Equipment to get Started

[Shout at the De]

Alright, I'm looking to try my hand at getting into recording. I play primarily drums (along with a little bass and trumpet). My problem is that every store in town around me seems to only carry Behringer, and only seems interested in selling what they have in stock. I've heard from a couple people that Behringer gear is low-quality, but I don't know them well enough to take their word for it. Searching Google seems to produce more online stores than actual, well-written reviews. Drum mic-wise I'm fine, as my drum teacher is giving me full access to his assortment of mics. Basically I need some sort of a mixer to run everything through and then possibly an external soundcard to hook it up with. I know some boards come with usb connections, but I don't think they all do. I want a balance between cost and quality, not really interested in cheaping out and getting crap or impoverishing myself and getting pro quality.

 

[scrubs]

Here's an article about the bare basics for home recording:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1818861,00.asp

Your friends are correct in saying that behringer is just about the bottom of the barrel in the quality arena. A few of their items are decent, but they are crap, overall. For mixers, Yamaha, Mackie, and Soundcraft are generally fine for basic needs. M-Audio makes some really decent soundcards that are fairly inexpensive (don't ever let anyone convince you to get a Soundblaster card - they are not really designed for critical recording). If you come up with a tentative shopping list, the search feature of this board is pretty good for finding people's opinions. Also check product reviews at Harmony Central and, to a lesser extent, Musician's Friend and Zzounds.

 

[Dani Pace]

Welcome to the forum. I recomend this site http//www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm to anyone starting out. there is a lot of useful info and product reviews to give you a good introduction to gear and how to use it. Good luck and don't forget to have some fun with it.

 

[bradrourke]

I'm a N00B myself, but that Teakheads site is incredibly helpful. Other helpful sites (to a lamer like me) have been:

http://www.looperman.com/tutorials.php

http://www.guitaristworks.com/studio/

--Brad

 

[Crue Head]

Well I'm thinking of going with a Yamaha EMX5000-20 mixer and M-Audio Firewire 410 for an interface to my computer... thoughts? I haven't been able to find alot of details on the board, but it comes in a nice package with speakers and mics my band can use for live performances, which makes it tempting.

 

[guido #2]

Buy what you can afford. Yeah Berhinger is crap, but in the final analysis, so is Mackie. They just make Better Crap. Get the best you can afford and eventually experience will be your guide.