Can I call this a pro recording studio??

[metal mike]

Can I call this a (Professional?) : PC with Duron 800, soundcard Creative Soundblaster Live, 196MB Ram, software Vegas Pro or Cool Edit Pro 1.2 ,and monitors Roland????
I record guitars with Shure SM57 run through a Tascam mixer, bass guitar with Direct Box,
drums from a drum machine, and vocals with Shure SM7 .
When it comes to mix my songs I save the mix in the PC using the Recorder feature from Soundblaster Live:simply I play all the tracks and record what I hear in the computer, creating another Wav.file which is “The Mix” .Finally the Mix sounds pretty good,but I don`t have
clarity between the guitars, the guitars and the vocal, the bass and the drums… I use EQ tips&tricks and mixing rules that I’ve found on this Site or other Sites.In conclusion it doesn`t
sound like professionals’ mixes.What do I do wrong?Please ,someone can tell me?

[keilson]

Sounds like you have a good start, but I don't think that would be considered a "Pro" Studio. Sound Blaster ive is a low budget consumer card, which doesn't have very good quality. It also only has one input. Most Pro Studios can handle many more inputs into the digital domain. You could improve by purchasing a better card. ossibly one with a breakout box, such as the Delta 44 or Delta 1010 by M-audio. I have a 24 input interface and I still don't consider mine to be "Pro." You could also try using a condenser (If you have one) on guitars. What type of sound are you going for? Do you want to record all the parts at the same time? Are you overdubbing everything on your own?

[ZEKE SAYER]

i'm 13 but i know alot about recording and my mom told me that "you can have over a million dollors in studio equipment, and still make crapy recordings" what this means is... you have to have knowledge and experience before you can make good recordings. the stuff that you have to record with is some good stuff but you have to spend time with it.


"if at first you don't succeed...then try,try again"

[keilson]

Wow Zeke, very good point. I don't think I had that much insight when and understanding when I was 13. I used to get so frustrated recording. It does take patience and pracitce over and over again.

[Miescha]

Well, I´d call that a homerecording-studio. For a professional studio, several more things than a computer are needed. Though you can do a lot of things with a computer, it is not the most important thin in a studio. Don’t forget about the nearfield-monitors or professional microphones, such as Neumann U 87, or things like that. You’ll also need a multitrack recordings-system. For the beginning it doesn’t have to be Digidesign ProTools, but it should at least allow you to record eight tracks simultaneously.
It takes quite a long time to become a pro, you need a lot of training and experience which takes a lot of time. After fifteen years of business I know what I’m talking about…

[BrettB]

Making professional recordings is a combination of good material, lots of experience and especially good ears and a good sence of taste.

You have good homestudio material, but you got lots of stuff that can improve, like a better soundcard than that SB, some good condensor mikes, rackmaterial...

And working good with the material is another thing: you need LOTS of experience, reading about it is a good step, but it is experience that will slightly give you the 'tricks of the trade'.

You are a 'professional' when people are tending to pay you enough for your recording work so you can live from that income.

Very few of us can, so don't be overenthousiastic! But you're on a good way for homerecording, so keep the spirit up.

[TexRoadkill]

You may be a great engineer but your about $20,000 grand shy of calling it a project studio and $70,000 shy of calling it almost pro.

[Alchemist3k]

See the Mixing forum. please don'y cross-post in future,

[Neil Ogilvie]

Ditching the soundblaster and getting a Delta 44 would be a good move in the right direction. Also getting a condensor like an akg C3000 or an Octava might be a good idea.
I'm in a very similar situation to you Metal Mike, but I'm getting my new 44 in a few days.

[Sennheiser]

If what you are producing doesn't sound professional to you or those you play your mixes for then it is not a professional studio.

That could be you, or your equipment, or a combination of both.

In your case I would say it's on the equipment side. I wouldn't dare be so bold as to say what I produce now sounds professional, but that doesn't mean that it sounds bad. It just doesn't sound professional.

I may never be able to do that either. But half the fun of this is in the trying and the challenge.

I forgot to add that getting a professional sound in your recording is not all that different from trying to produce a professional drawing, painting, song, restored vehicle, etc, etc.
At least that's how I look at it.

I also try and keep my signal chain as simple as possible with the best equipment that I can afford. Now that still might be a crappy piece of gear compared to a pro studio, but I try and make it work until I can afford better.

"The more complicated the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." Montgomery Scott.

[darrin_h2000]

Does it make you money?