Throw me a bone

[killerwolf]

Ok, at the risk of catching s*** for not doing my homework, I'm gonna tell my story.

I play guitar and bass and have basically no knowledge of home recording. I have been pretty inactive with music the last few years due to having to take care of business but always planned on getting back to it. My plan was to basically get a drum programmer and record all the parts myself since I have never played with a band and don't have the time or patience to work with others to record an album of songs.

My hold up has pretty much been lack of funds to get the proper gear to record myself. My former music teacher had a digital recorder which he would do the same thing of recording all the parts himself and use a drum programmer, and his recordings were great. Now I able to afford the gear but don't know were to begin. I know a guy who uses computer software to record songs but he does hip hop and doesn't actually record instruments just uses ones on the software, I think.

I've looked around a little at different recording gear but am over whelmed at how much stuff there is out there. I had a 4 track recorder but either couldn't figure it out or didn't have the right hookups (could only ever record 1 track and it sounded like s***). I don't need anything too fancy. Just recording 2-3 guitars, bass, vocals, drum programmer, and maybe a synth for a hard rock/metal sound.

So like I said, at the risk of catching s***, what would be a good set up for my needs for digital recording, if that is even the way I should go? I don't wanna buy something only to find out it's not what I should have. Thanks.

 

[Jim Lad]

One of the most common questions from my experience here and the answer, though it may seem like you are being sent away empty handed, is in fact about the best advice I can give you.
Go to Tweakheadz and start reading then pop back in here before you buy anything.
Here's the link... http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
Have fun with it.

 

[Dani Pace]

I agree with Jim, do a little reasearch into what is available in your price range that will suit your needs. Tweakheadz is a great place to start your search. You already have an idea of what you want to be able to do so you should look for products which will do it. I don't have much experience with digital stand alone recorders but many people use them and get reasonable recordings, I'll leave discussing those to others who use them. If I understand correctly with most of these all you need to add is mics and cables and you are ready to start recording. Some have a built in cd burner, some require you to conect them to a pc to burn cds. The other method is to use a pc (or laptop) for recording. With this you will need several other items. First you will need an audio interface, the built in soundcard may work but for decent recording you need an interface, there are two basic types of interfaces, USB and Firewire. USB is usually cheaper and works well if you only plan to record one or two tracks at a time, if you need more tracks (say for recording drums or more than one instrument at the same time) you will likely be better off with a firewire. Most interfaces come with some sort of recording software, there are plenty of other software programs, many of them have trial versions that can be downloaded, try several till you find one that you feel comfortable with. Interfaces will have built in peramps (at least on one or two chanels) so you might can avoid needing an external preamp. Since you plan to work alone you probably wont need an external mixer. A couple of good mics (with stands and cables) are a must have for decent recordings. Headphones (for tracking) and monitor speakers (for mixing) are more important than you may think, you have to be able to hear what you are doing in order to make decent recordings. Don't forget the room you plan to use, a little room treatment (bass traps, diffusion panels etc...) will help more than might expect for both recording and mixing. I know this has been a pretty general overview but I hope it gives you a better idea of what to look for to set up a home studio that suits your needs.

Welcome to the whacky world of home recording, if you're not already crazy and broke already, stick with it for a while and you will be.

 

[mjbphotos]

There's a ton of research available here.

1) Set a budget.
2) Consider how 'far' you may want to go in the future. Starting out now on a low budget, then wanting to go further in a short time might mean more money spent than needed.

I was in your situation and decided on a stand-alone digital recorder (Boss BR600) rather than computer recording, as the little bit I tried with my existing computer (and free software) was limited as I do too much else with the computer and could not afford a dedicated one.

 

[killerwolf]

Cool. Thanks guys. I didn't understand everything you were explaining but I'll check out that site and get a better idea. I think I'm mostly interested in recording strait from the instrument instead of micing an amp because I don't really have a place to do that. Understandably I will have to record the vocals through a mic but everything else would be great to do quietly.

 

[kcearl]

Cool. Thanks guys. I didn't understand everything you were explaining but I'll check out that site and get a better idea. I think I'm mostly interested in recording strait from the instrument instead of micing an amp because I don't really have a place to do that. Understandably I will have to record the vocals through a mic but everything else would be great to do quietly.

then Id highly recommend a Line6 interface

you'll get your audio interface, pod farm softamps which will cover the guitar, bass, and vocal pre amps pretty adequately..

try reaper or energy xt2.5

both are recording programmes, with effects, around the $60 range and will do everything you need without breaking the bank..

drum wise you wont go far wrong with toontracks EZdrummer and the dfh expansion (meant for metal), this is a drop and drag midi affair so keeps it simple, and thats what you want at firrst...you can expand on it later if you wish to try other styles..


welcome aboard...read as much as you can, ask questions, face ridicule, and join in


the MP3 clinic's a great place to hear how other people are doing things well, and doing things badly...invaluable imho

 

[dintymoore]

The Lexicon Alpha looks like a bargain, I've seen them go cheap on eBay.