Get Started with Record Together

Record Together Instrument Tutorials

The Philosphy of Record Together Is Simple

• Professional recordings of speciality instruments
  Need a pro, sweep-picking metal guitar solo? Or a jazzy Hammond Organ track layered on top of your song? We provide a medium for musicians around the world to connect who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity. Somewhere, there is a musician who would be perfect for your song. We want to help you find them.
• Auditioning local musicians
  Auditioning musicians can be a tedious process. The quickest way to find what you're looking for is to provide an example. The easiest way to get your example is letting a global pool of talent help you articulate the sound in your head.
• Solo musicians looking for performers
  Studio musicians are expensive. You end up paying for their time on top of the rate you're paying for the facility and engineers. We strive to cut out the middle men and get you direct access to talent at a fraction of the price. You wrote the song - let us add the finishing touches.

Getting Your Music on Record Together

• Songwriters
  Songwriters can get started by clicking the "Upload Now" button at the top of the page. You will need to upload an audio file of your composition in either .WAV or .AIFF format. You can definitely record yourself using a consumer audio setup, however, you will typically get better results by recording with a professional engineer in a proper studio. You will also need to add a song title, bounty amount, and a description of what you're looking for. You can also add a scratch track of an idea (sing it, hum it, play it on a keyboard... Whatever you want), or you can specify a tempo (BPM). There is a $6.95 listing fee for each song you post.
• Studio Musicians
  Studio Musicians can get started by clicking on one of the bounty amounts on the "Tracks" page. This will allow you to listen to what the Songwriter has posted thus far, and read about what they are looking for in a recording. Download the track that they have posted and import the file into your DAW of choice. Play along with the song and record your addition to it, then upload your addition to the song's page. You can click on one of the listed DAWs on the right side of this page for step by step directions. You can get good quality recordings using a setup on any budget - I would recommend reading some of our other tutorials to get the best quality results.

Getting the Best Sounding Recording

• The Right Microphone
  Choosing the right microphone will depend on what you're trying to record. Different microphones have different response patterns, which will sound pleasing if paired with the proper sound source. However, there are several well known microphones that can work well with many different applications. I have had really good luck with both the:

  Shure SM-57	Shure SM7-B

  on many different sources. Make sure to experiment a lot with microphone placement. Moving a microphone up or down even and inch from the sound source can produce drastically different recordings. Once you have a spot that you like, I usually duct tape the microphone and stand to the floor so it won't move. Sometimes taking a close up picture with your cell phone can help too.
• Getting Sound to Your Computer
  Once you have a nice mirophone that you like, you need a way to record that sound to your computer. Some people swear by only recording with Apple computers and Pro Tools. What they don't tell you is that there is no difference in audio quality by using an Apple or PC, or by using Pro Tools or another DAW (such as Logic or Cubase ).
  
  I personally use a custom Windows 7 PC with noise supression technology. This is nice to reduce the amount of noise a microphone will pick up from the computer's fan. If you're looking for a really nice portable studio on a budget, I would check out the Dell XPS-16.
  
  Next step is to choose a DAW to work in. If you're on a budget, you can pickup a copy of Garageband (Mac) or Reaper (PC & Mac) for pretty cheap. Personally, I much prefer the workflow of Cubase for recording audio. Cubase is relatively inexpensive, works with both Mac & PC, and has become very power with the latest 6.0 release.

  Cubase	Garageband	Reaper

  The last thing you need to get audio into your computer is an "audio interface". This is a piece of computer hardware that translates an analog audio signal into digital, and interfaces with a DAW to record your sound. There are a lot of interfaces to choose from (some may even include DAW software). You will want to make sure that the interface has enough inputs for what you are trying to record. For guitars and vocals, sometimes you can get away with a 2 channel interface. However I would recommend an 8 channel, as I have found I often want to record more than 2 channels at a time.
  
  I have been using the Steinberg MR-816X for about 4 years and absolutely love it. The included pre-amps are very clear and tight sounding, and the digital conversion is a lot better than a few cheaper interfaces I have owned. Also, the MR-816X is expandable to 16 inputs through ADAT - which should be plenty to record a full drum kit. There are a lot of users reviews online, and I would try googling an interface to see what other people think before making a purchase.

  Steinberg MR-816X
• Good Quality Headphones and Monitors
  Good quality monitoring may be the most overlooked aspect of hobby studio, but it's certainly one of the most important. You need to be able to accurately hear what you are recording to make changes in mic placement, amp tone, playing technique, etc.
  
  If you can afford it, I highly recommend picking up a pair of Mackie HR-824's . I guarantee you a few of your favorite records from the last 20 years were at least partially mixed on these. You can pick up a nice used pair for pretty cheap too.
  
  If You're really looking to take your mixes to the next level, you need to at least consider the Focal Twins. These are considerbly pricier, but for my money, I don't think you'll find a better reference monitor. I gaurantee you will hear things in your favorite records that you have never heard before. I think your mind will be blown. Of course, I would recommend going to a pro audio shop and comparing monitors at this price level yourself and letting your ears decide.

  Mackie HR-824	Focal Twin 6 be

  
  
  If the Mackies are out of your price range, I would suggest getting a nice pair of headphones for referencing your tracks. The Sennheiser HD-650 were my personal favorite after trying many different pairs. Doing an A/B comparison these sounded the most like my speakers, and helped my recordings translate better across different speaker systems.
  
  A little more budget friendly option that I use are the Audio Technica ATM-50. I have been using a pair of these for about 10 years and they have held up very well.

  Sennhesier HD-650	Audio Technica ATM-50

  
  
  If you do end up going the route of monitors over headphones for recording, I would highly recommend using some acoustic treatment for your room. Real Traps makes some very high quality sound absorbtion products. Send them an email about your recording room dimensions and ask what they would recommend. Proper acoustic treatment will help your recordings translate better to other audio systems.

  Real Traps