LinuxMusicians

Wondering how most people create a song in their DAW. Do you record straight into the DAW with no effects or EQ, compression, limiter etc., or do you record through a a device that can add some effects and EQ to the signal before the track is recorded?

I have been just going straight from my audio interface, Behringer UMC202HD, straight to my DAW and then trying to EQ and add effects via plugins. This has been an extremely difficult task since I have never tried to mix before. I then tried going through my Behringer Xenyx QX1222USB board and added some EQ and slight compression and it seems to be the way to go, but wanted advice from the community that has experience.

A friend, who is a musician, said when he was recorded the sound engineer wanted to only record his guitar with no effects, distortion, EQ etc. and just a raw signal from all instruments and he would add that in during the mix while listening to a recorded version of the song that was played during a concert.

So, do you want just the raw signal and add everything after or is there a bit of processing done before recording into the DAW like I did with the Xenyx?

Thanks for any advice and help,

Jon

Usually i track the most clean/raw signal possible, no eq, comp, etc. On guitars i do both: record a DI directly from the pickup plus what comes out of the amp. I'm a huge fan of reamping (with real amps and mics) bass, guitar, sometimes drums and keyboards. Sometimes guitarists don't want to give a DI signal, then you have to convince them to do so. You gain all possibilities, but don't loose anything.

jonr wrote: ↑Sat Dec 09, 2023 4:36 pm

Wondering how most people create a song in their DAW. Do you record straight into the DAW with no effects or EQ, compression, limiter etc., or do you record through a a device that can add some effects and EQ to the signal before the track is recorded?

That depends on the instrument used and also your own preferences. At home I record everything straight into my DAW and when mixing I add the rest. But I'm thinking about getting a hardware preamp and compressor for vocals for instance.

jonr wrote: ↑Sat Dec 09, 2023 4:36 pm

I have been just going straight from my audio interface, Behringer UMC202HD, straight to my DAW and then trying to EQ and add effects via plugins. This has been an extremely difficult task since I have never tried to mix before. I then tried going through my Behringer Xenyx QX1222USB board and added some EQ and slight compression and it seems to be the way to go, but wanted advice from the community that has experience.

If that works for you then go ahead!

jonr wrote: ↑Sat Dec 09, 2023 4:36 pm

A friend, who is a musician, said when he was recorded the sound engineer wanted to only record his guitar with no effects, distortion, EQ etc. and just a raw signal from all instruments and he would add that in during the mix while listening to a recorded version of the song that was played during a concert.

Personally I prefer recording the whole rig. Plugging in guitars directly or re-amping, not my thing as I'm of the conviction that guitar players play best when using their own rigs. At home I always use some kind of amp/cab sim combination to record electric guitars so I can play with the right feel. Playing a dry sounding guitar really impedes playing dynamically and passionately I think.

jonr wrote: ↑Sat Dec 09, 2023 4:36 pm

So, do you want just the raw signal and add everything after or is there a bit of processing done before recording into the DAW like I did with the Xenyx?

Another option is to record both signals (if possible), so the dry and the wet one. This is done a lot with bass, but also with guitar. That way you can also post-process the dry signal as you wish. And while playing and recording just monitor the wet signal. If that's not possible then there's nothing wrong with some pre-processing on your Xenyx.

I just want to add something: the performance is much more important than all that technical stuff. That's why e.g Caruso still touches us.