Basic Home Recording Setup Questions

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im4peace

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My daughter sings and has recorded CD's at a professional studio but the convenience and cost has encouraged me to consider setting up a simple home recording studio. So far her CD's have been for handouts and auditions so it's not like it needs to be 100% perfect. Sometimes we have live accompanient and sometimes pre-recorded tracks or karaoke.

Reading through all the posts has created more questions than answers. I'm a little baffled by software, mixing and hardware. What I've got to work with so far is Windows XP, a Sennheiser e835, keyboard and sometimes ripped backing tracks. Also a limited budget.

As far as software, keeping in mind it has to be user friendly, do I go for Audacity or Acoustica or Reaper or what? Is there somewhere I can go to compare pro's and con's? Do I need a special soundcard or some external mixing device? If it's internal e.g. soundcard how many inputs can you put in? Does each input (mic, keybd, etc.) get it's own track? What about input connections and matching e.g. XLR vs. ?

I know these are pretty amateurish questions but that's where I'm at with this so any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
What you need is an interface. It's a device you connect with either USB or Firewire that replaces the function of your soundcard and allows low latency recording into a DAW program. A lot of interfaces include a version of recording sortware such as cubase LE which are typically stripped down versions but quite often have all the features a beginner will need.

Take a look at this..
http://www.tweakheadz.com/audio_interfaces_1.htm

If you have the time read the whole guide, it's a great place to start.

Most interfaces have XLR and 1/4" ins with pre amps that allow you to connect a wide variety of equipment them. So you need to decide what you are going to spend and how many ins and outs you require.

Another critical part of any studio is monitors. They are basically speakers that don't "color" the sound. so when you are mixing you are hearing the music as it was recorded allowing you to create a more acurate mix. This can be large investment, I wouldn't recomend spending less than $300 on monitors. If thats out of the budgt you can use headphones or tie into a regular stereo system but you will quickly discover what you think sounds good in your head phones will sound like crap on your home stereo or in your car.
 
I think TetraFish has you pretty well set-up. To confirm some questions you might have: microphones are almost always connected using XLR cables. Instruments like guitars or keyboards usually use 1/4 inch connectors. What you will need to get started is a cheap interface, some cables, a microphone stand, and a simple dynamic (handheld) microphone. While monitors are a very vital part of mixing, you can get around using monitors for the time being by "checking" your mixes on multiple stereo systems (in your car, on iPod headphones, on computer speakers, etc.) That is what I did for a while before I got any monitors.

On the topic of microphones: a dynamic microphone isn't usually recommended for studio use, but dynamics are always cheaper and are a great starting point. If you plan to get a condensor microphone, make sure your audio interface has "phantom power." This is extra power that gets sent to the condensor microphone in order for it to function properly.

I need to go now but I'll come back to this thread later and comment some more. I think you could get a pretty good start for only about $250 ($100-$130 for a cheap interface, $50-$80 for a microphone, $50 for stands and cables.) Good luck!

P.S. I'd download Audacity and start playing around. It's not the best for mixing, but its great for getting to know the standard controls any DAW will have :)
 
My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

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/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470385421
(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!

Another good one is: Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Gui...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215734124&sr=1-1
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at www.tapeop.com

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics and have good tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/tips-techniques/168409-tips-techniques.html

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) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and user-tested suggestions that work: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm
(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)
Another good article: Choosing an audio interface - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep08/articles/audiointerfaces.htm


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

Sony ACID Express (free 10-track sequencer): http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/xpress/
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/smm

Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $50 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) 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 and July 2009 issue they put out Samplitude10SE. FREE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)
 
Thanks

Thanks for all the good info guys.
Don'ja just love these forums? They're invaluable for people like me.

Looking at interface choices and my computers (4 total) none of which have Firewire but I think I'll stick in a PCI adapter for a couple of reasons...there seem to be more Firewire interfaces to chose from and also potential speed considerations. Also they're surprisingly cheap (the Firewire adapters that is).
Anybody have suggestions on brands/models of interfaces? Hopefully something under $250. How important is it to have phantom power? Am I correct in thinking that I would need that if I wanted to input the Sennheiser? And what about preamp capability or is that basically the same thing?
I will latch on to one of the books that were mentioned.
 
For FireWire interfaces look at M-Audio and PreSonus. They have some good, cheap options.

Is the Sennheiser e835 a condensor? I'm getting multiple answers when I Googled it. Even if it isn't a condensor it is always wise to think ahead and get an interface with phantom power. Most interfaces $100+ all have phantom power options, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

As far as preamps go, the interface you buy will come with preamps in it, so you don't have to buy external preamps. The reason why some people choose to get external preamps is if they want to use a tube preamp or want to get a higher quality one than what was shipped in their interface. I don't think you need to worry about preamps for a while.
 
im4peace said:
Thanks for all the good info guys.
Don'ja just love these forums? They're invaluable for people like me.

Looking at interface choices and my computers (4 total) none of which have Firewire but I think I'll stick in a PCI adapter for a couple of reasons...there seem to be more Firewire interfaces to chose from and also potential speed considerations. Also they're surprisingly cheap (the Firewire adapters that is).
Anybody have suggestions on brands/models of interfaces? Hopefully something under $250. How important is it to have phantom power? Am I correct in thinking that I would need that if I wanted to input the Sennheiser? And what about preamp capability or is that basically the same thing?
I will latch on to one of the books that were mentioned.
Click to expand...

Although USB 2.0, you could do a lot worse than to grab a Native Instruments "Audio Kontrol 1". Retailers on eBay are selling it NEW for $199. Initially marketed as a DJ rig - (because of the assignable controller and buttons) it has XLR (with phantom power) and instrument inputs and includes a voucher for one of their software packages (Guitar Rig 4 amp simulator for example if you know someone who can lay down parts). It also has MIDI in/out so if your keyboard has at least MIDI out you will be very happy with that can do you for you. :)

Flattering review from reputable website.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar07/articles/niaudiokontrol.htm

It's heavily discounted now because it's 3 years old, that's all.

Keep in mind you need phantom power for those bulky, impressive looking, sensitive condenser microphones.

Also keep in mind that a condenser microphone will pick up the acoustics of a poorly treated room whereas a dynamic microphone won't to the same degree. You may want to investigate an acoustic baffle.

Rode are offering sound treatment for $1 in a microphone promotion.

http://www.rodemic.com/

Reaper is definitely the DAW of choice. I have used or witnessed them all and having just migrated to it, am blown away by its ease of use and functionality. The manual is a very easy read.
 
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Slowly but surely I'm zeroing in on things...

After reviewing specs and various reviews I'm thinking about the TC Impact Twin interface. Does anybody have any comments - pro or con - about this device? Apparently there were some early driver issues but those seem to be resolved. I'm open to alternatives within the price range.

I think I'll download a trial of Reaper as well.

I wasn't familiar with Rode mics. Of course until I started down this path there were a lot of things I wasn't familiar with :) I'm now awaiting a copy of Home Recording for Dummies (I'm just uninformed) and two Firewire adapters. Then the fun begins.

Thanks in advance.
 
The Home Recording book is good. It's a steep learning curve and a lot of reading is required. There's more to this home recording thing than just hooking up an interface and singing into a mic. Try not to rush into your purchases and buy something without a good solid plan. It very common to want to just jump in and get started without really knowing the best way to accomplish your goals. You end up spending lots of money on the wrong hardware only to find out it doesn't fit your needs. It's best to make informed purchases. (Trust me, I know :o )

Once you get a good understanding from the book and browsing/searching through these forums, you'll ask more focused questions and really zero in on what you need.

Welcome to the site!!!

peace,
 
guitarplayr82 said:
For FireWire interfaces look at M-Audio and PreSonus. They have some good, cheap options.

Is the Sennheiser e835 a condensor? I'm getting multiple answers when I Googled it. Even if it isn't a condensor it is always wise to think ahead and get an interface with phantom power. Most interfaces $100+ all have phantom power options, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

As far as preamps go, the interface you buy will come with preamps in it, so you don't have to buy external preamps. The reason why some people choose to get external preamps is if they want to use a tube preamp or want to get a higher quality one than what was shipped in their interface. I don't think you need to worry about preamps for a while.
Click to expand...

Yo guitarplayr! Just for reference, the Sennheiser e835 is a perfectly good handheld dynamic. Consider it as a Shure SM58 equivalent. I use it as a backup stage vocal mic (to a Shure SM7b, which *rocks*). I would happily stick it anywhere you would put an SM57-cabs, vox, percussion, whatever.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
Yo guitarplayr! Just for reference, the Sennheiser e835 is a perfectly good handheld dynamic. Consider it as a Shure SM58 equivalent. I use it as a backup stage vocal mic (to a Shure SM7b, which *rocks*). I would happily stick it anywhere you would put an SM57-cabs, vox, percussion, whatever.-Richie
Click to expand...

Oh, sweet! I don't know too much about Sennheiser's line of microphones. Thanks for telling me!
 
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