....whatever advice you got
Quit while your ahead, and still have your sanity, your job, your chick, your car, your
soul.....
Hehehehe! Just kiddin with you
Hello cheddic
but i want a studio w/ out computers, with the actaul mixers and beat makers and shit. Any help is appreciated.
Alright, the key word here is NO COMPUTERS, is that correct? Then, what you are really after is 2 things. Analog and acoustics. . Good thinking. Ok, heres what you need. Information. Lots of it. Tons of it. For the rest of your life of it
And thats just the beginning. Congradulations. This is a good place to start. Ever used analog to record, or owned a cassette, or r/r? Ok, lets see.......
By the music you described, you don't need to record live drummers, correct? Or do you? Do you play music? Keyboards I asume.
Vocals...of course if your doing rap.
Instruments....bass?guitars?others? Module bass? Keyboard Bass?
Synths....of course. Probably lots of midi. Analog/digital modules, midi, beat/drum machines , samplers.....correct?
Ok stop right there. That implys digital, i.e..... COMPUTERS.....You would be a fool to ignor that, if I understand the music you want to do. So, what I will describe is ANALOG/DIGITAL HYBRID.
First off, this is my OPINION, and every single member will tell you their OPINION.
Heres mine. Your ears are analog. They detect disturbances in air. They are transducers. They change energy from one form to another. In this case, sound into electrical impulses to your brain. A MIC does the same thing. It changes mechanical energy to electrical energy. That is analog. A speaker reverses it. Electrical energy, into mechanical energy. Thats analog. It produces sound. Thats analog. Regardless if you use digital or analog recording media, you still must have this circle. To record sound, you must have the analog circle
. SOUND >>>>>MIC>>>>>>SPEAKER>>>>>AIR>>>>EARS. Everything in between is what books are writtten about.....Let alone the MUSIC.
So let me say this. There are forums here, where they debate digital/analog wars endlessly, and not just at HR. That is not what this forum is about. Except for this.
SOUND IS ANALOG. If you are recording sound, then it helps to know how sound works. And if you want to improve your recordings, then by all means hang here. Because if you are recording indoors, what a mic pics up is sound in THE ROOM. And a speaker excites THE ROOM when you play back. Thats what this forum is about, IN MY OPINION. This is HOME RECORDING< ie.......ROOMS. Right guys?
But to give you an overview, I need to say something here.
Acoustics is the study of sound, and how you apply that knowledge to recording sound is what this forum is really about. And that involves rooms. Now you can generate any kind of signal, wheather its a keyboard, sound card, or what have you, and record it. Analog, digital what ever your into. But if you are recording sound, then a ROOM comes into play. And it influences sound, which is analog.
Do you record to computer now? Do you use mics now? If so, you already have the two items to generate and record sound. . If your going to record sound, then your in the right place. Acoustics play the primary role in recording and playback of sound. To learn about acoustics, hang here . For other direct information, see the other forums too. Man there is TONS to learn here.
Here is My hybrid breakdown
ANALOG
1. You need a KILLER vocal mic, a SM-57 all purpose mic/ and a condenser mic(talk to RECORDING ENGINEER or any of the other guys at the mic forum. They will tell you about mic pres. Once you open that door your gone for good. Ha!
2. Use an analog mixer. You can send -10 to most anything. 12 to 16 channel. 4 buss minimum, 8 buss better, w/ direct outs. A line mixer is a must for serious synth. Want to get serious? Your the one that asked for analog.
Then upgrade to +4. See the analog forum for info. Ebay too. Nice journey. Prepare for reality checks
3. Recorders.
For Tracking. Multitrack tape, 4trk or more. Forget cassette for multitrack. Go right for an 1/2" 8 track Reel to reel. They are inexpensive today. Many options. I use 2 synched 16 Track analog tape machines.
For mixdown, 1/4" tape Reel to Reel......BUT, this is where the fork in the road
is a little muddy. This area needs a little more attention later. I mean, really, this is where it seperates fact from fiction, and a few reality checks. Are you mixing your stuff to CD? Are you producing media for duplication. Or having it mastered. Thats the real question here. See mastering forum. If you found your way out of the mic forum, or the analog pit..er..forum.(that one will take a while )
4. CABLES. A book in itself. Depends on -10, +4 decisions. Use patchbays. Quality is important, as it connects everything. Soldering skills a plus.
snakes are usefull.
5. AMPS High quality, as it is analog. 50w min. Stereo, or if your into it, sound surround 5.1 or what ever it is now. Best advice. USE KISS PRINCIPLE
6. Speakers. The best you can afford. They are refered to as monitors. They are the analog link to your ears. Use nearfields. Anything more, defineitly hang here.
You'll need patience. And more room. More dollars naturally.
7. And finally THE ROOM. That is the environment the sound propogates in. Thats where this forum comes in. Welcome. This is where the discussions of how to design, build, soundprooof, treat and use recording environments, can help you
create your own. The options are many. Just as the equipment options are vast
but many principles can be used at home. Get used to 703. And absorption diffusion discussions. There are MANY highly skilled and knowledgable people that visit and contribute here, Search the archives and READ. READ. Oh yead, did I mention READ
Want to get serious. Order Alton Everests Master Handbook of Acoustics.
8. Digital
Everything in between is a matter of quality. To interface the computer, its as simple as sending the 2tr buss from the mixer to a sound card. If your going to mix to CD, then see the Computer forums. If you simply want to explore analog, then mix to a 1/4" tape, BUT, you can also synch computer and tape along with a shitload of other types of gear, through midi, smpte, word clock, which then opens another ton of decisions. Analog and digital can co-exist. Take advantage of the positive side of each. Avoid A/D wars.
well, thats my take on it. Hope it helps. See ya later.
fitz