New Studio Setup- Is this what i need?

A

abm123

New member
All right i am not sure where to put this thread but this seems like a good place. Here is the deal, i am building a home studio but i want to make sure i have everything covered so i dont buy everything and then find out i have to spend another 200 on something for it to work well. Here is the setup i am looking at. <br>
-Sonar 3 studio edition-200
-delta 1010lt interface-265
-Studio Projects C1 mic-200
-Shure Sm57 mic-75
-behringer ub-2222 mixer-270 (drummer will cover this)
-DMP3 preamp-160

Is this everything i will need to record like 6 mic tracks at a time and do high quality vocals and instruments. What type of cables do i need and how many? Please help me i dont want to spend 850 and then need to buy more shit.
 
Please help me i dont want to spend 850 and then need to buy more shit.
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That might be the funniest thing I've ever read! (Sorry, ABM, but someday in the not too distant future when the credit card bills start rolling in and you're coming home from your third visit to the pawn shop that day [you can get by without a car for a while, right??] you'll know why I'm laughing. Trust me, it's the laughter of the damned.)...

You only listed 2 microphones so unless you plan on buying more than one of each, it's going to be impossible for you to record 6 mic tracks at once.

You don't really need the mixer. Your sound card has 10 inputs and SONAR provides the mixer in software.

You didn't mention your computer. Is it powerful enough to handle the task of audio?

Monitoring- You don't list any speakers or headphones. At the very least you will need some headphones. If you are hoping to record more than one person at a time you will need headphones for each person. You will also need a headphone amp if this is the case. You will also want a decent pair of powered near-field monitors and the cables to connect them. You can't REALLY mix on headphones.

Cables- obviously you will need microphone cables for each microphone. What about microphone stands?

If you are recording any instruments such as keys and guitars that can go direct you will need cables for these. If you have MIDI instruments you'll need at least one MIDI cable per unit if you plan on using those capabilities.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a thousand other things, some of them are really important, but, these are the most obvious omissions in your list.

Good luck!

Ted
 
ok

LoL fortunently i am a 15 yearold who has done well in personal business and investments who doesn't drive, or pay credit card bills or real taxes. But obviously you can see since i have only saved about 850 i need to be sure ahead of time i can get all i need because once the well is dry i have no immediate way to buy what i need.

Anyways the extra mics are being bought by the drummer. We would be using a drum mic set. the set would have clips cables and whatnot.

Why dont you need the mixer? dont you need to plug in to that to convert xlr signals to line level signals to travel on the rca inputs the delta 1010lt has? Please explain more indepth why i dont need a mixer.

I have 2 boom stands already for vocals so thats already covered. I am getting headphones but i cant afford nice monitors. (cant you use the ones on your computer already). I wont be recording two singers at once so i will need one pair right? And whats this mic amp thing... cant you use a normal amp? And why cant you mix on headphones?

As for my cpu it is an 800 khz computer with the most up to date motherboard and drivers and everything. in fact we have only had it for 4 weeks and it was custom made.

I know these are alot of questions but i am learning and i GREATLY appreciate your help and comments Ted and from anyone who can help me.
 
Well, if you're 15 and have saved $850.00 through business and investments, I'd like to hire you to handle my finances!

I double checked the Delta 1010LT. I was thinking it had more than 2 preamps, but it doesn't. Strictly speaking, you don't really need a mixer, but you will need more than four mic pre's (you're getting two more in the DMP3) if you want to record 6 mics that is.

Let's look at it another way- you could replace the DMP3 with a different mic pre with more channels. Look at something like THIS.

This will get your mics into your computer and you can mix within SONAR. The only downside to this is that it means you'll have to use a keyboard and a mouse, but some people like doing it this way.

Honestly, at 800Mhz, your computer is the absolute minimum required to run SONAR and that's probably going to cause you trouble. It might work, but you're going to experience a lot of problems like dropouts, hiccups, latency, low track counts, etc. Are you sure it's 800Mhz?? It's hard to believe that you got such a slow computer that recently. Processors are approaching 4Ghz now.

What sound card are you using?

Short answer to the headphone question- You cannot get an accurate idea of how your mix truly sounds through headphones. You can get by for a while, but if you are hoping to turn out anything approaching pro quality, neither headphones nor your computer speakers will get you there.

I'll try to post more later. Right now I've got to get going!

Ted
 
I must be mistaken about the 800 mhz because we got this computer custom made and the technician said it was fast enough (he is also a musician) for anything i will need for sampling. I will try to talk to him to get the real speed.

As far as that 8 track preamp i will need one but i dont understand why i would need a keyboard and not just a mouse. What about the ada8000 for a preamp? It is 8 tracks but is better quality and gain.

About the sound card... isn't that what i am replacing with the delta 1010lt? Is it not a pci replacement card?

I know i must sound stupid but i still dont grasp why a mixer is unneccessary? Isn't that a critical part of a home studio?

I realized i need monitors but i cant afford them right away. I could do well with nice headphones for just a band demo though right? I am not looking to produce the next p diddy cd. With the money from some demo sales i could afford the m-audio lx4 2.1 stereo monitors. (they are nice right?)

Your information is sooooo helpful. Just last week i knew hardly anything about home studios.
 
I know what you mean, I'm only 20, and had to take out a $15,000 loan to get what I needed, and I'm STILL payin it off.

$850.00 is a drop in the bucket, when you get older, you'll see what we mean.
 
get the behringer. Really. Start experimenting. and while you're at it, get the berry monitors too! they are both best that that money will buy you i guess. and when you know WHY you need better, you will laugh at a 850 dollar budget and shake your head and sell your mom! (BTW do you have a sister, they sell for more!) :D
 
whoops

sorry about the proccessor speed is 2.4 gbx and the *bus* speed is 800 mhz. Sorry for the confusion.
 
If I was you I would buy what you have listed but drop the DMP3 preamp as the Behringer mixer will have preamps that are usable. The Delta does not have preamps and you will need the phantom power that the mixer supplies for your C1.

Use the $160 to buy a pair of monitors. Get the drummer to pitch in some more cash if you can because monitors are essential. They wont be the best at that price, but they will be better than using headphones or computer speakers...
 
abm-

I'm sorry if I confused things for you. Vestast offers one possible approach. I guess what I was trying to say (though poorly) was that, with your limited budget, you have some duplicate equipment and you might do better to allocate your money a little differently.

For instance- you have two preamps on the Delta, there are two on the DMP3 and, I believe 4 more in the Behringer.

As I said, SONAR has a mixer in software. Rather than spending money on a hardware mixer, why not put your money into the ADA8000 or another 8 channel preamp, get rid of the mixer and buy a decent pair of monitors.

I'll try to explain better why you don't necessarily need the Behringer mixer-
The purpose of the mixer is to take your many different inputs;vocals, drums, guitars, keyboards, etc. and combine them, with or without effects into either a mono, stereo or surround mix. This could be useful if you have so many inputs that your Delta can't handle them all- you could use the mixer to sub-mix down to stereo, freeing up some inputs for other uses. From what you've told us so far, I don't think that's an issue. Right now, ten inputs are probably adequate. In other words, rather than connecting your mics and instruments to a mixer and then running that into the Delta, you would connect your mics to the preamps, then the Delta and the instruments would connect directly to the Delta. Sonar will see each of the inputs on the Delta and you can assign them to ins and outs on the mixer and mix within SONAR.

So, when you ask if "the mixer is a critical part of a home studio", well, yes, it is, but right now, you essentially have two of them. That's not a bad thing, I've got three right now! lol But, your budget is tight.

As for using a keyboard AND mouse- yes, you can do most everything with the mouse, but, almost without exception, learning to operate ANY program from the keyboard will be faster and more efficient.

So, I would change things around- leave out the Behringer mixer unless you just don't think you can work with a software mixer. Get an 8 channel pre-amp with phantom power- the ADA8000 is ok. Forget the DMP3. Then take the money you have left and get some monitors.

I hope this makes sense now. I'm sorry if I'm not explaining it well.

Ted
 
Alright that helps alot but if i buy an ada8000 thats basically 25 dollars a channel. At that price they cant be any good. Wouldn't i sacrifice a ton of quality by using that?

The way i was hoping to get monitors is from the earnings from a "demo". It wont have to be perfectly mixed so i could do it with headphones right? Wouldn't it be more important to get the dmp3 so i would have high quality vocals then an imaculately mixed demo. To me it looks like i need to choose between the dmp3 and monitors. Which is more important? I definatly want the mixer because i donthave to pay for it... that is bought by the drummer. Also it would prob have better preamps then the ada 8000 and have more uses then just for recording. For monitors the lx4 2.1 from m-audio look great. Does anyone know anything about them?

If i drop the dmp3 and get monitors will the ub-2222's preamps give a good vocal sound? And just fyi the 1010lt does have 2 preamps vesta and it only has 8 analog inputs... the other 2 are for digital.
 
My mistake.

I personaly would still stay with the mixer and buy the monitors. At a later time you can add a better preamp, but for now as you said, you want to be up and running and not have to scrounge up more cash for something you forgot.

The mixer preamps would not be any worse than the ada8000 I would imagine.

The Maudio monitors sound like they would be fine for starting out.

Read this link for more info on connecting your mixer to the 1010.

http://www.ethanwiner.com/mixer2daw.html
 
ABM-

Not sure how you'll make money on your demo, but you're the financial wiz!

I've never used the DMP3, but I think you're probably expecting too much from it. It's not some ultra high-end preamp that's going to turn your vocals into gold! That fact and that no matter how good the preamp you're still running it through a bunch of low-end hardware and mixing on headphones means you'll be lucky to turn out a demo that is anything more than basic. Not trying to rain on your parade, just being realistic.

I'm sorry. Are you getting a UB1222 or a UB2222? Your first post left out a number, I figured it was the UB1222. If it's the UB2222 then that changes things a bit as it has 8 mic pres with phantom power.

As far as the preamps in the ADA8000 and the UB2222 go, I think they're the same aren't they? They both use Behringer's "IMP" circuitry.

Again, with your limited budget and the other limitations of your setup, it makes more sense to me for you to purchase monitors than duplicating preamps. I mean, you'll have 12 pres and no monitors with your proposed setup, but only 6 mics. If you're definitely getting the mixer, then don't get either of the mic pres and spend THAT money on the monitors.

Ted
 
well the first act of recording would be a demo for my band probobly not the type of demo your thinking of. Where i live we will have no problem selling at least 100-125 for 5 dollars a piece. Its not alot of cash per cd and with good marketing and experience most of you will find that ppl are suckers......not that the demo wont be good though.
So i will get that mixer with the 8 preamps and whatnot and use those for drum recording. Then i will close mic my fender twin reverb w/ a sm57 for bass and guitar, and use the delta preamps for vocals. Sound about right? If i skip the as you call it "lowend hardware" with vocal recording and instrument recording (using the well equiped delta and good software) and use reasonable monitors for mixing i can get a good quality of sound right?
if i only use the "LOW END" mixer for drums then i can still get good quality on everything else and then i will get the nicer mic preamp later when i got more cash. Sound about right?
 
ABM-

Did I strike a nerve?? ;)

I'm not trying to insult your choices, there's nothing wrong with some of the lower priced equipment and sometimes the high-end stuff is way overpriced. I'm just being honest about what your expectations should be and to help you spend your limited funds most effectively.

If someone is feeling like doing some research and has some time, either Keyboard or Electronic Musician did an article a while back where they gave different writers an imaginary budget to spend on a complete home studio. Each of them had different levels to "spend". It was really interesting to see their choices and how they would outfit their studios for different tasks. If anyone can find it, maybe they could post the link.

I'd say that you're on the right track and you're better off with the monitors than the preamp.

Remember, you shouldn't hesitate to experiment with different combinations of mics and pres to get the best sound. You might find out that the Behringer pres work better for the vocals than the Delta for instance.

Good luck. And, of course, post some samples of the results!

Ted
 
would running the drums through the mixer (i am now also looking at yahama mg series as well as the behringer euroracks due to others suggestions) degrade the otherwise good sound alot? I know with my budget i cant get the best sound but i dont want to have to replace alot of stuff later either.
Wow I have briefly looked at monitors and it looks as though my budget will have to gain some capital. I have looked at the lx4 studiophile kit and they look nice and i like the easy upgrade for the future but they are 270. All i had budgeted for the preamp that i may have gotten was 200. What monitors have you used that may be more affordable or even better.

My new list looks more like this.....
Sonar 3 studio edition---------------------200 (shipped)
Delta 1010lt--------------------------------265(shipped)
AT 3035-------------------------------------160(shipped)
Studiophile LX4 monitors/ or other---------270
Behringer or yamaha mixer---------------0.00(drummers $)
Drum mics---------------------------------0.00(drummers $)
--------------------------------------------915.00 to start out
(notice there is no "bassist $" lol he is broke)

Then my B-day is coming up and i can get about 200.
Shure sm57 dynamic mic------------------70(shipped)
Sonar 3 mixing and mastering book-------40(shipped)
AT-M30 headphones------------------------56
(i wont need headphone amp right?)
Part of Dmp3-------------------------------40 dollars left

Then my band will give me 200 back out of demo sales to supplement my studio
Last part of dmp3---------------------------120 more.
 
WOW i just added that up and if you combine the drummers parts, my parts, bday parts, and demo kickback i will be the proud owner of a studio worth around 1,835 dollars. So much for 850.
 
abm123 said:
WOW i just added that up and if you combine the drummers parts, my parts, bday parts, and demo kickback i will be the proud owner of a studio worth around 1,835 dollars. So much for 850.
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You're learning. ;)

You might try e-bay for some of the stuff. I've bought a lot of things there and had good luck, but you've got to be careful.

Ted
 
If i were you, i'd put more money into the monitors. Really, your the money making prodical child here...

oh and btw; the behringer will degrade "the otherwise good sound" somewhat. However, drum mixing is far more important then the equipment you will use. That's why i think you should just start. You will spend more money anyway, recording is a bottomless pit you can throw money in... :D
 
Unfourtunently ted those are the prices shipped on ebay or extreme discount music places. If anyone can find what i am look for at better prices i will be a happy camper!
I may be a good businessman and even better for my age but if you've nothing left to sell then no amount of marketing will help you. I have sold most of my investments and marketable assets already to come up with money for this already.
What type of monitors do you think i should get eh?
LOL i originally was looking to spend 550 then 650 then 850 now more like 1250.
 
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