Recording Questions

[AvidEditor]

I'm preparing to start recording a CD for our band. I'm using Eleven Rack and Pro Tools. I have zero experience with Pro Tools. I have experience with CuBase VST but because I have Pro Tools with 11R I want to learn Pro Tools.

My plan: Record basic guitar tracks for each song to a click track and then rough mix each song. Give other band members (bass, drums, lead singer) the rough mix. Band members learn and practice the songs then record each band member individually. Mix, tweak, final Mix.

I love the 11R cleans. I'm not a fan of 11R overdrive/distortion. Too fizzy. Parametric EQ for me hasn't done as well as a good pedal such as OCD in front can do. 11R overdrive/distortion is great live... When you push a lot of air through the PA you get away with it and the 11R sounds fantastic. However, I haven't heard the overdrive tones I'm looking for directly from 11R. I'll need to use my favorite pedals in front of 11R or else I'll need to put pedals in the 11R send/return loop.

I assume I'll be reamping because I want the real sounds of cabinets, but this decision is dependent on results from direct recording.

Question 1: Evidently in a conventional 11R/Pro Tools scenario the dry signal of the guitar is recorded concurrently with the rig of 11R. If I Utilized the send/return of 11R is there a way to put a real overdrive pedal into the send/return of 11R and then record in Pro Tools both the dry signal and the wet overdrive from the send/return loop on separate tracks?

Question 2: If question 1 is not possible, could a guitar track be recorded conventionally dry/wet and then in reamping put an overdrive pedal somewhere in the chain (in front of the amp being used for reamping or in the send/return loop) and in that way infuse overdrive to the track?

Bottom line, is there a way to record a real world distortion pedal onto a Pro Tools track along with a dry signal from 11R?

Question 3: When I record the bass, drums and vocals I assume each of those live signals when recorded are run through the front XLR input?

Question 4: In the recording scenario I've described with 11R I don't see a methodology for recording separate drum mics. I'm planning to mic the drums by running all the drum mics through a mixer and lay the mixed drums signal onto a single track through the front input XLR. Is there an alternative I'm missing?

[Idisagree]

Are you new to recording? I don't use PT at all. And I don't use my eleven rack as an interface so I can't help you out much with the pedal and dry signal questions but I have been recording for a long time so ill take a stab at answering your drum questions.

You can't record multiple drum mics using the eleven rack. If you have to go the mixer route you should find a way to get at least 2 tracks from the mixer into protools so you you can pan your overheads and toms around in the stereo mix to get some seperation. I bet with what you have you could probably something decent. I only ever multi track drums though so I can put a bit of reverb on my overheads and some compression on my snare and kick seperately. I never compress all of my drums at once. I will compress the overall mix on the master channel but never all of them together unless im going for that pumping sound you hear on some records.

My overall recommendation would be to scoop up a used multi channel interface and multi track the drums but that's totally a preference of mine. I don't know how good your ears are but I personally would have a bitch of a time with the mixer set up. I'm no amazing engineer.

I posted a song on here called "Covetous" from my band a few minutes ago. Feel free to check it out so you can hear what I'm doing with a $300 interface and some really cheap mics. I don't have a mic that costs more than $100 on their own. My drum mics were 200 on eBay 7 years ago and they appear to be made of plastic.

Sorry for rambling

Ted

[AvidEditor]

Originally Posted by Idisagree

Are you new to recording? I don't use PT at all. And I don't use my eleven rack as an interface so I can't help you out much with the pedal and dry signal questions but I have been recording for a long time so ill take a stab at answering your drum questions.

You can't record multiple drum mics using the eleven rack. If you have to go the mixer route you should find a way to get at least 2 tracks from the mixer into protools so you you can pan your overheads and toms around in the stereo mix to get some seperation. I bet with what you have you could probably something decent. I only ever multi track drums though so I can put a bit of reverb on my overheads and some compression on my snare and kick seperately. I never compress all of my drums at once. I will compress the overall mix on the master channel but never all of them together unless im going for that pumping sound you hear on some records.

My overall recommendation would be to scoop up a used multi channel interface and multi track the drums but that's totally a preference of mine. I don't know how good your ears are but I personally would have a bitch of a time with the mixer set up. I'm no amazing engineer.

I posted a song on here called "Covetous" from my band a few minutes ago. Feel free to check it out so you can hear what I'm doing with a $300 interface and some really cheap mics. I don't have a mic that costs more than $100 on their own. My drum mics were 200 on eBay 7 years ago and they appear to be made of plastic.

Sorry for rambling

Ted

Hi Ted, you're not rambling. We're both in Portland and so we're doing something right - or wrong!

I'm not new to recording, I've recorded and/or mixed hundreds of network television shows, including film and video tape recording.

Please explain when you wrote to use a, "multi channel interface and multi track the drums." I need to work within the constraints of Pro Tools - When you write, "multi channel interface" what type of hardware are you talking about?

[Idisagree]

I am currently using a Tascam US2000. $300 for 16 inputs at a time. But there are several others and you can get them on the cheap. Presonus firepods are nice and you can find them used on Craigslist from time to time. What version of PT are you using?

[AvidEditor]

Originally Posted by Idisagree

I am currently using a Tascam US2000. $300 for 16 inputs at a time. But there are several others and you can get them on the cheap. Presonus firepods are nice and you can find them used on Craigslist from time to time. What version of PT are you using?

I had no idea anything like the Tascam US2000 existed. Evidently it's Cubase friendly, is there anything similar relative to Pro Tools 10?

[Idisagree]

PT 10 should work with any interface with an ASIO driver. Including the us2000 so whatever you choose should work just fine.

[AvidEditor]

Idisagree, I'll check it out.

Thanks!