Recording reggae/funk/blues/rock type music
 

Hey guys...new to ProTools...just bought a 002Rack, Digimax LT, monitor speakers, and a computer. I have access to basically all the cables and mics I need. I was wondering what kind of plugins, outboard effects, etc I would need to effectively record a good demo for my band. We're looking to do a 3 song demo. The music is basically drums, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and hand percussions and sometimes an electric guitar.

We recorded some tracks on Cool Edit Pro but it sounds horrible. We used drum loops and whatnot and the lead singer basically recorded all tracks on his own since he plays all the instruments. Check it out at http://www.raynco.com/music.htm

So yeah, which basic plugins do you guys think will be sufficient to get a good recording down? Thanks for all your help...you DUC peeps rock!!

Re: Recording reggae/funk/blues/rock type music
 

oh forgot to mention...some of those tracks are LIVE recordings...they're even worse...

Re: Recording reggae/funk/blues/rock type music
 

man....hard to really answer. Have you guys ever went into another and recorded? First you need to learn how the recording process works. I always tell folks...........you can have to best gear and the worst engineer. Just because you have gear doesn't mean you'll get a good recording.

It takes a lot of practice. First, just try to get a clean level signal into protools(or others) without using any plug-ins or outboard processor. Just you(and your performance), the mic, and protools. Once you've achieved that, then start using the plugs and outboard gear to improve that clean level signal going into protools. Kinda sweetening it up a bit. Then you'll be ready to practice on your mixdowns. I wish you luck.

Re: Recording reggae/funk/blues/rock type music
 

definitely check out the Waves plugins, theres a plethora of great plugins that are useful for pretty much any situation. for drums, i would use 2 sm57's on the snare(top and bottom), MD421's on the toms, Shure Beta 52 on the kick, and theres a LOT of different overheads that are good. Octava's sound good if you have a good pair, and the Neumann KLM31's(?) also sound good.
SM57's on guitars sound pretty good, Røde NTK's on vocals are a favorite, as are Neumann U87a's. For bass you can use MD421's, Shure 52's, or any other good mid-low range microphone.
but certainly check out the Waves series of plugins.
-ev