Recording with a cell phone question

[MetalThrasher]

Can you get a decent recording using a cell phone? I'm asking because I don't have any mics for the amp and I want to try and post a demo of something in the near future.

 

[RaceU4her]

decent enough for a demo sure, but for probably $150 max you could get a used 2i2 and a 57 or something and be recording for real

 

[ZEN Amps]

Huge can of worms subject, so you'll get a lot of different opinions. Here's how different they can sound:

XTC: Mic vs Phone

Mind you that was a particularly poor phone recording, but it illustrates the point.

So yeah I agree with Race - get some basic gear and learn to use it. You'll thank us later!

 

[MetalThrasher]

Huge can of worms subject, so you'll get a lot of different opinions. Here's how different they can sound:

XTC: Mic vs Phone

Mind you that was a particularly poor phone recording, but it illustrates the point.

So yeah I agree with Race - get some basic gear and learn to use it. You'll thank us later!

I get it. So, if I get a SM 57 what else do I need?

 

[thegame]

Can you get a decent recording using a cell phone? I'm asking because I don't have any mics for the amp and I want to try and post a demo of something in the near future.

Only if you use the cell phone to order a $100 SM57 and decent mic pre/interface.

 

[MetalThrasher]

decent enough for a demo sure, but for probably $150 max you could get a used 2i2 and a 57 or something and be recording for real

I have an M-Audio Fast Track would that work. I almost forgot about that because I was trying to get into recording years ago, but it never happened.

 

[saxxamafone]

for showing a riff idea, sure.

for showing tone of an amp, i don't get value from them ?

 

[RaceU4her]

I have an M-Audio Fast Track would that work. I almost forgot about that because I was trying to get into recording years ago, but it never happened.

Yup. Youre gonna have to download a DAW, I use Reaper which is free to try, you download the driver for the Maudio, click a couple things in reaper to read the interface and that’s about it

 

[MetalThrasher]

Ok cool. So, I guess I'll have to learn a lot before I jump into this. The Reaper DAW rings a bell. I'll download it soon. Would garage band on Apple work or is Reaper better. My bad for the dumb questions but getting back into all this shit after 9 years, it's a learning experience.

 

[cobrahead1030]

There's a few Youtube guys I watch who pull it off pretty well, depending on expectations. The majority I see get turned off about 10 seconds in.

Personally I prefer that to a fully processed & polished mix, but I wish more guys that did demo videos offered something in between.

 

[ZEN Amps]

Ok cool. So, I guess I'll have to learn a lot before I jump into this. The Reaper DAW rings a bell. I'll download it soon. Would garage band on Apple work or is Reaper better. My bad for the dumb questions but getting back into all this shit after 9 years, it's a learning experience.

Not dumb man, all good.

Yep a SM57, basic interface (that has a mic input) and a free DAW will get you started. Experiment with mike placement until you get a good balance of highs and lows, and remember that recorded tone is never the same as being 'in the room'. Accept this, and your life will be much more pleasurable.

 

[phillybhatesme]

Anyone use one of those Zoom mics for their phones?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/iQ6--zoom-iq6-stereo-mic-for-ios-with-lightning

 

[LP Freak]

I’ve gotten some decent iPhone recordings, it just take some experimenting with placement. You can also grab a 57 and an iRig Pre and go through Garage Band. That’s probably the cheapest route

 

[RaceU4her]

Anyone use one of those Zoom mics for their phones?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/iQ6--zoom-iq6-stereo-mic-for-ios-with-lightning

I bought the shure version a long time ago and never even tried it, it doesn’t seem much better than the iPhone in vids I watched though and seems like more work than it would be to make a real clip

 

[GJgo]

I've done lots of phone, mic & an iRig, as well as mic into a DAW recordings for my channel. Like LP said, if you take some time to experiment with placement in the room, an iPhone can get great clips and IMO are much more representative of "tone in the room" than any close mic recording. However, close micing is necessary for a good band mix.

All of these methods take quite a bit of trial & error to find the positioning that gives a pleasing tone. Hell, I still only get it right occasionally.

 

[Bash_Man]

there's the iRig mobile preamps that connect a microphone through XLR to an iphone or usb.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigprehd/?pkey=irig-pre-hdhttps://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigproio/?pkey=irig-pro-io
I've thought about getting one as I do recording with my phone and would be nice if I didnt have to carry a laptop, internface, etc..

 

[SFW]

All of my youtube videos are from my phone. I probably need to get a better setup, but just haven't bothered.

 

[GJgo]

Here's a couple examples. Close mic & triple tracked in a DAW-



Same but phone in room-



Totally different & older example but with an iRig pre (single track) & the same 609 as above-

 

[Metalhex]

Anyone use one of those Zoom mics for their phones?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/iQ6--zoom-iq6-stereo-mic-for-ios-with-lightning

Yeah my band used one in the past and it wasn't that much better than a cell phone recording

 

[Racerxrated]

I’ve gotten some decent iPhone recordings, it just take some experimenting with placement. You can also grab a 57 and an iRig Pre and go through Garage Band. That’s probably the cheapest route

Yep, just have to record a few with your phone in different spots in the room/volume levels...my phone records a little brighter than what I'm hearing in the room; so I try to darken the amp a bit.