We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

Coconuts wrote
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?


If you can get the sonic quality (sounds good to your ears) with your PA or
monitors, then by all means use stereo micing to make your DEMO, it all depends
on what you have to put out into the air (speakers, amps, etc.) for the mics to
pick up. Got a good PA? Try a large room and move the two mics around a bit and
find the best sounding spot for each left and right mic placement.
The same can be done if you only have monitors, but finding the right spot for
the mics will be a bit more tricky. Taking direct feeds from a mixer can be
good if you only use that mixer for the recorder but doing double duty (PA and
recorder) may be a train wreck. If you transfer to your PC via digital
interface you should have near (depending on the set up) lossless transfer to
the CDR.

In article ,
Coconuts wrote:
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

You need to record yourself, and listen to it, and decide if it sounds
good enough for you.

If you don't have any vocals, and you have a good room and can be very
careful about mike placement so that the levels are correct, going live
to a single mike pair can be a very fine way to record.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

(Raymond) wrote in message ...
Coconuts wrote
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?


If you can get the sonic quality (sounds good to your ears) with your PA or
monitors, then by all means use stereo micing to make your DEMO, it all depends
on what you have to put out into the air (speakers, amps, etc.) for the mics to
pick up. Got a good PA? Try a large room and move the two mics around a bit and
find the best sounding spot for each left and right mic placement.
The same can be done if you only have monitors, but finding the right spot for
the mics will be a bit more tricky. Taking direct feeds from a mixer can be
good if you only use that mixer for the recorder but doing double duty (PA and
recorder) may be a train wreck. If you transfer to your PC via digital
interface you should have near (depending on the set up) lossless transfer to
the CDR.

Thanks Raymond. That was the answer I hoped for. We perform/rehearse
at an outdoor stage only with good speaker volume and fidelity. Good
enough that is. What do you mean by the phrase "digital interface"?
As in directly into a sound card? That's easy. But can I edit the
tracks for a CD and cut and paste the sounds we like best out of the
hours of tape? Is there software for that?
Appreciate the help.

(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

Do you have a mixer? How many mics do you have? You could try a stereo
micing but with a direct vocal feed mixed in.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com

(Scott Dorsey) wrote in message ...
In article ,
Coconuts wrote:
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

You need to record yourself, and listen to it, and decide if it sounds
good enough for you.

If you don't have any vocals, and you have a good room and can be very
careful about mike placement so that the levels are correct, going live
to a single mike pair can be a very fine way to record.
--scott

But we do have vocals, why does that cause problems? And what do I do
about them? Thanks a lot guys. This is great information. There needs
to be an instruction manual for people like us.

Coconuts wrote:
Kludge writes:
If you don't have any vocals, and you have a good room and can be very
careful about mike placement so that the levels are correct, going live
to a single mike pair can be a very fine way to record.

But we do have vocals, why does that cause problems? And what do I do
about them? Thanks a lot guys. This is great information. There needs
to be an instruction manual for people like us.

It causes problems because vocals aren't very loud. If you set up a live
band without PA, the vocals will be drowned out. If you set up a live
band with PA for the vocals, the vocals sound like they are coming through
a PA.

So, what IS your band? It's got vocals... we have that down. What else
does it have? Drums? Guitars? Flugelphones?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Coconuts wrote
Thanks Raymond. That was the answer I hoped for. We perform/rehearse
at an outdoor stage only with good speaker volume and fidelity. Good
enough that is. What do you mean by the phrase "digital interface"?
As in directly into a sound card? That's easy. But can I edit the
tracks for a CD and cut and paste the sounds we like best out of the
hours of tape? Is there software for that?
Appreciate the help.


Does your DAT recorder have a digital out? Does you sound card have a digital
in? You see, when you go from analogue to digital (mics to DAT) that's one
conversion, if you keep it to that (use a digital interface to the PC or CDR)
you will have little chance of losing any more sonic quality. However if you
use analog out from DAT to analog in to the sound card or CDR, there's two more
conversions, that's twice more of a chance to sonic quality loss.
There's quite a few freebie editing programs you can find on the web, you will
be limited to what you can do but if all you want to do is edit stereo tracks
it will work fine. Mike and Scott where trying to give you hint about multi
track recording, its much easier to record a band with just there high stage
levels from guitar amps, loud, hard hitting drummers and bass players with mega
stacks. Adding vocals is a bit harder, you need a beefy PA or monitors to get
the human voice up to that same (Marshall amp on 11) volume and it may sound
funny and unclear.

(Mike) wrote in message . com...
(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

Do you have a mixer? How many mics do you have? You could try a stereo
micing but with a direct vocal feed mixed in.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com

There is a mixer for the mics on stage, but I presume you are talking
about a mixer before the DAT. The answer is no not yet. It is one of
the things I was wondering if we needed. I can invest a small amount
for one, but time is of the essence and I don't want to wait too long.
I am guessing that you are suggesting a mic pair with another mix for
the vocals. (There are 5 vocal mics and they are mixed before the
main amp.) I want to know about getting the stuff off the DAT into
tracks on a CD. What does it take to do that?

In article writes:

But we do have vocals, why does that cause problems? And what do I do
about them?

It's pretty rare these days that a group balances themselves between
singers and instruments. If you have singers who don't play
instruments, you can sometimes get away with a single mic position by
setting up the group and the mics so that you get a good balance on
the instruments, and then move the singers into place so that they can
be heard (on the recording) above the instruments. But if the singer
is the drummer or keyboard player (even if they're background singers)
you can't do that.

This throws you into the world of multiple mics which means more mics
and a mixer.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
(Mike) wrote in message . com...
(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

Do you have a mixer? How many mics do you have? You could try a stereo
micing but with a direct vocal feed mixed in.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com

There is a mixer for the mics on stage, but I presume you are talking
about a mixer before the DAT. The answer is no not yet. It is one of
the things I was wondering if we needed. I can invest a small amount
for one, but time is of the essence and I don't want to wait too long.
I am guessing that you are suggesting a mic pair with another mix for
the vocals. (There are 5 vocal mics and they are mixed before the
main amp.) I want to know about getting the stuff off the DAT into
tracks on a CD. What does it take to do that?

You guys are great and are unbelievably generous with your time and
knowledge. I have heard the following:1) I can use the DAT with a pair
of mics aimed at the speakers. 2)If I like what I hear, I can use it.
3)I should probably eventually get another mixer if I'm now satisfied.
4)I need to keep everything in digital after I get it on the DAT.

Thanks again, I have done some more research on the web, but find that
most of the stuff is much more convoluted and complicated than I need
to know. I would like to know if there is one simple shareware
program to take the DAT tape from the sound card onto the hard drive
and from the hard drive to edit it into discreet (songs with gaps
between them on the CD) from the hard drive. I need to edit a long
recording session to take out the waste and use identifiable cuts to
put on the CD. I find a lot of software out there, but don't know
which one I need.

BYW we are using a TASCAM DA30 MKII.

(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
(Mike) wrote in message . com...
(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

Do you have a mixer? How many mics do you have? You could try a stereo
micing but with a direct vocal feed mixed in.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com

There is a mixer for the mics on stage, but I presume you are talking
about a mixer before the DAT. The answer is no not yet. It is one of
the things I was wondering if we needed. I can invest a small amount
for one, but time is of the essence and I don't want to wait too long.
I am guessing that you are suggesting a mic pair with another mix for
the vocals. (There are 5 vocal mics and they are mixed before the
main amp.) I want to know about getting the stuff off the DAT into
tracks on a CD. What does it take to do that?

You guys are great and are unbelievably generous with your time and
knowledge. I have heard the following:1) I can use the DAT with a pair
of mics aimed at the speakers. 2)If I like what I hear, I can use it.
3)I should probably eventually get another mixer if I'm now satisfied.
4)I need to keep everything in digital after I get it on the DAT.

Thanks again, I have done some more research on the web, but find that
most of the stuff is much more convoluted and complicated than I need
to know. I would like to know if there is one simple shareware
program to take the DAT tape from the sound card onto the hard drive
and from the hard drive to edit it into discreet (songs with gaps
between them on the CD) from the hard drive. I need to edit a long
recording session to take out the waste and use identifiable cuts to
put on the CD. I find a lot of software out there, but don't know
which one I need.

BYW we are using a TASCAM DA30 MKII.

Coconuts wrote

You guys are great and are unbelievably generous with your time and
knowledge. I have heard the following:1) I can use the DAT with a pair
of mics aimed at the speakers. 2)If I like what I hear, I can use it.
3)I should probably eventually get another mixer if I'm now satisfied.
4)I need to keep everything in digital after I get it on the DAT.

Thanks again, I have done some more research on the web, but find that
most of the stuff is much more convoluted and complicated than I need
to know. I would like to know if there is one simple shareware
program to take the DAT tape from the sound card onto the hard drive
and from the hard drive to edit it into discreet (songs with gaps
between them on the CD) from the hard drive. I need to edit a long
recording session to take out the waste and use identifiable cuts to
put on the CD. I find a lot of software out there, but don't know
which one I need.

BYW we are using a TASCAM DA30 MKII.

I just read a bit in PC magazine on a freebie audio editor called "Analogue X",
I've not used it but they gave it a good rating.

Coconuts wrote

You guys are great and are unbelievably generous with your time and
knowledge. I have heard the following:1) I can use the DAT with a pair
of mics aimed at the speakers. 2)If I like what I hear, I can use it.
3)I should probably eventually get another mixer if I'm now satisfied.
4)I need to keep everything in digital after I get it on the DAT.

Thanks again, I have done some more research on the web, but find that
most of the stuff is much more convoluted and complicated than I need
to know. I would like to know if there is one simple shareware
program to take the DAT tape from the sound card onto the hard drive
and from the hard drive to edit it into discreet (songs with gaps
between them on the CD) from the hard drive. I need to edit a long
recording session to take out the waste and use identifiable cuts to
put on the CD. I find a lot of software out there, but don't know
which one I need.

BYW we are using a TASCAM DA30 MKII.

I just read a bit in PC magazine on a freebie audio editor called "Analogue X",
I've not used it but they gave it a good rating.

(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
(Mike) wrote in message . com...
(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

Do you have a mixer? How many mics do you have? You could try a stereo
micing but with a direct vocal feed mixed in.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com

There is a mixer for the mics on stage, but I presume you are talking
about a mixer before the DAT. The answer is no not yet. It is one of
the things I was wondering if we needed. I can invest a small amount
for one, but time is of the essence and I don't want to wait too long.
I am guessing that you are suggesting a mic pair with another mix for
the vocals. (There are 5 vocal mics and they are mixed before the
main amp.) I want to know about getting the stuff off the DAT into
tracks on a CD. What does it take to do that?

You guys are great and are unbelievably generous with your time and
knowledge. I have heard the following:1) I can use the DAT with a pair
of mics aimed at the speakers. 2)If I like what I hear, I can use it.
3)I should probably eventually get another mixer if I'm now satisfied.
4)I need to keep everything in digital after I get it on the DAT.

Thanks again, I have done some more research on the web, but find that
most of the stuff is much more convoluted and complicated than I need
to know. I would like to know if there is one simple shareware
program to take the DAT tape from the sound card onto the hard drive
and from the hard drive to edit it into discreet (songs with gaps
between them on the CD) from the hard drive. I need to edit a long
recording session to take out the waste and use identifiable cuts to
put on the CD. I find a lot of software out there, but don't know
which one I need.

BYW we are using a TASCAM DA30 MKII.


Peak LE on the mac side. Around 50 to 80 bucks. Not sure on the PC
side. Use to be Cool Edit LE or something. Not sure that is still
around.

Sonic Foundry may have a lite version.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com

(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
(Mike) wrote in message . com...
(Coconuts) wrote in message . com...
We have a small band with a stage setup and want to make a demo CD. We
have a good DAT recorder and microphones but want to know if that is
enough to cut a CD using our PC? Should we try to use the output tothe
speakers or use separate mikes and record live. We don't want to use
a studio setup. We're still poor! Anyone out there who can tell us
what we need to do?

Do you have a mixer? How many mics do you have? You could try a stereo
micing but with a direct vocal feed mixed in.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com

There is a mixer for the mics on stage, but I presume you are talking
about a mixer before the DAT. The answer is no not yet. It is one of
the things I was wondering if we needed. I can invest a small amount
for one, but time is of the essence and I don't want to wait too long.
I am guessing that you are suggesting a mic pair with another mix for
the vocals. (There are 5 vocal mics and they are mixed before the
main amp.) I want to know about getting the stuff off the DAT into
tracks on a CD. What does it take to do that?

You guys are great and are unbelievably generous with your time and
knowledge. I have heard the following:1) I can use the DAT with a pair
of mics aimed at the speakers. 2)If I like what I hear, I can use it.
3)I should probably eventually get another mixer if I'm now satisfied.
4)I need to keep everything in digital after I get it on the DAT.

Thanks again, I have done some more research on the web, but find that
most of the stuff is much more convoluted and complicated than I need
to know. I would like to know if there is one simple shareware
program to take the DAT tape from the sound card onto the hard drive
and from the hard drive to edit it into discreet (songs with gaps
between them on the CD) from the hard drive. I need to edit a long
recording session to take out the waste and use identifiable cuts to
put on the CD. I find a lot of software out there, but don't know
which one I need.

BYW we are using a TASCAM DA30 MKII.


Peak LE on the mac side. Around 50 to 80 bucks. Not sure on the PC
side. Use to be Cool Edit LE or something. Not sure that is still
around.

Sonic Foundry may have a lite version.

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com