basic questions about home studio setup

C

CyberCrone

New member
I am completely lost in technical gobbledygook about audio recording equipment and have some ultra-basic questions about equipment I will need for home recording studio.

Objective: record narration for books. No music, no fancy stuff, just voice, but the recording must be top quality because I will be recording for Audible.com. So far I have found good advice for choice of microphone (always willing to hear more though), but beyond that I get confused. I can't find anything that tells me if I can get top quality voice recording using a good microphone plugged directly into the computer (USB mic? Firewire? is one type better than another?). Everything I read, even advice for voice narration, assumes I need a 'mixer'. Why?

If I can get good quality recording directly from mic into computer, do I need to replace my standard pc sound card with a higher quality one? If so, what cards are recommended? Can I get by with simple recording software like Total Recorder, which is easy to use, or do I need something like Audacity, where the very sight of the control window gives me the vapors?

CyberCrone
 
Cheap route = USB mic into audacity

Better Quality = Cheap interface (USB) with a XLR mic

Recording a single track on Audacity should not induce vertigo. It's pretty straight forward. And if you try to use some BS one-click recording tool, your going to get 20 minutes in and sneeze and have to start all over- with Audacity you can easily edit out any errors, like a fainting fit or whatever the end result of a vapors attack is :)
 
arcadeko said:
Cheap route = USB mic into audacity

Better Quality = Cheap interface (USB) with a XLR mic

Recording a single track on Audacity should not induce vertigo. It's pretty straight forward. And if you try to use some BS one-click recording tool, your going to get 20 minutes in and sneeze and have to start all over- with Audacity you can easily edit out any errors, like a fainting fit or whatever the end result of a vapors attack is :)
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Thanks for your help, Arcadeko. By "cheap interface" do you mean something like Blue Mountains XLR to USB converter? I just stumbled across this last night, includes preamp. Cheap - discounted, about $35. If that's what you mean, it's absolutely worth that small amount extra for better quality.
 
That would be more near the 'Cheap route' category. Lexicon Alpha or something like that is in the 'Better Quality' category.
 
Don't know your location but I just bought an M-Audio Fast Track II from the local Craigslist for $35. Great basic interface.....for cheap money! At least for this noob!
 
jimmys69 said:
That would be more near the 'Cheap route' category. Lexicon Alpha or something like that is in the 'Better Quality' category.
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Yeah, after posting last, I looked up user reviews for Blue Microphone adaptor and concluded it must be a piece of ----. Glad to have a specific suggestion. I'll check out Lexicon Alpha. Thanks.
 
My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $16
Amazon.com: Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies (9780470385425): Jeff Strong: Books

PC Recording Studios for Dummies - $16
Amazon.com: PC Recording Studios For Dummies (9780764577079): Jeff Strong: Books
(Wish I'd had those when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
Amazon.com: Recording Guitar and Bass: Getting a Great Sound Every Time You Record (9780879307301): Huw Price: Books
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

Home Recording for Beginners by Geoffrey Francis
Amazon.com: Home Recording for Beginners (0082039538815): Geoffrey Francis: Books

When you get a bit into it, I highly recomend The Art of Mixing by David Gibson
Amazon.com: The Art of Mixing: A Visual Guide to Recording, Engineering, and Production (9781931140454): David Gibson: Books

A MUST READ: Kim Lajoie's "Lifesigns from studio" - FREE - http://www.errepici.it/web/download/KLBD.asp

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at Tape Op Magazine

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics and have good tips:
Tweak's Guide to the Home and Project Studio
Free beginner PDFs | Computer Music | MusicRadar.com
The #1 online community for musicians | Harmony Central
Tips & Techniques - Gearslutz.com

Guitar Amp Recording: Guitar Amp Recording

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig: How to Configure a Recording Studio Rig

Other recording books: Music Books Plus - Home Recording

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and user-tested suggestions that work: The Best Audio Interfaces for your Home Studio by TweakHeadz Lab
(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)

Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:
Sony ACID Xpress 10-track sequencer: ACIDplanet.com: Free Downloads: ACID Xpress
Audacity: Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: Wavosaur free audio editor with VST and ASIO support (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: KRISTAL Audio Engine
Other freebies and shareware: Music Software - Computer Music Resources - Shareware Music Machine

Another great option is REAPER at REAPER | Audio Production Without Limits
(It's $50 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages...
Myriad: Music Notation Software and much more... / Myriad : logiciels de musique, et bien plus...
Demo you can try on the website.

Great booklet on mic'ing techniques from Shure:
http://www.shure.com/idc/groups/public/documents/webcontent/us_pro_micsmusicstudio_ea.pdf

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE and July 2009 issue they put out Samplitude10SE, December 2010 they gave away Samplitude11LE. FREE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)

'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.'
 
TimOBrien said:
My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):
Click to expand...

I don't mind a paste at all! I wouldn't want to retype all that either. I see that most of the books you recommend are targeted for musicians, and all I will be doing is voice over, so I'm not sure the equipment recommendations and tech explanations will be all that relevant for me. I am certain I can glean some useful stuff from the list, however. Thanks.
 
BassMan53 said:
Don't know your location but I just bought an M-Audio Fast Track II from the local Craigslist for $35. Great basic interface.....for cheap money! At least for this noob!
Click to expand...

I looked up the M-Audio Fast Track II and see that you did indeed get a fantastic price. I assume you bought it used and that it works fine. So I'll check out Craig's List. I tend to forget about that resource.
 
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