R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
I've been thinking about this for a long time, and it seems there are a few questions that won't go away no matter how many times they are answered. So- I figure the best I can do is combine my answers into one thread, so that when the question is asked, I can just post the link to this thread. So who the hell am I, and why do I think I can answer these questions? I'm a 50 year old former psychedelic rocker who went off the deep end and built a project studio to record my songs, which got out of hand and went semi-pro. I can answer the questions because either the answer is very simple, the answer is a matter of opinoion, or they are questions that have no answer. Here goes- I'll start with the simple, and go to hard.
1. Will phantom power hurt my dynamic microphone? No. Not unless it is a ribbon mic, a very specialized form of dynamic mic.
2. What's the best cheap tube preamp? None. The cheap ones basically suck. They are not powered by tubes, they just have a little tube stuck in the front end to add a little distortion, so the marketing guys can tell you it's a "tube" preamp. What's the big deal with tubes, anyway? Tubes are used to introduce hopefully subtle distortion which we call "warmth" when we like it, and "muddy" when we don't. Real tube preamps start at $500 per channel and go up from there to $2000+ per channel. The best cheap preamps are all solid state. Note that many solid state pres also cost thousands and are used in the finest studios. Don't buy into tube hype.
3. What's a "matched" pair of mics, and do I need one? Matched pairs are mics that have been found to have equal output, within narrow tolerances, at every point on the audio spectrum. The higher the build quality of a pair of mics, the more likely they are to be matched, especially if they have sequential serial numbers. If you are doing stereo recording of critical audio sources, say a string quartet, that is important. For drum overheads, most people will never hear the difference. It is bad, though when one mic has a bump where the other one has a dip. You'll hear that.
4. What's the best mic (under $100, under $300, under $1000, etc.) for rap, female vocals, R&B, voiceovers, traffic noise, whatever)? What's the best color? Les Paul or Strat? Blonde or brunette? The answer is- the one that sounds best to you on your equipment on whatever you are recording. Vocals are the worst. Vocal mics are like shoes. They either fit you or they don't. Cheap shoes that fit are better than expensive ones that don't. Of course I have my favorites, but they may or may not work for you. Give it up. There are no best mics or best preamps. There are only ones that work for you and ones that don't. How does this help you to make a decision? It doesn't. Just ask everyone what they like, and play the percentages. Buy proven pieces of equipment so you can sell them later if they don't work for you.
5. I'm just starting out. Should I get a 4-track cassette, an open reel, a standalone recorder, or record on computer? If you want cheap and simple, get a cassette. It won't sound that good, but it's a great learning tool. If you already have a very good computer and portability isn't a major issue, use that. You will need a specialized sound card and a mic preamp. If you like portability in a self-contained unit, and you are willing to accept the lack of available upgrades, get a standalone. If you have lots of money and you like to tinker, get an open reel.
6. What kind of recording techniques and effects can I use to process my vocals so they don't suck? You can't. Garbage in, garbage out. Learning to sing is like learning to play violin. It takes years of hard work. Start now, and give up the idea that Antares autotune will make it all go away.
7. How can I make professional sounding recordings with almost no money? You can't. Just because you do spend a bunch of money, that is no guarantee you will produce good recordings. That takes experience, hard work, and luck, as well as a lot of money.
8. When I plug my mic/guitar/whatever into my sound card, the signal is too weak. What's my problem? You need a mic preamp. For a guitar, some preamps have a high-z (instument) jack. If you don't have one on your preamp you will need a DI (direct insertion) box to change the instrument output to line level. No. You can't get along without a preamp. Please note that a mixer is a box with a bunch of preamps, usually mediocre ones. But- if you own a mixer, you already own a preamp. Most recorders have some kind of built in preamps. Most sound cards don't.
9. Should I record electric guitar direct, or mic up an amp? With a lot of screwing around, direct can sound fairly good. With a lot of screwing around, mic'ing an amp can sound- better. Pay your money and make your choice.
10. Should I get a dynamic or a condenser for my first mic? Dynamics are essential. So are condensers. Dynamics are less sensitive and have weaker output, so, they work better in a bad room with a lot of background noise, but, they need a good preamp. Condensers work better with cheap preamps, but they need a good room. If you don't have a good preamp or a good room, start working on your room instead of buying mics.
In the end, the answers to these questions are governed by underlying philosophy. My philosophy is this- The signal chain works from the front to the back. First, you need a musician that can really play, with a great instrument, in a good room, playng a well written song. That is more important that how you record it, or with what. Then you need the right microphone (not the *best* microphone) into the right preamp (not the *best* preamp). That's more important than what you record it on. Then you need a good recorder. That's more important than post-production processing or effects. Then you need good post production processing, FX, mixing, and mastering. Above all, the tracking, mixing, and mastering engineers must make good decisions at every step of the process. You need a good producer to choose those people, and evaluate their performance at every step, and interfere only when something or someone is not working. That is the underlying philosophy behind my answers to all of the questions above. Best of luck. Don't let the dream die.
"We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
-JFK ...-Richie
1. Will phantom power hurt my dynamic microphone? No. Not unless it is a ribbon mic, a very specialized form of dynamic mic.
2. What's the best cheap tube preamp? None. The cheap ones basically suck. They are not powered by tubes, they just have a little tube stuck in the front end to add a little distortion, so the marketing guys can tell you it's a "tube" preamp. What's the big deal with tubes, anyway? Tubes are used to introduce hopefully subtle distortion which we call "warmth" when we like it, and "muddy" when we don't. Real tube preamps start at $500 per channel and go up from there to $2000+ per channel. The best cheap preamps are all solid state. Note that many solid state pres also cost thousands and are used in the finest studios. Don't buy into tube hype.
3. What's a "matched" pair of mics, and do I need one? Matched pairs are mics that have been found to have equal output, within narrow tolerances, at every point on the audio spectrum. The higher the build quality of a pair of mics, the more likely they are to be matched, especially if they have sequential serial numbers. If you are doing stereo recording of critical audio sources, say a string quartet, that is important. For drum overheads, most people will never hear the difference. It is bad, though when one mic has a bump where the other one has a dip. You'll hear that.
4. What's the best mic (under $100, under $300, under $1000, etc.) for rap, female vocals, R&B, voiceovers, traffic noise, whatever)? What's the best color? Les Paul or Strat? Blonde or brunette? The answer is- the one that sounds best to you on your equipment on whatever you are recording. Vocals are the worst. Vocal mics are like shoes. They either fit you or they don't. Cheap shoes that fit are better than expensive ones that don't. Of course I have my favorites, but they may or may not work for you. Give it up. There are no best mics or best preamps. There are only ones that work for you and ones that don't. How does this help you to make a decision? It doesn't. Just ask everyone what they like, and play the percentages. Buy proven pieces of equipment so you can sell them later if they don't work for you.
5. I'm just starting out. Should I get a 4-track cassette, an open reel, a standalone recorder, or record on computer? If you want cheap and simple, get a cassette. It won't sound that good, but it's a great learning tool. If you already have a very good computer and portability isn't a major issue, use that. You will need a specialized sound card and a mic preamp. If you like portability in a self-contained unit, and you are willing to accept the lack of available upgrades, get a standalone. If you have lots of money and you like to tinker, get an open reel.
6. What kind of recording techniques and effects can I use to process my vocals so they don't suck? You can't. Garbage in, garbage out. Learning to sing is like learning to play violin. It takes years of hard work. Start now, and give up the idea that Antares autotune will make it all go away.
7. How can I make professional sounding recordings with almost no money? You can't. Just because you do spend a bunch of money, that is no guarantee you will produce good recordings. That takes experience, hard work, and luck, as well as a lot of money.
8. When I plug my mic/guitar/whatever into my sound card, the signal is too weak. What's my problem? You need a mic preamp. For a guitar, some preamps have a high-z (instument) jack. If you don't have one on your preamp you will need a DI (direct insertion) box to change the instrument output to line level. No. You can't get along without a preamp. Please note that a mixer is a box with a bunch of preamps, usually mediocre ones. But- if you own a mixer, you already own a preamp. Most recorders have some kind of built in preamps. Most sound cards don't.
9. Should I record electric guitar direct, or mic up an amp? With a lot of screwing around, direct can sound fairly good. With a lot of screwing around, mic'ing an amp can sound- better. Pay your money and make your choice.
10. Should I get a dynamic or a condenser for my first mic? Dynamics are essential. So are condensers. Dynamics are less sensitive and have weaker output, so, they work better in a bad room with a lot of background noise, but, they need a good preamp. Condensers work better with cheap preamps, but they need a good room. If you don't have a good preamp or a good room, start working on your room instead of buying mics.
In the end, the answers to these questions are governed by underlying philosophy. My philosophy is this- The signal chain works from the front to the back. First, you need a musician that can really play, with a great instrument, in a good room, playng a well written song. That is more important that how you record it, or with what. Then you need the right microphone (not the *best* microphone) into the right preamp (not the *best* preamp). That's more important than what you record it on. Then you need a good recorder. That's more important than post-production processing or effects. Then you need good post production processing, FX, mixing, and mastering. Above all, the tracking, mixing, and mastering engineers must make good decisions at every step of the process. You need a good producer to choose those people, and evaluate their performance at every step, and interfere only when something or someone is not working. That is the underlying philosophy behind my answers to all of the questions above. Best of luck. Don't let the dream die.
"We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
-JFK ...-Richie
Good info Richard 
