any help appreciated on recording

[GoatsTheAnswer]

my son is currently wanting a record vocals over instrumentals. He needs to know what type of equipment is needed in order to have decent quality..Mic type? Mixer? what else is needed? His budget is around $1000 and any help would be deeply appreciated..Software suggestions as well..Thank you very much for any help

 

[olfunk]

cheapest, but still not bad, option would be an art tube preamp, shure sm58 microphone, and the preamp going into your soundcard. you could use something simple like acoustica mixcraft for software.

 

[jkokura]

If you spend some time reading you'll learn a lot. Bascially the common homerecording set up looks like this:

Mic->preamp->interface->computer (DAW)->recording/tracking software

I don't know exactly what he wants to record. That's why I suggest reading a lot on this site without asking blind questions. Find out exactly what he wants to do, and then look around a differnt posts to see what mics, what pres, what interface, and what software will best suit his needs and budget.

Jacob

 

[seismetr0n]

for $1000 there are a lot of options...

the sm58 and the art tube arent so bad, but i'd at least add on an usb A/d converter
such as :
tascam us122 (seems to get ok reviews) $199 plus it has phantom power to upgrade to different mics in the future, and a switchable guitar/line input.. it also comes with cubasis.. a decent but not fully loaded version of Cubase (editing software)

then you'll ned some monitors... maybe:
KRK RP5 or RP6 (also seems to get dcent reviews) $199 (RP6)

that should set him up... with the tascam you wont really need a preamp, and it can always be added on in the future..

so you figure a sm58 = $99


and there it is, a decent recording setup for $497 thats assuming you already have a computer with usb.. if not, drop $503 on one and youll reach your $1000 limit..

gl

 

[crunkthanamug]

Whoa....

my son is currently wanting to record vocals over instrumentals. He needs to know what type of equipment is needed in order to have decent quality..Mic type? Mixer? what else is needed? His budget is around $1000 and any help would be deeply appreciated..Software suggestions as well..Thank you very much for any help

Wow...thats a tight budget! If youve already got a good PC, i suggest Mackie Traction recording software ($150) And you would need a decent soundcard...maybe the M Audio Audiophile 2496 ($100)

But if you dont have a decent PC...
Zoom MRS-8 8-track recorder $350

Either way, he'll need
headphones $50
a decent mic (type and model depending on his voice and style of music) $100-200 range
mic stand, pop filter, cables $100

As far as the mic is concerned, he may do better with a CONDENSER mic -- and these require phantom power... im not sure if the 8 track i suggested has it (i dont think it does) A small mixer would solve this problem, as well as add more inputs (if needed) I use the Mackie 1202VLZ (its $300 and does a good job) Of course for your budget, Behringer makes an $80 model that could work (UB1202 Eurorack) Im not a Behringer fan though...

To monitor the audio, youll probably need to utilize the AUX input on the home stereo for now -- good monitors would take up the whole budget.

TOTALS (assuming you went with the Mackie mixer)

PC Setup - $900
Hardware Setup - $1000

*DISCLAIMER* The hardware suggestions Ive made are NOT anything Id choose to use...but for $1000 you cant do much better. But then again, you didnt say how old your son is. This gear might be just fine for him starting out. But if you see this $1000 as an invest that youll want to add to later...Id definitely opt for the PC solution over the cheap hardware.

I hope this was helpful.

 

[olfunk]

mic stand, pop filter, cables $100

where do you live?!

 

[northsiderap]

Setup

If you're serious:

Sound card:

Two balanced inputs. Maybe an M-Audio 2496 or one of those new Digidesign MBox USB cards with the class 'A' Focusrite preamps.- - - The MBox also comes with the software to run multitracking on your computer.

Mic preamp:

If you got the digidesign, that's taken care of. Otherwise try something like the M-Audio DMP-3

Mics:

A good mic to start with might be the Marshall MXLv67G... Better yet, at $100 a piece get a pair of them - one for each channel. Remember, these need shockmounts, cables, pop filters, and stands. Let's not forget phantom power, but that should come with any mic preamp. (make sure it does)

Summary:

$300 - Sound card
$200 - Pair of mics
$160 - Dual mic preamp
---------------------
Under $700

That leaves you room to buy a few cables or even another nice instrument. Perhaps a pair of small diaphragm condensers for instruments like the Oktava MK012 or Behringer C2s if you're going it cheap. If he writes beats on the computer, I've always favored the program 'Fruity Loops' or Propellerhead's 'Reason.' for that.

 

[TimOBrien]

My standard reply:

Immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending thousand$):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...ce&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Good Newbie guide:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

Other ecording books:
http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html


Plenty of software around to record for free to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com

 

[Dags]

my son is currently wanting a record vocals over instrumentals. He needs to know what type of equipment is needed in order to have decent quality..Mic type? Mixer? what else is needed? His budget is around $1000 and any help would be deeply appreciated..Software suggestions as well..Thank you very much for any help

There have been several posts in the "Other Equipment and Reviews" section about this.
http://homerecording.org/bbs/showthread.php?t=164531

Check it out for some things to think about

Dags