Recording equipment set up required for near professional sound quality for guitar

N

nicholasherbert

New member
Hi there
I just joined this forum today - I am completely new to home recording and have very little knowledge about it as yet.
I am hoping for an answer from someone who can explain in laymans terms as much as possible what i need to know.
Basically I want to set up a home recording studio to record mainly - acoustic and classical guitars and possibly dobro,
I have a 6 year old laptop - about 1gb of ram - CPU not that powerful under 2Ghz i think. I have a copy of Cubase le4 and audacity and a Samson COIU USB condensor mic. I am able to basically record into the software - but the quality is crap!

I want to get a near studio professional sound from the computer - how do I go about that?
Do I need - 1) a new sound card with built in preamp
2) a new sound card and a seperate preamp?
3) a better Condensor Mic - that is not USB?

How come the computer picks up the sound of the guitar - with the Samson USB mic - just plugged into the USB port?
I understand the laptop is supplies the phantom power which a Condensor Mic needs - but does the built in laptop soundcard process it? Is there a preamp built into the soundcard in the laptop - I thought that mics need some sort of boost to the signal or it is inaudabile?

Anyway sorry about all the questions - but Im new to all this - basically my budget would be up to about 1000 euro - getting bits and pieces over time.

Thanks
 
A USB Mic is really a microphone, A/D converter, audio interface, pre-amplifier and phantom power transformer all in one compact low cost package. You know how much you paid for the mic. Now spread that cost across the number of components involved to get an idea on the overall quality of the finished product.

Since you want to record acoustic guitars you are in luck in a way - you will make the single largest contribution to the overall professional sound of the finished product by spending the time laboring over learning proper micing techniques.

If you are interested in capturing the live performance feel of acoustic instruments in a natural ambient space in stereo then I would recommed a pair of decent small diaphragm condensor mics.

A very popular alternative to this approach is to use a small diaphragm/large diaphragm combo. Generally one pointed at the body and the other pointed at the 10th fret or so - looking for the 'sweet spots' and balance between bright, body and boom.

There are VOLUMES of information about acoustic micing on the net, and in books. Your biggest investment will be time spent honing your mic technique through trial and error. You will also need proper stands with booms so you can sweep up, down left and right while searching for the sweet spot. It is extremely helpful to work with someone else while recording - they play while you position or vice versa.

You will need a decent audio interface, potentially a higher quality external dual channel pre-amp, mics, stands and cables. You will hit your budget very quickly. Also be aware that even with great equipment your initial recordings will sound like absolute shit and you will probably be dismayed and experience buyers remorse. You will have to work though this stage while you hone your skills at mic techniques and positioning.

Some mics I like are:

SDC - AT Mics, Sure, OctavaMods stuff, Sure KSM32 - big body but really a small capsule
LDC - AT4033, AT 4050

Interfaces - I like a lot of the focusrite stuff - low cost, decent quality

Lots of other folks here have great experience with differnt brands of gear and will probably chime in..


nicholasherbert said:
Hi there
I just joined this forum today - I am completely new to home recording and have very little knowledge about it as yet.
I am hoping for an answer from someone who can explain in laymans terms as much as possible what i need to know.
Basically I want to set up a home recording studio to record mainly - acoustic and classical guitars and possibly dobro,
I have a 6 year old laptop - about 1gb of ram - CPU not that powerful under 2Ghz i think. I have a copy of Cubase le4 and audacity and a Samson COIU USB condensor mic. I am able to basically record into the software - but the quality is crap!

I want to get a near studio professional sound from the computer - how do I go about that?
Do I need - 1) a new sound card with built in preamp
2) a new sound card and a seperate preamp?
3) a better Condensor Mic - that is not USB?

How come the computer picks up the sound of the guitar - with the Samson USB mic - just plugged into the USB port?
I understand the laptop is supplies the phantom power which a Condensor Mic needs - but does the built in laptop soundcard process it? Is there a preamp built into the soundcard in the laptop - I thought that mics need some sort of boost to the signal or it is inaudabile?

Anyway sorry about all the questions - but Im new to all this - basically my budget would be up to about 1000 euro - getting bits and pieces over time.

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Like chuck said, you will need an interface (capable of 2 separate tracks at least) at one time and some decent mics. BUT you are also going to need another computer - 1G RAM is really not enough for recording unless you 'bare bones' it (no plug-in fx, etc).
Don't expect a 'near professional' sound for a long time - there is a learning curve, and until you are in a room that has been well treated for sound, you will be constantly working on improving.
If you listen to some of the songs on my reverbnation site, the acoustic on newer songs was recorded with 1 mic and a soundhole-placed Markley pickup blended together. Older tunes (ones that are on my first CD - you can tell by the link to 'buy now') were recorded with just a single mic.
 
Last edited:
Hi Chuck
thanks for that - when you say 'You will need a decent audio interface, potentially a higher quality external dual channel pre-amp, mics, stands and cables.' that goes back to my original question - do I need to get a new USB soundcard - (as Im using a laptop) a new soundcard and seperate dual channel pre-amp - or sound card containing both? - Also as the other person posted I may need to upgrade to a more powerful laptop as well - the microphone bit I understand. You refer to it as an 'audio interface' - I take it this could mean a 'soundcard' or a fancier device - like a soundcard/preamp/mixer type thing? Sorry for my ignorance - but your advice and simple explanation would be most helpful in me deciding what i need. Cheers
 
nicholasherbert said:
Hi Chuck
thanks for that - when you say 'You will need a decent audio interface, potentially a higher quality external dual channel pre-amp, mics, stands and cables.' that goes back to my original question - do I need to get a new USB soundcard - (as Im using a laptop) a new soundcard and seperate dual channel pre-amp - or sound card containing both? - Also as the other person posted I may need to upgrade to a more powerful laptop as well - the microphone bit I understand. You refer to it as an 'audio interface' - I take it this could mean a 'soundcard' or a fancier device - like a soundcard/preamp/mixer type thing? Sorry for my ignorance - but your advice and simple explanation would be most helpful in me deciding what i need. Cheers
Click to expand...

On the low end I like the focusrite stuff. The Scarlett would probably fit for around $150. This gives you a new USB audio interface (that's what we call soundcards in here :-), with 2 mic pre-amps/phantom power.

I said 'potentially' need higher quality external pres as these sorts of adventures seem to be lifelong deals where you start at the beginning and the quest for sound never ends...

So for $150 to $200 on the interface (which again - includes the mic pres with phantom power), then mics, stands and cables , and *decent/quality headphones* you will be at 1000 euros in no time. You need good, accurate/quality headphones to monitor the signal while you sweep the mics for the sweet spot. As mike pointed out - you need to check your head about the space you plan on recording in. If it is a good sized, naturally great sounding ambient space you have a good start. If it is a 10X12 room with low ceilings and sounds boxy - that's what you are going to get - boxy boomy recordings. You can't really remove the room.

I think lots of folks around here have had good luck with the tascam stuff.
 
When you say......
nicholasherbert said:
I am able to basically record into the software - but the quality is crap!
Click to expand...
what do you mean by "crap?"

Are you able to record a sample and convert it to MP3 (or a very short wav file) and post it some where so we can hear it? Do you have some way of seeing on a meter what the signal level is when you record?
 
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