Hi, I am running windows 10, newest version of Audacity. I have a behringer U=Phoria UMC22 interface and I have hooked up my Squire Telecaster to it. I have no problems recording my guitar. I am learning though. What I have learned is that I record guitar track and then afterwords add effects such as reverb. Don’t know yet if I can to that to use in real time. I am looking for bass and drum backing tracks other than a click track. I would hate to buy some and they not work. Is there a free plugin somewhere that is similar to, lets say, EasyDrummer?
As far as the guitar sounds I guess I could run it though a pedal first (if I had one, learning to play guitar also, one year experience). Thanks for any suggestions
I’m not a guitar player so don’t take everything I say as Gospel…
What I have learned is that I record guitar track and then afterwords add effects such as reverb. Don’t know yet if I can to that to use in real time.
That’s a BIG question…
Audacity doesn’t apply effects in real time.
A [u]DAW[/u] can apply effects in real-time, BUT…
Your interface supports zero-latency direct-hardware monitoring. That’s a VERY GOOD THING because you always get latency (delay) when the sound goes through the computer. You’ll have to monitor through he computer if you want to add effects and some effects can increase the delay. People do it, but it can be pain tweaking the computer for acceptable/unnoticeable latency.
DAWs and higher-end interfaces usually support ASIO drivers which are designed for low-latency. But IMO, it’s best to use direct monitoring and avoid the problem altogether. (Audacity, as-distributed, uses the regular Windows drivers and does not support ASIO.)
Another downside to applying effects in real-time during recording is that you can’t remove or change the effect in post production. (If you have a multi-track DAW you can have both.)
And, there are some rare higher-end interfaces with built-in DSP chips so you can apply effects in hardware with no latency.
It’s also possible to set up a separate analog mixer just for monitoring.
If you don’t need to hear backing tracks, you can just plug into a guitar amp. Or, you may be able to listen to the backing track with headphones and still hear the guitar amp “leaking” around the headphones, or you can take-off one earpad, etc.
The most common way to (professionally) record guitar is with an SM57 mic in front of the speaker cabinet. (It’s also common to record a direct track in parallel.) But if you don’t have the amp of your dreams, or if you don’t have a good acoustic space, or if you don’t want to bother the neighbors, it’s a lot more economical to use a [u]sim[/u] (amplifier & cabinet simulator plug-in).
The amp and cabinet are designed to add “tone” or “character” to the sound and they are “part of the instrument”. (That’s with electric guitar, not acoustic.) If you simply record clean and direct, or if you play through a hi-fi system or PA system, you’ll get a different sound that most guitar players would find too clean and probably too wimpy. But, that’s all a matter of personal preference.
I am looking for bass and drum backing tracks other than a click track. I would hate to buy some and they not work.
I remember seeing a [u]Music Minus One[/u] vinyl record a million years ago… It looks like you can get those recordings digitally.
Or, are you familiar with [u]MIDI[/u]? With MIDI (and a DAW) you “simply” program the notes & timing and the computer plays-back (or “records”) virtual instruments. If you can play a keyboard you can “capture” the MIDI messages and then play back one or more virtual instruments.
You can have a full MIDI band or orchestra, minus the vocals, and apparently MIDI guitar (which you don’t need) is not totally “convincing”. Most of the background music you hear in movies and TV is now MIDI.
Is there a free plugin somewhere that is similar to, lets say, EasyDrummer?
There are free virtual instruments (including drums) but you’ll also need the DAW.
BTW - Recording Magazine has a section where readers send-in their home recordings for evaluation/critique. They once commented that people using EZdrummer were getting consistently-good results. (Other tools & techniques used by non-drummers were more hit-or miss.) EZ drummer works as a plug-in or as a stand-alone application. It does not officially support Audacity, but you could use it stand-alone and mix-in the drum tracks later.
Since I mentioned DAWs several times… They are a lot more complex than a simple audio editor like Audacity, but [u]Cakewalk[/u] (formerly Cakewalk SONAR) is now FREE!
As far as the guitar sounds I guess I could run it though a pedal first (if I had one, learning to play guitar also, one year experience).
As you know, there are all kinds of pedals. There are programmable pedals that work as amp sims. Some effects (like Wah-Wah) really need an actual-pedal that you operate as you play.
…A note about mixing - Mixing is done by summation. (Analog mixers are built-around summing amplifiers, and of course you get level controls for each mixer-input plus a master level control.) If you mix a full-volume guitar track and one or more full-volume backing tracks, you need to lower the volumes to prevent clipping (distortion).
This is Josh performing with one ear pad off so he can hear himself through the air and with the backing track coming out of the left muff. That’s not perfect overdubbing.
Koz
Dvddoug-thanks for the info. I messed around with it more. Found some instruments, tried to install them to the plugins. Problem was everything I found was 64 bit, just like my Windows 10, so I thought it would work…nope. Audacity is not 64 bit. Search around and found out Audacity doesn’t support vst instruments. A few years ago I read a Dummies all in one book, 900 pages, on Pro Tools. Still have the book. I think I will just break down and buy it. I remember reading they have a free trial version. I think I’ll try that first though.