Pro Tools M-Power

[kay-lister]

Does anyone use this program for recording and/or writing music?

K

[sherry-lenox]

phew- I was afraid you were looking to do surgery on the 85! Thanks for clarifying……

[kay-lister]

LOL Sherry!

[stephen-vardy]

There are serious dragons when you deal with these professional programs – you will spend serious $ on recording hardware before you are done.

Stephen

[Rachel Redman]

Kay, I don’t use that program, but I have been experimenting with recording at home. My living room is virtually soundproof, and I use a program called Cubase Studio 4 (it’s a slightly older version). Basically, Cubase is an “audio workstation” for recording, editing, mixing and producing music. I have just started recording, but I plug my Fishman transducer into the harp, plug a cable into the amp to connect it to the computer, then wire the cable into an instrument jack. Then I can record directly into my computer program. I actually just made my first little CD with 10 tracks recently…took me five and a half hours.

Stephen is right, there are some dragons to slay. It comes in the form of learning the ins and outs to recording. As a warning to those interested, Cubase has a very high learning curve for those who are new to recording. It is also quite expensive, but once one masters it, the possibilities are endless.

Recording at home is a debatable subject, but quite frankly, you are going to spend potentially just as much money to go to the studio, record, then pay for mastering, CD’s burned, CD and case artwork and inserts, plus distribution. Will you get a good result? Yes, obviously depending on the studio. But its very satisfying, not to mention manageable, to record in your own home. Plus, it is possible to find good equipment for less money. You just have to shop around!

[shelby-m]

What kind of microphones do you all use?

[Rachel Redman]

Shelby, I couldn’t help you on a mic that does both flute and harp because my knowledge of the flute and its requirements are extremely limited.

However, for the purpose of recording for family and friends, I have used the Fishman SBT-HP (made for piano and harp). I bought it for $119, a little more than you might be willing to spend. If you were to sell your CD’s then I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this microphone for recording purposes, just due to the fact that the closer a mic is to the harp the more “twangy” it will sound(the SBT-HP attaches directly onto the harp’s soundboard with the assistance of some adhesive). Of course, you may like a slightly more twangy sound than I do; that’s just my personal preference.

On the other hand, for the purposes of recording for family and friends, it would be just fine. As I am just learning the best ways to record, and how to effectively manipulate my recording software, I made a CD recently (my first!)for two purposes. One, so I could actively get my feet wet with the recording process, and two, because my widely-spread family wanted to hear what my harp sounded like (hey, it made a great mother’s day gift!).

Maybe someone more knowledgeable could give you some advice on a “multi-purpose” mic?

[stephen-vardy]

The ultimate multipurpose instrument mic is the Shure SM57 and can be had for $50 used.

Has surprisingly good tone and fits any mic input. It can be used for gigging. It has its own sound though. Can be used for vocals with a foam screen – suits male better than female voices overall.

It is an industry standard and a very good starting point to compare and audition other mics.

Relatively good mics start at about $200 eBay, $300 retail.

Like harp-porn there is such a thing as mic-porn – I have way too many. Every mic has an ideal use but very few are multi-purpose with exceptional results every time. Those mics are super expensive.

S

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