newbie: shopping list for hobby/project home studio

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wannaknow

New member
I'm starting a hobby studio and I know little of whats involved.I have a new imac desktop, very old yamaha psr225 keyboard,yamaha mg82cx mixer, I plan to get a pair of monitors in a week or so; also I want to connect a bass, guitar and a couple of mics. what is the best economical way to do this? The latest version of garage band came with the computer
 
Firewire interfaces make it easy to get started quick. How much $ do you want to spend, and how many simultaneous tracks do you think you'll want to record?
 
Jeff_D said:
Firewire interfaces make it easy to get started quick. How much $ do you want to spend, and how many simultaneous tracks do you think you'll want to record?
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I'm not sure about the money, studio gear is about double in price here(Australia) for example a $1500 keyboard cost $3200 to $4100 here. I guess two to four simultaneous tracks is enough for a beginner. Do you recommend 2'nd hand gear? No more than $400 I can get some better gear later. The main thing is to make some good stuff and have fun also.
 
Hi Wannaknow,

Your set-up is almost complete.. Speakers are on the way.

I would reccomend a nice set of headphones to do overdubs and a couple of dynamic mics to start off.

Your mixer will be fine to get you going.

Connect the audio output from your iMac to the 2tr RTN and assign it to "monitor". (this is the feed you will be listening to as you record)The stereo out of the mg82cx should feed your iMac audio input.(this will contain the live sound only )

You will need to be sure that the output from your iMac is isolated to enable isolated track recording.

Good Luck!

Mario
 
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Purveyor said:
Hi Wannaknow,

Your set-up is almost complete.. Speakers are on the way.

I would reccomend a nice set of headphones to do overdubs and a couple of dynamic mics to start off.

Your mixer will be fine to get you going.

Connect the audio output from your iMac to the 2tr RTN and assign it to "monitor". (this is the feed you will be listening to as you record)The stereo out of the mg82cx should feed your iMac audio input.(this will contain the live sound only )

You will need to be sure that the output from your iMac is isolated to enable isolated track recording.

Good Luck!

Mario
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. Would a behringer uf0202 work until I can get some thing better?
 
An 1/8" mini Stereo plug to RCA "Y" will work directly in to your iMac for both Line Input (from your mixer) and Line Output (to your Mixer).

Save your $ for a Mixer with a built In Audio Interface. Or separates if you are planing on a bigger Studio.

You should be all set to start recording your tunes with Garage Band and get a feeling for the possibilities.. Have Fun!

Regards,

Mario
 
getuhgrip said:
Absolutely. RCA out of your mixer, USB into da mac. $30 bucks US. :cool:
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Thanks to everyone for helping me out, I connected the out from the MG8 2 mixer to the input on the behringer uf0202 interface, (list@ $70 I paid $55) and usb to the computer I couldn't get a sound from the mike to garage band or the program that came with the interface. I know it's something real simple that I'm overlooking. Help!
 
reference monitor question from a new newbie

which monitors should I buy to connect to a yamaha mg8/2cx mixer; passive or active ?also when I upgrade to a better mixer later on will my monitor choice now be a drawback? I'm using cheap headphones now. I was thinking of getting krk roket6's. I read somewhere that passive monitors are cheaper; is the saving worth it?
 
wannaknow said:
which monitors should I buy to connect to a yamaha mg8/2cx mixer; passive or active ?also when I upgrade to a better mixer later on will my monitor choice now be a drawback? I'm using cheap headphones now. I was thinking of getting krk roket6's. I read somewhere that passive monitors are cheaper; is the saving worth it?
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Passive monitors are cheaper because they don't have amplifiers built in like active monitors do. If you dont already have a nice power amp sitting around, then I'd say active is definitely the way to go. Plus, the nice thing about active monitors is that you know the amplifiers are a good match for the speakers they are coupled with.
 
mixer-- interface choices

I have decided to toss out the MG8 mixer and start over. I'm looking at the Makie 1402 or 1220i firewire mixer. I don't think I'll need an interface with the 1220i. Is Makie a safe choice in terms of quality? I've found a vendor that ships to Australia. Even with shipping and customs cost there is a generous savings. Does anyone own either mixer? Or should I look at something else?
Again; Thanks for all the help!
 
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