How Sidetrack Recorded the Stay at Home Sessions
After being locked down for a week or so we really wanted to make music together. We tried Zoom - nope, only one "voice" at a time and terrible latency (delay). So after a few false starts we discovered soundtrap.com, a very cool, cloud based tracking and mixing site owned by Spotify. Starting with Bud's drum track, each band member laid down one track at a time over the existing tracks, and then went back for "retakes" as the project filled out. We hope you enjoy the tracks, more to come soon! Having used soundtrap.com from April 2020 to December 2020, we ultimately moved back to tracking remotely using various versions of Presonus Studio One in each musician's home studio, and then sharing the stems (track files) using Google Drive with Bud for mixing as it offered more flexibility as a tradeoff with simplicity.
For a discussion of tools for real-time rehearsing/collaboration as opposed to tracking, please see the Internet Collaboration page on this site.
Bud's home studio (Drums)
Recording Interface: Presonus Studio 1824C (8 channels) with Presonus DigiMax D8 ADAT preamp (8 additional channels)
Microphones: Audix D6 (Kick), 3 Audix ADX51 (overheads and hi-hat), Audix i5 (Snare Top), 1 Audix D4 (floor tom), 2 Audix D2 (rack tom and snare bottom)
Tracking/Mixing Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Professional (with Sphere)
Amp Modeling Software: Presonus Ampire
Tracking Computer: MacBook Pro 16" (2020)
Stage Piano: Yamaha CP-33 (use either onboard Yamaha instruments through a Radial ProD2 direct box or Presonus instruments via MIDI out)
MIDI Controller Pad: Presonus ATOM (for some Latin Percussion)
MIDI Controller Keyboard: Novation Launchkey 61
Mixing Monitors: Presonus Eris E3.5
Ed's Home Studio (Keyboards)
Recording Interface: Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD
Keyboard: Korg Kronos Workstation
Tracking Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Professional (with Sphere)
Joe's Home Studio (Guitar)
Recording Interface: Presonus Audiobox USB 96
Tracking Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Artist
Amp Modeling Software: Presonus Ampire
Bob's Home Studio (Bass)
Recording Interface: M-Audio Air 192|6
Tracking Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Prime
For a discussion of tools for real-time rehearsing/collaboration as opposed to tracking, please see the Internet Collaboration page on this site.
Bud's home studio (Drums)
Recording Interface: Presonus Studio 1824C (8 channels) with Presonus DigiMax D8 ADAT preamp (8 additional channels)
Microphones: Audix D6 (Kick), 3 Audix ADX51 (overheads and hi-hat), Audix i5 (Snare Top), 1 Audix D4 (floor tom), 2 Audix D2 (rack tom and snare bottom)
Tracking/Mixing Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Professional (with Sphere)
Amp Modeling Software: Presonus Ampire
Tracking Computer: MacBook Pro 16" (2020)
Stage Piano: Yamaha CP-33 (use either onboard Yamaha instruments through a Radial ProD2 direct box or Presonus instruments via MIDI out)
MIDI Controller Pad: Presonus ATOM (for some Latin Percussion)
MIDI Controller Keyboard: Novation Launchkey 61
Mixing Monitors: Presonus Eris E3.5
Ed's Home Studio (Keyboards)
Recording Interface: Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD
Keyboard: Korg Kronos Workstation
Tracking Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Professional (with Sphere)
Joe's Home Studio (Guitar)
Recording Interface: Presonus Audiobox USB 96
Tracking Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Artist
Amp Modeling Software: Presonus Ampire
Bob's Home Studio (Bass)
Recording Interface: M-Audio Air 192|6
Tracking Software: Presonus Studio One 5.1 Prime
How to set up remote recording in your home
1. Step One: Get a digital recording interface. This converts analog signal (microphone, instrument analog out) to digital. Price depends on the quality of the preamps and the number of simultaneous channels you can capture.
Presonus (My longtime favorite)
2 channel budget, older model: Audiobox USB 96 ($100)
2 channel higher quality: Studio 26C ($210)
4 channel: Studio 68C ($320)
8 Channel: Studio 1824C ($500) - expandable to 16 channels by adding an ADAT mic pre-amp
If you have Thunderbolt 3 ports on your Mac, the newer Presonus Quantum Series interfaces reduce round trip latency to near zero ($600-$1,500)
M-Audio (also popular)
2 channel: M-Audio Air 192|6 ($149)
8 channel: M-Audio Air 192|14 ($299)
Behringer (good budget choice)
2 channel: UMC204HD ($129)
4 channel: UMC404HD ($178)
If you are recording a horn or vocals using a microphone, you will only need one channel for the instrument and a reasonably high quality microphone with an XLR cable (and a mic stand) to connect to the interface. Alternatively you can use a high quality ($150) USB microphone or a more modest one ($45) like this one that is plugged into a USB port on your computer. and use that as your input device, eliminating the need for an interface. It is much better than using the built in computer mic.
My favorite online recording gear merchants are Sweetwater Sound, B&H Photo, and Musician's Friend. Check for pricing and delivery speed.
2. Step Two: Get a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). This is software (either Mac, Windows, or both) that tracks (records) audio from your interface, tracks MIDI from your MIDI keyboard, and then allows you to mix (combine) those tracks using a variety of sonic tools to produce a stereo file for distribution.
While soundtrap.com was a good short-term, online, inexpensive solution for us to quickly get four players and guest artists with differing levels of recording/tech experience up and running in a hurry, it has some significant limitations. We have since moved on (or back to) local DAWs. Here are some choices for DAWs.
(a) Presonus Studio One: Mac or Windows. My personal favorite. Comes in various price/feature levels from Prime (free) to Artist ($100) to Professional ($400) to Sphere - a monthly rental model ($15/month) that gives you not only Studio One Professional, but all of the software that Presonus makes.
(b) Avid Pro Tools: Mac or Windows. Longtime industry standard, but I find it clumsy to work with, and outdated.
(c) Apple Logic Pro: Mac Only, $200. Popular.
(d) Apple Garage Band: Mac Only. Free.
(e) soundtrap.com: 100% cloud/browser based. Easy collaboration, but best for novices or students. There are three levels of music membership: Free (you can record tracks and add to other projects, but you can't mix and download), Premium ($7.99/mo.), and Supreme ($11.99/mo.).
If you are taking the analog outs from a keyboard you will need two channels for the instrument. Electric Guitar or Electric Bass need one channel. Drums need 4-8 channels (usually 2 overheads, snare and kick to start, with optional mics on toms, high hats, and the bottom of the snare), but you can try and get away with just two overheads if you need to.
I work with both Windows PCs and laptops, and a MacBook Pro. I have found that tracking and realtime rehearsing is much easier on my MacBook, but I still do my mixing on my Windows machine. Since Studio One is cross platform it is seamless to move back and forth, as all of my audio files are saved to a network attached storage drive.
3. Working Collaboratively. Unless you are laying down all of your tracks on your own, you will need to collaborate. Pre-pandemic it was easy to have other musicians (if they were local) drop by and lay down their tracks. But to work with musicians who are not local, or until we get back to whatever normal is going to look like, you need to share files. The easiest way is to have one person lay down reference tracks and share them via Google Drive or Dropbox. Then each musician uploads their contribution track(s) to the Google Drive/Dropbox folder for the designated engineer to mix on their DAW. Presonus offers some collaborative tools as part of Sphere, as does Pro Tools.
Presonus (My longtime favorite)
2 channel budget, older model: Audiobox USB 96 ($100)
2 channel higher quality: Studio 26C ($210)
4 channel: Studio 68C ($320)
8 Channel: Studio 1824C ($500) - expandable to 16 channels by adding an ADAT mic pre-amp
If you have Thunderbolt 3 ports on your Mac, the newer Presonus Quantum Series interfaces reduce round trip latency to near zero ($600-$1,500)
M-Audio (also popular)
2 channel: M-Audio Air 192|6 ($149)
8 channel: M-Audio Air 192|14 ($299)
Behringer (good budget choice)
2 channel: UMC204HD ($129)
4 channel: UMC404HD ($178)
If you are recording a horn or vocals using a microphone, you will only need one channel for the instrument and a reasonably high quality microphone with an XLR cable (and a mic stand) to connect to the interface. Alternatively you can use a high quality ($150) USB microphone or a more modest one ($45) like this one that is plugged into a USB port on your computer. and use that as your input device, eliminating the need for an interface. It is much better than using the built in computer mic.
My favorite online recording gear merchants are Sweetwater Sound, B&H Photo, and Musician's Friend. Check for pricing and delivery speed.
2. Step Two: Get a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). This is software (either Mac, Windows, or both) that tracks (records) audio from your interface, tracks MIDI from your MIDI keyboard, and then allows you to mix (combine) those tracks using a variety of sonic tools to produce a stereo file for distribution.
While soundtrap.com was a good short-term, online, inexpensive solution for us to quickly get four players and guest artists with differing levels of recording/tech experience up and running in a hurry, it has some significant limitations. We have since moved on (or back to) local DAWs. Here are some choices for DAWs.
(a) Presonus Studio One: Mac or Windows. My personal favorite. Comes in various price/feature levels from Prime (free) to Artist ($100) to Professional ($400) to Sphere - a monthly rental model ($15/month) that gives you not only Studio One Professional, but all of the software that Presonus makes.
(b) Avid Pro Tools: Mac or Windows. Longtime industry standard, but I find it clumsy to work with, and outdated.
(c) Apple Logic Pro: Mac Only, $200. Popular.
(d) Apple Garage Band: Mac Only. Free.
(e) soundtrap.com: 100% cloud/browser based. Easy collaboration, but best for novices or students. There are three levels of music membership: Free (you can record tracks and add to other projects, but you can't mix and download), Premium ($7.99/mo.), and Supreme ($11.99/mo.).
If you are taking the analog outs from a keyboard you will need two channels for the instrument. Electric Guitar or Electric Bass need one channel. Drums need 4-8 channels (usually 2 overheads, snare and kick to start, with optional mics on toms, high hats, and the bottom of the snare), but you can try and get away with just two overheads if you need to.
I work with both Windows PCs and laptops, and a MacBook Pro. I have found that tracking and realtime rehearsing is much easier on my MacBook, but I still do my mixing on my Windows machine. Since Studio One is cross platform it is seamless to move back and forth, as all of my audio files are saved to a network attached storage drive.
3. Working Collaboratively. Unless you are laying down all of your tracks on your own, you will need to collaborate. Pre-pandemic it was easy to have other musicians (if they were local) drop by and lay down their tracks. But to work with musicians who are not local, or until we get back to whatever normal is going to look like, you need to share files. The easiest way is to have one person lay down reference tracks and share them via Google Drive or Dropbox. Then each musician uploads their contribution track(s) to the Google Drive/Dropbox folder for the designated engineer to mix on their DAW. Presonus offers some collaborative tools as part of Sphere, as does Pro Tools.
Sidetrack's Home Studio: 2010-2019
Sidetrack's recordings were tracked and mixed in Bud's basement home studio. Bass and keyboards were recorded direct to board through direct boxes. Guitar was tracked on two channels - one channel direct and one channel live miked with a Shure M-57 on the guitar amp in a separate room (a budget operation - it's the boiler room!). Drums were recorded live using 2 Oktava MK-012 overhead condenser mics, and Shure M-57s on the high hat and snare. The kick drum was miked with an AKG D112 mic. All cables were Mogami Gold.
At the heart of the system was a Presonus StudioLive RM-16AI rack mounted digital mixer with four custom stereo monitor mixes running through a Presonus HP-60 headphone amplifier and Sony MDR-7506 headphones for most of the musicians. Bud (drums) used Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (32 ohm) headphones which offer additional isolation to prevent monitor bleed into the overhead mics and give him more isolation when practicing. Tracking was done using Presonus Capture software, and mixing was done in Presonus Studio One 3 Pro using JBL LSR4328P monitor speakers. The software runs on an ADK i5 Quad Core audio workstation running Windows 10. See above for our current configuration.
At the heart of the system was a Presonus StudioLive RM-16AI rack mounted digital mixer with four custom stereo monitor mixes running through a Presonus HP-60 headphone amplifier and Sony MDR-7506 headphones for most of the musicians. Bud (drums) used Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (32 ohm) headphones which offer additional isolation to prevent monitor bleed into the overhead mics and give him more isolation when practicing. Tracking was done using Presonus Capture software, and mixing was done in Presonus Studio One 3 Pro using JBL LSR4328P monitor speakers. The software runs on an ADK i5 Quad Core audio workstation running Windows 10. See above for our current configuration.