My recording rig I use for everything.

Bo Eder

Platinum Member
Lots of questions on how to record yourself pop up here all the time. So I thought I'd explain my little rig I use for all my videos and live playing.

Yes, I know it costs money. Yes, I know everyone asking is trying to do it for next to nothing because you already spent everything you've earned on that set of drums you love so much. But, this is how I do it, and although it's not super-impressive by gear used by our more audio-oriented members, it is easy to use and understand (which, even though I'm an audio engineer by profession, I don't want my own gear so complicated because my work is already that way).

The cool thing about how I do it is that it doesn't involve a computer. It eventually does, but I'll explain that in a minute.

It starts with a mixing board, a Mackie 1604VLZ, and my recorder, a Zoom R16. the reason I use the Mackie is because it has 8 direct outs - which sends the incoming signal on the first 8 channels out the back before it gets processed by the board. These outputs go straight into my Zoom R16 which can record 8 channels at once to a handy little SD card.

I like the Zoom R16, but like all little multi-trackers, regardless of how good the manufacturer says the mic pre-amps are, you can't really trust them. The Mackie mic pre-amps are pretty robust and can easily handle my uneven signals coming in from the mics, so this is why I go through that console first. It saves my Zoom from getting spiked ;)

So I mic my drums up (it only takes 6 mics) going into the Mackie, then those signals go to the Zoom. Put the Zoom in record mode and go for it. I've done my trio by getting the guitar and bass in, and then micing the drums with only three mics and have gotten pretty good results. I'd even have a couple channels left over for a live vocal. This is how I'm able to use this for a live recording at a gig. OR, I could mic up even more (up to 16 channels on the Mackie), and then by assigning the channels to sub-channels, I could run the four sub-outs to four tracks on the Zoom - basically recording like the Beatles back in the old days when the band played live and was sub-mixed down to four-tracks. Of course, you'll have more than one instrument per channel, but thems the breaks - you just gotta learn how to balance out during the performance. Very cool to have the option so at least I could record something.

So this gets me to the tracking stage where I can record stuff. Arm the Zoom R16 with a 32GB SD card and I can record 8-tracks like this for as long as two hours at least. Pretty flash, eh?

Now once I have my tracks recorded, then I finally introduce the computer. Although its all the rage to record directly into a computer these days with a USB audio interface, as a drummer and sound-guy, I already have enough to think about. I don't want to be dealing with computer issues in a performance out in the field. But, once I have my tracks on the SD card, it's just a matter of transferring the individual tracks from the card to individual tracks in either GarageBand or Logic Pro. Tracks can be processed , effected, edited and spliced, all on the screen at home, and when I'm satisfied, shared into iTunes where I can burn a CD or put it on my iPod.

Now how I do videos that I upload on YouTube, while I'm recording, my Kodak Zi8 camcorder is also recording separately. Once the audio is mixed the way I like it, it's just a matter of importing the video file into iMovie, along with the new audio, and then syncing them up. Then I can upload to YouTube once the movie is finished.

I know it seems a little complicated, but really, once you get into doing it, it's not that hard. It just requires that you know how to use several devices and software programs, which is something I'm sure everyone here already kinda' does. I just eliminate the computer from the actual recording process. The Zoom is pretty bullet-proof and there are no real moving parts to get damaged in transport, plus it can run on AA batteries if it has to as well. A very handy tool, I think.

I hope what I explained here sorta helps those of you interested in "how it's done". There are many ways to do this, and I'm sure someone will tell me my process is old and clunky or not as streamlined. But for me, I think it works out really well. If I have to do a professional level recording, I'm sure at that point I'd just spend the money and have a real engineer do it for me. But for demos and fun stuff (and certainly my YouTube videos), this rig will do. It travels pretty easily too.
 

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i have a quick question. so can you use the zoom as a mixer without the mackie
 
Am I right in thinking that the Mackie only supplies phantom power to two channels?

It's a great little device. When I record myself, I go down the other road and go straight into a USB audio interface but I can absolutely see the merit in doing it this way. I have run into computer issues before and nothing is more frustrating than starting and finding out that you have a glitch halfway through an otherwise perfect take.

I like those Mackie desks. I remember, though, trying to record in a studio with them. It was already wired into a snake and there was no patchbay and of course, they'd made all the inputs deeply inaccessible by putting the damn thing right up against a wall. I was trying to record in the control room with a Neumann and it was a total pain just putting the XLR into the input! Having the inputs at the top rather than at the back makes a lot more sense to me.
 
i have a quick question. so can you use the zoom as a mixer without the mackie

Yes you can. It's made to be used alone. I had to go this way because I wanted to implement just the recorder part in a live situation. But the Zoom is probably the best bang for your buck portastudio available.
 
Yes you can. It's made to be used alone. I had to go this way because I wanted to implement just the recorder part in a live situation. But the Zoom is probably the best bang for your buck portastudio available.

Hi Bo,

I bought one of these R16s on your recommendation and I have been very satisfied. I thought it has phantom power for all 8 inputs but it only has two, so I do the same as you by running it all through my old Tascam mixer that has 16 inputs with phantom power. This allows me to use a couple of condenser mics I have for the hats and ride as well.

I didn't think about the spiking issues going through the R16 first, so that's a good tip.
 
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