Hello, I am 45 yo and have used the Portastudio stuff since the late 80's. Obviously this is outdated and I have been thinking about making the switch to a computer based system. And that's where I'm lost. Need your input on what to get and why. Generally speaking budget for most items can be big. A lot of equipment I may already have. I write Rock'n'Roll, Americana, instrumentals as well as dabble in Indie/Electronica. I have recorded so much music on those Portastudios and got used to them, so I kind of fell behind the times. Assuming I can spend $10,000 what would I need? Any help is appreciated. Thanks
Starting Over
- Thread starter jelazar
- Start date
"Assuming I can spend $10,000 what would I need?" Holy cow, ..anything you want!
:>)
Have ya had a chance to dabble on a DAW recording system? I think you're on the right track exploring this some. There's a lot of options, 'work style comes into it (which you might not know until you jump in, then reevaluate as you go.
How many tracks at once? is a starting place -But given the great tools we have available these days for dirt cheap (relative to an previous it's ridiculous!).. consider extra in's and outs for growing room.
:>)
Have ya had a chance to dabble on a DAW recording system? I think you're on the right track exploring this some. There's a lot of options, 'work style comes into it (which you might not know until you jump in, then reevaluate as you go.
How many tracks at once? is a starting place -But given the great tools we have available these days for dirt cheap (relative to an previous it's ridiculous!).. consider extra in's and outs for growing room.
You don't need to spend much money. Get an audio interface with a couple of inputs at minimum, more if you are recording multiple instruments live. I'm using the Roland Quad Capture, with two mic inputs, which runs about $250. Go download Reaper. A non-commercial license is about $60. You're off to the races.
Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Okay let's see...
First you need a computer. It doesn't need to be fancy in a gamer's sense, but (since you have a budget go for something with a good fast processor and plenty of RAM. A large HDD is a great idea plus as large an SSD drive as you are willing to spend money on for the OS and DAW software. This is where there will be an argument between the Windows and Apple camps. I personally think I get a lot more computer (and flexibility) for my money with Windows but others will differ.
Then you need a DAW. There are lots of great ones out there. I'd suggest downloading the free trials of you shortlist and have a brief play. Then buy the one that seems most intuitive to you.
Audio interface? I'll be a bit controversial here. If you're used to a Portastudio then chances are you're used to faders. Normally around here we recommend interfaces, not mixers but you may be an exception to the rule. In Analogue, have a look at the Soundcraft Signature 12MTK or else look at some of the smaller digital mixers. Note that you won't be mixing on the mixer--but it does make it easier to set levels before recording or create multiple monitor/headphone mixes. You could also look at some of the cheaper digital stuff but it probably has features you don't need. A big warning--if you look at cheaper mixers, make sure they can feed all channels separately to your computer--most will have small print saying they only send two channels, i.e. the stereo mix.
Microphones? Depends what you have and whether there are any you think could be improved on. Same with studio hardware like mic stands, pop screens etc.
After that put all your spare money into really good monitors and good acoustic treatment of your room. On the speakers, your budget might stretch to some of the Genelec models. If so, they'd be hard (or impossible) to better.
With the change, buy everyone who replies to this thread a beer!
First you need a computer. It doesn't need to be fancy in a gamer's sense, but (since you have a budget go for something with a good fast processor and plenty of RAM. A large HDD is a great idea plus as large an SSD drive as you are willing to spend money on for the OS and DAW software. This is where there will be an argument between the Windows and Apple camps. I personally think I get a lot more computer (and flexibility) for my money with Windows but others will differ.
Then you need a DAW. There are lots of great ones out there. I'd suggest downloading the free trials of you shortlist and have a brief play. Then buy the one that seems most intuitive to you.
Audio interface? I'll be a bit controversial here. If you're used to a Portastudio then chances are you're used to faders. Normally around here we recommend interfaces, not mixers but you may be an exception to the rule. In Analogue, have a look at the Soundcraft Signature 12MTK or else look at some of the smaller digital mixers. Note that you won't be mixing on the mixer--but it does make it easier to set levels before recording or create multiple monitor/headphone mixes. You could also look at some of the cheaper digital stuff but it probably has features you don't need. A big warning--if you look at cheaper mixers, make sure they can feed all channels separately to your computer--most will have small print saying they only send two channels, i.e. the stereo mix.
Microphones? Depends what you have and whether there are any you think could be improved on. Same with studio hardware like mic stands, pop screens etc.
After that put all your spare money into really good monitors and good acoustic treatment of your room. On the speakers, your budget might stretch to some of the Genelec models. If so, they'd be hard (or impossible) to better.
With the change, buy everyone who replies to this thread a beer!
+1 to Bobbsy's 'left field' mixer suggestion. The line between an actual AI and 'computer recording mixer*) is getting ever more blurry.
Big + also to putting as much of the budget into monitors as you reasonably can but much depends upon how loud, how low you want and how far away you will be from the speakers. For any given level of quality, louder and lower COST! Genelecs? Indeed and their latest co-axis 3 way looks superb but would wipe out half the budget!
DAW software breaks into two basic camps..Linear, like a tape machine (familiar) as exemplified by such as Cubase, Reaper, Samplitude and what I call the 'cut and shunt' DAWs. Do download the demos.
Lastly I strongly suggest you invest a few quid in a subscription to Sound on Sound. There you will find shedloads of equipment reviews.
Dave.
Big + also to putting as much of the budget into monitors as you reasonably can but much depends upon how loud, how low you want and how far away you will be from the speakers. For any given level of quality, louder and lower COST! Genelecs? Indeed and their latest co-axis 3 way looks superb but would wipe out half the budget!
DAW software breaks into two basic camps..Linear, like a tape machine (familiar) as exemplified by such as Cubase, Reaper, Samplitude and what I call the 'cut and shunt' DAWs. Do download the demos.
Lastly I strongly suggest you invest a few quid in a subscription to Sound on Sound. There you will find shedloads of equipment reviews.
Dave.
Dicus
Enthusiastic Member
Wow cool dude! If you already have a lot of analogue effects that you are used to and want to keep using you might to think about how you want to do all that and then convert it to digital and so. I was really impressed by the Focusrite Red line. Which, if I understood all of it well, looks made for routing music through analogue, then digital effects and then analogue again. I imagined that using such a thing treats your digital effects as analogue effects and might make all of it more intuitive.
Can you tell us what you already have? Monitors, microphones, acoustic treatment etc.
Can you tell us what you already have? Monitors, microphones, acoustic treatment etc.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
What you need is to decide which direction you want to go.
There are lots of ways to spend $10k on audio gear, especially if you are looking to indulge in something more esoteric and/or more involved...both for the sake of your own pleasure and to fulfill your vision with a "dream" studio rig.
Hardware audio gear can be very addictive, and also very enjoyable...but it can eat up that $10k pretty quickly.
However, If you're just looking to get only something more new/current, but the bare minimum of what is needed to record sounds and edit/mix them....you can go a lot cheaper with the most basic interface and DAW setup.
Either way...you will still need monitors, and some room treatment...and there are different levels of that, so it's kinda up to you to decide your level of involvement and amusement before you start buying anything.
I have two examples'- Allen Heath QU-16 and RME UFX. But record 24bit (although the QU's in multi-track mode can only be at 48k.
add..
Might as well expand on this. On the mixer, you can mix off the thumb drive (and capture that -your mix moves in 'real time- (This is not the same as having your mix improved each run-through, and capturing that as in a DAW.) While I really got a renewed appreciation for mixing on the QU's playback, for my uses in either example it mean dumping the files into the DAW, renaming -almost always, loading each of them into the new blank project.. Then get on to the mixing.
The only time I can see all this being helpful is for catching live gigs.
From your good post above, but this is spot on.
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bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Nah, lose the faders. I like them for live work, but for studio recording it's all mouse and keyboard.
You will need: computer, interface, DAW.
The question is the specifics of each. Get a fast computer with plenty of RAM, and an interface with more inputs than you think you'll need. DAWs are a matter of features and preferred workflow. Try a couple. Reaper will do pretty much anything you need done for very little money. I like Magix (formerly Sony) Vegas, largely because it's what I started on well over a decade ago, and it's a video editor as well. Some DAWs do MIDI better than others, some are easier to use, etc.
You may already have monitors and acoustic treatment, headphone paraphernalia, mics, cables etc. That all transfers to computer recording pretty well.
You will need: computer, interface, DAW.
The question is the specifics of each. Get a fast computer with plenty of RAM, and an interface with more inputs than you think you'll need. DAWs are a matter of features and preferred workflow. Try a couple. Reaper will do pretty much anything you need done for very little money. I like Magix (formerly Sony) Vegas, largely because it's what I started on well over a decade ago, and it's a video editor as well. Some DAWs do MIDI better than others, some are easier to use, etc.
You may already have monitors and acoustic treatment, headphone paraphernalia, mics, cables etc. That all transfers to computer recording pretty well.
Chili
Site Moderator
Welcome to the site.
Computer based recording still starts with the basics. You probably still have most mics, cables, stands, headphones. You'll need a computer and there's a good chance the one you're using now will work. Recording audio doesn't take much computing horsepower until you get into virtual instruments and some certain types of effect plugs... well, reverb mostly.
An interface. If you're going to be a one-man band, you can most likely get by with a 2-channel interface. There are tons to choose from and most will yield pretty decent results. If you want to record a full band or acoustic drums, you might look at an interface with more inputs. Forget the notion of a mixer. Works for live sound, kind of a compromise and redundant for computer based recording.
Monitors and a good listening/mixing room. This is really where the rubber meets the road and the need for it hasn't changed over the years and it isn't any different from analog recording (tape, portastudio, etc). This is aspect where your money will be well spent.
A good/great recording space. If you've got the budget, having two spaces for recording would be great. One for mixing, one for recording. Most home recording enthusiasts have to compromise and use one room for both. If that is a limitation, treat the room so it is better for mixing.
One or two decent mics. A nice condensor mic or two. If you have money, a nice mic preamp would not go amiss.
Drums is the most common problem for those starting out with home recording. Most of us don't know how to play drums or find other limitations. The good news is virtual instruments have come a long way in recent years and virtual drums are leading the charge.
Recording guitars are another challenge to some. Some people want to record guitars late at night while family and neighbors are sleeping. There are ways to get great guitar tracks without waking anybody up!!
There is a steep learning curve. The first is to get past the technological hurdles before you can face the recording aspect. If you've got experience from the portastudio days and maybe from gigging, you're halfway there. Just keep asking questions. Lots of opinions, but everyone does it a little differently.
First up, what kind of music do you want to record? Wht have you got already? How many people? Instruments?
Enjoy the ride.
garww
New member
Well, it can be the same old porta, but with newer components based around the computer. Editing is slicker, but.. A lot of Porta users might of switched to digital Porta by the mid-'90s(dedicated CPU and OS), if they had the scratch, anyway. And, Porta is current tech.
There should be some nice depreciation on 10k of goodies
There should be some nice depreciation on 10k of goodies
So I use an Eleven Rack for the elec gtr, bass and keys sounds. I use a TC Helicon Live for vocals. For Ac Gtr I have been using a Rode NT-1(original) straight to the Tascam( and then adding the Tascam reverbs-whatever is available or I have customized in there). I love the Eleven Rack for it's diverse sounds and capability. For drums I have been using...ready...the old Boss Dr. Rhythm, which has been enough for me, but yes I know there are more sophisticated fills, kits, etc out there. I have been in the studio at least 8 different times and love the gear. To test the sound I usually play the CD(yes, still put it on CD's) on a stereo that's 25 years old, the car and finally on ITunes. If all is good I'll transport the CD to WMP and then onto my website. It has worked for me, but I know there's better sound quality out there. I've heard it for 15 years. My issue has been mainly financial(starting over with gear).
Well you can keep on using the Eleven Rack! You might like to make sure any AI you get has a co ax S/PDIF input (a great many don't these days, they have gone the way of DIN MIDI ports ! One AI that does is the Alesis i02 Express tho' it cannot run digital AND analogue. No biggy AFAICT?)
The NI KA6 does of COURSE have S/PDIF making it a 6 in 6 out AI with MIDI.
I bought my son BFD Eco drum software, be about $100 now I would guess.
Dave.
The NI KA6 does of COURSE have S/PDIF making it a 6 in 6 out AI with MIDI.
I bought my son BFD Eco drum software, be about $100 now I would guess.
Dave.
Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Completely agree with "lose the faders" for mixing...but, for tracking, if I have multiple sources, I prefer faders. On top of that though, if you ever want to set up multiple headphone monitor feeds while you record, you NEED pre fade auxes.
My opinion is probably coloured by the fact that I don't ever record myself solo--most of my work if for other people, often several at one time.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
I work in two studios, one with a mixer front end and one with a stack of preamps. In the one with the mixer we also do rehearsals and studio performances, so it's really helpful to have faders and aux send knobs etc. In the one with the stack of preamps (connected to an Apollo 16) I do somewhat miss the faders. Having to do it all through the Console and in Pro Tools is definitely not as straightforward as having a physical mixer, but it's doable, and it's much more compact.