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!
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)
Mixing Software: Presonus Studio One 4
Amp Modeling Software: Presonus Ampire
Mixing Monitors: Presonus Eris E3.5
Ed's Home Studio (keyboards)
Recording Interface: Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD
Keyboard: Korg Kronos Workstation
Joe's Home Studio (guitar)
Recording Interface: Presonus Audiobox USB 96
Bob's Home Studio (bass)
Recording Interface: M-Audio Air 192|6
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)
Mixing Software: Presonus Studio One 4
Amp Modeling Software: Presonus Ampire
Mixing Monitors: Presonus Eris E3.5
Ed's Home Studio (keyboards)
Recording Interface: Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD
Keyboard: Korg Kronos Workstation
Joe's Home Studio (guitar)
Recording Interface: Presonus Audiobox USB 96
Bob's Home Studio (bass)
Recording Interface: M-Audio Air 192|6
How to set up remote recording in your home
1. Go to soundtrap.com and click on "Join Now" to create an account. 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.). My recommendation is that if you want to record, mix, and download your final tracks, that you go with Supreme. If you simply want to add tracks to other people's projects go with the Free option. There is a free 30 day trial for Premium or Supreme.
2. You will generally need a recording interface. This is a small box that connects via USB to your computer, Chromebook or laptop and converts analog to digital. They generally come in 2 channel, 4 channel, and 8 channel versions, and some have the ability to expand with additional racks of 8 inputs using ADAT. The number of channels you need depends on (a) how many channels your instrument needs, and (b) whether your computer has low enough latency (amount of delay) to allow you to monitor from the computer, or whether you will need to route the signal from your laptop back to the interface for monitoring.
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. 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.
In Soundtrap monitoring (the ability to listen to yourself while recording while you are listening to the other tracks that were laid down in the project before you) requires a Mac. If you are using a Chromebook or Windows PC/laptop Soundtrap will disable monitoring because latency on those machines is too high. Because you need to monitor non-acoustic instruments like keyboards, and it is helpful to monitor all instruments (and vocals) there is a workaround if you are using a non-Mac. Connect a 1/8" stereo to dual 1/4" TRS cable between the headphone jack of the computer and two channels of the interface. Then you plug your headphones into the interface, not the computer, and monitor the interface while recording. When you assign tracks in Soundtrap you are only going to add tracks for your instruments, not the monitor of the computer. So if you are recording a one or two channel instrument and need to also monitor with a non-Mac, you will want a 4 channel interface, one or two for the instrument and two for the monitor feed from the computer. If you are only using one channel to record your instrument and want to monitor from the interface, you can get away with using a two channel interface if you combine the right and left channels from your computer headphone jack into one mono feed using an 1/8" stereo to 1/4" mono patch cable. Also, some interfaces may have the ability to take a looped signal from the computer to monitor from Soundtrap on the interface, which would eliminate the need for a cable.
If you are only recording a horn or vocals using a microphone, and you do not need the interface for monitoring, you can do this without an interface, and simply use a USB microphone that is plugged into a USB port on your computer. But without an interface you won't be able to monitor with a non-Mac, but that may not be a deal breaker for you if you can hear your instrument even though you are wearing headphones.
If you are using a MIDI controller or MIDI keyboard you can also connect to the interface with a 5 pin MIDI cable, and Soundtrap will capture MIDI on a separate track. (Because you want the MIDI to route through the interface, I would suggest you avoid using a USB MIDI cable and use a 5 pin instead since you are already using the USB connection on the interface to connect with the computer, and almost all interfaces have 5 pin MIDI jacks). If you have a keyboard with built in sounds you can simultaneously capture MIDI and analog outs from the keyboard in Soundtrap and decide later if the MIDI instrument voices you have are preferred to the analog output of the keyboard. You can either use the MIDI instruments in Soundtrap to generate your audio both for monitoring and mixing, or if you are mixing in your own DAW (see below) you can use the MIDI instruments in your DAW. For two-channel interfaces below I have selected the model with MIDI as well, they generally come in a version with MIDI and a slightly less expensive version without MIDI.
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
Behringer (good budget choice)
2 channel: UMC204HD ($129)
4 channel: UMC404HD ($178)
M-Audio (also popular)
2 channel: M-Audio Air 192|6 ($149)
8 channel: M-Audio Air 192|14 ($299)
And there are many other manufacturers including Focusrite. My favorite online recording gear merchants are Sweetwater Sound, B&H Photo, and Musician's Friend. Check for pricing and delivery speed.
Soundtrap can be used for both tracking and mixing, but I prefer to use an external mixing platform. If you do prefer a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) as a mixing platform that is more familiar to you and is more full featured, Soundtrap (paid version) allows you to download the tracks as wav files one at a time - they are dry tracks (none of the effects or plug-ins from Soundtrap are overlaid) which allows for using plug-ins from your DAW. Alternatively, if you did want to use a wet track from Soundtrap you just mute all of the tracks except for the wet track (or tracks) that you want, and export a mix from Soundtrap. I use Presonus Studio One 4 as my mixing platform, and use the Presonus Ampire amp modeling software (which is included with Studio One 4) for mixing the dry bass and guitar tracks that are recorded direct from the instruments to the interface, though the players often monitor with one of the Soundtrap amp modelers. Avid Pro Tools is also an excellent and widely used DAW.
2. You will generally need a recording interface. This is a small box that connects via USB to your computer, Chromebook or laptop and converts analog to digital. They generally come in 2 channel, 4 channel, and 8 channel versions, and some have the ability to expand with additional racks of 8 inputs using ADAT. The number of channels you need depends on (a) how many channels your instrument needs, and (b) whether your computer has low enough latency (amount of delay) to allow you to monitor from the computer, or whether you will need to route the signal from your laptop back to the interface for monitoring.
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. 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.
In Soundtrap monitoring (the ability to listen to yourself while recording while you are listening to the other tracks that were laid down in the project before you) requires a Mac. If you are using a Chromebook or Windows PC/laptop Soundtrap will disable monitoring because latency on those machines is too high. Because you need to monitor non-acoustic instruments like keyboards, and it is helpful to monitor all instruments (and vocals) there is a workaround if you are using a non-Mac. Connect a 1/8" stereo to dual 1/4" TRS cable between the headphone jack of the computer and two channels of the interface. Then you plug your headphones into the interface, not the computer, and monitor the interface while recording. When you assign tracks in Soundtrap you are only going to add tracks for your instruments, not the monitor of the computer. So if you are recording a one or two channel instrument and need to also monitor with a non-Mac, you will want a 4 channel interface, one or two for the instrument and two for the monitor feed from the computer. If you are only using one channel to record your instrument and want to monitor from the interface, you can get away with using a two channel interface if you combine the right and left channels from your computer headphone jack into one mono feed using an 1/8" stereo to 1/4" mono patch cable. Also, some interfaces may have the ability to take a looped signal from the computer to monitor from Soundtrap on the interface, which would eliminate the need for a cable.
If you are only recording a horn or vocals using a microphone, and you do not need the interface for monitoring, you can do this without an interface, and simply use a USB microphone that is plugged into a USB port on your computer. But without an interface you won't be able to monitor with a non-Mac, but that may not be a deal breaker for you if you can hear your instrument even though you are wearing headphones.
If you are using a MIDI controller or MIDI keyboard you can also connect to the interface with a 5 pin MIDI cable, and Soundtrap will capture MIDI on a separate track. (Because you want the MIDI to route through the interface, I would suggest you avoid using a USB MIDI cable and use a 5 pin instead since you are already using the USB connection on the interface to connect with the computer, and almost all interfaces have 5 pin MIDI jacks). If you have a keyboard with built in sounds you can simultaneously capture MIDI and analog outs from the keyboard in Soundtrap and decide later if the MIDI instrument voices you have are preferred to the analog output of the keyboard. You can either use the MIDI instruments in Soundtrap to generate your audio both for monitoring and mixing, or if you are mixing in your own DAW (see below) you can use the MIDI instruments in your DAW. For two-channel interfaces below I have selected the model with MIDI as well, they generally come in a version with MIDI and a slightly less expensive version without MIDI.
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
Behringer (good budget choice)
2 channel: UMC204HD ($129)
4 channel: UMC404HD ($178)
M-Audio (also popular)
2 channel: M-Audio Air 192|6 ($149)
8 channel: M-Audio Air 192|14 ($299)
And there are many other manufacturers including Focusrite. My favorite online recording gear merchants are Sweetwater Sound, B&H Photo, and Musician's Friend. Check for pricing and delivery speed.
Soundtrap can be used for both tracking and mixing, but I prefer to use an external mixing platform. If you do prefer a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) as a mixing platform that is more familiar to you and is more full featured, Soundtrap (paid version) allows you to download the tracks as wav files one at a time - they are dry tracks (none of the effects or plug-ins from Soundtrap are overlaid) which allows for using plug-ins from your DAW. Alternatively, if you did want to use a wet track from Soundtrap you just mute all of the tracks except for the wet track (or tracks) that you want, and export a mix from Soundtrap. I use Presonus Studio One 4 as my mixing platform, and use the Presonus Ampire amp modeling software (which is included with Studio One 4) for mixing the dry bass and guitar tracks that are recorded direct from the instruments to the interface, though the players often monitor with one of the Soundtrap amp modelers. Avid Pro Tools is also an excellent and widely used DAW.
Sidetrack's Home Studio: 2010-2019
Sidetrack's recordings are tracked and mixed in Bud's basement home studio. Bass and keyboards are recorded direct to board through direct boxes. Guitar is 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 are recorded live using 2 Oktava MK-012 overhead condenser mics, and Shure M-57s on the high hat and snare. The kick drum is miked with an AKG D112 mic. All cables are Mogami Gold.
At the heart of the system is 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) uses 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 is done using Presonus Capture software, and mixing is 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.
At the heart of the system is 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) uses 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 is done using Presonus Capture software, and mixing is 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.