Updates

I am in the process of revamping The Fretboard (with possibly a domain change)...lots of web-edting going on for me. Keep checking back! I'll be up and running normally ASAP.

Thanks for your patience.

Audio Interfaces

In continuing with the HR basics, one piece of hardware you will definitely need is an Audio Interface. Audio interfaces have been called the heart of home studios. There is a large variety to choose from, but before we get to that, what is an audio interface?

Audio interfaces are pieces of hardware that are used to convert your analog signals from your mixer (such as analog mic feeds, line-ins, or other inputs) to digital signals that can be fed into your computer (usually through firewire or USB). A lot of new mixers combine the technology and built an interface directly into the mixer. However, the cheaper versions of these mixers sound extremely digital, and are not ideal. If you're tyring to stick with a budget, it's best to purchase a cheaper mixer and spend the savings on a higher quality interface.

So, which interface do you need? What do you look for? Well, first examine your setup and determine the need. If you are running protools, it is essential to own a protools compatible interface such as the Mbox by Digidesign. There are a variety of stripped-down versions of the Mbox (such as the mini) that allow protools users to still save some moolah, but with saved dollars comes sacrificed features.

If you're not running the industry-standard protools (not too many budget home studios do) then we can bring many other options to the table. For Garageband users, there are several soundcard adapters that allow you to directly plug instruments to your computer. Samson also has a USB microphone that can allow you to directly convert audio. However, I recommend this strictly to beginners experimenting with Garageband and that are new to home recording.

How many inputs do you desire? Now, the hard part, decide how many inputs you actually need. If you are a home-recording artist and plan on not having ANY multitrack recording (meaning, recording guitar and vocals at the same time, for example) then one input will suffice, but leave you wanting. Two inputs is a standard minimum. If you plan on having a full drum kit miced, I recommend at least four to six inputs. However, the more inputs you get, of course, the more expensive the hardware. This is also because of the digital input type. The epic battle between USB vs Firewire.

If you use only one or two input channels, then USB will suffice. However, more inputs usually ramps the hardware up to firewire while simultaneously bringing up the price.

It's tricky to recommend hardware, given that each audio interface has pros and cons relative to your personal setup. However, in broad summary, I would recommend the following:

For home recording artists who don't desire largescale multitracking: The Tascam US-144 Audio-Interface.
This USB interface the budget very nicely, and sounds crystal clear. Inputs allow you to take a mixer straight to the interface, and the preamps are packed with warm goodness. Also comes loaded with phantom power, and my favorite feature, multiple outputs that allow you to redirect signal to your monitors, phones, or anywhere else (say, a stereo in another room).

For you big shots who record full bands and like the flexibility that comes with multiple preamp inputs, I recommend the Presonus Firestudio. This bad boy is loaded with professional features, including software that allows you to monitor inputs and control the hardware. It is built for a rack, so it won't clutter your desktop. Combine this and a patch bay, and you'll be one happy recordind-artist camper.

You must choose, but choose wisely...for the right audio interface brings life, while the wrong choice brings...hours of frustration, setup re-routing, less-flexibility, and the eventual upgrade to better hardware.

HR Basics

Warning: Investing in Home Recording Gear could cause the following:
A severe loss in money including potential overdrafts; insomnia; weight-gain; addiction to level-tweaking; loss of hearing; hot pocket cravings; chemical depdencies on soda and doritos; "just-one-more-upgrade" syndrom; and in some extreme cases, widows have been made.

Well, I wish I could say I was joking...It's humerous, but no joke. It's hard to explain just how gratifying it is to be your own music producer. To know that you can create music from scratch, start to finish, off your own efforts is thrilling. The expansive knowledge that comes with the process of recording is an exponentially developing learning curve.

If you are interested in dabbling in home recording (see warning above), you're in for a great ride. In this week's postings you'll find resources to acquire the basic essentials necessary for recording.

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Hardware

First on the to-do list is to get a capable machine to run your system on. For all you Mac lovers out there (myself included), the Mac Pro is of course the ideal.

For those looking to not go over the top, there are several options. You could buy a cheap model Dell PC made to order, or check out your local Best Buy's offers. However, most of the new PC's being sold are stocked with Windows Vista. Cough cough. I would personally stear clear of Vista for a while. Programming companies are playing catchup to upgrade their XP software, and I'm willing to bet they're reluctant to do so if they feel the same way I do about Vista. XP works great as a PC-based OS.

You don't have to buy a new machine and "down-grade" it to get XP though. Some PC's are are stocked with XP, while others still offer it as an option (made to order online).

However, if you want to have the perfect balance between budget and hardware capability, I recommend building your own PC. I will email you details of what I've built if you are interested, but a detailed look at how to choose the right hardware for your computer can be found at this great site. Just make sure you have plenty of high speed USB ports along with at least a gig of ram and a massive harddrive, especially if you plan on making this machine production-heavy.

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Software

Many of you mac owners have fiddled with Garage Band, Mac's integrated multitracking interface. Recently, I've been pretty impressed with the programming developments GB has made. Far from being basic, GB has evolved into a great piece of recording software. In my opinion, the greatest feature of GB is its orientation towards beginners. The software focuses much of its efforts on educating the user. The plugin capability has also improved greatly.
Of course, Protools is generally considered the industry standard for professionals (and those with lots of money)

If you're running on a Windows based PC, there are several options. My favorite budget recording option is Cakewalk for many reasons. Cakewalk couples power and option with user-friendliness. It is designed with function in mind at all levels. For those on a budget, I recommend a version of Cakewalk for your PC-based home studio.

Other options include Cubase, a wicked-awesome multitracking solution that is comparable to protools (in capability and price).

Later this week, I'll continue to list what I believe to be essentials needed to start recording and producing at home. Still to come: Audio interfaces, mixing options, mics, and other gear we are oh so passionate about.

DIY Guitar

For the past five months, I've been building my first project guitar. Stay wtih me.

In my opinion there is no better way to learn a trade, any trade, than by hands on trial and error. In the realm of guitar gear, this means being bold. However, unless you possess the heart to crack open a pedal and dig into its circuitry or take apart your axe and cut it up with a router, I believe you'll fall short of learning everything you can.

It comes down to attitude. We look at master guitar craftsmen like Hugh Manson, Paul Reed Smith, and Bob Taylor, and often all we see is the incredible quality of the guitars they build. We often overlook and rarely think about the process that each guitar builder must have gone through to get to where they are today, practically at the top of their game. Their careers each started with a decision, probably summed up by the cheesy "I can" expression. But, truly, if you believe you can, then by all means try. Nothing can be considered failure if you look at the process as a learning experience. The harder you try, the more you learn, and the more likely you'll be pleased with the outcome.

I had an opportunity to play on an original PRS, hand crafted by Smith with the hand-stenciled (not stamped) model #997 in the first series. Serious vintage. The guitar was a piece of junk worth $12,000. Compared to his new beautiful models, this guitar was in bad shape. Am I saying that it takes over 1000 tries to get good at building guitars? Not at all. It only takes one trial to learn an abundance about creating something that embodies a range of your passions, from music to woodworking to electronics.

You may get flack. Someone who knows more than you may tell you you don't know what you're doing. They may be half right, you may have never tried to build your own guitar or pedal, or even amplifier, before. But just ask them what it was like when they started out. Did they know all immediately or did they learn with a try-try again method over a period of time? The latter, I'll bet.

For me, there was nothing more grafitying than playing my handmade six string tele-rig at it's debut in a worship service several weeks ago. It sounded more beautiful than I could ever hoped for, especially for my first homemade project. I had tossed around the idea of selling it to build another one, but after playing it, I decided on a firm heck no. Another build will be on my horizon, and another broad array for things for me to learn will come with it.

In the mean time, I encourage your curiousity concerning your gear. Don't settle for just knowing what the knobs do. Research, research, research (the gear-head mantra) and you're on your way to achieving what you didn't know you could.

Within the next posts I will start walking you through my fender project and how you can go about building your own guitar as well.

Macjams

About eight years ago, I attained my first digital recording interface for home musicians, Cakewalk Home Studio. Home recording has since become a passionate hobby of mine. Most of my extra money, unfortunately, goes into either my guitar rig or what I call my "studio". I've been very pleased at the outcome of my most recent musical projects. I consider several of my latest tracks to be my best productions thus far. Since my acquiring of a duel full band EQ, a vocal processor, and a bunch of new mics, the sound quality has improved greatly. What's fun for me is the strive for perfection. There is so much for me to learn about audio production. It's fun to look back at some of the awful tracks I've recorded and see how far I've come. It's also fun to know I've got a long way to go.

However, in all the time and money invested, there was never a real "point" to doing what I do, other than the fact that I love it. It's my hobby. However, there was never any real reason to spend time perfecting my music. The only demands to meet were my own goals, and even then, I could fudge a bit and say "that's good enough".

Then a friend introduced me to Macjams. Macjams, unlike some of the big sister websites like Pure Volume and Myspace Music, is dedicated purely to home recording artists. Macjams is a community based server with a blog-like homepage that keeps members posted with the lastest plugins, loops, recording gear, and Mac updates. The real meat of macjams is their music posting. Dozens of songs are posted every day by musicians from all over the world. Any music style you can think of can be found on amongst the tens of thousands of songs.

Each song posted comes complete with its own page. The musician usually presents lyrics as well as audio tecniques implemented, type of gear used, and other miscellaneous information about the song. Each page consists of a comments section along with a category-based rating system for members. Top rated songs are showcased on Macjams homepage.

The community aspect of Macjams is phenominal. Members of the site tend to understand that Macjams exists to offer a home for musicians to grow and learn together. Unlike Myspace, it's not about showcasing a musician or band to the masses. Macjams delivers a system built on feedback designed to create a community of musicians to improve their skills, because it's what we love to do. The site provides me personally with a finish line. My goal in "finishing" a song and uploading it for feedback derives from the desire not to impress, not to attempt to be better than others, but to deliver my absolute best for the sake of learning more. There's always something to improve. If my best is presented, the faults that show usually are much more "advanced" in the process of becoming a better producer. Ohers better than me who earnestly seek my growth as a musician can assist me in that process.

If you look hard enough, you may be able to find some of my OLD recordings (as in, first time ever)...Yikes. But good luck.

We be Jammin!

Post Links: Macjams Homepage

The Basics

Many students of mine ask how to learn about the general facts concerning guitar electronics, modding, etc. The truth is, if you ever owned a 60-In-One electronic science kit or the like, you probably already possess the required electrical skills needed to modify the electronics of a guitar or pedal.

If you are an up-and-coming guitar techie looking for directions and how-to facts, I recommend first checking out a page like Alex Plorer's basic modding site. This page contains tons of info about the basic concepts of modding and includes great, simple explainations of electrical components. Many of my future posts will contain some semi-technical details, and so if you'd like to brush up on your basics, check out his site.

Schematics are used to show the electrical blue print of a pedal or guitar's electronic setup. While I'll do my best with walkthroughs to use pictures and simple instructions, sometimes I may break down and use a schematic to show the setup. Schematics can be intimidating if you don't know what they mean, but simply put, if you possess the right know-how, they're easy to translate. Check out this page or this page to learn what all of those squiggly lines and arrows mean.

The Fretboard

The Fretboard is potentially another blog of mine for the soul purpose of discussing music gear. Guitars, accessories, effects, and home recording are all fair territory...assuming I actually start using this blog.