CHEAP Setup for R&B Vocals! Help Me!

[BryanEllisRnB]

My Situation:
Ok.. I'm new to the website here but have been reading posts for I don't know how long in my search for a cheap but decent setup..
I'm an upcoming R&B singer/songwriter (www.myspace.com/bryanellis)
Times are RUFF right now and the industry is showing alot of interest in me.. my problem is I need to provide my fans (from my website) with some more mixtape material (over industry beats and twists on popular songs, etc.) which obviously doesn't have to be radio quality, but needs to sound pretty decent and be able to capture my tone and voice. I don't wanna spend money (because I don't have it, for one) on studio time when I have so much mixtape material to record.. So I'm taking my shot at a small setup..My price range is literally only a few hundred bucks.. about $275 MAX, having to allow room for shipping, etc. I have about 3 weeks to record all my material before I start pushing some mixtapes during Spring Break in FL.

My Setup Idea:
I'm trading in my laptop (since it's weak) for a desktop with some good ram and strong processor.. but beyond that I'm open to suggestions. This is what I've come up with so far as a means to just lay down some vocals that will handle my range and give a decent sound.... I'm using Logic Platinum 5.5 for recording.

MXL 990 Package with Shockmount (69.99)

Necessary Mic Accessories (Pop Filter, Stand, cables, etc.) ($40)

ART MicroMix Preamp ($55)

Soundblaster Live! Sound Card w/ KX Driver for ASIO Support ($55)

Cheap Desktop Mini Studio Monitors (ebay - $50)

Please realize.. I know I should really be trying to just come up with better equipment, but it's an urgent situation and I NEED to lay down some vocals.. so any input and suggestions are GREATLY appreciated.

Bryan Ellis
www.myspace.com/bryanellis

 

[scrubs]

MXL 990 Package with Shockmount (69.99)

Necessary Mic Accessories (Pop Filter, Stand, cables, etc.) ($40)

ART MicroMix Preamp ($55)

Soundblaster Live! Sound Card w/ KX Driver for ASIO Support ($55)

Cheap Desktop Mini Studio Monitors (ebay - $50)

This is a pretty "bare-bones" setup and, while it will accomplish what you want, the results may not be stellar. Since you state you've been doing research on this site, you probably know the general consensus is that the Soundblaster cards suck. They may claim great specs, but they are not designed for recording and tend to be quite noisy. I'm not familiar with that ART preamp either. If you're only adding vocals to existing tracks, you might be able to get away with headphones instead of monitors, since you'll need them for tracking anyway (I know you shouldn't, but you could). Also, you need to think about things like acoustic treatment for the room you'll be recording in. You can deaden some room reflections with heavy blankets, mattresses, etc. which will probably be good enough.

If I were in your situation, this is what I would buy:

mic: MXL V67g or Studio Projects B1 ($99); the 990 is an ok mic if you can't afford one of the others
preamp: Studio Projects VTB1 ($99); ART Tube MP or Behringer MIC100 ($49) of you need to stay cheap
soundcard: M-Audio 2496 ($99) - if you can't swing it, just use the line-in on your computer's soundcard as the SB would just be a waste of money.
monitors: headphones - ATH-M30 ($59) or ATH-M40fs ($69) or whatever you've got lying around. any cheap computer speakers will work too. then burn your mixes to cd and listen to them on a few different systems to give you guidance on remixing.
cables: whatever you can get
pop filter: make your own with a wire hanger and some pantyhose
room treatment: blankets, mattresses, recording in a closet full of clothes, etc.