If itās a stupid question then color me stupid, too! After posting my first recording a few days ago I have started thinking a lot about whether I want to invest in a little equipment to improve the recordings I may do in the future. Iām very intimidated by the whole AI / DAW idea.
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There no āstupid questionsā here, Tracey.
Like all things, when you are yet to start there is lots to learn. But no need to feel intimidated.
There are lots of members here whoāve travelled the road and can offer help.
I see the process of recording as a process of continuous improvement. You can do just fine with a mobile phone. Just shoot the video on the phone, share it from phone to YouTube, and paste the link into a Topic.
Then later you may want to edit the video. Perhaps add some kind of title and credits, trim the start and finish to crop the video to just your playing (and singing).
If you want to take a first step into home recording to produce music with better sound quality then you want to get yourself an Audio Interface, such as a 2i2 discussed in this topic. You can then plug in an instrument and a mic (again only needed if singing).
Once you have that setup you can now use your AI as an audio source on your computer. The next step could be to make your video on the computer, assuming the computer has a connected camera, either built-in to a laptop or a USB webcam.
You can then use OBS as the recording application. You can set it up so its video source is either the integrated camera or a webcam and the audio source is your Audio Interface. Once that is done then as simple as pressing record.
Another option, not much more tricky, is to use this software that allows you to connect your phone camera to OBS. That takes a few more steps but is also not too tricky and there are YT guides to take you through it. Itās a great solution that enables you to make a video that benefits from the camera quality of a modern smart phone and the audio quality of a home recording setup.
And all this without getting into the use of a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). For recording yourself playing (and singing) it is not necessary. In time you may want to take things further and begin to make recordings with multiple layers, make use of digital instruments/MIDI, compose your own songs etc. But as I say, itās a journey, one step at a time.
For this discussion I am not considering how you might make use of an electric guitar played through an amp that has a USB link to a PC. I have no experience of that but probably youād be able to feed from the amp into OBS, as I assume thereād be some kind of audio driver on the computer to process the signal from the amp.
Hope that helps. And feel free to keep asking questions.
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Tracey so I use Ableton as my DAW ( which is the equivalent of Reaper ) . The DAW is used for polishing your audio. At the end you export a WAV or MP3 file.
To then merge that with your video you need some video/movie making software. I use Adobe Premiere ( I think David uses Corel ). You open the video you took in your video software ( premiere for me ). This will be laid out as a timeline i.e block/track of video. There will be two layersā¦ one of the video you recorded and one for the audio you recorded on your camera.
You then import/open in the video software your audio that you exported from your DAW. This will appear in your video timeline as another row/track. So youāll have three timelines Camera video, Camera audio, Exported DAW audio.
So you now have to sync your DAW audio with the camera audio. Most video software will have an option to do this where you select both audio tracks and then select a sync option.
Once they are synced you can then delete the camera audio row/track and youāll just be left with your video track and DAW audio track both in sync.
You then export this final version of your video
It sounds a lot more complicated than it is!
As a example here are two recordings.
One of the band with the camera audio
And one if the band with audio recorded separately that I syncd with same video.
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I think this is the key point.
I too have done exactly what Jason as described.
But this path is added work and only needed when you want to work on the audio in the DAW. In my own case, that is not usually necessary. For simple videos of me playing and singing a song, āliveā ie no over-dubbing over vocals, adding drums and bass, etc, I donāt find it necessary to work on the audio in the DAW.
So lots of options and different ways to go about things, depending on what you are wanting to achieve.
Thanks @DavidP and @Rossco01. Thereās a lot to take in here so Iāll need to read through a few times and do a bit of thinking and testing things out.
I know a bit of this as I bought a focusrite solo (I think itās called) a year of so ago and started messing around with GarageBand, but adding video is a whole new dimension that Iād be interested in looking at, but it feels a bit daunting at the moment. Iāll give it a lot of thought for the future. Thanks for the really helpful explanations guys.
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Thank you @TheMadman_tobyjenner and @Jozsef for that info.
Iāll do a few takes tonight and see how I get on.
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I see focusrite scarlett talked a lot on the internet. Is it the best interface choice for this price range or is there other choices that are as good ?
I just got a Scarlett 2i2, and I am super impressed. I already had all of the drivers installed, so installing it on windows was as simple as plugging in and running through a first setup/hardware registration.
Iāve been practicing primarily with my little knockoff squier strat, and enjoying myself a ton. But the problem was it just wasnāt loud enough to hear the places where my tone was really bad. I didnāt realize how much of an issue that was until I tried to play an acoustic and sounded like crap. So the choice was either switching to a different guitar, or getting an audio input. The audio input was 1/5 of the price.
The direct monitoring works great with my monitoring headphones. Connecting it to apps like amplitube and rocksmith on windows worked great. I havenāt tried Guitar Pro yet, or any of the DAW stuff included with the Scarlett.
But the real treat, imo, is that I donāt actually have to plug it into my computer though. I can literally plug the box into my cell phone with a USB-C ā USB-C cable, turn off direct monitoring, and the phone automagically uses the 2i2 as an audio device. Then, if I turn on direct monitoring, I can load up the justin beginner app and it plays through the 2i2 and into my headphones, and automatically mixes it with my guitar. Definitely a great improvement since now I can control the levels of my guitar and the song audio independently, and everything gets mixed and sent up to my headphones.
I am going to be tinkering with this little guy a lot! I definitely understand why itās so heavily recommended.
Iād love to see if I can figure out a way to use a powered USB hub to keep my phone charged, and power the 2i2 while still having the 2i2 registered to the phone. I suppose I can also put my phone on a wireless charger and see if that works. About an hour of playing dropped my battery by 10% so I donāt think itās a huge issue, but still, it would be nice to have.
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That sounds like a great idea!
Iām using a rocksmith cable and it has a little lag, does this (on pc)?
I got my Scarlett 4i4 this week and I can only echo @msarroās sentiments. I made some test recordings of my 6 string acoustic and the sound was quite nice, though sometimes a bit bottom-heavy (I guess a lot depends on picking technique and microphone placement as well). I chose the 4i4 as I have a longish-term plan of getting a MIDI keyboard sometime to further my musical development, and the 4i4 has MIDI I/O sockets.
Currently, I use a headphone for monitoring, and it feels a bit weird to play while itās on my head, but I think Iāll get used to it. After all, the pros also do this. I want to purchase new speakers for my recently-bought stereo amp sometime, so my old speakers could be repurposed as monitors for the 4i4ā¦ I still have to research the options for this.
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They are certainly a popular choice but certainly not the only one.
I have a Presonus Audiobox iTwo which I got because it has an iPad interface (and normal USB). But it does everything a Scarlett would does. And Iām sure there are others.
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There are lots and lots Rod itās just that Focusrite has become well known for them and has particularly good preamps. I think the 2i2 studio ( interface, mic and headphoes ) was probably one of the first on the market hence the appealā¦ very popular with acoustic players.
Yes, the Focusrite certainly look the goods. And they were on my list when I was looking.
Hey Guys,
Just received a Focusrite 2i2 from my lovely wife as an anniversary gift ( sheās obviously been actually listening to me rattling on about it for months 
). Iām a very cautious consumer, so had refrained from taking the plunge, rationalising that my focus is on becoming a better player. Having said that, aint I thrilled to finally have one of these beauties!
Iāve done alot of research, both here and on the wider web, watched many tutorials etc over the last months, have some basic experience using DAWS, and am pretty computer savvy, so I wont be grilling you with any āhow-tosā or āwhats this forā info. If I get stuck on something specific something Iāll just ask.
One general question I do have however, is about mics. From what I understand, as a general rule for recording / performing with combinations of acoustic/vocal/ electric, a condenser mic and a dynamic mic should pretty much cover all the bases - together with the relevant cables/clips/ stands etc. Any input appreciated.
Cheers, Shane.
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Well first off, happy anniversary Mr & Mrs Clayworth. I hope you guys had a lovely day. 
That is a very exciting anni gift and Iām sure youāll have hours of fun with it.
At the moment I just use the condenser mic that came with it and it does pick up both guitar and vocals when Iām using it. Not sure how it come across to others but I was heard okay on Saturday night, I think.
If you have an electric it just plugs straight into the unit.
Thanks for the kind words Stefan. 25 years of wonderful marriage. For me, Iām truly blessed. For my wife, she probably realises by now that its too late to trade me in. 
Regarding your experiences with using just the condenser mic, Iād say keep doing that. Your performances are truly terrific mate, and the sound mix always sounds great. It always a real pleasure to hear you perform.
Cheers, Shane.
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Congrats on the anniversary, Shane. Iām one year up on you and often think I got the better of the deal, especially in the first decade ā¦ nuff said.
What a gift, enjoy.
You are right, that you may eventually find value in a large diaphragm condensor and a dynamic vocal mic.
The use cases dictate what is required.
For example if the primary aim is to record live playing acoustic and singing and your guitar is electro-acoustic then a dynamic vocal mic and guitar recorded directly works well. But if the guitar is not electro-acoustic, then a carefully position condensor works OK. Trick is positioning to balance guitar and vocal level. You can also work with a dynamic for vocal and a condensor for the guitar.
For recording electric, you can either go direct and use the DAW to add tone through pedal, amp, and cabinet simulation or many amps have an output that can be plugged into either the 2i2 or the PC. Probably the least recommended solution for home recording electric would be to mic up the amp.
And for me personally, I have enjoyed the learning about recording and production as much as Iāve enjoyed learning to play and sing. Which also helps explain the level I have reached in my playing over 6 years ā¦ it would be better if Iād devoted more music time to that vs production.
So have fun, and ask when you need help.
Much appreciated David for the kind wishes. (and oh yes, that first decadeā¦the memories 
).
Great overview of the mic situation, all spelled out in a few paragraphs, covering all the bases with alot of info packed in. Exactly what I was after, and confirming my path forward. Youāve done it again David 
Cheers, Shane
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