Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Trying out a recording interface
#1
Posted 15 May 2018 - 11:11 PM
Hope it works from here, if not the link could be cut and pasted...
https://www.youtube....h?v=wQkKoVHGMjY
-Keith
#2
Posted 15 May 2018 - 11:50 PM
Sounded good
Get a soundcloud account
Free and it’ll save you using YouTube
Unless you really want to use YouTube ! That’s fine too
#3
Posted 16 May 2018 - 10:25 AM

2018 Taylor GS Mini Walnut
2017 Gibson Hummingbird Limited Edition 12 string
2014 Godin Multiac Classical
2013 Martin 000-28vs 12 fret
2012 Gibson "The Golden Age 1930's" SJ200
2012 Squier Vintage Modified 70's Jazz Bass
2010 Gretsch Electromatic G5122DC
2004 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
1981 Rickenbacker 320JG
1968 Yamaha FG150 Red Label
My Soundclick Music Page
My YouTube Channel
#4
Posted 16 May 2018 - 10:44 AM
drathbun, on 16 May 2018 - 10:25 AM, said:
Well thank you sir! Yes I played the 1967 SJ that I recently brought home, and that is it in the video, I've really been enjoying playing it, only had it for 5 months now. This video was basically an experiment to see if I could make any of this stuff work

I'm eager to get started and am looking forward to some better quality sound and some fresh ideas... So much fun!
This post has been edited by Seventies-Fan: 16 May 2018 - 10:45 AM
-Keith
#5
Posted 16 May 2018 - 12:35 PM
blindboygrunt, on 15 May 2018 - 11:50 PM, said:
Sounded good
Get a soundcloud account
Free and it’ll save you using YouTube
Unless you really want to use YouTube ! That’s fine too
Hey thanks! Glad the link works... I will need to look into your suggestion for Soundcloud, if it's easier than YouTube then I'd probably like that!
-Keith
#6
Posted 17 May 2018 - 03:29 AM
SoundCloud works great, so it is worth checking out.
Lars
#7
Posted 17 May 2018 - 02:55 PM
Lars68, on 17 May 2018 - 03:29 AM, said:
SoundCloud works great, so it is worth checking out.
Lars
Thanks Lars, I am hoping a better mic will yield better sound... I will definitely look into SoundCloud!
-Keith
#8
Posted 18 May 2018 - 08:36 AM
My question is though - do you need that much capability? A lot of folks in this forum are plugging right into garage band and putting together decent recordings (decent enough to post for family and friends anyways, and i think better than that really...).
Personally, I have a Presonus Audiobox 44 VSL, very similar to the Focusrite. I can do a decent recording, but it takes some figuring, and has to be hooked up to my laptop - and if I haven't touched it for a month or two - there's always a learning curve to get going. Now I have not tried garage band yet, but I'm thinking I'll give it a try in the near future to see if it is a simpler way to put a recording together.
Just food for thought.
Rgds - billroy
'86 Guild D25
'90 Fender Strat (Korea, bought in an open market in Korea... yeah it might be real)
'68 Gibson SG
'17 Several 3 String CBGs
"Want people to listen to your stuff, don't play boring stuff..." heard somewhere.
#9
Posted 18 May 2018 - 03:22 PM
billroy, on 18 May 2018 - 08:36 AM, said:
My question is though - do you need that much capability? A lot of folks in this forum are plugging right into garage band and putting together decent recordings (decent enough to post for family and friends anyways, and i think better than that really...).
Personally, I have a Presonus Audiobox 44 VSL, very similar to the Focusrite. I can do a decent recording, but it takes some figuring, and has to be hooked up to my laptop - and if I haven't touched it for a month or two - there's always a learning curve to get going. Now I have not tried garage band yet, but I'm thinking I'll give it a try in the near future to see if it is a simpler way to put a recording together.
Just food for thought.
Rgds - billroy
Thanks billroy, I appreciate your input! I've heard mention of garage band, but I've never seen or heard what is involved in using it. I agree with what you said about a learning curve, I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to this whole thing! Since I've already spent the money on the Focusrite I will be compelled to use it, but I'll research Garage Band anyway!
I have a music room and a fast PC and so it's not a problem to have the Focusrite plugged and ready, and no doubt it's probably more capability than I will need, but who knows, it might help me become more creative... The main thing is to have some fun whilst learning and I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks again for the note,
-Keith
-Keith
#10
Posted 18 May 2018 - 06:12 PM
Seventies-Fan, on 18 May 2018 - 03:22 PM, said:
It's an Apple program that is included with every Macintosh. There's also an iOS version. But there is no version for Windows.
This post has been edited by Boyd: 18 May 2018 - 06:12 PM
1974 GIbson J-50 Deluxe
2008 Gibson J-50 Modern Classic
#11
Posted 19 May 2018 - 12:33 AM
Seventies-Fan, on 18 May 2018 - 03:22 PM, said:
I have a music room and a fast PC and so it's not a problem to have the Focusrite plugged and ready, and no doubt it's probably more capability than I will need, but who knows, it might help me become more creative... The main thing is to have some fun whilst learning and I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks again for the note,
-Keith
Same as me
I have a laptop set up with the focusrite and then I use reaper software for a little mixing
#12
Posted 19 May 2018 - 09:36 AM
Will be using it to record 8 channels of audio when I do a video shoot with my musical family in about a month. I had originally planned to use Logic on my MacBook Air with the 4 channel interface, but the F8 is a lot better and easier to deal with while I'm also shooting video. Zoom has a whole range of dedicated recorders that get very good reviews, might be worth looking at if you aren't so keen on computers and software. The LiveTrack L-12 in another cool one that I looked at - it's a whole soundboard that can record 12 tracks along with built-in effects. The R8, R16 and R24 are older and smaller versions of the same kind of thing.
1974 GIbson J-50 Deluxe
2008 Gibson J-50 Modern Classic
#13
Posted 19 May 2018 - 01:04 PM
![[biggrin]](http://forum.gibson.com/public/style_emoticons/default/msp_biggrin.gif)
Since this is a forum for acoustic guitar, it is fair to assume that recording guitar and vocals will be a priority here. In that case it is my firm belief that learning to use the mic, placing it correctly, using the right setting on the interface, as well as in the recording software are the most important aspects. The quality of budget range hardware will do a great job if used correctly. I have learned one setup for guitar, and one setup for voice that works to my satisfaction with my simple gear. That is really all I will ever need. So I would recommend turning all knobs and switches and trying as many settings and options your gear will give you. Then when you find a sound you like, make a few quick notes so you can remember what you did next time.
Another thing that is a key, at least for me, is simplicity of use and start up time. I usually don't have much time left of the day when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet enough for recording. So being able to start fast, without having to wait for a computer to boot up, hook up all cables, etc etc is important to me. That's why the ipad works great for me. I open the lid, insert the mic cord, and I'm basically ready to go. If I eventually get better at the singing and playing bits, I might try to get a dedicated computer, and a good recording interface. As long as I'm the weak link, it makes no sense to spend more money on gear
![[biggrin]](http://forum.gibson.com/public/style_emoticons/default/msp_biggrin.gif)
If you have more recordings, please post them. I would be interested in hearing them.
Lars
This post has been edited by Lars68: 19 May 2018 - 01:07 PM
#14
Posted 19 May 2018 - 04:13 PM
Boyd, on 18 May 2018 - 06:12 PM, said:
Hmmm, that'll probably be my weak link! I've never become fluent with Apple products, although I did get an Ipad Gen4 for a service award at work, but I rarely even turn it on since I am more of a Windows user, I'll have to power it up and see if it has Garage band in there somewhere! Thanks for the reply
-Keith
#15
Posted 19 May 2018 - 04:14 PM
blindboygrunt, on 19 May 2018 - 12:33 AM, said:
I have a laptop set up with the focusrite and then I use reaper software for a little mixing
Reaper software, that's another new one for me! I have so much to learn!!!
-Keith
#16
Posted 19 May 2018 - 04:17 PM
Boyd, on 19 May 2018 - 09:36 AM, said:
Will be using it to record 8 channels of audio when I do a video shoot with my musical family in about a month. I had originally planned to use Logic on my MacBook Air with the 4 channel interface, but the F8 is a lot better and easier to deal with while I'm also shooting video. Zoom has a whole range of dedicated recorders that get very good reviews, might be worth looking at if you aren't so keen on computers and software. The LiveTrack L-12 in another cool one that I looked at - it's a whole soundboard that can record 12 tracks along with built-in effects. The R8, R16 and R24 are older and smaller versions of the same kind of thing.
Thanks Boyd! I'm going to have to go back to school or something! That F8 sounds like a good thing, hope to get a chance to see your finished video!
-Keith
#17
Posted 19 May 2018 - 04:25 PM
Lars68, on 19 May 2018 - 01:04 PM, said:
![[biggrin]](http://forum.gibson.com/public/style_emoticons/default/msp_biggrin.gif)
Since this is a forum for acoustic guitar, it is fair to assume that recording guitar and vocals will be a priority here. In that case it is my firm belief that learning to use the mic, placing it correctly, using the right setting on the interface, as well as in the recording software are the most important aspects. The quality of budget range hardware will do a great job if used correctly. I have learned one setup for guitar, and one setup for voice that works to my satisfaction with my simple gear. That is really all I will ever need. So I would recommend turning all knobs and switches and trying as many settings and options your gear will give you. Then when you find a sound you like, make a few quick notes so you can remember what you did next time.
Another thing that is a key, at least for me, is simplicity of use and start up time. I usually don't have much time left of the day when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet enough for recording. So being able to start fast, without having to wait for a computer to boot up, hook up all cables, etc etc is important to me. That's why the ipad works great for me. I open the lid, insert the mic cord, and I'm basically ready to go. If I eventually get better at the singing and playing bits, I might try to get a dedicated computer, and a good recording interface. As long as I'm the weak link, it makes no sense to spend more money on gear
![[biggrin]](http://forum.gibson.com/public/style_emoticons/default/msp_biggrin.gif)
If you have more recordings, please post them. I would be interested in hearing them.
Lars
Hi Lars, thank you for all the great advice and your experiences, what you say makes a lot of sense. I'm feeling like the kid waiting for Christmas, I just got the Focusrite and did the one minute experiment but then had to go back to work and don't have time at the end of my 12 hour shift to do anything, but the weekend is here for me now and I hope to spend more time with it again.
If I do get something done I'll put it on here. I have an old Boss BR8-64 that actually has good audio quality, but I never figured out the file transfer business very well and so I only did a few tracks with it using some other NON-Gibson guitars

I'm going to have to look at my iPad and see if it offers anything (I am not an Apple guy)... yet!
Keith
-Keith
#18
Posted 20 May 2018 - 04:26 AM
Seventies-Fan, on 19 May 2018 - 04:13 PM, said:
I don't think it will be there, you will need to download it but it's free. Just tap the App Store icon and search for GarageBand. https://itunes.apple...d408709785?mt=8
1974 GIbson J-50 Deluxe
2008 Gibson J-50 Modern Classic
#19
Posted 20 May 2018 - 01:22 PM
Boyd, on 20 May 2018 - 04:26 AM, said:
Thank you Boyd, I'll have to look into this...
-Keith
#20
Posted 24 May 2018 - 06:56 PM
Boyd, on 20 May 2018 - 04:26 AM, said:
Just to update.... have never owned an iPad myself, but today I was playing with one in the store and noticed that GarageBand was actually pre-installed. So it's probably already on yours.
1974 GIbson J-50 Deluxe
2008 Gibson J-50 Modern Classic