How do I start

stoneyroad

New member
Completely new to this... I would like advice on these requirements:-

1. I would like to record my band/s rehearsals.

2. Record Demos at home, i.e, lay down some backing tracks, guitar, keyboard, bass and add vocals.

3. Record vocals over Pro backing tracks.

I use powerful Apple Macs at home, i.e no laptop (but willing to buy). Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank You.
 
If you are looking for portability then a lap top is the way to go but if you don"t mind lugging your desktop arround to yer practice space that would work also , pluss your desktop will have more computeing power for adding plugins and effects ect , so it is up to you....

What you will need is an Interface , Firewire is the way to go , there are many on the Market with many different features , it would be best to get one that has more channels that you need right now so you aren"t as limited and most allready come with there own mic preamps....

Next you will need a Bunch of Mics , what type of mics and how many will depending on what you are recording and how many instruments you are recording at the same time and your budget....

Recording software , again there are many on the market , most likely your interface will come with some sort of recording software to at least get you started ....

Monitors , these are the speakers that you will listen to your Mixes with , they aren"t your average stereo speaker system , these are designed to give you an accurate representation of what you have recorded were stereo speakers even good ones are made to hype certain frequencies to make the music sound better ... there are many different Brands of monitors , again what you get will depend on yer budget and your needs ....


And of course a bunch of cables to connect your gear together .......


If you want to Post some info like your budget , the number of tracks you want to record at the same time then poeple here can make some recomendations on equipment that will suit your needs ......


Cheers
 
Completely new to this... I would like advice on these requirements:-

1. I would like to record my band/s rehearsals.

2. Record Demos at home, i.e, lay down some backing tracks, guitar, keyboard, bass and add vocals.

3. Record vocals over Pro backing tracks.

I use powerful Apple Macs at home, i.e no laptop (but willing to buy). Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank You.

I'm thinking the driving factor will be how you want to record your rehearsals. There are two routes you can go with this; 1) capture the practice for reviewing with the band, working up songs, arrangements, etc., or 2) recording the practices to make into song demos to get gigs, sell cd's, etc. If your more towards #1 then a simpler set up will suffice. If you're looking at #2, then you would need to track instruments individually and require more inputs. With #1, you can use a two channel interface with a couple of mics and get pretty good results at practice. Then you can use the same interface for your other requirements. You would need a laptop if you practice is somewhere other than where your computer is. But I think you mentioned that already.

For #2, depending on the size of your band (and probably the kind of music you play) you will need more. A typical rock band can probably get away with an 8 channel interface. And that would be more than plenty for your other requirements.

Then you need a DAW application. Some interfaces come with lite versions of popular DAW's. I think mac's come with garageband (?).

Tell us a little more about what you want and people here can help you get started.

Also be sure to search through the forums. Lots of answers already.

Here's a good read that explains a lot
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

Good luck and have fun.
 
Stoney,
You will need the following, before anything else:

A half-way decent-sounding room. Acoustics are pretty much everything.
Otherwise, you will be fighting the battle from the wrong end, trying to compensate with gear for the fact that the room sucks acoustically.

For a band, some Shure 58s and 57s never hurt. They are cheap and durable, and they don't pick up bad acoustics as much as condenser mics.

If you want to have 'better' mics, some Marshall large-diaphram ones can be gotten for little coin (like the V67 or the 990) and they will give an improvement in sound. Also, if you wish, their small-diaphragm ones for drum overheads come cheaply.

The one decision you have to make (if you haven't already) is if you want to record on a computer or in a separate box.
I have (and like) the Tascam 2488. The new version is around $700-800, and it's a good little box with 24 tracks and some very nice editing features.

For monitors, don't ignore Samson, although the name is not widely respected. I have their Resolv 80a self-powered ones, and they are pretty accurate and focused for the money. You can add their sub for a nice 3-way (which is what I use for home theatre.)

Hope this is of help,
C.
 
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Sometimes Dedicated Hardware is more portable.

There are a number of portable recording platforms out there that have 8 or more mic preamps that would allow you to record a bunch of tracks as the same time. You could then dump the tracks into your mac for mixing later on. If you want something easily luggable from home studio to practice space that might be the way to go.

From my own experience its hard enough to get all the band members in the same place at the same time and you need something you can just punch into record on the fly. Computer based systems need a little time and care to setup before each session, and if I'm not mistaken some programs have a maximum time each project can be. For rehearsals you just want to push record and then forget it while you rehearse. If you have to futz with it too much it can mess up the flow of your rehearsals.

The other thing is that these portable recording devices are much cheaper than a Mac laptop some of them cost about the same as a good computer audio interface. So you can use the money you save to get yourself some better microphones and some acoustic treatment for your home studio and your rehearsal space.
 
for ease of use and transportation i would recommend some type of field recorder with a stereo mic attached,

your budget is going to dictate a lot of peoples recommendations for a home setup
 
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Completely new to this... I would like advice on these requirements:-

1. I would like to record my band/s rehearsals.

2. Record Demos at home, i.e, lay down some backing tracks, guitar, keyboard, bass and add vocals.

3. Record vocals over Pro backing tracks.

I use powerful Apple Macs at home, i.e no laptop (but willing to buy). Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank You.

Welcome to HR, you're in the right place.


Sounds like you will want some sort of interface for your mac. There are many to choose from in firewire and usb flavors. Pick one that comes with recording software. MOTU stuff comes with Digital Performer, if I'm not mistaken.

I think you will appreciate having two preamps onboard or one outboard stereo pre for recording in stereo (duh). You will want something that provides phantom power, and hopefully also has a DI for bass/keys. I don't know if you're looking for something cheap or something that you'll keep forever. Let us know and we can make more reccomendations.

If the guitars are acoustic, you may want a pair of condenser microphones to use. If just electrics, a single dynamic will be sufficient.

For a starter condenser I'd look at the studio projects or MXL line of mics. A world-class dynamic can be had for $300. Look into the RE-20, MD-421, or SM7b. Any of these are great for vocals (except maybe the 421 - but some people swear by it). I love my RE-20. I know the sm57 didn't make it on my list - but that's because to me they sound wooly and require EQ and a really nice pre to make them shine. YMMV.

You'll need a couple of mic stands.

You'll need monitors. You can't mix with headphones. Really. Although I mostly loathe Behringer stuff, the Truth series monitors sound an awful lot like the KRK V-8s to me. Quality control, not so much. Great pair of starter monitors with plenty of volume if you need it.

If you don't need to be mobile, a desktop is gonna have more horsepower than a lappy.

Start brushing up on your knowledge of acoustics so that you will be able to treat your room effectively without wasting a lot of money. In short, stay away from foam. Especially the cheap stuff. What you want is rigid fiberglass - and a lot of it. Check out the studio construction forum for tips.

Have fun!


-Creep
 
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