help me set up studio in Irish cottage

  • Thread starter Thread starter EannaDee
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EannaDee

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Hi,

so here's me... it's been a good year and I have a few quid - Irish slang for $2,000 to spend - for buying home recording gear. I've been out of the musique game for a few years and now want to enjoy my time in my country cottage recording an extensive back catalogue of kick ass tunes well received on the party/demo/benefit circuit. I want to marry acoustic guitar sounds with double bass, African drums, Irish traditional licks on fiddle and flute with ambient soundscapes for sonic pleasures in the home on the radio or driving. I am a competent keyboard and guitar player, I hold a University degree in musique (composition) and am keen to invest my time and energy in the home recording and production process. Simple question - how best to spend my casheesh? Best offer so far - monitors, 2 compression mics, valve pre-amp and a Roland 8 track for $2k. Any help?

yours under the hunter's moon,
Eanna
 
Yo EnnadeenmeenabennaKEENA:]

First off, get three flagons of Laphroig and a few ice cubes. Pour and drink; then, get on this site and search and read.

Get drunk and sleep.

Start over the next day laddie/lassie.

Merry Christmas
The Green Hornet
 
Wooooow...

When you're finished with it, let me know so I can dream about one day having the chance to go back to Ireland and record there. It sounds like you've already got the "ambience" part nailed, and any home recordist will tell you - that's the hardest part.
 
Are you interested in recording on a computer? For a lot of people, you get more for your money that way.
 
Don't listen to Green Hornet! Anyone who takes his Laphroig with ice is nuts.
 
That sounds like some interesting material !

Ok, just a couple of questions.

I've been hanging around in a small studio in Waterford a bit lately, watching and learning. The music being recorded at the moment is traditional Irish fare, but with the addition of some real jazz guitar comping and licks. One thing I've realised while watching these guys is : Overdubbing has to be kept to a minimum...most of them play by ear and feel, and talented as they are, you can't reproduce the feel created when the bodhran player, guitarist and fiddle player are locked together on a live recording.

I'm assuming that you aren't planning to play all those instruments yourself. So a certain amount of isolation for different instruments would probably be good, to stop the fiddle come through the double bass mic etc. The more experienced studio designer guys should be able to help you here. To get a proper live feel, you will need at least 4 condenser mics. Again someone with more first hand knowledge of what mic to use for ech instrument may be better able to help you here, esp for recording the double bass, which I've never done.

If you do this live, than you will need four preamps , better yet a decent mixer. You will probably need a few pairs of heaphones so people playing instruments that have been isolated can hear the others. You will definately need some good monitors, I use the Mackie HR824's which I really like.

Getting all this under £2000 ?

Tricky. Maybe not completely impossible though. I would look for a second hand Mackie mixer with 4-6 channels, some second hand monitors, get something like a Delta 44 soundcard, which has 4 inputs (assuming you have a computer) some headphones and four condensor mics.

Oh yeah and some cheap software for recording. I use Cool Edit Pro at the moment, but maybe something cheaper like n-track would do the job.

Probably gonna have to spend at least £3000 for that lot.

I'm assuming alot of things here, I don't know if you have a PC, or even want to use it for audio if you do. Maybe you were planning on recording one track at a time, and have the ability and patience to do it. Just giving you some other options to think about.

Feel free to email me at my work address if you want me to run anything by the guys in the studio.

nathan.power@agriculture.gov.ie

pAp.
 
Do you need sound insultaion in your coming studio? Will wind and rain disturb? Will you disturb your neighbors?

I would suggest a stereo pair of omnidirectional mics for recording. I've heard several recordings of folk music using just a pair of omnis and if you're looking for a natural sound, it may be the way to go.

Can you post plans of the room(s) where you will put your studio? Post them in the stuido building forum.

Cheers

/Ola
 
Question for Ola....

Would a setup like you just described record a double bass adequately ?

pAp.
 
Hi Eanna,

I was looking to spend similar amount of cash to you about 2 years ago. Although my style of music would be fairly different (more indie, alt.country style - the Pernice Brothers, Kingsbury Manx, Mercury Rev). I ended up getting a Roland 880ex for about £1150 in Waltons in Dublin. I also got a pair of Roland monitors for about £200.

The thing is, you can get most of this stuff for less cash from Turnkey or Digital Village in the UK. I recently bought a Joe Meek Trakpak (a condenser mike + outboard compressor) from Digital Village for about 300 sterling (www.digitalvillage.co.uk). Even after the currency conversion and postage/packing, it was still cheaper than what Waltons were offering. Sound on Sound and Future Music magazines always have the latest product lists for these stores. However you may prefer to buy direct from a shop rather than over the phone/mail order.

Anyway , try www.geocities.com/roland_rock/links.htm for a full list of UK music stores.

There's also Studio Solutions in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath (www.studiosolutions.ie) - you may have been there already...? I actually haven't seen it yet.

Hey Pappillon! It's real small world... Check out my email address: sean.fitzgerald@agriculture.gov.ie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S.
 
SeanF said:

Hey Pappillon! It's real small world... Check out my email address: sean.fitzgerald@agriculture.gov.ie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S.
Click to expand...

Now that's just scary. :D

In addition to the places you mentioned, the best prices (and service) I've seen online audio and recording gear is R&W Online, http://www.raperandwayman.com/rw/index.asp very, quick delivery and really good prices. Customer enquires by email are answered in a matter of hours rather than days.

Must check out that Studio Solutions link,

Cheers,

Nathan.
 
The recordings I've heard have included double-bass and yes, they have sounded very much like a double-bass does.

Keep in mind that recording with omnis will make your recording sound like your room. If you have a nic-sounding room and want your recording to sound "like the performance does", I think that it's the way to go.

I'm planning on getting a pair of those cheap new Behringer omnis, because the Earthworks I really want are about $1000 a piece.
 
YO and Ice:]

I learned about Laphroig in a novel, THE EIGER SANCTION, and the protagonist was named, JONATHAN HEMLOCK. Later, it was a movie with a fairly good cast, a very good cast now that I think about it.

But, I just can't get away from using ice. Must be because I like to difuse the booze a bit so I can drink more of it.

Green Hornet

Have to keep the cabinet locked so Kato doesn't drink all the Laphroig.
 
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