How do i record dj sessions either at gig's or At home using ableton??

[Dunpo_Rob]

Hey Guys,

I've only been djing for about... 5 months. And i was wondering how i could record a mix using ableton? Or if there or any other ways i could record....?

Any help would be useful.

Cheers,
Rob.


:ahoy:

[Funkedub]

tape deck !!

[Dunpo_Rob]

Ol' School I like it, actually i still have my dad's old akai Tape player/recorder from back in the day.... i think it was from the 70's i ono.... mmm

thanks for the suggestion

[Marky]

How high quality are you after?
What are you mixing on? Decks and a mixer?
What sort of computer and soundcard are you using? (i.e. are you just trying to record via the line/mic in on your laptop? Depending on age/model, you may get lucklustre results doing this.)

Ableton will do a decent job. There are tutorials that come with the program for recording from a line in, and this is exactly what you need. Might be worth turning off "Auto warp" in the options before you record, so as to reduce risk of the warping algorithm doing something odd to the file.

Otherwise a free application like audacity will do the same job with similar results.

Either way be sure to check your levels really well. Input levels to your soundcard must be checked for clipping (volume peaks that are too loud will distort with no way to fix). And you have to be sure the volume peaks on your tunes in your DJ mixer are hitting about the same level. Wild variations in volume will be hard to smooth out evenly in the digital file.

[Dunpo_Rob]

hEY THANKS Marky,

Well i was thinking abotu getting a good soundcard like the m-audio Audiophile to record into. Apparently recording via line in/Mic would not offer the best quality.

In regarsd to equipment im using. I'll be recording to my desktop pc.i will be using decks and a mixer, but via my receiver (sansui 881 - old but reliable) which will be plugged into the PC.

Would you recommend purchasing the audiophile, or atleast a soundcard like that? or should i rely on the onboard sound?

[Marky]

Without knwoing what your onboard soungcard is like, or your budget, or the desired quality/purpose of your recording, it's hard to say if it worth the money.

You could spend mega $$$ chasing "pro" sound. And you don't need to. Any of those "entry level" pro-sumer interfaces will work well.

Best bet would be to search this forum and other online sources, to find what works for you within your budget. Maybe Sound on Sound magazine (http://www.soundonsound.com/) - they might have some useful comparisons in their articles or in their forum.

[Bracko]

if it's just for demos there's nothing wrong with minidisk players, decent mp3 players etc

[phunkdust]

One of those Behringer interfaces that's a ripoff of the Edirol UA-1X should do.

I think they're under $100 too.

Jack that into your computer, hook up to the record out on your mixer, load up Audacity and it's gold gold gold for Australia

[Pro Tool]

$69 behringer jobbie. Couldn't believe it when I saw it. fark

[Dunpo_Rob]

I think i know which oune you're talking about it. I saw it Dj Warehouse for $55 i think i will go purchase it he he.

Ok Recording programs. Ableton or Audacity?

[Funkedub]

if it's just for demos there's nothing wrong with minidisk players, decent mp3 players etc


it always feels more spontaneous when i plug the MD in to record a set rather than firing up the PC to record.

i still <3 my MD

[N4TE]

attn: Newbie live users. Recording audio on the same pc you're performing on (ie, recording the output in audacity or similar apps in the background) is not always the best option. Things go well for the first 15-30 minutes but after that expect freezes, glitches and and other assorted buffer under runs. A better option imo is a dedicated recording device (tape recorder, mp3 player with line in record, dat recorder, 2nd pc, md recorder etc etc) on another output (booth, rec out on your mixer, phones out on your mini usb card etc) lets you use all resources on your pc fpr what they're best used for, running all your shit. Actually, if you dj, make tunes, play live or are in a band and you don't own a mp3 or MD player with line input recording, get one. Even if you already have another dedicated recording device, does it fit in your pocket? Can you plug in phones and listen to highlights on the way home? If not, get an mp3 recorder. Best $150~300 you'll ever spend.

[N4TE]

not saying the ua-1x isn't capital awesome, but a behringer ripoff of the same? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't audio interfaces and mixers from Behringer quite shit? Their midi controllers and the 2nd gen truths are worthy investments, but I still have much hate for their other products. Is it misplaced? Or are the under budget usb soundcards really another feather in their cap?

[Bracko]

Ableton or Audacity?

lets play spot the software pirate :|

[Bracko]

it always feels more spontaneous when i plug the MD in to record a set rather than firing up the PC to record.

i still <3 my MD

agreed.... MD's fucking rock, seriously considering buying sony's new one

[Dunpo_Rob]

lets play spot the software pirate :|

Hahaha Isnt Audacity Free?! And my friend lent me ableton :-D

[Spectrum]

And my friend lent me ableton :-D

What's his name? Wouldn't happen to be Robert Henke, would it?

[TOBY]

Hahaha Isnt Audacity Free?! And my friend lent me ableton :-D

my friend lent me ableton... right sure whatever.

[Dunpo_Rob]

What's his name? Wouldn't happen to be Robert Henke, would it?

Unfortunately it wasn't Robert Henke, its a girl who goes to JMC Audio Academy, her dad bought it and i borrowed it to install on my PC. It's currently licenced to both my PC and Her Lappy so yeah... it's legitimate.

[Marky]

Tthere's some grey area there, Rob. The mutiple licence thing is so your lady friend can run it on her desktop or on her laptop, or a studio rig and a live rig. It's clearly stated in the terms of the licence agreement that you are not permitted to run the two installs simultaneously, and the fact that the computers you have installed it on are owned by different people - well, just be careful who you tell about what you're doing, cos it ain't legal.

Your question of Ableton vs Audacity is an odd one. Audacity is a free audio recording/editing tool. Ableton is a non-free crazy tool for composing songs and playing them live and stretching audio at real time and digital DJing. If all you are trying to do is record the output of a mixer and decks then Ableton is really overkill. And some would say the auto-warp problem in Abes means your sound quality might be worse. Audacity is the tool you want in the circumstance (or if you havre friends who can lend you their legit version of wavelab, soundforge, adobe audition etc then they will do too)

[archietech]

i'd suggest you get audacity from here (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/).

it's free and easy, doesn't use much resources and just quietly sits in the background doing it's thing.

:thumb:

[Dunpo_Rob]

it's free and easy, doesn't use much resources and just quietly sits in the background doing it's thing.

:thumb:[/QUOTE]

Cheers Buddy!!! :rock: ;D

[behma]

I've seen that with the Creative Zen V Plus you can record onto them, for someone who wants to records sets purely to burn to cd's for mate, are they good for that?

[Dunpo_Rob]

Cheers Behma,

I've used that, but the sounds quality was ok, not too great tho... i had a fair bit of Echoing in the room so didnt sound sspectacularly amazing. But thanks =D

[Dj SteveWill]

If recording on the machine your using try HdOgg it is very lean & light on resources (freeware also)

I use a Ikey+ very good at what it does just plug in a usb stick or mp3 player to record on.
Mp3 & wav recording level indicator and headphone jack.
It can run on AA batteries & if you do plug it in with rechargables in it it will charge them as well.

Great for taking to a gig with you.

[Spectrum]

Cheers Behma,

I've used that, but the sounds quality was ok, not too great tho... i had a fair bit of Echoing in the room so didnt sound sspectacularly amazing. But thanks =D

Echoing? Shoud have used the new monitor speakers by Quacking Duck Industries®.

Seriously though, you didn't just hold the microphone up to the speaker, did you? You need to use a cable running out of the mixer into the recorder.