Looking to set up home recording, no idea where to start...

eventide

New member
Hey,

I'm looking to get a home recording set up as a surprise for my girlfriend but I have literally no idea where to start other than the fact I have a decent pc already.

So far I've ascertained that I need to get a mic (duh) & a preamp, but I've got no idea what else, or even which mic etc to buy. Also need a sound card since I run on on-board sound atm, but not sure which would be the best.

I'm pretty pc savvy but totally clueless on the music side of things, that's the forte of my better half, so if anyone could give me a little list of what I need and any recommendations that would be absolutely fantastic.

My budget isn't huge, I'm a poor student but I'm not averse to scouring ebay for bargains :) Also I'm based in the UK.

Thank you very much for any/all help!
 
Generally speaking the 'sound card' and preamps would be rolled into one unit, at entry level at least.
You'd be searching for "audio interface"
If you're looking at condenser mics, the interface will need phantom power.


What will she be recording, and what does she already own if anything.


Is there any way you can get hints from her or her family, cos If she already knows a bit about this, It'd be very easy to buy her something she doesn't want/like.

A reasonable beginner interface and microphone could be in the region of £2-300. Is that within your budget?
There are cheaper alternatives (google usb mics) but they're not often recommended for quality.

A lot of people get them for podcasts and work like that.

Let us know.
 
It'll be mostly vocals for just now, and she doesn't know anything about the tech side of it, or have anything already- this is me giving her a kick up the rear end to get going on her music again after moving away from home!

Can you rec any audio interface's for me to look in to? Also in terms of mics I'd looked at the Shure SM58 purely cause I'd read some good things and found one cheapish on ebay. But again if there's a better option then ofc I'm all ears:)

Thanks for the reply
 
It all depends on what your girlfriend does. If, lets say she plays guitar and sings, then my recommendation for an entry level is to by the m-audio fast track pro which comes with AVID Live lite 8.2 DAW and also you must buy a mic such as the Shure SM58 which I love.
 
M-audio slightly out of my price range for now unfortunately. I know I'm not going to be able to do anything amazing though in my budget so I'm not looking for miracles.

Whats the ART Tube MP like for performance/utility since it looks to be about the price I'm wanting for just now. Ideally I'd like to do the lot for not too much over £100...
 
Preferably not more than £100, but that's assuming I can pick up the mic cheap on ebay- got my eye on one at the moment that shouldn't be much over £40.

Edit: OK I'm learning slowly- M-Audio comes with an interface, whereas ART doesn't and would need that extra...am I right? In that case I'll bump the budget up to £150.
 
M-Audio looks like the winner + the SM58. Does it come with software or does that need to be bought separately? Again just need something dead simple. Sorry for being so useless & clueless, your help is very much appreciated.

Edit: because I'm stupid and just checked with DAW stands for ;) Question answered!
 
Is it just a bit of fun, or will she be looking for pretty good quality?

If it's just a bit of fun or if your expectations aren't super high look at USB mics.

They have a one input interface built in, so you need nothing but the mic, headphones/speakers and software.

Just be aware that if you plan to expand later and use more inputs, the USB mic ceases to be useful.
 
It comes with Pro Tools M-Powered Essential software which is enough as a starter DAW. Hope you and your girlfriend enjoy the gift.
 
Is it just a bit of fun, or will she be looking for pretty good quality?

Nah it's (hopefully) the start of her getting back into her music; she needs to record some half-decent sounding demos to send out. Having said that, depending on how this months budget goes I might pick up a USB mic just now and get the better stuff next month. Everything depends on money, and my lack of it!

Javier, thank you for the help, you've been wonderful.
 
Inta Audio in the UK are offering the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 for £119 and if you input '10YEARS' to the offer code box you'll get £10 off that price.
There's also the Tascam US122L for £109.
 
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