Announcing: Home Recording for Beginners - Page 2

nicholas · 02-10-2009, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by With an E

Good luck with it; I imagine it's about as easy to coordinate as birds mating mid air!!!

Well it's a challenge all right, but an enjoyable one ... trying to show how all the pieces fit together really drives home to me what an amazing piece of software REAPER really is.

Dali · 02-10-2009, 07:42 PM

As they say: "Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way). "

...Now waiting...

Dali

nicholas · 02-10-2009, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dali

As they say: "Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way). "

...Now waiting...

Dali

Thanks! You could also try here ...
http://www.tower.com/home-recording-...wapi/113128921

Susan G · 02-11-2009, 09:25 AM

Hi Geoff-

I'll definitely be in line for your new book as soon as I'm gainfully employed again. I lost my job last month (along with nearly 600,000 others) due to the US economic free-fall, and there's definitely a trickle-down (make that "cascade-down") effect! All digits crossed for a relatively quick recovery, then I'll be sure to pick up your book!

Thanks-

-Susan

Dali · 02-11-2009, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan G

I lost my job last month (along with nearly 600,000 others) due to the US economic free-fall, and there's definitely a trickle-down (make that "cascade-down) effect!

-Susan

I'm really sorry to read that Susan.

Good luck for a better future.

Dali

Susan G · 02-11-2009, 10:33 AM

Thanks so much for that, Dali! Many are in much worse shape than I am, but we'll all get through it somehow.

-Susan

Mercado_Negro · 02-11-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan G

Thanks so much for that, Dali! Many are in much worse shape than I am, but we'll all get through it somehow.

-Susan

That's it! a possitive attitude always! of course, you'll get through that soon... many people have done it before, why would you be the exception? Go on and on even if all doors close... you'll get in for sure (the keyhole is always a good starting point)

nicholas · 02-11-2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan G

Hi Geoff-

I lost my job last month (along with nearly 600,000 others) due to the US economic free-fall

-Susan

Sorry to hear that Susan, hope you find something soon. Meanwhile I know you'll put the extra time on your hands to good use!

stupeT · 02-11-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan G

Hi Geoff-

I'll definitely be in line for your new book as soon as I'm gainfully employed again. I lost my job last month (along with nearly 600,000 others) due to the US economic free-fall, and there's definitely a trickle-down (make that "cascade-down") effect! All digits crossed for a relatively quick recovery, then I'll be sure to pick up your book!

Thanks-

-Susan

Please, Susan,

buy, buy, buy and turn arround the situation in the US!

Fabian · 02-11-2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicholas

RRP is about $35 but don't expect to pay more than $25 to $27 if purchasing on-line.

I just bought it from a Swedish on-line book store (www.adlibris.se), 284 SEK (approx US$35), including "free" shipping. Now, I'm eagerly waiting delivery... Thanks nicholas.

bluzkat · 02-11-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan G

Hi Geoff-
I lost my job last month (along with nearly 600,000 others) due to the US economic free-fall, and there's definitely a trickle-down (make that "cascade-down") effect! All digits crossed for a relatively quick recovery, then I'll be sure to pick up your book!

Thanks-

-Susan

Susan,

Sorry to hear about your job loss (was it automotive related?). You are definitely not alone, I lost my job just before Christmas. Once I get a *few* medical issues under control, I hope to be able to go back to school (at the governments expense) and play a lot more music. It'll be just like I was 20 again!!

Try to see it as an opportunity, not a hardship. Okay enough sappy cliches. Take care.

Peace.

nicholas · 02-12-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan G

I wonder if you've talked with your publisher about offering it in Kindle or another downloadable e-book format ...

-Susan

Susan ... as you know I passed this suggestion on to them and have just heard that they like the idea and are looking into the possibilities right now. Wheels sometimes turn slowly, so I can't give you a timeline, but thanks for the suggestion - see what a difference one person's good idea can make!

Susan G · 02-13-2009, 10:53 AM

Hi Geoff-

That would be great! (More for you later!

)

Thanks for everyone's encouraging words, and @bluzcat, no, not automotive. Restaurant and Retail Point of Sale software, and so many small businesses are going under that they basically have no new sales coming in and had to make some drastic cuts. Things are looking up a bit for retail, based on Jan numbers, but restaurants are still hurting.

Thanks again-

-Susan

surfsup · 02-16-2009, 08:17 AM

I have a question. I have been recording for around 7 months now and FEEL I am getting a hang for what everything does. My issue now is just down to two things I guess:

1) understanding the finer points of reaper's functionality and why some of the advanced features are helpful/desired.

2) Tuning my ears so I'm not remixing a song 30 times to make it sound good on my MP3 player...

Would this book help in #1 or is it more an introduction? It looks like there's a few things in there I could use like learning about loops and routing/sends, but wondering how detailed that is?

moodswinger · 02-16-2009, 08:55 AM

Hey Surf-

It sounds to me like ReaMix would be more what your looking for.
ReaMix and the User Guide give pretty good explainations to the finer points,
and ReaMix will DEFINATELY help with point #2. It's a great book.

If your 7 mos in, and at the point you seem to be, there's nothing not covered
in those 2 that you'd miss from the Beginners guide. But if you're having issues with the fundamentals overall...the Beginners Guide might offer you a worthwhile amount of info.

Just IMO from your post.

Defenestration · 04-06-2009, 09:59 AM

I'm a beginner at digital music recording/creation and have been looking at a few books:

Home Recording for Beginner's (Obviously ;D )
Reaper Manual
ReaMix
Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies (ISBN: 9780470385425)
Guerilla Home Recording: How to Get (ISBN: 9781423454465)
Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools (ISBN: 9780240520681)
The Mixing Engineer's Handbook (ISBN: 9781598632514)

Are any of the books not by Geoff worth getting (ie. is there anything they cover really well) ?

Are there any really good books specifically aimed at creating dance music (that include info not in Geoff's books) ?

pghboemike · 06-18-2009, 09:09 AM

what additional information does Home Recording for Beginners. have beyond the Reaper 3.0 Manual

in other words if i have the manual what added value does Home Recording for Beginners bring

moodswinger · 06-18-2009, 10:13 AM

pghboemike,
First welcome to the forums.

As far as HR4B's goes, it is aimed at people new to DAW recording. It assumes you know little to nothing, and basically lies down a foundation to build upon. It literally works you thru the basic steps of recording and mixing a song without getting real "technical". Everything is in easy to understand terms and examples. The Manual is a fantastic overview of REAPER and it's features but doesn't get real in-depth on how or what to use. It (manual) assumes you know (at least) the basics that HR4B gives you, or have a background in another software.
If your having trouble understanding some of the features or some of the manual, HR4B will probably help you fill in the gaps, as well as giving you good basics in mixing too. If you understand the manual reasonably well, then ReaMix may be a better option if your looking to further your knowledge.
Hope this clarifies a bit.
Cheers,
MoodSwinger

moodswinger · 06-18-2009, 10:26 AM

Defenestration-

I can say I've skimmed thru Home Rec...Dummies, and I have Mixing Eng Handbook.
The Dummies manual I didn't feel contained anything that I didn't get out of others I had read, maybe more inclusive, had the info I found in 3 or 4 others in 1, but nothing groundbreaking or new.
the Mixing Handbook I got cause it's like a standard reference, everybody seems to at least know of it or have used it. Still worthy to have I guess.

There are a couple of books I have found specifically regarding "dance" (electronic) music creation on a computer, can't think of the exact titles now but if you google some of those terms I'm sure you'll find some pop-up from amazon.

If REAPER is your primary DAW, you really can't do better than Geoff's stuff for learning and getting familiar with everything. They're so well written and easy to understand, and will teach you more than most. I refer people to them all the time (ReaMix & HR4B)even if they don't use REAPER , and have not had one person say "that was a waste thanks alot". Most get more out of it then they expect to.
Welcome to the Forums.
Cheers,
MoodSwinger

pghboemike · 06-18-2009, 04:03 PM

will check back after it arrives

looking forward to "It literally works you thru the basic steps of recording and mixing a song without getting real "technical". Everything is in easy to understand terms and examples."

thanks for the imput

pghboemike · 06-26-2009, 01:21 PM

looks great, skimmed a little of each chap

issue

i get this message when loading projects

There were 1 items in the project file that were not understood. If this project was from a newer version of REAPER (or was saved with certain extensions installed), this version may not preserve all of the settings in the project.

i did not install reaper as i had already done that

vr 3.04 on vista 32 sp1

ideas

Boridhren · 09-12-2009, 10:04 AM

I am pretty much a complete beginner looking to get started in electronic (not loop-based) music. I reckon I won't be doing much audio recording to start with, but will mainly be using VSTi's and the MIDI editor.

Do you think this book will be a good starting point, or is it more aimed towards audio?

I am also wondering if Reaper is a good DAW for me to start with (as I keep hearing that the MIDI is not its strongest point), or would I be better off with something simpler like MU.LAB?

moodswinger · 09-13-2009, 09:47 AM

Boridren.... first welcome to the forums.

Home Recording does primarily focus on recording.
It does give a pretty good understanding of fx and vst's,
but doesn't go far or deep into VSTi's or electronic composing.

As far as Reaper and starting out, or something else, check a few out. I know Mu.lab has a free version, and you can find trials of many big ones. Personally I wasted almost 2 yrs. before stumbling across Reaper, and it's just made things easier and more sense for me. Find something you like. Don't base things one "simpler" to start as you will find that when you're ready to move on to something more "advanced", you'll find you have re-learn a bunch of what you already "know", and that can be frustrating. If you put in the time in the beginning, it'll be worth it in the end.

Reaper isn't the "best" for electronic music, but it's made leaps and bounds, to being more rounded and full featured. It's very possible that by the time you want to do something you'll be able to. I know many here use for electronic stuff so there's always someone to help you too.

hope this helps,
Cheers,
MoodSwinger

Boridhren · 09-14-2009, 02:26 PM

I have tried the free version of MU.LAB briefly and I found it very easy to get into, but being a beginner it's hard to know just what you will want from a program later on... And I see your point about having to relearn everything when moving to another one. I think I'll give Reaper a shot and see how it works out.

Thanks a lot for the advice!

moodswinger · 09-16-2009, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boridhren

I have tried the free version of MU.LAB briefly and I found it very easy to get into, but being a beginner it's hard to know just what you will want from a program later on...

Thanks a lot for the advice!

No prob, glad I could help.
Ya know too, there's nothing wrong with keeping on with MuLab, especially if it's that easy for you starting out. I used to love how quickly I could mock backing tracks up in Magix MusicMaker, it only cost me $40 but it was money well spent. I still dabble with it now and again just for fun.
Like others will tell you...there are going to be many tools in your toolbox. And sometimes what is most frustrating about learning a new app is the "creative" downtime, and the feeling you might lose the inspiration. So if you can supplant that at least for the time being, it'll make it all seem better in the end.

Cheers.