recording essentials

[gradyogle]

I'm a musician that is tired of working in somebody else's studio so, ive decided to make my own.

i was just wondering what the essential equipment is to get started recording right away. i intend to make this a long project and the different rooms needed and everything but im looking to lay down some sample tracks within the next few weeks.

so, what do i need to start recording with a professional sound? i have the computer and all the instruments but im not sure on how to get started with the studio.

maybe a list of gear need and a few different brands of each piece of gear.

any help would be appreciated.

 

[mikeh]

Too broad a subject for an easy answer.

At a minimum, the essentials - at least in my humble opinion

1 - Recording medium (hard disk, tape, etc)
1 - Decent dynamic mic
1 - Decent condensor mic
1 - Preamp with 48v phantom power (this could be achieved with a mixing board
1 - Compressor/limiter
1 - Multi-effect (reverb & delay)

 

[guitar zero]

Start here:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

 

[NYMorningstar]

All the equipment in the world won't help if you don't know how to use it and it goes far beyond plugging it in and pushing buttons. Around four to six years of education and experience are a necessary step to get that "professional sound". You need to be careful with it too because once you get into it one day you just may wake and be an audio engineer and not have time to be a musician too!

 

[UnityRecordings]

All the equipment in the world won't help if you don't know how to use it and it goes far beyond plugging it in and pushing buttons. Around four to six years of education and experience are a necessary step to get that "professional sound". You need to be careful with it too because once you get into it one day you just may wake and be an audio engineer and not have time to be a musician too!

Amen to that. I hate to say it but five years of guitar is slowly being washed away by the sea of recording.

 

[qiktune]

You need to be careful with it too because once you get into it one day you just may wake and be an audio engineer and not have time to be a musician too!

I set up my home studio so I too could record my own stuff rather than paying for time at a "pro" studio. Seems I have less and less time to actually play and write new material these days because I'm so caught up in learning how to "get" that "pro sound" I didn't want to pay for

....and damn it's an expensive little hobby!

 

[Ripthorn]

One thing I would have to say is to never underestimate the room you are playing in. It can do wonders for your recordings (unless you go direct). Don't thing that some acoustical treatment is wasted money. On the flipside, don't waste your money on acoustical treatment if your room doesn't need it. One of the best rooms I ever recorded drums in was a cinder block living room in a cheap college apartment complex nicknamed "The Spanish Prison" (use your imagination, it won't be too far off). Also, investing in very few good pieces of gear is better than a ton of cheap stuff (I learned that one the hard way).

 

[TimOBrien]

My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad:

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...ce&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Also Good Info:
http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Other recording books:
http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) not quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and suggestions:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm


Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com
Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $40 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($20) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages - http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)

 

[tojo]

Amen to that. I hate to say it but five years of guitar is slowly being washed away by the sea of recording.

ha! it's going to happen to me, unless i keep up my song writing