[Ken]

There seems to be a gap between how I perceive my playing at the time and any feedback received from others verses home recordings.

I've had this Zoom H4 recorder for a few months and haven't used it that much so started to record my lessons and playing in jam sessions and the like. Since taking lessons again over the last year I was expecting to have improved. However I got a reality check when I listened to the recording. I didn't think I sounded very good at all.

I know a lot of people don't like listening to themselves, so when evaluating themselves that can have a negative bias. Another factor could be the recording itself. Something is lost in the recording that was there when you played at the time. I recorded a trumpet player's solo when I was sitting in one time and he sounded good when I was standing next to him, but later when listening to the recording he didn't sound that good at all.

Do home recordings give you an accurate picture of your playing?

 

[cann0nba11]

The tape never lies.

Emotions can cloud your judgment while playing.

The tape never lies.

 

[hakukani]

A recording will always give you an accurate picture of what you play.

That being said, I wouldn't completely trust the recording as a true indication of your sound/tone/timbre. There are other factors at work to make that inaccurate.

 

[Pgraves]

If you can get past the cringe factor, listening to yourself is a great way to improve. You will immediately hear what is good and bad. You will probably remember what you were trying for and how you were trying to do it.
You can self correct using this sometimes painful feedback. To avoid further torment try to not let the bad recordings get loose on the internet.

 

[vonbraig]

Like Bob Dylan says, "It Ain't Me Babe" No seriously tape is the deal. I threaten to play recordings of my high school band over the intercom when they are slacking off. I do a thing where I play along with the track and then cut out sections so I can tade fours with myself. I use logic but any DAW would work.

 

[Kelly Bucheger]

Do home recordings give you an accurate picture of your playing?

Recordings are ruthless. Does the tape say your time sucks?

Your time sucks.

Does the tape say you're out of tune?

You're out of tune.

There are definitely intangibles that recording ain't gonna get, but if you want to pretty much get a grasp of where you're at, well....

Listening to recordings is excruciating. It's also one of the best ways to figure out what you need to work on....

 

[NitroJoe]

All said I agree with, but home recordings are NOT studio recordings. You're probably not adding any reverb or compression or other studio tricks.

 

[Ken]

I agree as well. I guess it doesn't really matter if you think makes you sound worse than you really are, as long as you're able to improve on it. If you ever reach the stage where you're even remotely satisfied with what you hear chances are you'll sound even better live.

 

[EZ]

Ditto per hakukani. I've started using my own H4 a bit more recently. To capture the timbre accurately, it needs to be positioned just right. The H4 mounts to a standard camera/tripod connection which should help with getting it in just the right spot.

Soon I'll be running a clip on bell mic into one channel and a more ambient mic to the other to try to sort out a suitable balance. When I have some success, I'll share it here.

 

[Bill Mecca]

I don't know if this has been mentioned (if so, sorry) but its not only the recording, but the listening. the system you listen on has an important effect on what you hear as well. crappy PC soundcard vs high end system, crappy PC speakers vs. high end studio monitors any chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.

 

[mlscnr]

And also remember that you're going to sound differently to a recorder 5 five away from you than you will to someone sitting in the back of a large auditorium that's full of people. Now if you typically play miked, then record yourself that way and listen, keeping in mind what Bill mentioned (the quality of your sound system). But if, like me, you typically play unmiked in a large, dead room full of people (church), then it's a little trickier. I perform on much stiffer reeds than I would otherwise, for the projection and volume they provide.

 

[wersax]

I wouldn't worry too much about the tone quality. As mentioned above there are a lot of factors that come into play with, including mic placement and the quality of equipment use to play it back. Getting a good sound on "tape" requires a good EQ and at least a little reverb; otherwise it's sounds nothing like it did in the room.
But, recording yourself is a really valuable tool. You can carefully examine your ideas, phrasing, timing, etc.

 

[Bobvdp]

A recording will never be the same as live ... but, even the worst are useful tools to improve with.

Like the OP I have a Zoom H4 and it really is a nice bit of tech. Here's a clip and micro-review:

http://mellowood.ca/music/recordings/index.html

Listening to yourself can be painful at times, but you really do hear your mistakes that way.

 

[vonbraig]

After you listen to the recording write down what you played. That's an eye opener too.

 

[vonbraig]

After you listen to the recording write down what you played. That's an eye opener too.

 

[Scott Ramminger]

It's a great tool

I have a little Edirol unit, like the Zoom. I take it with me when I go out to play. It's a great tool. It's really helped me spot stuff to work on. For one thing, I usually find more edge in the sound than I think was there. And I'll catch myself playing some riff or turnaround more often than I imagined than I was doing.

I hook it up to my car stereo on the way home from a gig or a jam and listen. It's really been helpful. I generally just listen through once and delete the recording.

I've pretty good recordings with the thing too.

Scott

 

[Lenny]

I'm wondering the same thing about my Zoom H4 and plan to test the built in mics against recording with higher quality mics in the same space.
The tone sounds a little cold to me and I don't know how much is the mic itself. A cheap mic will definitely make you sound like you have more edge though Scott. Just think about how they mic in a studio, that's usually what you are comparing yourself to.
However in every other way, it is a great way to improve your playing, though it is merciless. I record nearly every gig and its helped me a lot.

Here's what throws me about recording myself. Whenever I listen to it after a gig, even if I had lots of compliments from people whose ears I respect, I just think i sound terrible. i'm ready to throw my horn in the ocean... But then after a few days when I start going back to listen I often find I like it - at least some of it. Even my tone and intonation seem to improve markedly. I can't tell whether I'm just getting used to my own crappy playing or that the first time in I'm too close what I was trying to do or perhaps I'm too judgemental. It is weird though.