[full metal]

does anyone on here have a good way to record your drums at home and be able to put them on the computer.

I just dont know what I need.
like a 4 track or just a computer program where I can just plug a mike into the computer or what, or if I need both.

I am compleatly stupid when it comes to doing recordings.

Help me

[Davenhurst]

Do you have a soundcard with multiple inputs? Or are you just relying on the mic input of your computer? I'm guessing the latter so, assuming that, be aware that quality won't be great just going straight into a mic input.

Anyway, you need a program that records audio to a file as it comes into the computer. There are lots of programs to do that but then they don't do much with the resulting file.

I'd recommend getting your hands on some multitracking software, then you'll be on the way to a home studio set-up of sorts, and you can start learning about overlaying, editing, effects etc. etc. Forgive me if you know all this already, just laying down the basics....

With the program installed, you'd plug your mic in and set up a channel to receive the audio, you should see things happening when you tap the mic (meaning level meters are showing activity on the screen), then you simply arm the channel to record and play away.

Doing it this way can present various problems, depending on the results you're after. For a start, you'll need to play around with the mic position if you're only using one so that you pick up the whole kit. Blah blah....

Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves - you can always keep asking for help once you're set up.

Of course, you could just use Windows sound recorder to grab some audio using a mic. (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Sound Recorder). But then, presumably, you'll need to trim the file or edit it in some way. Then you could use an audio editor (e.g. Wavelab. Not free, I'll have a hunt for free versions - hold on.......)

Or you could do the lot in a multitracker. There is a free version of Pro Tools kicking around, but it doesn't work with Windows XP. I use Cubase SX3 but it's an expensive piece of kit.

It's no secret that software can be "obtained" from the net using p2p programs and clients like bittorrent, but of course I don't advise using these methods.

So here's some free software:

http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Audacity/
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/FatRockStudio/
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/KRISTAL/
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/LUNA/
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/QuartzStudio_Free/

All taken from http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/win95/MULTITRACK_RECORDING/

I'm sure there are a lot more that others can recommend, this is just a start - there's so much out there.

	Ahead Drumsticks Shop for Ahead Drumsticks at Musician's Friend

[full metal]

wow there is a lot 2 it.

I have looked thru musicans freind at some of the programs they have for recording and some of them I could buy tomarow and others it would be a while but I have no Idea which one I would need to get to just be able to recored my drums.

I didnt even know that you could do it thru windows.

I would just like to be able to send out files to bands or be in drum battles.

Im not looking for some perfesonel set up just a easy to use not real exspinsive way to recored at home.
I hope that clears some of it up, and yes I am not very good at computers.

[Qwerk]

If I wanted to record myself, I would just take my digital camera and take a movie of myself playing, then upload it to my computer. My mom has recorded me playing at a couple drum recitels this way, and when you listen to it, it doesn't sound too bad.

[gyutae]

Originally Posted by Qwerk

If I wanted to record myself, I would just take my digital camera and take a movie of myself playing, then upload it to my computer. My mom has recorded me playing at a couple drum recitels this way, and when you listen to it, it doesn't sound too bad.

I agree. I have a drum video of me recorded this way, which can be found in the member drum videos section in the forums. The quality isn't too bad and it's good if you're just going to upload it to the web for fun. If you're thinking about actually using the video for professional stuff then it'll probaly be worth it to invest in the right equipment.

[full metal]

Yea I know what you mean. I used to have a digital camera that took great video with outstanding sound but someone (my other in law) stole it out of my house while me and my wife were away on a quick trip.

[gyutae]

He stole it from you? Go get that thing back!

[skinslapper]

Originally Posted by full metal

I have looked thru musicans freind at some of the programs they have for recording and some of them I could buy tomarow and others it would be a while but I have no Idea which one I would need to get to just be able to recored my drums.

Don't bother buying programs until you've mastered some basics of computer recording.

If don't want to multitrack, download audacity, very easy to get started.

for multitrakcing I would recomend Kristal audio. You can download this for free and it's a pretty simple program that will give you good results.

Another easy one is ntrack. You can download the shareware for this at fasoft.com, plug in a mic and start straight away.

Up until now I've been pre mixing my drums and recording them on one track in my computer. This is the best you can do with only one mic input. You can get a good sound but once the track is down you can't isolate anything.

I recently purchased a DSP2000 audio interface which will allow me to record 8 separate tracks at once. If I ever get the bloody thing working.