Beginner Budget Help

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Blacmore

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What I currently have at my disposal:

-A mid-sized room
-$100 microphone
-iMac w/ Garage Band
-Steinberg CI2 USB Studio (connects my mic to my comp)
-A **** ton of acoustic foam tiles (mostly 2'') I found in a relative's basement (though fresh out of the box)

Given all that, what would be the next investment for a budget of $300~500? My first instinct would be bass traps, or maybe DIY treatment. Also, what is the best use of the foam? I've read you can place them apart from the walls by a few inches and absorb a little bass resonance? With my small budget I want to use the foam, even if (as I've read) most of the people on here think it is as useful as toilet paper.

Disclaimer
I am not looking to get a professional sound, I understand that would take much more investment. I am simply looking for advice on a good use of what i have currently in my possession and where I should invest to reap better results.

Thanks
 
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Blacmore said:
What I currently have at my disposal:

-A mid-sized room
-$100 microphone
-iMac w/ Garage Band
-Steinberg CI2 USB Studio (connects my mic to my comp)
-A **** ton of acoustic foam tiles (mostly 2'') I found in a relative's basement (though fresh out of the box)

Given all that, what would be the next investment for a budget of $300~500? My first instinct would be bass traps, or maybe DIY treatment. Also, what is the best use of the foam? I've read you can place them apart from the walls by a few inches and absorb a little bass resonance? With my small budget I want to use the foam, even if (as I've read) most of the people on here think it is as useful as toilet paper.

Disclaimer
I am not looking to get a professional sound, I understand that would take much more investment. I am simply looking for advice on a good use of what i have currently in my possession and where I should invest to reap better results.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Ah! The C12. That's the interface where the "inventors" of MIDI forgot to give their AI MIDI! Still, it is in many other ways an excellent device.....
Steinberg CI2

Yes, acoustic foam is given a hard time here but if you really do have a lot of it then sure, you can layer it up to make bass traps. You obviously have a bit of an idea of such things and a trawl in the above magazines website will throw up several articles.

Did you get a working copy of Cubase A1 with the C12? I know nothing of GB but Cubase is very useful. ...Oh! and "we" knew what an interface was for ref a microphone chap!

Dave.
 
I was given a copy of Cubase, though I'm not sure if the version is compatible with the Mac. You would recommend replacing Garage Band with that?
 
Blacmore said:
What I currently have at my disposal:
-A **** ton of acoustic foam tiles (mostly 2'') I found in a relative's basement (though fresh out of the box)
Click to expand...
That stuff might keep the echo down.
You might think about pumping the inside walls of your room with liquid foam.

Peace and good luck
 
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You did not mention speakers or headphones. One or the other or both would be a great investment in your sound.
 
BroKen_H said:
You did not mention speakers or headphones. One or the other or both would be a great investment in your sound.
Click to expand...

I have a decent pair of headphones that I can borrow, but currently no speakers. Will that really help with the sound while tracking or just mixing? As a musician who is just now dabbling into the recording process I may be too overly concerned with tracking as opposed to mixing, but I feel like that is where I should invest...I just don't know what specifically people would recommend. And blowing 200$ on some expensive studio helper thing that sucks is not in my interest.
 
Blacmore said:
I was given a copy of Cubase, though I'm not sure if the version is compatible with the Mac. You would recommend replacing Garage Band with that?
Click to expand...

AFAIK the Cubase disc will have both Windows and mac versions on it.
No, don't replace GB. I have read often that it is a very useful starting tool for recording, but as I say I have no experience of it. In any case you can have a zillion music DAWs on your computer, I have 5 or 6 already on this Asus home build and it is barely a month old yet! You can simply export a song into a standard digital audio format (.wav for Win) and then stuff it into another DAW which might be better at doing certain things to it.

For example I used to export .wavs from Samplitude SE8 and use Adobe Audition 1.5 to turn them into MP3 (for attaching here say) I now mostly use Samplitude Silver (free) for the same purpose.

You might also like to investigate the all conquering Reaper!

Dave.
 
I haven't heard much about stacking 2" acoustic foam tiles to get real bass trapping, suspect it would have to get REAL thick (10"?). Bass traps for corners as soon as you can build some/afford it. You need headphones for tracking to previously recorded tracks (closed back, don't have to spend a ton of $) and you need monitors for mixing. IF you've got a half-decent stereo system/speakers, you can use that for mixing until you get some good monitors.
 
mjbphotos said:
I haven't heard much about stacking 2" acoustic foam tiles to get real bass trapping, suspect it would have to get REAL thick (10"?). Bass traps for corners as soon as you can build some/afford it. You need headphones for tracking to previously recorded tracks (closed back, don't have to spend a ton of $) and you need monitors for mixing. IF you've got a half-decent stereo system/speakers, you can use that for mixing until you get some good monitors.
Click to expand...

Well I don't really know Mike?

Acoustic foam is clearly a sound absorber and like all such materials if you plié enough of it up it will become a broadband trap I should think? I guess they make traps with rockwool or similar because it is cheaper than foam per cu mtr?

OP seems to have a shedload so worth a punt.

Dave.
 
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