First real Home Studio need advice

[guap_man]

Hey everyone i was hoping for some suggestions from knowledgeable people. iv been rapping for about 3 years now, and i wana take it to the next level "Recods some songs."

--There are some problems tho...My budget. No more than 200 dollars to get this cracking.

Heres the thing, im set on getting the shure sm58 mic as iv heard great things, leaving me with around 100 dollars

Now all i care about is getting the best quality sound....and my sound blaster isn't gonna do the job.

What will get me the best sound for the money on my computer.... a nice pre amp for 100 and use my sound blaster audigy se...orrr a preamp/interface combo for under 100

iv heard the maudio audiobuddy is good but with my soundcard will it shine or barely help......i also seen a preamp/interface combo its called rolls gci404 is that any good....anyways any help is appreciated

 

[wargasms]

guap man, if i were you id wait until i could get at least 300.

you trying to record rap vocals?

what id with 300 is

check ebay for m-audio omnistudio usb interface.

i had one, sold it when i quit rapping ,tried other interfaces and just ended up buying one again.

i got it for $100 shipped off ebay about 2 weeks ago now, they pop up every week or so, and you can get them from 100-140. Best bang for buck imo, also consider these originally sold at around $500. This will be money better spent than an audiobuddy and separate recording card imo especially if you use windows XP, just make sure you go to the m-audio site and get the most up to date drivers.


you need xlr cable, mic stand, and i'd get a mxl v67g or an akg perception 100 or 200 microphone depending on what you think will work best on your voice. Id go to ebay used for that.

Finally, id get a pair of Sony MDR-v6 headphones, since monitors are pretty much out of the question at your budget. These are great durable headphones that will hold you down until you can invest more


my first setup was an audiobuddy into a stock soundcard with a mxl v93m microphone, and i managed to get some pretty workable quality vocals out of it, but trust me this will be much better.

 

[Shadow_7]

M-Audio Mobile Pre - used - $80
SM58 - used - $65
Mogami XLR Gold cable - new - $55

That's about All I see fitting into that budget. For anything decent per say, you would probably want to spend that budget on each individual item. Of course that doesn't cover the full monty...

Headphones - Sony MDR-v600 - $100 (a decade ago at circuit city)
Mic Stand - $25 (radio shack)
Boom Arm - $18 (radio shack)

And there's better sounding interfaces than the mobile pre. But you might not notice it coming out of a soundblaster.

 

[guap_man]

hey thanks.....wargasms thats exatlly what i was looking for with that OmniStudio USB interface...something cheap but with alot of value, i see one on ebay starting at 75 might be able to get it for 100 hopefully.....but i think im gona stick with the sm57or58 everyone says there good...have you used one what makes you say to use the v67g....and what kind of xlr cable do you use the guy under ur post said it was 60 dollars thats alot for a cable....basically useing a computer for an example i don't want to have an expensive video card when i have 256 ram and 2.8gz processor....theres no point.

 

[Randy Yell]

Don't go to radio shack for a mic stand, you can get them at Musician's friend much cheaper. As far as the sm 57 it a good dependable mic which is great for live use but for recording vocals you might be happier with an inexpensive large diameter condensor. Check out MXL mics at musicians friend, i think the 990 is only about $60. As far as your interface goes, you do have a choice, you could get an usb interface with a built in mic preamp or use your audigy with either a preamp or small mixer. I had an audio buddy and liked it but there are small mixers out there that would do the trick for you as well. As far as sound quality you can get very good results with the sound blaster but not professional results which you'll have a hard time acheiving with anything within your budget as studios have many thousands of dollars invested in their equipment. The quality that you can acheive with inexpensive equipment will surprise you though, it might not be professional but it still can be very impressive.

 

[Randy Yell]

By the way you can get a perfectly usable mic cable from Musician's Friend for about $10.

 

[hairylarry]

gls

Hi,

The GLS mic cables on ebay are better then the cheap Musician's Friend cables and cheaper or as cheap.

GLS also sells mics similar to the SM57 and SM58 that get good reviews. I haven't used them.

PSSL still has some of the MCA SP1 mics in stock. These are closing out at $40 new and are as good a mic as any of the other under $100 MXL mics. MCA mics are made by MXL.

All of this is great fun to tweak around with but none of it is nearly as important as the quality of the performance. Cheap mics into a cassette deck can sound great if the performance is happening. Even at $200 what you're talking about is steps up from that.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[Treeline]

Hi,

The GLS mic cables on ebay are better then the cheap Musician's Friend cables and cheaper or as cheap.

I've bought a boatload of their stuff and it is pretty decent - very good for the price. The 1/4" plugs can loosen up if you don't pay attention. They're good quality screw-type plugs. I've learned to check cable end tightness every time I handle a cable. Works fine.


I'll echo the recomendation for basic used gear. $ 100 doesn't go far at all. Good idea to begin with an SM58 for a mic. I'd get a real one and not settle for a fifty dollar mic.

But to get started, a more realistic number is $ 500.

 

[guap_man]

thanks for the help everyone, this is a really good forum, im learning alot......

if you guys say 200 isn't enough, if i was to spent more money where would a do it....
better mic?
different preamp usb interface?....heres what im thing of getting so far taking in account everyones input.

MXLV67G mic

MAudio OmniStudio USB 4x4 Recording Interface

i can get both for 200 on ebay

and then cables and the rest il get for a deal the gls cables look good

 

[wargasms]

you also will need a mic stand and pop filter. make sure the mic you buy has a mount, particularly a shockmount.

a week ago i would have said

yes get the omnistudio usb if you can get it for cheap, but also get the mxl 960 tube mic from musicians friend, for $150 shipped. It comes with mogami cables and power source. Its 250 now. But its an excellent microphone.


thats my recording setup now, here is my first recording with this setup, using Cool edit pro 2.0 as my recording software. On a windows XP, celeron pc, with 768mb ram

http://www.zshare.net/audio/8955933a9bf437/


mxl v67g should serve you well though and be alot more affordable since the price has gone up $100 on the 960.

 

[guap_man]

ok soooo...

lol, i ended up buying a grove tube gt67 mic

what do you guys think about that, doesn't really mater cuz i already bought it but i was just wondering.

also will that work well with the MAudio OmniStudio usb interface

 

[BudgetMC]

Tell us that you got if for less than $200 and we'll have to come slap you around a bit...

 

[guap_man]

yeahhh.....

i saw this coming, got it for 175, please explain this to me i got it on ebay now im lost cuz i keep reading up on tube mices and idk...i guess i need a tube preamp....the brick...

help me out here

 

[guap_man]

i canceled the ebay purchase....so let me start over with this im going crazy.

the mxl v67g sounds liek its good but the whole thing about it being dark what does that mean....that might no suite my voice>>>read further

im willing to spent at most 200 maybe a tad higher, get it used on ebay.....

whats the difference in sound when people talk about transparent, color, bright and dark sound....my voice is a little bit neazely when i rap but i like that and i do alot of rapping with a high griddy throat sound....i guess if i had to compare to anyone maybe something like lil wayne....what kind of mic will give me a good clean sound but accent the griddyness and the "sss" sounds when im rapping.

 

[PhilGood]

MAudio OmniStudio USB 4x4 Recording Interface

Oooohh!!!! Stay away from multi-channel USB stuff! It never works right. You always end up with lag problems. Go PCI any time you can.

 

[guap_man]

hrm

if i do that im gonna have to buy a preamp as well and that will go way over my budget....il looking to send not more than 300 for everything....not including a shock stand or cables or anything tho...

well instead of that usb interface what can i use that will not cut into my budget

 

[Shadow_7]

If you don't mind going used...

$100 M-Audio Delta 44
$120 M-Audio DMP3
+ mics + cables + .....

 

[guap_man]

ok....what is gonna give me better quality...

delta 44-$100 /M-Audio DMP3-$120 /v67g-$100

total $320

orrr...

v67 mogami edition-$220 /omnistudio usb interface-$100

total $320

 

[Randy Yell]

Well the preamps in the dmp 3 are going to be better than the ones in the omnistudio. I've never used a usb interface so I can't comment on any potentual problems but I have the m-audio audiophile sound card which is a lil brother of the 44 and I've never had problems of any kind with it. Given the first option gives you a decent preamp it sounds better to me. I know you've already cancelled the groove tube mic but you do not need a tube preamp with a tube mic, matter of fact you don't even need phantom power as they come with their own power supply (you do still need a preamp though, lol).

 

[Treeline]

If you can find a DMP3, grab it. Good inexpensive preamp. I've had one for years and it's always been dependable and clean. Better than an entry level mixer by far.