Need opinions on a massive purchase

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Narokuu

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First post, had no idea what forum or where to be able to talk about recording, home studio things etc.

A little back story - about 6 years ago i gave up all things music other than listening due to joining the Army, and getting married, (quite literally at the same time) Now due to life, i am divorced, and stable again and realized jsut how much music meant to me, giving it up was the hardest thing i have ever done.

Now i am able to play again after i save up some cash, and i will be purchasing and entire rundown of hardware and software, however back when i played almost 7 years ago, things were really different. when i was in high school about the time Waking the Fallen came out (avenged sevenfold) using anything digital was treason, but i am seeing things become more popular and streamlined recently and its kinda nice to see, im not the master of any one thing, I'm a jack of all trades and im looking to fill a hole, for playing, recording, mixing, and mastering. So that story being told, lets get into the fun stuff

What I'm Planning On Purchasing:

Schecter Hellraiser C-1 (in black cherry)

Line 6 HD Pro X Rackmount (this thing amazes me, and i want to use it not only for everything it comes with, but for my interface, main rig, (with an amp of course) and everything else i can use it for, its just a nice multi use tool)

FBV Shortboard controller for it (this is where my first noob question comes in, can it be used to control effects live, like replacing an entire pedal board of stompboxes) im trying to avoid buying every last pedal i want.

Furman power conditioner, and an 8 space rack mount for everything


M Audio Studiophile 40 AV Active monitors (another thing im new to, but i know its needed to mix and master nicely)

DT880 Headphones for when i want to play quietly (i live with family, and they dislike my taste in music, so i try to be considerate)


Akai Professional MPK25 25-Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller - For Midi control, also has velocity pads and its a keyboard, just a great tool.

i already have a beast PC, and Microphone setup, (pic to follow)

For software i am going to purchase Toon track Superior Drummer, with a few add on's and reaper for a DAW, now this is going to be the most debatable, because when it comes to DAW software i have only ever used Cool edit Pro when i was in middle school (circa 2001-2004) and Audacity lately for small voice over projects, but i want a really nice DAW, that will be compatible with everything. I don't mind learning something new, if there is a better daw out there that will do what i need it to, i do prefer one that comes with ALL effects and plugins possible, having this flow nicely is always a plus. thanks for the help everyone!!

Also all the accessories, cables, etc etc etc. Thanks again everyone!

Pc pic can be seen Here
 
You should be ok with that shopping list.

I see your mike going into a little mixer. How is it getting from there into the PC?

8 space rackmount? You probably don't need that many spaces.

The speakers will be ok as you start coming to grips with things. You may find you want something more substantial later.

You will need to work on your room; firstly to figure out the best way to configure it for recording, and secondly to give it acoustic treatment that will help with recording.
 
The room is fine acoustically its thick carpeted, and tons of things on the walls already. its an old house built like a sturdy tank. On top of that all the recording will be done through the interface, the only recording done through my mic will be vocals, and i am working on a small vocal booth to isolate my room, even though its not really needed.

The mixer is a behringer Xenyx 302, i don't use the USB portion of it, i go from the mix /Audio out to my line in on my PC's sound card.
 
Recording through the POD interface sounds good.

Recording vocals via line in on the PC doesn't sound good. You should make use of the mixer's USB function. There is a strong possibility that you will experience high latency if you record vocals through the line in, if you are singing along to tracks you've recorded earlier. How do you intend to monitor what you are recording against what has been recorded? The best way is through the mixer: listen to what's already recorded by selecting 'USB play" and sending this to "Phones". Connect the speakers to the RCA main out.

A vocal booth is not needed, so you can quickly set aside that idea. Whether or not the nature of the house's construction and the assorted furnishings will provide an acoustically friendly recording and monitoring environment remains to be seen. But sometimes you have to work with what you've got and hope for the best.
 
I would use the USB function, however Behiringer has not released a windows 8 version of the drivers and software, so it does not work. i don't mind getting a different Interface, or just using the POD interface for vocals as well. less is more for me, as the space i have is limited. As for the room its acoustically fine, I am just new to active monitors, proper ways to play tracks, and then sing, IE headphones from PC and record through my mic, but do i need to hear myself at the same time. just not sure the diagram of routing things. The active monitors for when i would be able to mix and listen to music when noise levels permitted. also why the headphones, so i could play, work and crate and not bother others.
 
You're going to buy all that... buy a proper audio interface as well.
 
Can anyone suggest an audio interface, and if so, do i go from the Pod to the interface, then to the PC? im trying to eliminate any unneeded hardware. but i do want it to sound good and everything. im just used to having a half stack, micing the cab, running it into a line in on a PC, and recording that way, its how i always did it in school. So any advice is loved!
 
IMHO the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 was made for you! Space is an issue? I do not know of a more compact AI with all the KA's facilities and it is built like a BSH.

The AI gives you two excellent mic pre amp (that double as line inputs and high Z ins) but also two more balanced line inputs giving you a total of 4 possible tracks (the mixer can feed those) digital, S/PDIF in and out and MIDI. 4 balanced line outputs.

For DAW software Reaper is hard to beat but the KA6 also comes with a "lite" but powerful version of Cubase and many guys here will tell you that not all DAWs do everything equally well. For MIDI work Cubase is reckoned to be the dog's danglers.

The KA6 will also give you the lowest, usable latency of any AI known to me save RME's drool inducing gear.

Yes, knock the booth idea on the head and unless you KNOW you have particularly dirty mains, you should not need a "conditioner".

Dave.
 
Narokuu said:
The room is fine acoustically its thick carpeted, and tons of things on the walls already.
Click to expand...
Makes not a hoot of difference. Unless it's boatloads of broadband trapping (which carpeting is definitely not).
 
I wont be recording anything through amps and mics just yet, only vocals. everything recording will be direct through the POD, into the PC. and into my DAW. and if my room has acoustic issues i will get a small kit like this Microphone Diffuser

If i need to get more down the road i can, however i would have to be able to remove it from the wall, with zero damage. as this is a family house, passed down.

Here are some pics, to give a better representation of the room.

Its not tiny, but its not huge either.

http://puu.sh/hc4cC/8bffb41647.jpg

http://puu.sh/hc4fU/b2930096a4.jpg

As i said then acoustics are really awesome. At least to me.
 
Hello and welcome Narokuu.
You seem to have arrived with all of the answers but none of the right questions.
a) I'm thickly carpeted with lots of stuff hanging but it doesn't make me acoustically useful.
b) The computer is perfectly placed to give you noise into your mic.
c) If you're happy with the way your stereo is set up then you really don't need to do anything to your room.
d) Busty managa & hentai babes will not work as bass traps or early reflection point treatment unless you can keep them well fed and very, very still - lots of woww, but what about the flutter?
e) Be careful - don't diffuse your microphone, (it's confused already), worry about the reflected/ambient/demon dimension noises/sounds/exhortations.
If you're happy to record everything but vocals through your POD please refer to c).
 
Alright, how can you test if its acoustically fine? Other than having an ear for it, or hiring someone that knows what they are doing. I never was able to have enough room for a place to record, in school we just stuck our amps or ourselves in a closet, and packed it with close and foam. im not trying to sound like a know it all, im the farthest thing. but to my ears it sounds ok. its why im asking for help.
 
Acoustic issues affect not only recording, but also playback. Your room can have acoustic nodes that accentuate (or attenuate) particular frequencies. These will influence how you mix things.

The mike diffuser thing . . .you can get it, but I wouldn't worry about it.

Read the following link. It is a treasure trove of helpful information.

RealTraps - ModeCalc
 
Ok that makes more sense. im rather new to mixing, i always just played and someone else did most of the actual recording, I'm trying to do as much as i can in the long run, kind of become self sustaining. I do know people that mix songs for a good price thanks to sites like Fivver, but i want to as i said become self sufficient and sustaining in the long run, maybe even someday be able to make money on it. Right now its a hobby and therapy for me, after the divorce and a ton of other boring life issues, my doctors have told me to do this. So im trying to make the best of it.
 
haha fair enough, however its what my grandparents had from when they built the house in 1955. So i wont be changing it =P but i promise it will be ok, as long as i can hang up foam without destroying anything. I wont just glue it to the wall haha.
 
That is not a "diffuser" it is a copy of a device called the "Reflection Filter" and the latteris supposed to shield a mic from bad room modes. Some recent tests ON THE PROPER UNIT! Have shown that they can help a little bit but not really worth the money, some pluggable plastic waste pipe and a couple of duvets make far more difference. I should think a smaller, cheaper copy is going to do buggerall.

But FFS K.I.S.Sir! Get an interface and do some voxpops and send it in and let the top chaps here have a harken (I am bloody useless, got a bad back now as well!) THEY will quickly give you chapter and verse as to what is wrong with your room.

Do note that the qualities of a MONITORING/MIXING room are somewhat different from those required for acoustic recording but us Home Jockeys have to make the best of what us haves.

Dave.
 
After i get everything i will. This is a slow purchase and build up from now until July ish. hoping to have everything running by then.


next questyion i have is this,


is this how this is suppsoed to be setup

Guitar > POD > Interface > PC

Mic > Interface > PC

Then have active monitors and or headphones from the interface, or the pod.. its kinda confusing.
 
Narokuu said:
After i get everything i will. This is a slow purchase and build up from now until July ish. hoping to have everything running by then.


next questyion i have is this,


is this how this is suppsoed to be setup

Guitar > POD > Interface > PC

Mic > Interface > PC

Then have active monitors and or headphones from the interface, or the pod.. its kinda confusing.
Click to expand...

IF, you get the Pod you don't really need a separate interface, it has USB connection to a computer.
The only thing I can't see from the user guide* is how to control the level sent to the active monitors? This can easily be fixed however with a simple monitor controller such as the SM Nano Patch or, if you are handy with a solder iron, a stereo pot in a tin.

*All manufactures allow you to download the full manuals of their product (well, if you find one that don't, don't buy from them!). These usually contain several hook up diagrams, study these well.

Personally I think that Line 6 unit is expensive for what it does and I also have no idea what the latency is going to be. You can get virtually any kind of guitar mangling effect off the web these days so I would still suggest a good interface at about 1/3rd the price of the Pod and look at the FX software in Reaper,.Cubase and other places.

Dave.
 
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