Recording Yourself: What do you actually need?
We are back with a recording workshop! 
Today I want to at least try to give you a road map through the gazillion options you have of recording yourself! We want to enable you in different ways to record yourself, may it be for virtual masterclasses, for community challenges, to share with your friends and familie or - most importantly - as a reviewing tool for your very own practice! 
Who listens more carefully than yourself to your own recording, right?
I intend to spend a big portion of this livestream for questions, so let me know them in advance so I can prepare myself!
- What mics would I need?
- What mics in what price range are a good option?
- Can I record without a computer?
- What software options do I have for post production?
- What is an audio interface and why would I need one?
- What accessories are helpful or necessary for recording?
- Headphones or monitor speakers?
- AND YOUR QUESTIONS!
Join me going into full nerd-mode in this exciting livestream and let me know what YOU want to know! 
[Please note the time, as US changes time on March 13, it might be on 1h earlier in i.e. EU time zones]
-
Thanks Martin for chart Could you possibly resend as a standard pdf or file I could print out?
-
Carole Kincaid Sure that!
-
-
And a little list FULL of Gear Recommendations!
-
hello Martin, if possible, can you show how to use an external mic with phone? I have a zoom H5, never figured out how to use it properly.
-
Qingzhi Yes! I will try to make a comprehensive breakdown of what you will need for which occasion, using a Zoom H5 with external Mics is definitely on my list!
-
-
Martin, I record both midi and audio onto my computer via a usb connection. I have a grand piano. When I replay the recording (in Ableton), the sound, either through headphones or speakers, is tinny. I HATE this. How can I record the luscious tones of the piano?
-
Adena Franz Can you maybe attach an audio file? Midi only plays back files that are stored on your computer, so you'd need to either find a way to import the samples from your grand (does it have a midi out that you are using? Cool Grand!) or look for a sample pack (there are gazillion different options out there, maybe look for something free first: https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/soft-piano). Otherwise, Ableton will simply them back either as sine waves or with a generic piano sample list that comes with Ableton!
-
Adena Franz Of course, if you have a grand, it would make sense to record it not via the USB connection but use regular microphones to capture the true physical form of wiggly air!
-
Martin Thanks for your reply. Attached is a work-in-progress which I recorded very simply using the iRig Recorder on the ipad, which was placed about 3 feet to the left of the grand on a small table.
-
Adena Franz That's actually not too bad! A recording with a smartphone or a tablet will always render in a somewhat poorer sound quality as we can't take control on most of the critical parameters. It might be possible though to set the gain levels with iRig Recorder, that would be the first option to look for to prevent your recording from clipping!
If you're recording at home, I'd recommend to get closer to the lid in order to prevent that room ambiance and then add a virtual reverb in a DAW (a recording software).
-
Martin Yes, I had adsilent installed on my Steingraeber grand and I've learnt how to connect everything. All of the sample packs I've researched and tried, including the Studio Grand Uptown from Ableton, however, still leave me cold.
-
Adena Franz Yeah, for someone who is used to the real thing i am sure that a sample pack isn't the most inspiring thing. Your touch has unlimited variety to it, while a midi-command can only describe 128 states. A sample pack usually has around 5 - 10 samples per note for different volumes, so it will never be able to recreate the immersive feeling of a well-defined touch.
Which is why you should invest into recording gear, so this will be the perfect livestream for you, haha!
-
-
I created a ...small cheat sheet for you guys to help for the decision making process! I might add a thing or two, but attempt to go over all these points in the livestream!
https://whimsical.com/recording-livestream-4rEiXVfnvVcpaKiicDG3jN
-
Martin,
Thank you very much for this very insightful session on recording!
Would you be able to shed more insight into Dominic's and Hilda's mic setup? Is it a 1 or multi mic(s) setup? I'm curious where they position their microphone(s) such that it picked up their voice and piano so well!
Thanks again!!!
