Buying first recording setup for Alto Sax

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Mattheww42

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I've been doing a lot of research and now i'd like to ask for others opinions. I want to start recording me playing the alto sax and dubbing it with covers. I'm on a tight budget and from what i've read the Steinberg UR22 interface, SE Electronics X1R mic and maybe a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones may be a good option in my price range... I've read that ribbon mic's are good for saxophones and the X1R is about all i can afford as far as ribbon's are concerned. The other mic i am looking at is the Audio Technica AT2035... Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
The SE ribbon mic looks interesting. I just started recording sax myself and used a condenser mic with great results. Set it up about 1.5 - 2.0 ft away, midway down the sax, and went at it. I used the studio projects C1 and didn't need a lot eq. That mic is completely opposite from a ribbon mic in that it has a hyped upper end. The higher freqs come out strong, if not harsh. Still, I got a great capture with it.

I think what you're looking at will work fine.

Now, about "dubbing it with covers", that brings up some other questions. It's difficult to record new tracks over completed material because most of the time, they have been through a lot of compression and/or limiters. The new track doesn't blend in well and it will sound like it is in a different space altogether, which obviously, it is.

Can you elaborate a little more on that part? What exactly are you recording over? Beats, karaoke stuff, premade backing tracks? Are you doing this for yourself or looking to put it out there for public consumption?
 
I agree with Chilli on the equipment front - I've got an SE2200mp MKII and don't think there's a better mic in that price bracket. I rate SE.
But you problems are going to start at point of mix due to the source of your backing tracks.
Where possible - try to obtain stems of the tracks you want to play on - this may (read: will probably) involve getting a band to re-record/cover the track.
 
With saxes, so much depends on what they sound like. A mellowish alto with a condenser mic is usually nice, but if you have a shrill, thin alto, a condenser may give less than idea results. In this case, the ribbons or dynamics can work better - on that instrument.

I think I'd start with the condenser as you've decided, and fingers crossed it complements your sax.
 
Just that i want to be able to edit out as much of the vocals in a song as i can and replace that part with the Sax. It's just going to be for myself for fun and to be able to listen to myself to see where i need to improve on.
 
If it's just for practice, then no problem. Have fun, I see that as being a great way to learn the instrument.
 
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