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What software should I use?

*NOTE* Make sure you check the minimum requirements for each application before purchase**

So you need some software to record yourself. Many people have used GOLDWAVE with much success. There are other products available and most are available here in trial form:

Some of the popular apps are:

Goldwave: simply the cheapest and easiest way to record.
It isn't multi-track, but a good place to start.

N-Tracks: is the cheapest multi-track application we know of.
It is easy to use and the free download will get you started right away.

GuitarTracks is Cakewalk's easiest program and a great place to start if
you want to get into deeper, more serious recordings.

Cool Edit Pro (CEP) is a very powerful application. MIDI compatible, 24 bit
recording, it is a great program for any guitarist. Many members use this
program. It's a step up from the others.

CUBASE

Sonar/Cakewalk

Both Sonar and Cubase are professional applications. There is quite a LARGE learning curve for both but these are the best recording programs out there aside from for PC based computers. You can do everything with these programs: write MIDI. edit audio, use generous amounts of included plugins, soundfonts, drum mapping. This is your home studio recording application. Personal preference seems to be the only difference between the 2. MIXING/MASTERING/LOOPING SOFTWARE

www.sonicfoundry.com

Many recording applications come with mixing abilities but for external mastering the most populr is most likely Soundforge 5.x and higher. For looping (and to a lesser extent recording) ACID 4.0 is an excellent product for the quick drum/bass line for easy recording and settign ideas down when the ideas are still fresh. Fruityloops More on this in the DRUMS section

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What if I don't want to spend any money?

If you don't want to spend any money, we recomend that you download Gold Wave, N-track, and Fruity Loops. Gold Wave and N-track are nag-ware. There are "please register" screens that come up, but otherwise they are functional. Fruity Loops trial is save-disabled, but you can always record the sound it makes to another program and work with it from there.

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What's the best way to record?

There are standard recording "rules" that you need to follow to ge the best sounding mp3. Obviously the better application you use the better sound you will get but excellent results have been obtained from N-tracks and goldwave.

Setup First you need to be familliarize with you Windows computer. The little sound icon in the right bottom corner is your friend. That's what you'll double click for any problems you have. When you double click it, you will open a window.

If you don't see this icon, go to

• START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES>ENTERTAINMENT>VOLUME

• OPTIONS>PROPERTIES>RECORDING

Levels If all is set up properly and you're ready to record you'll want to do a soundcheck first. Most applications have a UV meter. Find out how to display it and pay attention to it at all times. In Sonar it's the CONSOL button, in Cool Edit f10 shows it and in N-tracks there's a button for it. Now, play your guitar and check the UV level on the computer. You will want it at around -6db for dist and in between -3db to -6db for a clean electric tone. Make sure this level is set for every track. After you have recorded use your ears and make sure that you have panned things properly.

Panning Panning is where you place the track in the stereo feild. It's referred to like a clock face. MAJICHANDS does an excellent job explaining how to pan in his gutarschool lesson you can find in Guitar War School.

Clipping After you have recorded/listened to it and things sound great check a global sound level for all your tracks and make sure you aren't "clipping" This is a term referred to tracks that are slightly distorting due to the volume. How "hot" (the loudness of your track/tune) is determined by how it's panned/mixed/recorded. To much volume will result in an artificially distorted wav/mp3. After encoding the results will be even more noticeable. So proper recording helps to begin with. You might even want to globally bring your tracks down in volume if their to loud. Sometimes compression will help bring the levels back up if you're too quite. But the secret lies within trial and error. We don't want to get to indepth with recording as there are many articles out there for that. Just be aware of what your levels are and make sure you aren't clipping

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I have a .wav but can't get it under 2.0 MB

There are a number of methods. The FILE SIZE is a good key to determine how to encode. the longer the song the smaller the bitrate. A 3 min tune will average a 64kbps/11khz bit/sample rate. The shorter the song the better sounding it will be. It also works with RobsFantastic encoder available here.

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Why do I get that "watery" sound when I record/encode?

There are some tracks that sound like they're underwater. This is usually because you've compressed the file a little to much or haven't panned things properly. Paying attention to where things are in the mix will reduce this problem. Also, there are better encoders. Bladeenc is NOT a good encoder for smaller file types. It's designed for 128kbps/44100khz and higher rates. Some members use RazorLame.

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What are "plugins?"

Plus ins are things you can use to enhance you sound. Some plugins are effects, such as compression or flanger. Other plugins audio-generating devices, like synthesizers. Many recording applications come with preset plugins but there's always room for updating and adding more. VST and DXi are 2 forms of plugin instruments. VST is Virtual sound technology written for Cubase products. DXi is the same thing for Windows and stands for Direct X instruments.

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What are "soundfonts?"

Soundfonts are like text fonts...but for sound. If you're using MIDI to write music, soundfonts are used to get different sounds instead of just using the soundcard's built-in sounds or a plugin. Soundfonts often sound quite a bit better then the standard soundcard instruments. They will change you sound and make them bigger and brighter....or just different. Try some here.

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How do I get drums into my songs?

The most popluar tool for drums is Fruity Loops. It's easy and has a wide variety of drum sounds. The trial version only lets you mix it down to wav format but MIDI applications are available for the real thing. Once mixed to a wav file you can bring it into any recording application as a normal file. The other option is guitarPro, powertab or using piano roll if your recording application comes with it. You can then use the soundfonts mentioned above.

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