A brief introduction...and...New home studio needs advice (long)

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Slackmaster2K

Slackmaster2K

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Mike, just thought I'd spill a blurb about your computer needs. If the computer is going to be your primary source for recording, and it's not getting the job done...then you're *basically* going to have to upgrade the whole dern thing.

As is most likely the case, the only CPU upgrade you can do is to a faster Pentium. Since the P233 is nearing the high end, I doubt it would be worth your money to go faster there.

To upgrade to a PII you'd need a new motherboard....and your memory will *probably* be out of date (some late model Pentium machines used SDRAM that *might* be good enough to run in a Celeron system...but not a PII...).

If you were to do a major upgrade like this, your hard drive would suddenly become the weak link. One of the fast new 7200RPM's would be in order.

Basically all you can use in an upgrade, if you find that your current system is just too slow, is the case & PS (maybe) and some cards like video and the SB Live you mentioned.

Yer looking at $500 minimum :(

Since that'd set you back considerably, I'll mention n-Track as a great multitracker for a tight budget. As far as I'm concerned it can do everything! Too bad I don't do everything :) http://www.fasoft.com

Good luck!

(And BTW, if you're going to sink money into a new computer, you might want to look at midi/drum software solutions...it could save you some cash!)

Slackmaster 2000
 
First off....man am I ever so glad I found this site!

I have sooooo many questions as I am just getting started with home recording. I have lurked for a week or so to get a feel of the atmosphere here, and I must say that everyone seems to be eager to help and answer questions. I find this very reasurring.

Anyway, a little background info for those who may be interested:

I am a guitarist by nature. I love everything from old Police to Janes Addiction to Jeff Buckley. I am more inclined to want to write and play heavier stuff, though.

I have spent the last two years trying to hook up with my best friend who is also a guitarist to solidify our sound and write new material and then find others to form a band with. To make a long story short...As fate would have it, things just constantly seemed to put a wedge between us and our efforts. I was with him through some very hard times including the death of his father and grandmother which left him very apathetic and depressed which is very understandable.

It looked as if we might actually get down to business back in the spring when he began medication for his depression, and we went shopping for some new equipment. He even sold his bike, a 6 month old ZX7-R, just to finance his purchase of a Gibson LP and sundry items, including a Fostex FD-4 with 250 MB Zip drive for me. Much to his chagrin, I insisted that I pay him back for that.

It seemed like our collaboration was going to finally see fruition, until he just disappeared for a month. I called his home repeatedly, but his wife was never there. When she finally called me back, she said that he had started driving OTR again.

Now I speak with him perhaps once or twice a month. He calls me at work from places all across the country. When I talk to his wife, she says that he hasn't given up on music and our mutual goals, but we could never quite get things going when we lived 30 min from each other much less with two phone calls and thousands of miles between us.

Anyway, this is what led me to desire the creation of a home recording studio where I could be self-reliant, at least for a little while as I try to record my own material. I am quite interested in the musical styles of Stabbing Westward, Nine Inch Nails, and God Lives Underwater, and thankfully this type music lends itself well to the DIY'er.

I am in the process of putting things together, so I am going to need some advice and reasurrance on occasion. I have procured a spare bedroom for my project, and here is what is contains so far:

-P233 128mb RAM PC with SB Live! card
-Soundforge, etc that came with the card
-Foxtex FD-4 unit with SCSI 250MB Zip drive
-Low end quality Fostex mic (came in package)
-Low end Fostex headphones (came in package)
-Fender Am Std Telecaster with EMG pickups
-Ibanez 540RR USA Made strat style
-Fender 6 string acoustic
-Ibanez 12 string acoustic
-Modded Marshall JCM800 amp
-Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet
-various "stomp boxes"
-ART SGX 2000 signal processor

I am currently buying parts to build myself an up to date PC with CD-R/RW etc, so that I can manipulate sounds and burn CDs. I will probably buy Cakewalk or another multi-track software, so I need advice in that area.

Also, I am in the market for a good keyboard that will lend itself well to this genre. I want to spend $1000-1200 initially. With that in mind, I have been to the local music stores and played around with their floor stock, and I must say that for the money, the Alesis QS 7.1 gets my vote...but I am a guitarist at this point and know very little about synths and such...Any suggestions?

Also, please give me some clues as to what else I need to get this thing up and running.

I know that a drum machine, some good mics for vocals and guitar micing, and some good quality headphones and/or monitors are in my future, so please share the opinions and experiences.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and for your help.

--Mike--
 
Welcome to the wonderfull world of recording. I applaud your musical tastes, which are almost identical to mine (Stabbing Westward is the Best!!!) For this type of music, you'll need to do lots of processing, sampling, and be resourceful. Its not the easiest type of music to get down on tape, but it's lots of fun (I usually find myself in way over my head). Buy good stuff that you wont need to upgrade for a while, and piece your studio together little by little so you have a chance to master your equipment. Here's a couple of suggestions:

Guitars: If you have any intention of getting a new guitar anytime soon, look in to a Gibson SG or LP. My personal opinion is that single coil guitars just don't cut it when you consider the amount of distortion and overdrive it will go through. If you want to record a bas guitar, get a bass guitar...don't use a keyboard unless you want a synth bass sound.

Processers: Try a lexicon MPx-100. It gives you some flenge, chorus, phase, delay, ect.. that will most definitily come in handy. You'll want a compresser/limiter, and possibly a noise gate. I am also a big fan of SOnic Maximixers. A mic pre might be an idea as well. I would look for a drum modual that sounds good, but gives you lots of editng flexability.

Mics: Get an SM57 for guitars, then look into a good condenser mic for voice.
Computer Needs: You may want to upgrade to a p300, but get a second opinion from the experts on this site about computers. I dio know this: You're not gonnna want lots of tracks.
Other: NIN does a lot of sampling with a portable dat recorder, so you may want to look into a sampler for this. For Keyboards, I use a Korg X5D , but there are lots of good options out there.

So if you want to get some stuff to get up an running, here;s a brief list:

Event 20/20 p moniters-$500
Condenser Mic-$300-$500
SM57 -$100
Compresser- $200 an up
Drum Modual (I can't spell)- $500
Keyboard- $700-$1200
Also, some good quality cables, midi cables for your keyboard to comp, a phantom power supply, a winning lottery ticket, a good working relationship with someone in your local music store, lots of coffee (or whatever your drink of choice is)....ok, I'd better shut up now. Hopefully that helped a little.
 
Thanks for the tips, and they certainly do help. You touched on the things that I have been mulling over for quite some time.

Also, kudos to you and your fine musical tastes.

I have been wanting a Gibson LP and it is the next guitar related purchase on my list. My Tele with active pickups sounds really sweet clean to semi-dist., but to get really good distorted sounds, I have to go with my Ibanez with the humbucker in the bridge position. An LP would most definately take prominance in my line-up.

The mics and phones that came with the FD-4 are gonna get tossed in favor of some good equipment as you suggested. The Shure SM57 to mic the Marshall is a must.

If everything works out, I should have the money to purchase my keyboard and drum module within a couple of weeks. I wish it would come into pocket a bit sooner since I'll probably be in Nashville on Monday, and I love to peruse the music stores....<drool>

I am anxious to get started, but I certainly agree with your point to build little by little so that I can master what I already have.

Thanks again for your advice, and I'm sure you all will be hearing from me quite a bit.

--Mike--
 
Thanks Slackmaster 2K

I think I'm going to build myself a new system so I can have total control over everything that goes into it. Also, the place where I work offers a purchase program where I can borrow the money from them and pay no interest at all. Tempting to say the least, but I'm a control freak, so I'll probably just build.

To defray some of the cost, my wife's sister is thinking of buying my old system after I get the new one.

Also, thanks for the midi/drum software tip. Thats something I am definately going to look into.

I appreciate your input, and thanks again.

--Mike--
 
Yep. Building your own system is the only way to assure you get what you paid for. I have only purchased one full system...since then I've only built my own, and will never go back :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
I have a friend who has been doing exactly what you're talking about and he uses some high end Roland sequencers with great results. A guitarist myself, I use a Johnson Millenium (basically a Digitech processor in a 100wt stereo tube amp) that is made just for this type of 'studio' work. I don't work well with midi so I periodically go on net raids for samples to manipulate with my Cakewalk and Goldwave. I have an old drum machine but I use it primarily for working up ideas. For actually creating songs, I keep several sampled kits (909, house, rap standard rock, techno, etc.)that I use as needed.

As far as what you need to get up and running, you've got it already! I get by with very little, although I'm not burning C.D.s like you plan to. I recomend creating 5 or 6 pieces. Not necessarily whole songs but experimental stuff to familiarize yourself with the constraints and possibilities of this wonderful medium. Once you've done that, you will know exactly what programs,etc. you need to acquire.

Oh yeah, my main axe is an old Ibanez Artist that can out SG most SGs I've played. I heard Gibson sued for infringement and Ibanez had to discontinue this model. One thing for sure, humbuckers are a extremely easier to use around a monitor than single coils!

I would also recomend good speakers over great headphones. Not to mention some kind of direct box to handle all your various sources. But most of all, go nuts with it! Going over the top is a great way to figure out what does and doesn't work.
 
Hey man sorry to hear that you're friend has so many problems, I have a friend with depression and all you can do is sort of try to supportive.

any way im just learning to about this type of music its a fun yet dificult art.
I have soundforge xp and n-track and acid which are great tools for this, but the dat is the way to go if you want to sample and do stuff like this, but i would recomend "Giga sampler" for a synth and a sound modal.
 
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