Recording myself to play along tracks?

steve.b.

Member
Hi,
I would like to start recording myself playing along to CD's and play along's like the Tommy Igoe ones
Would i be able to play the tracks through head phones and record my drums all on the zoom H4N or would it need to get more technical.
Hope that makes sense.
Thanks
Steve
 
Typically, you would use a mixer so so that you can hear some kind of appropriate mix of your drums and the track.

One bare bones way to do it would be:


Route MP3 signal to CD/TAPE input on mixer.
1 overhead mic, 1 bass drum mic to mixer
Headphones plugged into headphone output on mixer
Main out of mixer to line level input on recording device. You will typically need a Y plug (2 monos on one end, stereo plug on the other) to connect from the R and L outputs of the mixer to the single stereo input of the Zoom.

Mixer must have at least two lo-Z (mic-level) inputs.
 
Thanks for the responses,

New Tricks,
I have not purchased the zoom yet, so don't what you can run through it.

Jeff,
Thank for the info, will obviously need to do a bit of homework.

Any recommendations as to mixer?

Steve
 
Oh and i forgot to mention that it would need to be portable as i would only be able to use at a rehearsal room.
I was hoping to use my i pod to play the tracks from.

Steve
 
For 100 bucks more, the Zoom R 16 has 8 inputs (all are xlr and 1/4") so there would be no need for a mixer.

It can also be used as a controller for any recording software you may be using in the future.

Just a thought.
 
Hi,
I would like to start recording myself playing along to CD's and play along's like the Tommy Igoe ones
Would i be able to play the tracks through head phones and record my drums all on the zoom H4N or would it need to get more technical.
Hope that makes sense.
Thanks
Steve

As New Tricks has stated, the Zoom R16 sounds like it would be right up your alley. It's the recorder I use and I've posted several threads (along with a short review of the R16) on how I use the device.

Having a mixer and then playing your MP3's through it, while putting up a couple of mics on your kit and then mixing all that to a stereo recorder (like the Zoom H2 or similar) is essentially what you're doing, but it's a big PITA trying to do it yourself. What you really need have is a recorder that will allow you to record separate tracks at once.

Using the R16 by itself, you can record up to 8-tracks at the same time which is it's big selling point. Alot of the cheaper recorders only allow you to record on two tracks at once which doesn't help you at all.

So what I would do with the R16:

a) Take 2 channels and record your MP3s there as a stereo track (or just a mono track if you don't care about it being in stereo).
b) Plug in a few mics to the remaining tracks (should be six or seven) to record the drums while playing back the MP3 tracks in your headphones.
c) After you're happy with your recorded performance, now you can mix those tracks down to a stereo recorder and dump it to CD (that's a whole separate process).

Of course, you can record 8-tracks at the same time, but you can actually record up to 16 tracks on the R16 (24 on the R24), which makes this device super-cool. There isn't anything else like it in its price range. Check it out.
 
Thanks Guys,

Bo,

Thanks for the details, i am pretty much a beginner and was looking to sort of evaluate my playing by recording myself.( as Tommy Igoe keeps saying.....you are recording yourself aint you?)
Will look into the R16, will it play back through its self or does it need to be connected to say my laptop to play? and will all the tracks play together as recorded so i can hear exactly what was played including the backing track (sorry probably a stupid question)

Steve
 
Thanks Guys,

Bo,

Thanks for the details, i am pretty much a beginner and was looking to sort of evaluate my playing by recording myself.( as Tommy Igoe keeps saying.....you are recording yourself aint you?)
Will look into the R16, will it play back through its self or does it need to be connected to say my laptop to play? and will all the tracks play together as recorded so i can hear exactly what was played including the backing track (sorry probably a stupid question)

Steve

The coolest thing about the R16 is that you do not need anything else but microphones to use it. Well, it has two built-in mics as well, which will work in a pinch if you have to. And of course, you would need headphones (or you can get powered speakers like you can for your computer) to hear. I'd recommend good headphones if you can't afford at least $200 for the powered speakers though, you want an accurate sound.

The R16 can double as a USB computer interface as well with your computer when you're ready, but right out of the box, it doesn't need anything. You can even run it on six AA batteries in the field. You supply a fairly big SD card though (I use a 8GB with mine). I thought it was the best $399 I ever spent.

I like computer recording, but you really have to be into it to get things done. First you have to make sure your computer can do digital audio, then you have to find an appropriate USB interface, then you have to learn the software you're going to use.....it's really cool, but there's too many steps when all I want to do is just flip a switch and do some recording. The R16 is a great way to get into recording on an extreme budget. Most of my videos I used primarily the R16, unless I note that I just went live with my Zoom Q3HD camcorder. Good luck!
 
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