Beginners Studio Checklist

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sonova
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Sonova

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Hi I'm Sonova or Sonny if anyone is on here from Hiphopcartel.net you know me. I'm going to invest in a home studio and I've been looking for a post that has all the basics but I didn't see one so I looked at a couple and this is pretty much what I think I gathered:

Computer w/ Monitor
Midi inteface
interfacing software
Studio Monitors
Microphone

and that's pretty much all a beginner needs to start off with to record right? Keyboard optional for making beats yourself. If anyone else has any other suggestions or if I'm missing something please feel free to add to this post and admin if you want to sticky it so that future newbies with this same question have a one stop thread that's cool too.

If anyone has any in depth tips I'm trying to build on a 1k to 1.2k budget. Help is appreciated. thanks.
 
You didn't list an "audio interface". IMHO this item is very important. Yes, you can use the computer sound card as an audio interface, but the typical computer sound card does a poor job of getting sounds *into* the computer. A real audio interface is designed specifically for audio recording. A computer sound card is not.
 
If you don't have a computer already, build one. Way cheaper and it'll be setup better for a DAW then anything you can buy in the store. You have a decent budget to start out with.
 
If you're looking for a new computer on the budget you stated of 1-1.2k I'd take a look at the Dell Vostro. Not bad for the money and better than you could build yourself for the same money. (IMO self building nets a better audio machine but you don't really see better components until you get to the mid $800 price range and if your total budget is 1k spending $850 on a computer really doesn't leave much for anything else)

If you already have a computer you may just want to look at adding a second hard drive for recording and tweaking XP to make it run as efficiently as possible (you can do this for around $70)

Entry level monitors start at around $150 per speaker and these are very low end. If you have a decent stereo set up already you may be better off using that and doing a lot of listens on a variety of other systems to see how the mix translates

If your recording analog sounds (mic'd vocals and guitars) you will need an audio interface. Entry level begins around $200 bucks for USB $300 for FW for that price you'll get low and converters and preamps but you will be able to get sounds into your computer at a higher quality than the onboard sound card.

Reaper is a pretty nice Software sequencer/mixer and you can have it for $50

You're going to be pretty limited on what you can get mic wise on the budget you have. Given that you probably have an untreated room an no budget for accoustical treatment a dynamic mic is probably the way to go. Something like a Shure SM57 is a good all rounder so start out with and can be had for around $90, although you do need to give it a lot of gain for recording vocals or accoustic guitars but the cartoid pattern does a good job of keeping room noise out of the mix.
 
Smells like a troll, but I'll play along.

Books......you forgot to buy some books to tell you things like "What is a DAW?".

;)
 
1. Screw Audio Monitors? My good gentleman no well minded professional minded individual of the recorded arts would say such a thing. I admire your candor.

2. I have no idea how to troll a recording advice thread. I know how to troll the White Nationalist Republican Party Against Gays and Jude Law site.... but this??? What the Heck can I do menacing here?

3. Is the Midi Interface needed or just recommended cause I save alot if I replace that for the regular Audio Interface if I understand you guys and Amazon.com right.
 
The best monitors in the world can't help you much in an untreated room. Without good bass trapping etc you can't accurately hear your mixes and so can't mix them to a very high level. For example if your room creates refelections and standing waves at 100hz ish you may find all of yor mixes are very thin in the bass when you listen to them elsewhere but sound great in your mixing room

As far as MIDI interface goes
1> Many audio interfaces include MIDI ins and outs so can do double duty
2> Many MIDI controllers can also run through a USB connection and since MIDI is just low bandwidth numbers (unlike Audio data) it works very well with USB
 
Unless you are running outboard MIDI devices (ie keyboards, sequencers), you don't need the MIDI interface.
 
I plan on making beats with a keyboard so I'll take he Midi Device as needed.

and which books would I get to help me through this cause Amazon has a million and 1 "Easy Breezy beautiful Studio" books on it.
 
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