Total NOOB wanting to start out, please help me out peeps.

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atibingler

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Hey, I want to record songs at home (I only want to record vocal and guitar) with apparent ease like in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sSBwkzdAU4
I'm inspired because at the end they say "This performance was recorded using Scarlett 2i2 (the marketed Audio Interface) and Garageband on location" and it does sound really professional. So all I want to know is, what exactly do I have to buy to do the same?!

Now, I saw a piece of advice on the site therecordingrevolution.com that basically tells you need 5 things to set up a home studio:

- Computer
- DAW (A recording a mixing software)
- Audio Interface
- Microphone (a large diaphragm condenser microphone)
- Studio Headphones

So I just wanted to ask you guys, is this what I need to do the same as the dude in the video? Or Have there been any advancements in techonology or is this advice still contemporary I should know of?
 
Nice that you were inspired by the vid but there are some issues that you might not be aware of?

Firstly, did you understand that the guitar was not being recorded acoustically? (apart from spill) Well it wasn't it was an electro acoustic and was plugged into the second "instrument" input of the 2i2.
Had the guy wanted a pure acoustic sound he would have needed a second mic on the guitar (and would IMHO have got a better sound! I rarely comment on sound quality because these old ears are largely mush but I did not like that geetar!)

Then, did you get that it was recorded in a professional studio? Yup, Ram Jam. Can't blame Focusrite I suppose but it was also a shame I thought that they chose to shoot the whole thing in the dark! Would have been nice to get an impression of the size of the place and a varder at any acoustic treatments.....AND! Acoustic treatment is the BIG difference you will find if you try to emulate that recording. The 2i2* is well capable of the quality you heard, no con there and there are plenty of ~$100 mics that will give you similar results but getting a good sound in the typical bedroom will be tricky.

But, you WILL only get there by trying. Get an AI, a mic and some headphones (but get some proper monitors as soon as you are able) and start "The Process". As you go you will learn about treating your room and much else besides...Go for it!

*There are others, better value IMHO, but I shall not bang on...again!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Nice that you were inspired by the vid but there are some issues that you might not be aware of?

Firstly, did you understand that the guitar was not being recorded acoustically? (apart from spill) Well it wasn't it was an electro acoustic and was plugged into the second "instrument" input of the 2i2.
Had the guy wanted a pure acoustic sound he would have needed a second mic on the guitar (and would IMHO have got a better sound! I rarely comment on sound quality because these old ears are largely mush but I did not like that geetar!)

Then, did you get that it was recorded in a professional studio? Yup, Ram Jam. Can't blame Focusrite I suppose but it was also a shame I thought that they chose to shoot the whole thing in the dark! Would have been nice to get an impression of the size of the place and a varder at any acoustic treatments.....AND! Acoustic treatment is the BIG difference you will find if you try to emulate that recording. The 2i2* is well capable of the quality you heard, no con there and there are plenty of ~$100 mics that will give you similar results but getting a good sound in the typical bedroom will be tricky.

But, you WILL only get there by trying. Get an AI, a mic and some headphones (but get some proper monitors as soon as you are able) and start "The Process". As you go you will learn about treating your room and much else besides...Go for it!

*There are others, better value IMHO, but I shall not bang on...again!

Dave.
Click to expand...
Hey, Dave!

Thanks for helping me, you're bringing up really important things that I think I should be aware of!

So, first off, yes, I noticed his acoustic guitar is plugged in, so it's not a classical guitar with no plugs. I did see that, haha! And I do have an electro-acoustic guitar, yes. About the plug-in though, can I just plug my guitar in straight in the 2i2, the same way I plug it in my guitar amplifier? Does the Scarlett 2i2 take this sort of plug? https://imgur.com/dIEDPdq
Hmm, as what comes to the acoustic treatment and a professional studio.. In the video, I can see there are windows etc. in the room.. Do you mean that the video is shot in a different place than where it was recorded? So it's basically misleading and fake?

I don't think I can do much about the studio environment. I'm going to record in my bedroom. Some windows, pretty standard. But I'm glad to hear that the Scarlett 2i2 is great. Do you recommend a microphone? Can I get a good one for 100€? For example, is there a noticeable difference sound-wise between

this: Blue Microphones Baby Bottle | Sweetwater.com

and this: Behringer B-1 | Sweetwater.com

Thanks again for your reading and for your answers!
 
Yes you can plug your acoustic guitar into the 2i2 for recording as per the video, but I suggest you don't!

I think most of the top guys here will tell you that "plugged in" acoustics rarely sound nearly as good as using a microphone on them. That would mean of course two mics (assuming you have the chops to play AND sing?)Well, just hang on a bit!

The video a fake? No! I would never suggest such a thing of Focusrite. Of course it is in their interest to make a recording in the best available acoustic (and you COULD say that the dark evirons is not telling the WHOLE truth m'lud!) but I do not suspect skulduggery here.
And you are a bit wrong, you CAN improve your bedroom acoustics a great deal. It will bugger up your Feng shui but the idea is to hang sound absorbing material about the room. Mostly front and back of your mic position. Duvets are favourite but blankets, thick coats, anything that is fabric and "warm" will absorb sound. There are stickies about this.

Mics! The BB is better in almost all respects save price! But I would suggest that, impressive and sexy tho' the big mics are, they are not the best, first choice for the noob. My reccy would be for a Small Diaphragm Capacitor (aka condenser) and the Rode M5s look like a great deal to me.

And for the record! I did NOT say the 2i2 was a "great" interface it is a good one. (a great interface for the money is the NI KA6!)

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Yes you can plug your acoustic guitar into the 2i2 for recording as per the video, but I suggest you don't!

I think most of the top guys here will tell you that "plugged in" acoustics rarely sound nearly as good as using a microphone on them. That would mean of course two mics (assuming you have the chops to play AND sing?)Well, just hang on a bit!

The video a fake? No! I would never suggest such a thing of Focusrite. Of course it is in their interest to make a recording in the best available acoustic (and you COULD say that the dark evirons is not telling the WHOLE truth m'lud!) but I do not suspect skulduggery here.
And you are a bit wrong, you CAN improve your bedroom acoustics a great deal. It will bugger up your Feng shui but the idea is to hang sound absorbing material about the room. Mostly front and back of your mic position. Duvets are favourite but blankets, thick coats, anything that is fabric and "warm" will absorb sound. There are stickies about this.

Mics! The BB is better in almost all respects save price! But I would suggest that, impressive and sexy tho' the big mics are, they are not the best, first choice for the noob. My reccy would be for a Small Diaphragm Capacitor (aka condenser) and the Rode M5s look like a great deal to me.

And for the record! I did NOT say the 2i2 was a "great" interface it is a good one. (a great interface for the money is the NI KA6!)

Dave.
Click to expand...
Alright, so you're saying can also record the guitar directly through the mic, the same way you record vocals? Would that mean that I don't even have to use an electrical guitar with a plug? And that I could use my good 'ol acoustic guitar? Hmmm, so if I record guitar the same way as vocals (through mic), I'd have to have two mics. UNLESS I record vocals and guitar separately? I can play and sing at the same time, but I'm fairly certain I'd NEVER get a "perfect playthrough" both vocally and guitar.. istically (?). So I think in any case, I'd be recording everything separately.

Anyway, to summarize, if I want to, I can record both vocals and guitar "the better way" (mic rather than plugged), but I'll have to record them separately, then? If I then would want to record both at the same time, I'd have to have two mics so that neither the vocal-, nor guitar quality would suffer, right?

About the acoustics, I'm relieved that you can create a better acoustic simply by covering objects with blankets and stuff. I'll read teh stickies, thanks! On the subject, what's your opinion of a reflection filter, though? http://www.karmamics.com/shop/images/D/RF_1_Trinity_Filter_Natural.jpg

As to the microphones that I linked previously. You say the BB is better in every aspect, yet when I look at respective specs, the only difference I can see is the self-noise level. I'm a little confused. Everywhere I look people say a 100€ mic is enough to produce a great-sounding and professional sound.

Also, thanks for bringing up the small diaphragm condenser mics. I had no idea they even existed before you said it, haha. Hmm, why exactly do you recommend these for newbies? From this video I watched, they're saying small diaphragm mics are great for a crisp and clear guitar sound and vocals too. However I do have a low vocal range. So looks like I've got to do a bit of research. I'd love it if you could just summarize real quick, like what's the ups and downs of small and large diaphragm condenser mics? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GecdHVhoOc

Thanks for bearing with me through these noob -questions, I really appreciate any help.
 
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I think most home recordists build tracks one at a time, certainly my son did (he play, I pay and solder). Of course you have no choice if you are a one man band and want bass, two guitars and crumhorn on the tracks!

You don't cover stuff up with the duvets! You will need some sort of frame/support structure, peeps here have suggested push together plastic waste pipe. You need at least one sq mtr in front of you, behind the mic and, almost as important, another absorber at least as large immediately behind you to cut reflections coming back over your shoulder into the front of the mic.

The Blue Bottle has a much better spec than the C1. The apparent paradox about the performance of a $100 mic is that they are, in most instances good enough. My Proton is far from the performance and engineering quality of a Beamer M3 but it gets me to Sainsburys just a quick! Ideally of course I wish I could afford to run an M3.

Small D versus Large D mics...

The big ones are usually more sensitive and have a lower noise figure but often have a "sound" of their own. This character CAN be beneficial and make certain voices sound better but it can make others sound worse.
Small D mics tend to be neutral, i.e. they do not lend much character to a voice and thus can be more versatile. Indeed, SDCs are just about THE most versatile mic type you can get and are especially recommended for acoustic guitar! They are also handier to mount and "poke" than the big jobs. Also cheaper as a rule so get two!

Dave.
 
To the OP, Dave has given you lots of good info, but from your questions I can tell you need to do a lot of reading about recording, too. Go through all the stickies in the various parts of the forum.
 
Alright everyone.. er.. I mean Dave. Okay, just bear through me this one time, then I'll be on my way, haha. DAVE, SAVE ME!! And dont listen to this guy above me ^

Mic

So right now I've decided it's better if I buy a Large D mic. I'm leaning towards a Rode NT1-A | Sweetwater.com
It's a previously high-end, it's a pretty, quiet standard mic with a low self-noise that's basically just 10 years old now and Rode is now giving it out on a bargain because they've released a new model of the base architecture and on the German Amazon it costs only 160€.
This guy recommends the mic and records almost everything with it (I wouldn't be surprised if he's affiliated with Rode but who cares, he can't lie those are recorded with the mic in question) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33yCeYiqdQc
The demo at the end basically convinces me this mic is good enough for what I want to achieve. But like you taught me Dave, I know that besides a good audio interface, acoustics of the room are important (duvets behind and in front of you, essentially creating a mini sound booth). But I'm sure I can achieve that.
If I'm not happy with the sound of my vocals or especially guitar, I will buy a Small D too. Most of you recommend recording acoustic guitar with both a large and a small D simultaneously anyway. So I might buy a small D later.

Audio Interface

I'm just going to go with a standard low amount of inputs but high quality audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. This means I won't be able to record a guitar with two mics at the same time AND also recording vocals at the same time (would require 3 microphone inputs, Scarlett 2i2 only supports 2). Honestly I don't think I'll ever go that far, it's just a hobby for me.

Studio Headphones

Are closed-back headphones what I want to get for studio recording? Was thinking about something like this?

Amazon.com: Sennheiser HD 380 Pro Collapsible High-End Headphone for Professional Monitoring Use (Black): Musical Instruments
Amazon.com: Audio-Technica ATHM50RD Professional Studio Monitor Headphones: Electronics

What about acoustically open headphones?
http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-...=1411394230&sr=1-4&keywords=studio+headphones

Also, I've read something about IMPENDANCE, what's the fuss about this? Will I be fine? Can I for instance listen to my MP3 player through those massive Beyerdynamic DT 990's ?

Some questions that I still have:

Can I record with my acoustic guitar (no plug) just the same way I record vocals? Just mic in front and play/sing on. If yes, why on earth are there plugs for guitars in any Audio Interface in the first place, if plugless just sounds better anyway?
 
Right!
If you can get an NT1-a for that price go for it!

To record an acoustic git' have the mic about a foot away and pointed at the neck/body join this is the starting point that most people employ. (Sound on Sound,com have an article for recording just about ANYTHING!)

Headphones need to be closed back types because you will be using them with a live mic........Sennheiser never made a bad anything!

MP3 Player and "proper" cans? Yes, might be a bit quiet as podders are usually 32Ohms and better jobs 100 Ohms and up. If the player is too quiet you can always plug it into the 2i2!

Why amp connectors on acoustic guitars? They pre date interfaces by a very long time you know! The main function of the electro ac' was on stage where it simply would not be heard over the drummer/keys/bass. Everything is amp-able these days, violins, clarinets....

Dave.
 
atibingler said:
Alright everyone.. er.. I mean Dave. Okay, just bear through me this one time, then I'll be on my way, haha. DAVE, SAVE ME!! And dont listen to this guy above me ^
Click to expand...

Maybe you were joking. Sounds like you want everyone/Dave to do all the work for you. good luck. reading is fundamental, as they say.

atibingler said:
Can I record with my acoustic guitar (no plug) just the same way I record vocals? Just mic in front and play/sing on. If yes, why on earth are there plugs for guitars in any Audio Interface in the first place, if plugless just sounds better anyway?
Click to expand...
These questions really DO show you need to do some more self-educating.
 
Can I add my 2cents? :)

In some time you are gonna afford some monitors preferably with 5 inch cones cause of your room.
If you target the $300 price range where you can find KRKs and Yamahas as "the top" consider checking out the JBL LSR 305.

I can tell you they are the best for their price range. also check out tests on the internet really good stuff.

Just my 2c!
 
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