New Home Studio / New To Recording

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stalefish83

New member
Hey all, I'm new to the forum and new to home recording. In a couple months I'll be moving from my current bedroom into a new master bedroom, and will convert my old room into a home studio (/tv room). I have a drum kit, guitars, bass and an upright piano. I'm hoping to be able to record live drums with three or four microphones, and will record guitar/bass/piano separately. I want to be sure I get the right equipment and software to be able to record up to 4 microphones simultaneously into 4 separate tracks, and possibly other instruments as well to capture jam sessions (if we're feeling confident).

For the audio interface I'm looking at getting a Scarlett 18i8. Obviously Focusrite gets a lot of love, and I also have seen reports of their products crapping out after several years. Any input on this, or other product suggestions would be welcome!

The next important piece is the DAW. Are there free DAWs that allow multiple tracks to be recorded from multiple mic lines simultaneously? My son started using FL studio, and we sprung to get him the $100 version, but even that doesn't allow recording in. That's several hundred dollars more. What are some other options? I've messed around with Audacity and I believe there's a way to accomplish this in Audacity, which I would then probably need to transfer the audio files into a DAW for further processing.

Finally, for those interested, here are the microphones I'm using:

Berhinger B-2 Pro (condenser)
Audix i5
Shure SM58

I am thinking of adding either another i5 or another sm58 so I'll have a mic on the kick, a mic on the snare, and two overheads equidistant to the snare. If anyone has tips on recording drums in a bedroom with similar equipment I'd be interested to hear what you did, what mics went where and all that.

For mixing I'm planning on starting with open back headphones, looking at the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro, and will eventually get close-back headphones for tracking. Later I'll get some actual studio monitors when funding allows. As you might have guessed I'm going for budget-friendly options.

I'm brand spankin' new to all this, so if there seems to be anything else I'm missing I'd love to hear it. Any and all input will be greeted with a smile and deeply appreciative consideration.

Thanks everyone!
 
The 18i18 will definitely suit your 4-mic need.

For a DAW, look at Reaper (free to d/l the full version, $60 to register it). Cubase is free now.

You did not mention the size of the room, but you are going to need a lot of acoustic treatment (rockwool or compressed fiberglass traps - not foam) to tame the sound of the drums.
 
Thanks mjb! It's a modest size 9' x 11' room, and the drums will be tucked next to a large couch (which I understand to be pretty good for reflection) and it'll real close to a wall on two other sides, and I'm certainly open to what material is best to put on the walls and appreciate your recommendation! I'm guessing I'll want to put acoustic treatment on the ceiling directly above the drums, and the two near walls.
 
stalefish83 said:
Thanks mjb! It's a modest size 9' x 11' room, and the drums will be tucked next to a large couch (which I understand to be pretty good for reflection) and it'll real close to a wall on two other sides, and I'm certainly open to what material is best to put on the walls and appreciate your recommendation! I'm guessing I'll want to put acoustic treatment on the ceiling directly above the drums, and the two near walls.
Click to expand...

9 by 11 feet (height?) is very small to house a big sofa*, drumkit, piano and four bodies! Yes, you are going to have to treat the crap out of it and then it will sound dull but not perhaps 'honky'. At least 11 does not divide perfectly by 9! (if the ceiling is either 9 or11..MOVE!)

DAWs? Reaper is the usual suggestion but don't be in a hurry, most DAWs have a 30 day free trial and most of those are fully functional. Samplitude ProX 5 is one such and although expensive they might just do a Christmas offer again this year, lot of firms are doing fantastic deals due to Covid.

*Couches are not apparently all that absorbent considering their size? Lot of it is 'air' and springs.

Dave.
 
Ok, so I got my butt out of this chair and measured it. The room is 11'6" x 12', and it's 7'3" high. It'll have a single large sectional couch, and there should never really be more than two people in there at a time, as I mostly plan on recording each instrument separately ...mostly just by myself. Long term goal is the finish the garage and I'll move out there once that's done. I'm considering the couple years before that happens to be mostly educational and fun messing around, figuring it all out.
 
stalefish83 said:
Ok, so I got my butt out of this chair and measured it. The room is 11'6" x 12', and it's 7'3" high. It'll have a single large sectional couch, and there should never really be more than two people in there at a time, as I mostly plan on recording each instrument separately ...mostly just by myself. Long term goal is the finish the garage and I'll move out there once that's done. I'm considering the couple years before that happens to be mostly educational and fun messing around, figuring it all out.
Click to expand...

Ah, better than 11 by 9! Ok, if you have any wood bashing skills you can make a 'diaz' a plinth say 4" high out of 2x2 and ply and set the drum kit on that, isolating the plinth from the floor with a couple of layers of carpet underlay. This stops drums sounds and mechanical noise entering the floor and 'colouring' the sound. You can also 'nail down' the kit. I remember way ago our drummer always had problems with a 'walking' kick! You can also fix down mic stands so that you don't have to set them up each time and of course they don't move. The sides of the plinth can be largely open and the internals filled with rockwool or equivalent. (I would put mains skts and XLR plates in there as well but that is just me being a tekky b****d)

You will need the corners filled with traps. Have a wade through some "Studio SOS" articles in Sound on Sound magazine, all available online.

Dave.
 
Do a youtube search for 'how to build bass traps' - these can all be moved to the garage when you get that finished. You can use 2" thick ones on the ceiling, but use 4" thick (minimum) on walls and corners.
 
stalefish83 said:
I'm considering the couple years before that happens to be mostly educational and fun messing around, figuring it all out
Click to expand...
When you come to record the drums, try and place your overhead mics below the height of the cymbals. Another thing you can experiment with is to have the overhead mics behind the drums rather than in front. But experimentation is the order of the day and there are a few 4 mic placements you can play with.
 
mjbphotos said:
For a DAW, look at Reaper (free to d/l the full version, $60 to register it). Cubase is free now.
Click to expand...

Did you mean to say that Cakewalk by Bandlab is free? Cubase is still a purchase, although they have a 30 day trial period.

He should definitely look at Reaper. It will record as many tracks as you have inputs. Its not crippled in any way, even after the 30 days. Well worth the registration price.
 
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