Gear4Music et al. Small USB modules by the likes Focusrite, Presonus, are the kind of thing you'll want. It'll save all sorts of hassles. Condensor mics are excellent for recording, but you may also want a pop-shield as they can be sensitive to the plosives in in speech, i.e., P and B particularly.

Strictly RealBand isn't a free DAW, it's proprietary, but it comes included with BiaB, so it's no additional cost.

Thats great advice. I have been looking at various interfaces and in some cases the deal advertised includes the software but when you read the whole blob its only licenced for six months and then its Pay up or you cant use it so if it comes with the package thats great to get started. thanks
liamster

Thanks for that
Liamster

A proper interface should not be licensed like that.

212

UMC202

18i20

<< I play acoustic guitar as a hobby and have done for a good few years off and on, what I would like to do
is record myself along with my guitar into my computer and then maybe add a few touches to the song and see what develops
I intend to purchase a usb audio interface along with additional microphones. one to record the guitar and one to record the vocal.

would I be able to record directly into BIAB and then work on the song.>>

As has been noted, users can record into BIAB. Another option you may consider provides high quality recordings, has everything in a single package to record through an audio interface directly into your PC and BIAB, but also allows you to record guitar and vocals remotely anywhere onto an SD card that can transfer tracks directly from the card into the PC, Band in a Box, or DAW.

There are many options available that should be at less cost than buying a stand alone interface and microphones. I've posted a screenshot of a high quality device costing $100 and a link to a YouTube video of an artist who did all of his early recordings on the Zoom's predecessor model to the model listed for years. All of BIAB's resources will still be available to use as well as any DAW and it resources.

Zoom H1essential Portable Recorder


Folsom Prison Blues

I suspect he means the often bundled DAW software, not the interface itself.

I think perhaps he's referring to the software and not the interface itself. A lot of interfaces used to, and probably still do, come with the LE or "Lite" versions of the software to get you started and as an inducement to buy the full version or as a time limited full function demo. Again to get you to buy in on the product.

OK then!
Don't buy an interface based on the thrown in freebies, that's a terrible way to select an interface.

Budget is understandable, but "they threw in a free trial of X", when X usually has a free trial available anyway ??
Do NOT select an interface based on that, you'll be starting off on the wrong hoof.

Looked at a few interfaces, the internet is full of brands i've never heard of that I would'nt touch if they gave it away
and going through the ones I do know i'm looking at this one the UMC204HD it looks as if it will work for me.

One thing is for sure after the terrific response and advise I have got from you guys I am going to purchase the package
I will just wait a few days, as everytime I go to the site they keep pushing me to buy before the 31st special offer you see
I switch off then as I hate that.
I even went on there live chat and asked them what package should i buy as a beginner and they recommended the top package ......????
So its not the company that convinced me to buy it but you guys who responded so quick to my querys.

I can only guess the reason why the top package was recommended is because the top package is the package most Band-in-a-Box users end up getting. Over the years the most common recommendation I've seen from forum members is, "get what you can afford".

All the Microsoft Windows operating system packages include the same Band-in-a-Box and RealBand programs and the DAW Plugin. There is no stunted or light version of these applications. The packages differ in the amount of additional content that is in each package. I'm defining content as RealTracks, MIDISuperTracks and styles. There are other types of content but RealTracks, MIDISuperTracks and styles are the stars.

The top packages are the Ultra PAK, Ultra+ PAK and Audiophile. These three packages contain more than 4,300 hours of RealTrack audio content recorded by studio musicians! The Ultra+ adds some musical lessons while the Audiophile includes the lessons and RealTrack audio content in lossless and lossy file formats. Lossless files have compact disc (CD) quality files while lossy files are a little less than CD quality but smaller files. +++ HERE +++ is a Matt Finley post that goes in more detail about the difference in sound quality between the Audiophile and other packages.

The Mega PAK offers about 1/4th of the RealTrack audio content, or a little more than 1,000 hours, of that contained in the packages above. Individual RealTracks are broken out from RealTrack Sets and combined into bands or combos.

The Pro PAK offers around 1/10th of the RealTrack audio content, or a little more than 450 hours, compared to the packages above. Again individual RealTracks are broken out from RealTrack Sets and combined into bands.

The Band-in-a-Box program has a chart called the MultiPicker that lists all the RealTracks, MIDISuperTracks and styles including the ones you don't have. The ones you don't have have [N/A] beside their name. That means when you have the Pro PAK you will see [N/A] beside around 90% of the listings while when you have the Mega PAK you will see [N/A] beside about 75% of the listings. Many users find the [N/A] listings extremely frustrating.

On the other hand many users that start with the top packages become so fascinated with the content they never get around to exploring all the features the programs offer. Both Band-in-a-Box and RealBand are easy to get started with but have a deep depth of features to discover.

Maybe the chart below, copied from +++ HERE +++ , will make more sense now.

TBH, PGMusic does offer deep discounts once a year and it is worth getting it while on sale.
However, get the version you are comfortable with price wise.

I'd suggest not missing out on the lower prices this time of year.
It will go up, exactly when is unknown, but the time to take the plunge is while it is on sale during the new release (like now)..

The new-release prices are good and they'll likely not be back unbtil next December. If you're convinced, take advantage of the offer price.

I'd get the Pro pack to start and upgrade later if/when you have the budget. Curiously, it's also usually a little cheaper to go that route.

I have the UMC204HD and it works flawlessy in RB. Simple to use and the ASIO driver is excellent. I don't record in BIAB but imagine it will be equally simple to use.

Ok. took the advise and made the purchase, hopefully saved a few pennies

I think that is the best path also. Remember that the engine is identical in all versions of BiaB so what you learn with the Pro pack is applicable to all packs.

Have fun and post both your successes and songs.

[quote=Bob Calver]I have the UMC204HD and it works flawlessy in RB. Simple to use and the ASIO driver is excellent. I don't record in BIAB but imagine it will be equally simple to use.

Yip I have looked at a few and when you say " it works flawlessly " its the one to buy
cheers

Buy the top package..... I do recommend that as I stated earlier. You don't need the audiophile version unless you are using it professionally. And you don't necessarily need the top package. Look at the styles and tracks , decide what you actually want and buy that. Remember that you can always upgrade and you can buy the add on packs individually.
Essentially the program is the same in each package. The difference is the number of styles and tracks that are in the package. I started with a basic version but quickly moved up and now I'm exclusively using the super duper new and improved version every year. I've been using it for close to 20 years now.