Building Your Basic Studio for BOOMIN Quality

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NCmedia

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Hi guys,

New here so I thought I'd start out with something useful. Perhaps this will be ultra noob for most, perhaps it won't, as long as it helps one person I'm good.

I run a marketing forum and some of my guys there produce too, and many get interested in it all the time so I threw this together for them and in reading a lot of the threads here I figured I'd be proactive and put this up.

Here is what I've been working with for the past few years, and as tech becomes more versatile and compact, I'm sure this will (and has) changed into many variations however this is still rather standard for many (give or take a few components/filters/etc).

------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: None of these are affiliate links, I do not benefit anywhere, just want to build some rep, and this is the stuff I personally use so can quantify it..

ebay most of this shtuff: here is links...

1. SOUND CARD >> Most important: Real sound card (no not your soundblaster pro - that's NOT real studio gear and don't let anyone tell you differently. Get a M-audio sound card. They are inexpensive, simple PCI slot enabled cards).

2. Midi signal reader - also get M-audio (i use the UNO - all you need - like $30 or less...).

3. Midi controller keyboard (any keyboard that has midi in/out - ebay under $100).

4. Get a good condensor mic: Audio-Technica makes great beginner pro mic's. (under $200)

5. Get a pro mixing board, try to get one with mic preamps - will make a difference to those that are perfectionists.

That's it - the rest is software and cable based + knowledge/trial/error/creativity, and sample based -That same site above gives you sounds/kicks/snares/bass lines/samples/effects, and you integrate with either CuBase or LogicAudio (get cubase - this is the only expensive part).

Then you get what are known as 'VST's' (Virtual Studio Technology) = Virtual Instrument = In basic English - Plugin's for Cubase that give you sounds, effects, mastering components, sample banks, samplers, etc. Consider it like you would a wordpress plugin, and wordpress is the host software/engine. Here Cubase is your host, and the VST's are your plugins... There's literally thousands of these, some are free, others cost thousands per plugin.

Then there's always external gear. This is like a DJ setup, drum machines, real instruments, bongo's, whateva - you record those through the mic, or through cables (i.e. an electric guitar, or a DJ mixer...).

One thing I didn't mention above is your listening/output. Get yourself either a good pair of studio monitors to get crisp real sounding audio, or get a pair of studio earphones so you can mix/listen in detail (or do both, and gage both as you mixdown).

Voila, add some creativity and you're golden. There's also a ton of other stuff like ableton, reason, good ol' pro-tools, and quick editors like audacity, soundforge, cool edit but none of those really do much more than edit your samples, not multi-track...

Here is a chart I made of what's going on - this is using the gear I use too (minus a lot of external gear and random other audio stuff).

pro-studio-setup.jpg



*Don't cheap out on MIC's. Get a studio quality MIC and stay away from USB MIC's I don't care what reviews you read.

*If you use any external gear (samplers, keyboards, etc), be prepared to learn how to record those layers when mixing down (example: You have a hot beat you made in fruityloops which is integrated into cubase, you want to lay some synths from your triton, and do som vocal work - it will all have to be recorded in layers and be IN your machine, not just pre-recorded on your triton and played back by midi triggers).

*When doing your recording/editing/mixing/mastering, pay REALLY close attention to your stereo panning. When you do a cool riff, record it again and now split the channels with one 100% pan left, and the other 100% pan right. Chances are you recorded with a few different characteristics (volume, sensitivity of keypress, length, quantizing..) that will sound great when separated/mixed down. Even give each it's own frequency/EQ'ing to differentiate them, or even change the instrument in one ear...

*Always make sure your drums are stereo panned (especially on the final 4 of an 8 bar measure before the next drop ((like a drum roll with each drum hit being in the other ear,))). Drums, one lead instrument per measure/arrangement, and the bass are the most powerful components and should be kept a touch above the rest re velocity.

* (most producers nightmare >>)_Don't overpower your snares (very easy to do - good way to always check, once you have a basic beat down, turn it RIGHT UP in volume, and if the snare beats the shit out of your ear, tone it down or tone the actual snares sample down in hz/highs).

*When building beats, keep structure in mind (intro/chorus/verse/chorus2/verse2/3/3/outro..).

If you're doing vocals and its a song (vs. narration or other audio needs), always play with overlays, doubling yourself over your own voice, ad libs, and fillers to also give characteristics, panning, and depth to your music. Do a lead vocal, then do a left ear double up, then a right ear double up. Now you have 3 layers to play with, make the lead the loudest, separate the other two per pan left/right, and give it a few effects. Now do one more overlay over the lead to fill other areas/do adlibs and turn that down a touch under the main lead - mix/master).

Getting that BOOOM sound is an artform, even after a decade its still a process and a half for me. Once the final mixdown occurs in Cubase for me, I export as a high hz rate .wav and import it to soundforge, and normalize/peak it some more so it's absolutely maximized on the wav pattern on screen yet isn't redlining. Then EQ a lil' more, then re-export another copy of the .wav to compare to the original. Pick the one I like, and take it OUT of the studio, and into my truck, which is still a standard escalade system (hc) to see what it sounds like on a normal system (because in a studio 'anything' can sound good - which is another problem with high end home audio systems and or cheap 'studio' monitors tend to have). If it sounds peaked and nice on a normal system or a cheap system, then you're golden. There are also places you can simply send your .wav that will do some mastering for you on your final export (as much as you can do with one layer of stereo audio - but still when you have pro filters and limiters and mastering equiptment you can re-master anything to sound like it has a concert/club finish to it).

Hope that helps shed some light for you, and best of luck building your beats/making music!!

Pic of my dungeon:

norbstudio1.jpg


NC.

EDIT: If there's a better sub-forum for this pls move at will.
 
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Dude, there are a whole bunch of issues with that post...not to mention the room setup pictured at the bottom. You may want to go back and do some more research.

Frank
 
Hi Frank.

Just trying to help people, and this is what works for me.

The setup from the pic is no longer as that was a temp spot and the only pic I have that shows most of the toys... Actually in the midst of another move and we're doing proper rooms/booths (going to film/doc the whole thing and will post here - I agree the room in the pic is les miserables re treatment but you make due with the cards you're dealt at any time.. Used my earphones a lot while there :(). Anyway sorry if anything isn't what you'd consider standard or optimal however this setup treats me/my audio very well, room aside (perhaps this thread should be moved then - I realize now this is literally building the environment and rooms/booths instead of the studio components themselves).
 
I agree the room in the pic is les miserables re treatment
Depends on which room you are referring to...ie..I like the one through the window. Looks pretty comfy to me.:laughings:
 
Don't get me wrong man...I'm not getting on your case to be a jerk, honestly. I just don't want anybody to jump on your case, that's all. I'm also interested in not passing on any misinformation that I'll have to spend post after post de-bunking. :)

Frank
 
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