stupid 4 track question

yield5

Hey guys, sorry if this is a dumb question, but I am a pretty new guitar player. I am getting a 4 track for christmas, which i will be tough to learn I am sure. Is there any way that I can get eddies vocals into the 4 track and add my guitar playing to it? I asked a friend who is a musician and he laughed. He said as far as he knows, you can only do that if you have the masters. I asked a guy in a music store and he says there me be websites that have thid done already. Any advice or information would be appreciated.

Thanks and happy holidays


Josh

samquigley

It can't be done, you need the masters. It's the reverse of those shitty vocal-cancelling effects that cut out all the instruments panned anywhere near the centre.

yield5

Thanks for the info. I should not have doubted my friend, but was looking for a second opinion.

thanks again

Josh

enharmonic

Good luck with the 4 track. It won't be that difficult to learn, and it will make you a better guitar player.

I'm a firm believer in the recording studio...or any recording medium for that matter. what you think you're playing is not always what's coming out of the guitar. It's the best way to improve rapidly IMO.

dangerboy

you could do it with some old beatles records, though. many early "stereo" records were mixed with the music in one channel and vocals in the other.
just pan it left and record it. bang, you're a beatle

ps i love studios. i've been in them for nearly 20 years now. in fact, i'm in one right this minute.

enharmonic

dangerboy wrote:

ps i love studios. i've been in them for nearly 20 years now. in fact, i'm in one right this minute.

Right on!

Would you agree that the recording process bring a musician up the curve a lot quicker than if they had never recorded? I used to work with a good many local bands. I could see a measurable difference in their improvement, just by becoming aware of what their playing sounds like coming off tape. Sometimes, I could hear the change half-way through a session...and I'm not talking about seasoned studio cats like you or I...I'm talking about the local cats who played the local holes, doing a mix of originals and covers...who one day decided that it would be cool to record something.

Only 3 times in the last 8 years have I seen it go the other way..where an individual musician "freezes" in the studio. It's unfortunate when that happens, but oddly, they're often some of the best players around too.

Not once did a band ever leave a recording session without becoming a better band. That's part of why I love the process

who's_pearljam?

enharmonic wrote:

Right on!


Not once did a band ever leave a recording session without becoming a better band. That's part of why I love the process

That's so true!

I played live with bands on tour for years. I used to get hired to play live and never really was on an album.
Then the first time I went into a studio to help with a record, it was an amazing experience.

There's nothing like standing there alone in a huge studio with your amp cranked with headphones on and RIPPING out an AMAZING solo while everyone's watching throught the glass,,,, then when it's over,,, hearing:

"Maybe you should do that again"

Haha,,, it's like,,, "WHAT?,,, THAT WAS AWESOME!!"
Then you hear your solo isolated through a $60,000 stereo system, and it sounds like you're scraping paint!

Every band should go in and go through the recording process, even if it's a song or two. You hear your real tone, timing and band dynamics.



Regarding the Eddie's voice question,, I agree, it would take a lot of studio wizardry to isolate it, maybe you can just sing the voice yourself. Good or bad, you'll learn some stuff, too!


Haha,,,I've just made the jump from tape to digital, and bought a Firepod into a computer, and I haven't figured it out yet.
I liked those push record and play things! Good luck! :cool:

yield5

Wow, thanks for all of the great opinions. I was thinking of just singing eddies parts even though I have the worst voice ever. I got the 4 track so I could listen to myself play and hopefully improve. From what everyone is saying, I think it was a good choice.

Thanks again for all of feedback!

Josh

dangerboy

enharmonic wrote:

Right on!

Would you agree that the recording process bring a musician up the curve a lot quicker than if they had never recorded? I used to work with a good many local bands. I could see a measurable difference in their improvement, just by becoming aware of what their playing sounds like coming off tape. Sometimes, I could hear the change half-way through a session...and I'm not talking about seasoned studio cats like you or I...I'm talking about the local cats who played the local holes, doing a mix of originals and covers...who one day decided that it would be cool to record something.

Only 3 times in the last 8 years have I seen it go the other way..where an individual musician "freezes" in the studio. It's unfortunate when that happens, but oddly, they're often some of the best players around too.

Not once did a band ever leave a recording session without becoming a better band. That's part of why I love the process

full-on agree. i think every band member should know how to operate a mixing console and related software. just doing it will make you think differently about things.

i also recommend this for other studio related fields, like radio or voice-over talent, which is where i am btw. if you're not listening to yourself, you're not hearing what everybody else hears, and the studio process itself will give you ideas for new things to try