Advice on a vocal studio needed.. please help me.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Macgenerate
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Macgenerate

New member
Okay, here is the deal. I am an admitted novice but I need to design a vocal recording studio for church choir recordings. I have a basic design for the actual studio itself, but I don’t exactly know where to start when it comes to the equipment I will need.

This needs to be as simple as possible and I want to do the whole process digitally using Pro Tools.

Basically I need to be able to record the church choir.
Save the Recorded session.
Do some basic mastering process at a later time.
Export the final recording for duplication.

What do I need? How does it all work? And who wants to help me :-) lol


Additional Question :
What is the best way to record a choir, 60+ people? Should I record the entire ensemble in the same room or should I design the studio to have 8 isolation type booths for each “part” singing and give each part its own track?
 
OK, I only can scratch the surface of the information you have not given. Truth is, I can't answer your question, but I can tell you how to ask it more effectively. First, state a budget, and be real. Then describe the space you have available. Go to that room at several times over the course of a day and listen...What do you hear? Everything that you hear will be a problem you must face. From what you've told us, we don't know whether you're considering the right architects to bid on a proposal, or packing old Bertha in a closet packed with mattresses to try and block the sound from the airport.
Next, what resources do you already have? Microphones, and exactly what? Any live sound gear. You mention Pro Tools. What is the capability of your computer system- RAM, processor, etc.?
Any live stage equipment? Headphones? Any parishoners with a background in recording/pro audio/live sound reinforcement?
I would also recommend moving this thread to newbies, as I don't believe you're ready for discussions on standing waves or phase problems created by inadequate HVAC systems. If you had any idea the details and problems of doing what you describe starting with no experience, you would be quaking in terror right now! Your final reality check- Recording costs money, often quite a bit of it. and how much money you need is inextricably tied to what room you get to record in, how much time you can have it just as a recording studio, and what noises go on around you on an average day. If you have a high ceilinged room in the center of a building you can have all to yourselves for 3 or 4 hours in the evening, people on this board can set you up nicely for $2000-$5000. If your space requires physical modification, it would make sense to call the architects I mentioned, especially ones experienced in sound studio building. If that's not doable, you'd probably be better off buying studio time and getting a better recording for a lot less money.
Even if you build it yourself, I suggest you bring in a good tracking engineer as a consultant for at least a few hours to assist with planning room conditioning and for initial set up for tracking. Involving professionals in a project costs money, but I think you'll find it can be some of the best money you spent, when you listen to the CD.-Richie
 
Macgernerate - I suggest you pass the whole project onto someone who does know what they are doing. To design and build a studio, equip it, and then operate it for a choir of 60+ is a major undertaking and I believe you would be deceiving your fellow choirpersons if you think you can come here and have all your problems solved in a forum.

sorry to be so hard on you ;);)

cheers
john
 
I second John's and Richard's recommendations on getting professional help - This would be a serious task for nearly anyone here, and some of us have well over 30 years experience in this sort of thing - you really need to spend some money for experience, in order to keep from wasting all the rest of your budget... Steve
 
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