Good starting equipment for studio

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ChrisThePlant

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Hi there,
I'm looking to build a professional-level studio. It's going to be a work in progress over the next few years. As of right now, I don't even have a place to put the studio that will give me good sound quality; I plan to buy a house and use the basement as the studio eventually.
I'm curious in which order I should buy what and what some essentials are. Obviously cables, mixing board, daw, etc, but things like a compressor I'm hearing a lot about. I don't have the multithousand-dollar budget like most studios. When I buy monitors, I'm looking for them to come to a total of $1k, just to put things in perspective.

My current setup is a Behringer 1602FX 4x1 mixer, M-Audio Bx5a's, and a pc that I'm in the process of building for a daw.

I have a decent home theater system, and have some friends who want to get some recording in, so I was thinking about focusing on the aspects of the studio that would be mobile - headphones, portable daw (laptop), etc, then mixing through headphones and listening on the home theater.

I came into a bit of money and want to buy good equipment, so that's where this question is coming in. I was thinking of buying the following three.
Particularly, I'm wondering if there's a better microphone you'd recommend that might be a better value for the money that that one, I don't want to spend more than that. Also wondering about general opinions of the headphones/headphone mixer.

AKG K240MKII Semi Open Back Headphones

AKG C 414 XL II 9-Pattern Condenser Microphone

Rolls RA62c 6 Channel Professional Headphone/Earphone Amplifier, 1 RAC

The next purchase will be a mixer - with my taxes or something.
 
What are you going to be recording? The AKG is one of those "industry standard" things... I have one, it's a good mic, but it depends what you're planning on using it for..
 
Since your main project is building a home recording studio, did you include it in your plan regarding selecting a high quality audio interface with a great sounding pre-amp? I would spend a lot of time carefully selecting this piece of gear as it can have strong impact on the quality of the recordings. I would prioritize this more than buying a mixer first.

An audio interface will be used to convert analog to digital signals and vice versa, handle incoming and outcoming signals from DAW. Different brands and models can differ in the quality of the conversions. Some brands are better than the others. Look for one with adequate number of inputs and outputs. This goes to say that if you would like to track drums in the future you should not buy a 2 input audio interface (except if your main interest is two-track recording such as guitar and vocals only). Good luck with your projects!
 
Do some reading before buying anything. Especially the sticky threads in this forum on computer recording basics.

You need good monitors for mixing. Using headphones, then checking on a home theater system you will be shaking your head thinking 'what happened?'
Note that open-back headphones really should not be used when multitracking (recording multiple tracks in the studio), as there will be bleed-through.

Define how many tracks you will want to record separately at the same time.
You don't need a mixing board to start out - you use your DAW for that. You do need an audio interface.
 
Sounds good guys. Thanks for the quick reply.

Note that open-back headphones really should not be used when multitracking (recording multiple tracks in the studio), as there will be bleed-through.
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Great note! this is exactly the kind of thing I was looking to get out of this post. I'll need different headphones. Any suggestions? I'll do some homework in the differences between open back and not, but I'd assume there's some change in the audio quality without/with open-backs? What about semi-open-backs?

Since your main project is building a home recording studio, did you include it in your plan regarding selecting a high quality audio interface with a great sounding pre-amp? I would spend a lot of time carefully selecting this piece of gear as it can have strong impact on the quality of the recordings. I would prioritize this more than buying a mixer first.
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Yes I did. I haven't some much research into the audio interface yet. The audio interface is something I plan to spend A LOT of money on. Right now, I'm mixing with my mixing board line direct into my DAW using a Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card. Not ideal, but functional.

Eventually, I'd like a audio interface that I can record at least 16 input tracks on. I want to be able to record audio, guitar, bass, drums, etc all at once without multiple takes and then be able to edit each track independently instead of editing the mix.

What are you going to be recording? The AKG is one of those "industry standard" things... I have one, it's a good mic, but it depends what you're planning on using it for.
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My immediate project is to be recording a male rapper, and hopefully soon a few acoustic guitar musicians. The rapper is more than ready to record, so I'm trying to get something together to record him. I'm obviously recording his vocals. While not in my ideal situation, I need something that works. I plan to bring the headphones, mixer, DAW, and mic to his house and record there, then master after using monitors/headphones/theater.
With the guitar musician, I'll probably use this mic for their vocals and 57 the instrument, I think. Not sure - I need to see how this mic performs in terms of picking up guitar and vocals in one shot due to the single mixing issue. I would kind of like to be a portable studio to start (sans aurelex/equivalent), if that's even possible.
I would like to have a few mics:
- One for instruments, particularly a nice acoustic guitar
- One for vocals
- One for general ambient sounds, like a jam session or a party.

I figure the AKG is a nice combination of the two. Thoughts?

I'm one a somewhat low budget, so I'm trying to start with step 1 and go from there. Sounds like the AKG is a good choice, what would it not be a good choice for?

You need good monitors for mixing. Using headphones, then checking on a home theater system you will be shaking your head thinking 'what happened?'
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I completely agree. I have a set of M-Audio Bx-5a's, and I know they're nowhere near the best. I'm contemplating a set of Rokits - I can't spend more than 1K on monitors total, and that's a purchase for another day. The BX-5's are better than no monitors...I'm going to be using a set of Type-R's that came out of my car audio setup for the subs and tuning them the best I can to the space. I don't even have the board and the like hooked up yet. I may not even use them - I haven't tried, who knows.
 
Soundblaster cards are not up to good quality recording. You might look for a used interface that will meet your needs for number of channels. Something like the Focusrite Saffire Pro24 (8 channels out - but note only 2 mic preamps) can be had on Ebay for $300 new. Saffire Pro40 has 8 preamps and 20 channels (some stereo) for another $100.
 
So I just read some of the stickies - primarily those that talk about the best mics for under $100. I eventually want a pro studio setup, and seem to understand the large vs small diaphragm mics now moreso than I did before reading. So, this begs another question....

I'm getting the impression that the one do-it-all mic I was looking at won't actually do it all. It sounds like a should have a large dia, small dia, and a couple dynamics. For basic guitar, vocals, and maybe a live set, would the 4 listed in the sticky do the trick (I can't post links yet), or is there another mic(s) I should look at. Given my situation(s), I'd like something versatile, with as little sensitivity to a change in the physical environment as possible.

I also don't know the best patterns for good guitar recording or vocal recordings in my space, so I'll have to experiment with that. I love the sound in some of the demos, and would like to record some guitar with a high-quality sound eventually. I also feel that it's a necessity to mention that I'd like a very good vocal recording mic. I'm guessing I don't have to spend a lot to get one, and the primary thing would be a big diaphragm.I'd like to get something that I don't end up blowing my money on when I move, as the physical space I have now is less that ideal.
 
mjbphotos said:
Soundblaster cards are not up to good quality recording. You might look for a used interface that will meet your needs for number of channels. Something like the Focusrite Saffire Pro24 (8 channels out - but note only 2 mic preamps) can be had on Ebay for $300 new. Saffire Pro40 has 8 preamps and 20 channels (some stereo) for another $100.
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I know they aren't, that's why I'm trying to prioritize. Would you get a few cheaper mics in my situation and buy the good interface? I don't know what I would do with 2 preamps..likes 2 guitars and I'm done. Why would you ever have more outputs than inputs?
 
Preamps are used for mic inputs. If you want to plug guitars in, you need a DI input. It's better to mic up guitar amps for sound.
There are NOT more outputs than inputs on those AIs - there are inputs with no preamps - for plugging in keyboards, and other line level signals (for example, if you used an external tube preamp).
 
That makes sense, and what I kind of figured. I don't have a lot on line-in, but a few things. Right now I like the mix of 4 line and 4 preamp inputs on my Behringer, though I realize that Behringer doesn't make the best stuff. The Pro 40 sounds like it'd be my better bet anyway - I'd have more outputs and inputs.
Is there an interface that focuses more on preamps than on line in?
Will it allow me to record multiple simultaneous tracks in my DAW?
 
Hey man, just wanted to share a few things here.... If i were in the situation you were in, I would defintely start doing alot more research before I spent much money... However, that being said, you need to start learning somehow, right!! I would buy a basic mic that you would be able to keep using for a while and an audio interface... Maybe something with 2-4 inputs so you can really start learning.... Your BX5's should work for a while till you really know what you're doing.... Then add another mic after you start getting the hang of things so you can learn the differences between the two.....
 
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