Quick & Simple - Recording With Audacity

Recording with Audacity is easier to use than Ardour, but it lacks the power of Ardour. Nonetheless, Audacity is a great sound editing tool...

Prior Assumptions

I am using the following Hardware to connect to Ubuntu Studio:

• installed Ubuntu Studio with the Real-Time Kernel
• Checked that your Tascam US-122 Audio/MIDI USB device is working (i.e. green light is "on").

If you haven't been able to get your Tascam US-122 device to work, click on the link below and CAREFULLY READ THE INSTRUCTIONS:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/TASCAM_US-122)

This instructional tutorial assumes that you have already setup the Jack Audio Server, and are running Qsynth. Please perform the previous tutorial on how to setup the Jack Audio and run Qysynth. [ Quick & Simple - Setting up Jack Server and Q-synth ]

Using Hydrogen Drum Machine

Hydrogen is a drum machine application. It is useful to allow the user to record drumming patterns (to be looped), or entire drumming patterns for a song.

Although I prefer a REAL drummer, you can use a drum machine as a basis for your song. After the song has been recorded (via Audacity), you can mute the drumming pattern and replace with real drums...

Steps to Launch Hydrogen Drum Machine

1. Select APPLICATIONS -> SOUND & VIDEO -> AUDIO PRODUCTION -> Hydrogen
2. The hydrogen application will appear.

The Hydrogen drum machine is pretty easy to use. Just press RECORD, and then click on an appropriate drum sound. The drumming pattern loops, so you can take your time to build more complex drumming patterns. Various drumming patterns can be saved to build a song...

Here is a link to the Hydrogen Manual:

http://www.hydrogen-music.org/content/tutorial/manual_en.html

Using Audacity (Multi-track Recording Application)

Audacity is a simple to use and intuitive application to allow a user to record and manipulate an audio product. Audacity can record drumming tracks from Hydrogen, record keyboards from Qsynth, as well as record vocals from a microphone...

Steps to Launch Audacity

1. Select APPLICATIONS -> SOUND & VIDEO -> AUDIO PRODUCTION -> Audacity
2. The Audacity application will appear. You may be prompted for language...

Recording Demo

Here is a song demo that I quickly created to demonstrate the quality of the recording:

[ http://matrix.senecac.on.ca/%7Emurray.saul/megan_green_eyed_lady.mp3 ]

Some Interesting Facts:

• I quickly put together this recording on Monday May 10, 2010. It was spread over the day, but I estimate it took me approx one hour to produce.
• Started this project around 10 a.m. (on and off during the day between work and laundry, cleaning, etc - i.e. It did not occupy my entire day).
• Downloaded for free (Hammond B3 with slow Leslie sound) from Internet for free (called a "Sound Font" . There are hundreds if not thousands of these available for free and legal). That Hammond sound is for real folks. I'm just missing a half decent midi keyboard to create the modulation for certain sections...
• Never played Sugarloaf's "Green Eyed Lady" before today. Got lyrics and Bass chord progression from Internet for free. Played with the organ background (from ear). Had it in approx 20 minutes.
• Started studio application, and recorded drum loop (pretty cheesy, but can be replaced by a real drummer (even this recording...)). Application that is drum machine is called Hydrogen and works automatically with recording software (called Audacity). Recording system is pretty simple to use (with proper instruction).
• Recorded on separate tracks for Drums, the Hammond for bass, and Hammond for organ background, for Vocals. Application called Qsynth was used to generate the organ sounds.
• Got Megan (my daughter) to practice song (she never sang this song before). She wants to redo this, but you are listening to her sing from only the second take folks (no dubs or "punch-ins").
• Did some post production (amplifications and reductions, reverbs, and fade-outs). Exported to an MP3 and finished at approx 4.15 pm. The recording application is quite intuitive to use...
• I will now "farm-out" this recording (file in format to add more tracks) to other friends (musicians) to add guitar, replace with other drums, vocals, effects, etc...

Costing Information:

• Computer System: Free
• OS and Recording studio applications: Ubuntu studio (Linux=Free)
• Keyboard :Free (cheap midi keyboard)
• Computer to music interface: Had one (costs approx $90)
• Microphone: Had one
• Total cost to produce song: $0

This is the reason why I'm excited about this project. I see the power of encouraging the building of this inexpensive recording studios and collaboration...