Choosing Audio Interface and Mic. for Singer/Songwriter type-stuff.

C

Curlyfied

New member
Hey there.

I was hoping you guys could help me choose an audio interface and mic for my home studio. I'll be using it to record vocals, acoustic guitar and simple rhythm instruments. I am a male with a rather powerful voice ranging between Tenor and Bass (not sure what its called), in case it's relevant for the mic.

The four 'sound-cards' I have been looking at are: Presonus AudioBox 22VSL, Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6, Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 and M-audio MobilePre USB.
Is there anything about these four that I should consider before choosing? Any general thoughts? Preferences?

WHen it comes to mic I am even more lost. I have been told that the RØDE NT1-A bundle with shock mount and pop-filter is a safe bet. Any others you would prefer in the same price or below? Is it possible at all to reduce the price without letting the quality fall to an grueling debth? How Is CAD GXL2200?

Tell me if there is something I have failed to mention or if I have done a newb mistake in this tread.

All the best, Glenn.

edit: Failed to mention what type of guitar.
 
I recently switched to M-audio to Focusrite and I'm really impressed with the products. They come with inbetween mixers that go with zero latency inbetween you and your recording program. They also have very good pre amps. I have the pro 40. You aren't looking for that many inputs but the same applies with the ones that have one or two pre amps. I'd go ahead and get one that has at least two pre amps. If you're recording acoustic guitar, you might get into micing the guitar with two guitar mic's like a lot of people do when it is just acoustic guitar and vocals.

For mic's, I I like the Rode NT-1A a lot. It's a good value. It doesn't cost much but it competes with microphones that cost 5 times the amount. I use the Rode NT-1A and Rode NT-1000 together. The Rode NT-1000 isn't much more money than the Rode NT-1A. I think it's 100 bucks more. It has a bit more of a lower frequency.

I would not go for anything cheaper than the Rode mic's. Rode is a company that is reliable and is the only company I know who makes microphones that are affordable yet, they sound professional. Other microphone companies claim to do the same thing and they do not hold up on the sound.

I am new to professional home recording but I have been doing home recording for over 14 years. Such as demo's. And I have been using Rode products for a long time. Go on youtube and listen to the Rode NT-1A. You can hear some amazing recordings done with this microphone.

If you're looking to just do demo's you can catch both acoustic guitar and vocals with one microphone. If you're looking to try to get a good recording in, I'd get at least two inputs on the interface and two microphones in the future. You can go with two NT-1A's or go with an NT-1A and an NT-1000 like I did.

A good pre amp will have a lot do with your sound also. That is why I say go with the focusrite interface. The M audio mobile pre usb only can record 16 bit audio. It's not capable of recording 24 bits if you get into that in the future.

If you go with M-Audio, I used the fast track pro for years and it never let me down. It can be had at guitar center right now on sale for 99 dollars. It has 2 mic inputs and 2 guitar/line inputs. And if you get more complex as you grow in recording it has inserts for outboard gear, it has phantom power built in, it records at 24 bits and can go up to 96hz. And the pre amps are not bad.

I myself use an external pre amp plugged into the interface for both acoustic guitar and vocals.

It sounds like you may want two microphones for what you're going to be wanting to do. But you can start out with one. But always keep the future in mind.

Have you looked on Amazon at the scarlette 1816 bundle? It might be good for you starting off and then add the Rode NT-1A on top of that.

But it cost more. If I was in your situation on a budget, I'd get the fast track pro on sale for 99 dollars, and try to get two microphones. The next thing I'd add later on is a mic pre amp.

What program are you recording with?
 
Thanks nagol5178 for great help!
I have decided to go with the RØDE Mic sett and a ForcusRite Scarlett 2i2. I don's see any big use for any more than 2 inputs for me, and if i ever find that i need MIDI most keyboards have USB, if not, USB to MIDI converters aren't that expensive. (I think) :p

My big problem now is what headsets to buy. I will not be able to afford proper monitors, so I will rely on headset for the time being. The two I have looked at are in the the cheap and not so cheap end of the scale. Wither Sennheiser HD280 Pro for 105AUD or Beyerdynamic PT770M for 270AUD. The latter is a bit on the too expensive side. Are there (good) alternatives somewhere around the middle to cheap end? Alternatively, can someone help to get my gut to understand that it is a good investment?

About software, I'm not sure. The 2i2 doesn't seem to come with something included, I have GarageBand though! Will that work as a starter program? Or should I invest / try some trials?

What software do you recomend for 'singer/songplayer' type use?
 
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