A
Arathald
New member
[EDIT: Apparently I can't provide the links to MF that I wanted to, so I removed those. Anything I mentioned should be a breeze to look up on their site if necessary. I put prices in place of the links for those of you who just want to see that.]
Hey all,
I've been doing some recording of my vocals and my guitar playing (pretty good at the former, not so much at the latter) with a really terrible microphone that I just found lying around (I think it came with a pair of gaming headphones I bought a while back). I've done quite a bit of audio work in the past (mostly live), and I am very interested in getting a halfway decent recording setup. I put this thread in this forum since I'm going to be asking about a number of different things, so it doesn't really fit anywhere...
I spent a couple days browsing around and reading reviews, and I think I've come to some sort of decision as to what I want to buy when I have the money (it's gonna be a couple months until I get my signing bonus from my summer job). I'm renting a spare bedroom from a friend over the summer, to I'm trying to get a setup that won't take up too much room, or will hide away in a closet nicely until I need it. I don't anticipate a whole lot of extraneous noise where I'll be set up.
So, here is what I was thinking (I've provided links to MF not because I'm definitely buying from them, but because it's convenient, especially since they give me a good centralized place to put a wishlist). FYI, I'm planning on recording a lot of a capella stuff or stuff with very light instrumentals (I've been working on recording my own version of Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek, which is going great so far, considering my lack of good equipment). My voice is Baritone-Tenor, with either a dark or mellow sound (I've been told I have a country voice... I prefer to think folk rock since I don't like country).
Microphone:
CAD e300 -- This would basically be for vocals, I suppose I could record guitar with it. I really like the fact that I can change the pickup pattern with this microphone.
$299.99
Interface:
Mbox 2 or Mbox 2 Pro -- I did a lot of research, and I think having Pro Tools bundled with my interface would give me a huge step up. I was originally thinking of the mini, but if I ever want to use 2 mics simultaneously, I'm sure I'll wished I bought one of the higher models. The primary reason I was thinking of the pro above jus tthe plain Mbox 2 is that it has a firewire interface; I read that the firewire interface gives you the option for low-latency monitoring, does this actually make that big of a difference when layering vocals or is there another way around that problem (right now, I'm recording with a terrible mic in Audacity, and Audacity shifts my recording back by a certain amount after I'm done to make up for the latency, and that works beautifully)? I also found a bundle that might help me out with some of the random things I need, and at this point, is the only way I'd be buying monitors.
Mbox 2: $449.00
Mbox 2 Pro: $699.00
Mbox 2 Bundle (Mbox 2, 2x PM0.4 Monitors, AT2020, some cables and a mic stand): $599.99
Preamp (maybe):
ART Tube PAC -- I know that the Mbox units all have preamps in them, but is that preamp god quality or am I better off feeding the mic(s) through a dedicated preamp then through to the Mbox? I found this one to be highly recommended.
$99.99
Headphones:
I have no idea.... Anyone have any recommendations for a set of headphones for under $100 that will do me well both as a playback/recording monitor while I'm singing, and later to do my mixing on (I know I'm not supposed to mix on headphones, but I don't think a set of monitors is the best option for my setup, considering I'm renting a room from someone).
Thanks much.
Hey all,
I've been doing some recording of my vocals and my guitar playing (pretty good at the former, not so much at the latter) with a really terrible microphone that I just found lying around (I think it came with a pair of gaming headphones I bought a while back). I've done quite a bit of audio work in the past (mostly live), and I am very interested in getting a halfway decent recording setup. I put this thread in this forum since I'm going to be asking about a number of different things, so it doesn't really fit anywhere...
I spent a couple days browsing around and reading reviews, and I think I've come to some sort of decision as to what I want to buy when I have the money (it's gonna be a couple months until I get my signing bonus from my summer job). I'm renting a spare bedroom from a friend over the summer, to I'm trying to get a setup that won't take up too much room, or will hide away in a closet nicely until I need it. I don't anticipate a whole lot of extraneous noise where I'll be set up.
So, here is what I was thinking (I've provided links to MF not because I'm definitely buying from them, but because it's convenient, especially since they give me a good centralized place to put a wishlist). FYI, I'm planning on recording a lot of a capella stuff or stuff with very light instrumentals (I've been working on recording my own version of Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek, which is going great so far, considering my lack of good equipment). My voice is Baritone-Tenor, with either a dark or mellow sound (I've been told I have a country voice... I prefer to think folk rock since I don't like country).
Microphone:
CAD e300 -- This would basically be for vocals, I suppose I could record guitar with it. I really like the fact that I can change the pickup pattern with this microphone.
$299.99
Interface:
Mbox 2 or Mbox 2 Pro -- I did a lot of research, and I think having Pro Tools bundled with my interface would give me a huge step up. I was originally thinking of the mini, but if I ever want to use 2 mics simultaneously, I'm sure I'll wished I bought one of the higher models. The primary reason I was thinking of the pro above jus tthe plain Mbox 2 is that it has a firewire interface; I read that the firewire interface gives you the option for low-latency monitoring, does this actually make that big of a difference when layering vocals or is there another way around that problem (right now, I'm recording with a terrible mic in Audacity, and Audacity shifts my recording back by a certain amount after I'm done to make up for the latency, and that works beautifully)? I also found a bundle that might help me out with some of the random things I need, and at this point, is the only way I'd be buying monitors.
Mbox 2: $449.00
Mbox 2 Pro: $699.00
Mbox 2 Bundle (Mbox 2, 2x PM0.4 Monitors, AT2020, some cables and a mic stand): $599.99
Preamp (maybe):
ART Tube PAC -- I know that the Mbox units all have preamps in them, but is that preamp god quality or am I better off feeding the mic(s) through a dedicated preamp then through to the Mbox? I found this one to be highly recommended.
$99.99
Headphones:
I have no idea.... Anyone have any recommendations for a set of headphones for under $100 that will do me well both as a playback/recording monitor while I'm singing, and later to do my mixing on (I know I'm not supposed to mix on headphones, but I don't think a set of monitors is the best option for my setup, considering I'm renting a room from someone).
Thanks much.
