Help in building a small setup

S

somuchdirt74

New member
I need help in deciding what all I need in order to record bass, electric guitar, and vocals. I'm trying to make a budget, just a little lost right now. I really don't want to go over 700. I will be buying things throughout the year, but I need to know what to look for so I can keep an eye out for good deals. I want the essentials, I don't need to go all out on a studio. It would be nice to know which gear I can get by for cheap and which one's I shouldn't skimp out on. I don't expect superb quality recordings ha, but I do want it to be decent enough to release some music to the public. Don't worry about mic's, computer, Headphones, monitors, DAW... Please do not include those items within the budget.

So far I have the focusrite 2i2. I won't be multi tracking recording, least won't go over 2 at a time. so I'm looking for the best fit with the 2i2 as I won't be expanding beyond that.

All I can do right now is plug my electric guitar to the 2i2, and that goes straight to my computer. Mainly did this to record ideas down for electric guitar but I find myself just tweaking for decent sound, it's just not there.

What gear can I use to record the electric guitar without having to mic an amp?
Could I also use the same setup for a bass guitar and get good results?
Would it be better to mic the amp instead? If so, what would I need for that?
Preamps, D.I box... Are these essential for both setups?

I ask about recording guitar without having to mic the amp because I'm not all that satisfied with mine (peavey classic 30). I guess it can get me by though. However, I do not have a bass guitar yet, and would like to get by without having to buy an amp for that. If push comes to shove I can borrow from a friend. I'm just tired of doing research only to end up with more questions and feeling unsure on what to get for my needs.
 
From what I can tell, the 2i2 allows straight instrument plug in, so a DI is not required. A DI might improve the input, but it is not required. I go straight to my interface, but some like having something between the instrument and interface input.

You might want to look at AMP sims, but I can say, for bass, I am using a plug in compression and some EQ. Unless there is a particular AMP sound you don't have to have an amp sim, gain, EQ, VST effects can design the final sound, doesn't really require an amp or even an amp sim.

Room treatment sounds like you primary focus at this point and getting the right sounds from your mics.
 
I tried guitar rig and some VST effects but not doing so well. Getting into anything else other than clean it all starts to sound weak or muddy. The sad thing is that I don't have any mics...yet, which definitely is the first step in the right direction. I just thought there would be more to it than that so I'm trying to see what all I can afford.
 
What kind of music are you making? The Peavey Classic 30 is actually a pretty good amp. Being a tube amp, it really opens up and sounds sweeter when you get the post gain up past 12:00. It sounds really compressed and lifeless at lower post settings. Keep the pre gain low and let the power section provide the breakup. Add just enough preamp gain to dirty it up to your tastes.
 
Best mike for your guitar amp (and from personal experience this is much better than sims) is a $100 SM57. Can probably find one for 1/2 that at a pawn shop, but there's lots of knock-offs out there, so if you don't know what to look for (and it's really hard to spot the difs) you'd be better spending the Ben at a local shop or ordering from amazon, SamAsh, Guitar Center, Sweetwater, etc..
Bass can be DI without problem. Look for a bass amp sim with a decent Ampeg plug. Get's you going.
Agree with Tadpui on the amp. Nice sounds from the Peavey Classics. Use the 57 and you're set.
Check out Reaper. Free or $60 to register if you don't want to put up with the nag screens.
Decent set of cans will serve you well. Lots of people around here love the Pro 280s from Sennheiser (another Ben). I've got 380s and they're very comfy. There are others from AT, etc. that will probably chime in, too.
Really with the interface that's all you'll need to record. Room treatment will help your guitar sound (especially corner traps) and you can get that done around $200 if you DIY. Close miking is the way to go on an amp, so past that won't be very necessary.
We're way under your budget here at about $500 with shipping and that assumes everything new...

Now, when you get ready to MIX, that'll be a different animal. Decent monitors ($300+), better acoustic treatment ($200+), pack up the free plugs you can find that work for you and buy the few you can't find. There's really nice free compressors out there, but there's some that are hard to get hold of. But if you like what you're doing, (and I'm pretty sure you will) you'll look for more budget eventually to go farther....:D Happy Recording!
 
The type of music I make ranges from ambient to alternative rock, lets just go with that "indie rock" tag. I'm still experimenting. I agree with you, it's a solid amp. I bought it used and replaced the speaker with a red coat. Maybe lack of pedals is mostly my problem, I need an overdrive for sure. It's been a while since I've fired it up so I might do that shortly. I feel like I should change the preamp tubes as they are super old, and the power tubes were dead when I received it. I just want to THANK YOU! You just made me realize how little I've played on it since I've gotten a decent left handed guitar. I was stuck with right handed guitars that were just no good... as in single coils wrapped in copper foil. Who does that? haha.

EDIT: I'm an idiot. The copper foil eliminates hum... Still it was crappy guitar and I'm not taking those words back.
 
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Alright I'm going to fire it up the ol' peavey. I only have a shure sm58 right now so I'm going to mic it up. I thought about using it before but wasn't sure how the results would pan out, but it shouldn't be too bad right? You guys got me all hyped up now. Anyways, wish me luck.
 
I frequently track Bass-Guitar directly through my 2i2 although recently I've been through an old 'Pod' (looks like a big red kidney bean with knobs on it) using it as you would a pre-amp.
Picked up the Pod on eBay for 30quid.
 
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