Recording Live Guitar And Delay Into Your PC

Well, it has been a while since I posted on here and with everything that has been going on in my life I can't blame me. However, I'm firing up the blog again and will try to get more post on for you as time allows.

I just got a new acoustic electric guitar and vintage delay pedal and have been busy recording new tracks for several of my outfits. I love the sound the pedal gives and I am pleased to say it is reminiscent of that classic Cure sound, a band who I absolutely love for their simple yet awesome tracks that have inspired a generation and will keep inspiring generations to come I hope.

Recording with guitar can be a bit of a pain if you don't have the right set up, especially if you are working on old equipment at home or through  your laptop and sound card. I use a very simple and relatively inexpensive (as sound cards go) M-Audio Fastrack that has one jack input and one XlR input for a mic. You can use a normal jack to input a mic but the sound doesn't seem to be as good. I got the Fast Track from Inta Audio and they have some pretty decent kit.

I am still using ACID Pro as a sequencer and I have to say it has handled my heavy bit rate delay very nicely. Bit rate? It's how fast the computer processes the line you record in relation to the amount of information that is being sent from your instrument. A guitar with a delay pedal will have a pretty heavy bit rate as all the information is squeezed down the tube to the sequencer. The more wide your sound, the more bits in it and this will tax your computer if it has not got a good processor. I use a USB connection but have to say if you want to get the best rate use a Firewire connection as this can handle a lot more 'bits' and process them faster.

I'll get a link for y'all to my latest track, recorded using the above when it is ready so you can hear what I mean. This is all done on a laptop in my bedroom at home so if you think you need the best, most expensive set up in the world, don't panic. A little expense can go a long way if you use the equipment right. I have a mate who has a great home studio with a proper set up with studio spec. Cubase and a 16 channel Behringer Mixer and while I love recording there I still like the simplicity of using my little set up at home. I can always take my tracks to the studio to polish them up later if I feel it is necessary.

Stayed tuned peeps and I 'll bring you more updates from my Computer Music journey. I will go more in-depth into recording with your sequencer as the blog progresses. Please feel free to ask me anything you like and I will get back to you promptly :-)

 PoWlo

Ready to make your first hit?

So you want to make a club anthem? A track to be remembered throughout the ages as a piece of music that transformed a generation? Well join the club. But if you want to have some fun and express yourself creatively and get you work out to the like minded people all over the world, then I might be able to help. The purpose of this blog is to help the aspiring computer musician through the initial stages of getting yourself set up and getting your track written and produced. I'll be pointing you to the right places where you can get free lops and samples, video tutorials and all manner of free software and tools to get you on your way to be the next Mr. Scruff or whoever you want to be. And if you can't read music, find midi a ball ache and haven't got a clue about modes and scales, don't worry , it's not stopped me and it shouldn't stop you either. This is not a site for experienced maestros but lets just say if you have an ear for music and know what sounds work well together then you've already got a good head start.

I've been playing guitar, drums and bass since I was a kid but I never learnt to sheet reed and I didn't have any formal training. I guess I'm just lucky and I'm thankful for it every day. But even if you can't play a note don't be put off because if your using loops and samples and even making your own sounds and beats then with the right sequencer you can start making music now. Music is like painting - You choose the colours you want to use and then you put them together on the appropriate canvas to make a pleasing picture or you just throw buckets of paint at a wall and see what you get (I like that one) . Stay tuned for a lot more tips, tricks and tunage to help you on your journey into sound.