First Multitrack Recording on the iPad

[RickW]

My first recording on the iPad. Acoustic guitar, electric rhythm and lead, bass, and drums. It's a bit of a throwaway musically, just wanted to build something up in layers, and get used to using Auria, the recording tool I picked. It's got to be the most easy to use DAW I have ever worked with. Built in effects are excellent. Auto punch in and automation are super easy to understand and do. It doesn't do midi, which I don't have a clue how to use, but that's coming, and I'll learn it when it's available.

So what is this? All guitar and bass parts are me playing, input through an iRig Pro interface. Acoustic is the Cargo miced with my AT2020. Bass and electric are direct in, run through Amplitube, which is an amp/pedal modeller, input into Auria through Audiobus. Bass is through the stock Amplitube bass amp, and I got a nice punchy sound out of the Ripper with it. Electric rhythm is using a Fender Twin Reverb model, and the lead is using an Orange tiny terror, with a Fender compresser->Fender Overdrive->Noise Gate->Limiter. I like the sound, but I wanted a bit more venom in the tone - which think comes down to my playing, more than anything. Apparently I have some work to do on that. My strat was lovely through this process, and I'm super happy. The lead parts are with the bridge humbucker popped up in nuclear position.

Drums are through DM1, a Mac/iPad drumming app. It has sequencers, but I played each part separately on pads, doing the finger tap thing - snare, then kick, them cymbals. My timing could be better, but it's all a learning experience right now. DM1 has some great sounds in it, including, supposedly, the tones from the drum software Lonnie was referring to. I certainly liked them.

Anyhow, I'm pretty happy. It was easy (at least, to figure out.), and I like the sound, but it could be way better. If anyone would care to comment on how it sounds, the tones of the instruments, the balance of sounds, or anything else on the recording process that could be improved or just made different or tighter, I'd sure appreciate it. I know most of us are not super experienced in the field, but we all play and have ears. As I said, the music itself is not something I'm terribly wrapped up in, though I had fun doing it. Those with more experience with such things, if you'd care to take the time to listen and comment, I would very much appreciate it.

I have no idea where I'm going with this, or what I'll start recording. But music as a hobby is a never ending collection of joy.

Sounds From Monday Morning

[Russell Letson]

Works for me, though the drum sounds are less than compelling--a function of the device(s), not your time. (I'm not big on synth drums--the whole percussion field strikes me as being viscerally physical in performance and acoustic in texture. But that's a matter of taste and generation, I suspect.)

The guitars-and-bass parts and arrangement, though, sound pretty good, especially for an exploratory project.

[RickW]

Thanks, Russ. Have to agree, the entire synth-thing-for-everything, period, is painful, I think. I was listening to a bunch of stuff other folks had recorded on Auria, and there's a lot of "beats" in there, which means everything is sequenced synths. While on the one hand, I guess it frees the composer, it takes away that touch, and the entire genre strikes me as rather dead sounding. My children would disagree, and blame the generational thing. I shrug, and tell them I appreciate people who actually play.

At least with these drum tracks, I actually did play them, tapping them out. For now I'm going to stay away from creating a sequenced drum loop that I use as a base. I actually laid down a metronome track first, then did acoustic, then bass, then rhythm electric. Then I did the drums. I don't see how you could create a sequenced drum set after the fact, and as I generally start with a piece on guitar, it would be tough.

Thanks for the comments and the listen. I'm actually amazed that I didn't end up with sonic mud here. Or at least pleasantly surprised.

[lar]

Good job!

It's amazing what can be done with amp/effects modeling software these days. Your Strat sounded great. Sort of reminiscent of Carlos Santana, at least to my ears.

I tried multi-track recording on my iPad. I used Garage Band which, to me, was very garage band-esque. I wasn't pleased with the result nor was I impressed with the software.

You've had a much better experience. I was so frustrated I went out and bought a 24 track Tascam digital recorder. Sure it's a zillion times bigger but it's still portable, has 8 inputs, and does everything multi-track software will do except the modeling. But since nearly everything I record is acoustic anyway and I can run my Ashbory bass direct into the console I'm happy.

Now we're all agog waiting for your first actual masterpiece. Try not to take too long. I'm not getting any younger.

[RickW]

I had Garage Band, also. It's more of a fun thing on the iPad, though you can do it, it's just not its primary function. Auria seems to be the one everyone loves. It was a whole 50 bucks for the full version, a lot on the iPad, but squat elsewhere.

The masterpiece will take a while, as I have no idea what I'm going to do next, but it'll be more along the lines of what I intended to do. Got a few ideas percolating.

And I'm pretty happy with that guitar sound, too. Would still like to get a bit more of that Steve Vai snarl, as well. It sure is fun having all the different amp models and pedals to play with, for very little outlay.

[Doug]

The problem I have with that kind of recording is it's not what you here is what you get.  
Even if you are just putting one part on top of another, same problem.  
When you show up for the gig they want to know where the bass player, drummer, second guitar, sax etc is.  

I once got a gig at the Cedar Key Seafood Festival because the band that was booked didn't sound like their CD.  And I was the best they could come up with between sound check when they were bounced and the show. 

[RickW]

I'm not planning on ever performing any of it live, Doug. It's just a piece of music. I have fun doing my solo pieces, and I'll do some more of those. But I'm interested in doing some more complicated arrangements. If I every did get asked to play it live, which I really sincerely doubt, I guess I'd be getting a band.

[Doug]

Sept 1, 2014 16:41:18 GMT -5 RickW said:

I'm not planning on ever performing any of it live, Doug. It's just a piece of music. I have fun doing my solo pieces, and I'll do some more of those. But I'm interested in doing some more complicated arrangements. If I every did get asked to play it live, which I really sincerely doubt, I guess I'd be getting a band.

I see it as a get around for - Call John the drummer, call Harold the bass player, etc.  
I guess we are just getting too busy for that or live in the wrong place for that.  

And the disconnect between live and recorded has been going on for a long time.  I don't know when it started but 60s for sure.  

[RickW]

I don't see it as a disconnect. This piece could easily be played live if I had bodies to do it. It's just guitar, bass, and drums. I just happen to play them all, and the drums are digital. If I had the space and money, I'd certainly have a set of drums - I love the play the things.

There are lots of pieces of music, like most of the Beatles final few albums, that could not be played live. Not without some inventive recording and playback during the performance. If you're talking about the fact that I played one instrument, then another, then another, that's how most albums are recorded these days, and have been ever since multitrack recording became possible.

[Doug]

I think that is it.  If it is possible someone will do it.  Like putting Boggie in a TV ad.  

Less comradeship involved.  I didn't know that was a word but the spell check likes it. 

[Deleted]

I like it and the recording set-up shows how far we've come and makes me think, "Hey, I've got an iPad and time to kill...."

Like the others, I'm not big on synth drums, but they weren't a deal-killer.

[RickW]

Thanks. One of the nicest things for me is the ease of set up and tear down. I can be up and recording in a couple of minutes.

[Doug]

Sept 2, 2014 8:28:53 GMT -5 RickW said:

Thanks. One of the nicest things for me is the ease of set up and tear down. I can be up and recording in a couple of minutes.

Now that is a big thing.

I've had an easy set up for recording for years.  Less easy when we were in the motorhome but still not a big deal.  Makes a big difference.  I record almost every practice I do.  Good thing I have a big external HD. 
With out digging through I think I have 80% or more of practice for more than 15 yrs.  

[aquaduct]

Just getting around to this. Very nice, Rick.

[RickW]

Sept 2, 2014 20:21:28 GMT -5 aquaduct said:

Just getting around to this. Very nice, Rick.

Thanks, Peter. Overall tone and balance, any thoughts? Anything glaring that I should be looking at? You and Lonnie probably have the most experience with this out of all of us, and I appreciate your opinion.

[aquaduct]

Sept 2, 2014 20:35:06 GMT -5 RickW said:

Sept 2, 2014 20:21:28 GMT -5 aquaduct said:

Just getting around to this. Very nice, Rick.

Thanks, Peter. Overall tone and balance, any thoughts? Anything glaring that I should be looking at? You and Lonnie probably have the most experience with this out of all of us, and I appreciate your opinion.

No real thoughts. You do a great job of not getting carried away which I always find is the hardest thing to combat. I always try to envision what I want to play and then I only allow myself to actually play half of that.

But I'm not real comfortable with assuming I have anything to say about this kind of stuff that anybody should listen to. All my taste is in my mouth which is why I don't do this for real.

Other than that I might try sequencing the drums. For me it's always about the voice (in your case the harmonized lead lines). I can't necessarily add anything to the voice, but I certainly don't want to take anything away. The drums are a bit part in the scheme, may as well lock them up.

[RickW]

Much appreciated. I know what you mean. That's why I was concerned about getting mud, simply by overloading the whole thing. I'm not sure who people build up that massive wall of sound without having everything bury everything else. Not that I want to build anything quite so mountainous, but it's a skill that I don't understand really well. I guess you just keep listening and tweaking.

[Village Idiot]

I can't speak for tone and balance, as my computer output sucks ever since I had it plugged in in a classroom and some kid tripped over it and the thing when sprawling across the floor. I can hear things fine, but not the nuances of tone and balance.

But, I did like the recording. I liked it lots as a piece of music, the title works well with it, and I think this is a great way to play with your new guitar. To have fun with an electric you need percussion and other stuff (I would assume) and you've got the technology right there, whenever you want. How can things get cooler than that?

[RickW]

It was a lot of fun, Todd. Highly addictive. What I've got to concentrate on is producing some interesting things, some things that I really think through. This one I basically just started playing, and recording. I'm wanting to come up with something to start with that I'm really feeling, (and I have a few of those lying about,) and then use what I've learned, and will learn, to make something of it. One of those old musical dreams.

[Cosmic Wonder]

Rick, over all I liked it, especially the strat tones. Bear In mind I'm listening through my iPads speaker, so take this with a grain of salt, but if thought the acoustic guitar sounded very forward and a bit brittle. Could you dial up a little more air? Maybe some reverb? Or maybe that's just my preference. But I really liked the fusion like strat tone.

Mike