Hi. I have a comically specific and tall order: I want to sing in bed and record some overdubbing.
I like to hear the sound of my voice. Well, not really, but I do like to try and practice and learn vocal skills while monitoring my own voice through headphones on my portable recorder. I used to have a Tascam DR-05 that had monitoring, that arrangement worked somewhat, I currently have a Tascam DR-40 (I think the DR-05 sounded better, BTW) that has monitoring and some overdubbing, i.e. I can play some instrument track and sing over it and have my voice recorded in a separate (or mixdown) file. It's a little awkward and disappointing though. I can only audition my latest take. If I do say, five takes, all the takes are recorded and preserved, but the DR-40 will only let me listen to the fifth one. Anything else has to be done on the computer after all the files have been imported. And if I choose "separate" over "mixdown" (I really prefer separate), the original playback (instrumental) file is not overwritten, but it's renamed. It's awkward.
I have a DAW and of course, I can do proper comping in it to my heart's content. But I see that I need A LOT of practice, and you know the paradox, lazy people get more done. I need this to become an absolute daily (or rather nightly) routine, until I begin to do it in my sleep.
Do you know if any portable recorder out there handles overdubbing better? Maybe one of the Zoom ones? Or maybe the Boss Micro BR-80? I would appreciate any information.
Comping on a portable recorder
Re: Comping on a portable recorder
How about using a phone with something like Garageband, Audio Evolution or Cubasis? Phone mics are pretty good these days if you choose the right recording settings.
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- James Perrett
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Re: Comping on a portable recorder
If you have an iPad, or even iPhone, then Cubasis might be a good option - just using the built-in mic for your voice. It pains me that Apple have seen fit to rid us of the headphone jack, but you can get a dongle to fix that.
An Eagle for an Emperor, A Kestrel for a Knave.
Re: Comping on a portable recorder
Thank you for the replies!
The phone was the first thing I tried, quite a while ago, actually. But there are two problems with it:
1. Monitoring is impossible. It's hard to find apps that will provide live monitoring. As far as I remember, I found only one app that allowed live monitoring (I only have Android), and the lag/latency was an absolute deal breaker.
Of course, I can hear my own voice in my head, but it sounds quite different through a microphone (or recorder, which I use). I want to monitor that sound and eventually master it like an instrument. It's like acting in front of a mirror.
2. Low quality. I agree that phone mics are pretty good these days, but a Tascam recorder is very clearly better. It captures more detail, more texture. I really like texture. As a matter of fact, Tascam (or Zoom, Roland etc. recorders) are specifically designed for high quality. Phone microphones are designed for talking. And while I plan to use it a lot more for practicing (which I really need), I will certainly use the recordings in actual music material.
I have to ask this question because I need someone's first hand experience. I chose the Tascam DR-40 downloading and reading manuals. I found it's the only Tascam I can afford that offers overdubbing with separate files. (The DR-05 does overdubbing, but only in mixdown mode.) But the description in the manual is a little misleading. In practice, I found it's not very good for what I want. So I was thinking maybe someone who owns an H5 or H6 (I prefer the H6, it sounds better than the H5) could tell me if it does what I want. I am also interested in the Boss Micro BR-80. I know it does overdubbing, but... what is it really like in practice? If it's awkward like the DR-40, then I'll just stick with the DR-40.
The phone was the first thing I tried, quite a while ago, actually. But there are two problems with it:
1. Monitoring is impossible. It's hard to find apps that will provide live monitoring. As far as I remember, I found only one app that allowed live monitoring (I only have Android), and the lag/latency was an absolute deal breaker.
Of course, I can hear my own voice in my head, but it sounds quite different through a microphone (or recorder, which I use). I want to monitor that sound and eventually master it like an instrument. It's like acting in front of a mirror.
2. Low quality. I agree that phone mics are pretty good these days, but a Tascam recorder is very clearly better. It captures more detail, more texture. I really like texture. As a matter of fact, Tascam (or Zoom, Roland etc. recorders) are specifically designed for high quality. Phone microphones are designed for talking. And while I plan to use it a lot more for practicing (which I really need), I will certainly use the recordings in actual music material.
I have to ask this question because I need someone's first hand experience. I chose the Tascam DR-40 downloading and reading manuals. I found it's the only Tascam I can afford that offers overdubbing with separate files. (The DR-05 does overdubbing, but only in mixdown mode.) But the description in the manual is a little misleading. In practice, I found it's not very good for what I want. So I was thinking maybe someone who owns an H5 or H6 (I prefer the H6, it sounds better than the H5) could tell me if it does what I want. I am also interested in the Boss Micro BR-80. I know it does overdubbing, but... what is it really like in practice? If it's awkward like the DR-40, then I'll just stick with the DR-40.