Settings on digital recorders?
A couple of months ago I finally broke down and purchased a digital recorder to make recording while practicing less burdensome than setting up the computer with Audacity and a mic, etc. After reviewing the options, I got a Tascam DR-05.
I got this mostly for my bass trombone since I was basically starting from scratch with that and wanted to know how I sound, test the sound with different mouthpieces and lead pipes, work on embouchure, etc. Now I've just started using it on the tuba as well.
It seems to be a good device. (I won't complain about the UI -- well, I guess I just did; but there's no point to that. Also, I won't complain about the documentation in the same way.)
My only goal for now is to be able to record my practice session and play it back in such a way that what I hear from the recording is REALLY how I sound. (This does get into the general area of what "reality" really is in such a circumstance -- particularly given how digitized music works and electronic recording works in general. And I do have a Ph.D. in philosophy, so the nature of reality is always on my mind -- if we really have minds. But I'm trying to keep this as practical as possible.)
A big problem is that there are so many possible settings on these things (I'm sure the DR-05 is highly similar to other models and brands in all of these), that it's very difficult to pick the one that yields the most "realistic" or accurate result on replay. Do I REALLY sound like THAT (since THAT sucks)? Or do I REALLY sound like THIS (which sucks less but sounds a little peculiar)?
Why does the replay of the recording sound SO different than what I'm hearing from "behind the horn" as I'm playing? I mean, REALLY different. I was messing with it last night using my tuba, and got it sounding pretty good (at least with one mouthpiece) just by sticking with what is pretty much the "raw" default settings. But is that what it REALLY sounds like? Clearly (philosophy warning here), I have no objective way of comparing REALITY with the recording. I just have two different experiences: behind the horn and the recording. Okay. Enough philosophy (believe me, it gets way more complicated).
It's even more problematic with the trombone -- which tends to sound even more different through the recording than from behind the horn. There, the raw/default approach doesn't seem to give a "true" (What IS truth, anyway?) result.
So with that confusing conceptual intro ...
How do people in general set up these devices to give them what they feel is the most accurate representation of their sound? I'm sure that this is to some degree relative to the room/auditorium/stadium that you're playing in (and there are "enhancements" on the device to try to mimic that). But I'm curious how people deal with this issue and what their settings are.
Again, I don't expect answers to be specific to the DR-05. Any insight will be appreciated.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)