Recording band practice?

[Iron1]

For recording band practice, we have mics, cables, stands and then the computer w/DAW.

Wondering is it better to buy another interface to run the mics thru or one of those small mixers you can get these days, like the Xenyx or some such.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Any recommendations for a small mixer? Preferably one with 4 xlr ins and a usb out.

 

[la szum]

Mixer can give you instant access to adjust levels and EQ without the doom scrolling of
mouse usage all the time.

 

[Iron1]

Mixer can give you instant access to adjust levels and EQ without the doom scrolling of
mouse usage all the time.

Good point. Was thinking it would provide better “output ready” tracks vs trying to fiddle in the DAW.

 

[la szum]

Running to a Mouse to adjust settings in a DAW while you are also trying to play
an instrument and sing (and compose tunes!) is a PITFA!!!

Depending on your setup and space you have (and the length of your cable runs)
you could conceivably have the mixer close to you (or whoever is closest) for some
tweaking purposes. Conceivably.

 

[TSJMajesty]

for some
tweaking purposes. Conceivably.

 

[Orvillain]

zoom h6

 

[la szum]

zoom h6

I''ve had an handheld Zoom live capture device since the late 2000s. Just great units.

 

[joezlo]

... I found a sweet spot in the practice room and recorded it with a flip phone back in the day ...

 

[itchyfingers]

I think you have to ask yourself - what are you planning to do with the recordings?

If you want to make an album, then yeah, use the DAW and isolate everyone's tracks so there's no bleedover. If you want to use it to create backing tracks, get a mixer, so you can drop each instrument out of the mix. Any 8 track will work, and these are usually a tough sell on CL or Marketplace, so good deals can be had. If you just want it to capture full band practice to check out later, a phone recording will work, or if you want to step up the quality, maybe check out something like the Izotope Spire.

 

[Iron1]

I think you have to ask yourself - what are you planning to do with the recordings?

Whenever I ask a question on the internet and someone replies with another question, I feel like I’m being groomed for gaslighting.

Did @FuzzyAce put you up to this?

 

[la szum]

 

[GuitarBilly74]

Zoom Q8. The audio quality is great and it's good to have video of practice, it can be very helpful. You can export the audio tracks separately too.