beginner needing help recording!! help

[EmilyEvans]

I really want to start recording. I am familiar with cubase as i have worked with it for 3 years now. I am a singer, and what i want to be able to do is use backing tracks and just record my own voice on top of that. i dont need to record live instrumnets, just my vocals, what do i need? what good microphone would be suitable and are there any other equipment i would need. what im looking for is just a basic way of recording, it doesnt have to be fancy and too technical, i just want something so i can record my own voice and burn to a cd. can someone please help me??
xx

 

[miroslav]

OK...3 years ith Cubase...so what have you been doing with it and what equipment do you already have? What kind of backing tracks?

For vocals...mic---preamp---computer interface---Cubase.

Or...ugh...dare I suggest it......USB mic into computer--- Cubase....but only if you really don't care much about quality and just want to get the vocals into the computer...otherwise a decent mic and preamp are IMHO the better way to go.

 

[EmilyEvans]

well i have been using cubase as the software for music technology through school and university, so i have been sequencing files through midi etc. i know my way around cubase quite well but i dont know the technical terms so i apoloigse if i sound a bit useless.

i have loads of backing tracks that ive bought online to use for singing gigs etc but now i want to make a vocal cd of myself.

Im not really fussed about having a great quality sound, just so long as i can record my voice on to the computer and mix it up a bit through cubase so that i can mix down onto a cd.

i dont jave any equipment as i am a total beginner
what kind of microphone and do you suggest and where could i get it from?
wwhat is the difference between a ubs mic and a normal miccrophone?
thank you for helping. i need all the help i can get.

 

[TimOBrien]

My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

Good Newbie guide that also explains all the basics and has good hardware tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $16
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Recordin...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273169612&sr=1-1

PC Recording Studios for Dummies - $16
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Stu...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273169612&sr=1-2
(Wish I'd had those when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Gui...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215734124&sr=1-1
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

Home Recording for Beginners by Geoffrey Francis
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Beginners-Geoffrey-Francis/dp/1598638815

When you get a bit into it, I highly recomend The Art of Mixing by David Gibson
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Mixing-Recording-Engineering-Production/dp/1931140456

A MUST READ: Kim Lajoie's "Lifesigns from studio" - FREE - http://www.errepici.it/web/download/KLBD.asp

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at www.tapeop.com

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics and have good tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/tips-techniques/168409-tips-techniques.html

Guitar Amp Recording: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug07/articles/guitaramprecording.htm

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig: http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

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

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and user-tested suggestions that work: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm
(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)

Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:
Sony ACID Xpress 10-track sequencer: http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/xpress/
Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com/smm

Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/
(It's $60 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages...
http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE and July 2009 issue they put out Samplitude10SE. FREE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)

 

[guitarplayr82]

wwhat is the difference between a ubs mic and a normal miccrophone?

A USB mic usually costs more than the normal version of a microphone, but comes with some extra technology inside of it. Let me explain: When you buy a normal microphone you will need a way to plug it into your computer. The way most people go about plugging mics into their computer is through an audio interface. An audio interface is basically a sound "hub" where all of your connections to mics, speakers, instruments, etc. go. Audio interfaces have preamps and AD/DA converters inside of them, the two essential components to changing the analog signal the mic delivers into digital data your computer DAW (such as Cubase) can read. The preamps amplify the sound produced by the mic so it can be played at a line-level volume. The AD/DA converters take the analog audio from the mic and turn it into digital. They also take the digital audio from your computer and turn it into analog so you can plug headphones or monitors into the interface and listen to the sound your computer outputs through them.

So basically when you buy a USB microphone, you are also buying a mini audio interface that comes installed in the mic. This keeps you from spending an extra $200+ dollars on an interface. The downside to having a USB mic is that the mini interface inside the mic isn't very powerful and can cause latency when you're trying to keep in time with a recording you have on your computer, such as a backing track. Still, USB mics are great for beginners, but for your purposes I might rather get a full external interface and a "normal" mic. But it's up to you.

 

[dastrick]

If you're going for something easy, I'd suggest something like the AT 2020 USB microphone for $100.

It won't be the absolute best sound quality, but it will be pretty decent. Anyway, it doesn't sound like to me that your going for pristine quality anyway.

 

[EmilyEvans]

okay thank you, so which audio interface and microphone would you suggest i buy??
and you would not recommend just using a usb microphone even though im on a pretty low budget and just want to get my vocals onto the computer? And are you saying that there will there be a delay when it comes to playing back my vocals with the backing track?

 

[dastrick]

See my previous post. A USB mic will be fine for your needs IMHO. It will be cheaper and easier than buying a seperate microphone and interface.

How much do you want to spend?

 

[EmilyEvans]

Okay. Well i was thinking £200, including the cubase software which i have to buy. ive found cubase 5 on amazon for £60, and a usb mic for £70 but i want to make sure that im making the right choice. if there is going to be a delay in the vocals with a usb mic, should i buy an audio interface and a normal mic instead?

 

[gehauser]

Okay. Well i was thinking £200, including the cubase software which i have to buy. ive found cubase 5 on amazon for £60, and a usb mic for £70 but i want to make sure that im making the right choice. if there is going to be a delay in the vocals with a usb mic, should i buy an audio interface and a normal mic instead?

I would recommend an oktava mk319 (used $100) or sm58 (new $100) mic and the Emu 0404 USB interface (new $200). This interface has good preamps and great AD/DA conversion. You won't need a separate preamp - just use the preamps on the Emu 0404 USB. You can do zero latency hardware monitoring with this interface.

 

[guitarplayr82]

I would recommend an oktava mk319 (used $100) or sm58 (new $100) mic and the Emu 0404 USB interface (new $200). This interface has good preamps and great AD/DA conversion. You won't need a separate preamp - just use the preamps on the Emu 0404 USB. You can do zero latency hardware monitoring with this interface.

THIS^^ That's a great setup.

If you want to go the USB route then that's fine, but buying a full hardware setup will last you longer and it might be worth it even if it means saving up a little bit more to get all the components.

Right now I'm 50/50 on what you should get. In the meantime, how about you get Cubase so you can start fiddling around with it and try recording some with your internal computer mic or with a cheap $5 mic from an office store. That'll at least get you started and it'll give you a better perspective on recording and how much you want to get involved.

Depending on the mic, USB mic latency isn't really all that bad and I think it tends to get exaggerated when giving general statements about USB mics. I think that as long as you shop around, read reviews, and listen to demos of the USB mic you want to buy you'll be happy with your purchase.