A little help with my setup

[sophie]

Hi there,

Im a singer/ songwriter who has got frustrated with spending hours in the studio so am in the process of kitting out a little room in my apartment as we speak

Ive managed to get hold of some good deals, but i seem to have got myself into a bit of a tizz, whether to go for the PC recording route or just pure hardwear. I guess I was hoping to go for a little of both, my PC does not have the best recording ability, but its great for being able to edit and sample.

Ive picked up a

Korg D1600 mk2
Digitech Vocalist Workstaton Ex
Acid Pro 4.0 (for PC)

So I guess my question is it a good idea to record on my D1600 for vocals and guitar and then connect to my PC and edit via my PC and add samples etc?

Also, what should be my next purchase? Im using a really old mic at the moment, can anyone recommend a good mic for vocals/ guitar (Large Diaphragm Condenser)? I guess I need a mic preamp as well, can I get one that I can be used with both my PC and my Korg? Can anyone else think of anything else I need? Or anything else I should be doing to help me get the best sound with least amount of hassle?

Im not very technical im afriad, any help appreciated

Thankyou

Sophie

 

[Dani Pace]

A good soundcard for your PC will make your recordings sound better and be a lot easier to work with. It's an easy upgrade and not too expensive. For direct recording into the PC you will need a preamp/mixer of some sort. If you plan to keep it simple you wont need many mics but a couple of good ones will should make life a lot easier. Shure SM57 seems to be a standard and may serve your needs well.
Good luck and welcome to the forum. Whenever you run into a problem, ask. Someone around here has been through the same thing and most are more than willing to help.

 

[tourettes5139]

If you want a large diaphragm condenser, the Studio Projects B1 is well liked around these parts, and is only $100 new. This would *probably* be better for vocals, but it all depends on your voice. Either way, I would say that the B1 is a good purchase for a beginner, as is the previously mentioned Shure SM57.

An M-Audio DMP3 would be a prudent purchase for a preamp. ~$150 for two channels. Oh, and the whole "tube" thing....don't buy into it, at low prices, anyway. The majority of budget "tube" preamps are starved plate designs, which means that the tube isn't getting enough voltage to really do anything.

Check out this page:
http://www.record-producer.com/learn.cfm?a=2838

That being said, some of them can sound ok, but nothing compared to a real tube preamp.

If you want to learn more, try searching the forums. There is a wealth of information available on what you want to learn. Oh, and welcome!

 

[sophie]

Thankyou

Thanskyou both, thats great advice. Have ordered a new soundcard as advised

Another couple of questions, probably more obvious ones im afraid. But why more than one Mic? Im not using drums at all for my recordings so do I need one? I think maybe Ill try the shure and maybe the Studio Projects B1 if I need two mics still (one for Guitar and one vor vocals). Will the preamp work with two mics and be able to plug directly into my 16 track as well as my PC?

It sounds like im almost ready to go!

Sophie

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Another couple of questions, probably more obvious ones im afraid. But why more than one Mic?

Seperate mics for voice and guitar just means you'll be able adjust the levels and process each thing seperately at the mixing stage. You'll have more control over how each thing sounds.

It's not too much of a problem using one mic but you'll just have to play around with the mic position a bit more to get the guitar and vocal sounding good and balanced.

I personally wouldn't be reaching for a cheap dynamic mic to record vocals or acoustic guitar. The SM57 is a great mic to have around if you're recording alot of sources because it works OK on most things, but for acoustic guitar and vocals it's not a mic i'd usually reach for first off. It might work for either application in some situations but as a go to mic for voice and acoustic guitar I don't think it's the ideal choice. If you're just going with one mic I'd say an LDC would be your best bet and the SP B1 is a good budget recommendation.

Will the preamp work with two mics and be able to plug directly into my 16 track as well as my PC?

As long as your 16 track recorder has line inputs then this will work fine with the DMP-3 (a great recommendation BTW). And yes it's dual channel so it will accommodate 2 mics simultaneously.

 

[Dani Pace]

My suggestion for having two mics was just to give you more control and seperation of your vocal and guitar tracks. It just makes a few things easier, for example if you need to EQ the guitar for tone but like the vocal track, or the other way around. Some mics are designed to use up cloce while others are more for an ambient (overall room sound) sound. It's always best to decide what you want to do before investing in gear which you may not need.

 

[sophie]

Thanks Dani/ Kevin

As Im only recording one track at a time, I think id rather go for one semi decent microphone, rather than two cheaper ones. Maybe something about the $300 dollar mark that is flexible enough to pick up a 12 sting, vocals and possibly a little bit of electric guitar

Any recommendations....?

Will get looking for the dmp3 later today

Thanks again

 

[daav]

Acoustic guitar can sounds great through a number of different mics, and can be easier to take a suggestion on, but for vocals, i think most people would tell you to see about trying out some different mics before laying down the money.

My actualy mic experience is limited, but my reading the mic forum experience is vast. For vocals, different mics can be brighter or darker or may represent your voice very accurately (which may be good or bad depending).

If you drop the $300 on a decent quality mic for your recording, make sure you can return it, or better yet, go somewhere you can audition several mics.

Daav

 

[Dani Pace]

Take a look at http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm for some ideas about mics (their use and price range) there are so many to choose from that picking the best for your needs is difficult. If you know someone in a band or who has a studio you might could borrow a few mics to try them and see which will work best for you before deciding to buy.