Help :)

[React]

Hi All ive been reading threads from other people... but most of the people that have posted already know ALOT more then i do... ive recorded ALOOOT in studios but they were real studios... and i didnt know what anything did... so recently i got cool edit pro and a brand new dell laptop 1100 inspiron but of course where i lived... it got stolen..... so from scratch again im setting up a studio at my brother house.... I Rap and got about a grand for the basics for a studio can anyone please tell me what i need to start and explain what each thing is... like MIDI and condenser mic and all that... why do studios have more then 1 computer what is each individually used for? what does a mixer do and why do i need one? how do i attach a mic to the computer, through a soundcard and if so what kind? i got alot of questions and im nwe to this not to rap.... i win tournament battles and got alot of street cred where i live so i wanna move it to the next level, and i cant get anywhere without asking questions, even stupid questions will teach me i appreciate Anything anyone will help me with im really eager to do this.. i love music, i dont want money..... Music <3 i know everyone appreciates that Thank

Lifes like good music, its not going anywhere till you get it on track - React

 

[Echelon]

Ok, first question is simply this... Do you produce your own beats? Answer that and I'll do what I can to help.

 

[React]

i do make my own beats, but thats with fruity loops, and to that im new cuz i had just got a computer for the first time in my life

 

[SPINSTERWUN]

First of all, here is a TON of reading for you....

http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

 

[SPINSTERWUN]

i do make my own beats, but thats with fruity loops, and to that im new cuz i had just got a computer for the first time in my life

You can buy a refurbished comp off of the DELL site, buy a new copy of FLP V5, a mic, and a pair of used monitors off of EBAY.

You might be able to get all of that for $1,000 USD.

 

[SPINSTERWUN]

You will also need a soundcard.

 

[React]

Thanks alot man but i still got alot of questions

i got about 4 19" dell monitors... prolly stolen but i bought them from people where i live lol

what kinda mic do i get... i want to get a hanging mic or one i can put on a stand cuz its gonna go in a booth im making the booth is prolly about the size of a bathroom ( Not a bathroom lol )

and as for buying a refurbished comp from dell.. thats what i did and it got stolen.... im still gonna have to make payments on it

How many comps do i neeD? to run the studio 2 or 3? cuz i always see alot of them attached in a studio i can come up with like 3 that run atleast 1.2 GHz with some decent drive space

 

[Tifstorey]

You will only need one computer for a home set up, even if you will be recording other people, most chances you will still only need one. If you can come up with 3, i would say put all that money into one and get a nice powerful monster!

If your going to be recording vocals with the mic, you will need a nice condenser mic, maybe look at the Rode mics that they have.

As for the comp from Dell, Do you not have any kind of insurance that covered it? Seems a sickener that you have to keep making payments on something thats been stolen

 

[React]

no im saying i already got a couple comps but there not fast im gettin random stuff like i got some 855Mhz comps right now but i wanna get better ones and i see all these monitors in studios with different things on the screens whats that? lol im really newb sorry

plus these comps were just given to me, i dont really wanna buy new comps but how fast and how much ram minimum maybe 256? just askin thanx

and about the computer i wasnt offered insurance and yea now i gotta pay $40 a month for like 2 years sad huh i dont even have a cell phone.....

ive been reading all those links you gave me for 4 hours now spinster.. thanx its really helping

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

i see all these monitors in studios with different things on the screens whats that? lol im really newb sorry

Just because you see 2 or 3 monitors in a studio it doesn't necessarily mean there is more than one comp. It just means the video card in the comp supports multiple monitors so you can have different things on different screens (sequencer on one, virtual mixer on the other etc).

It's really a luxury for studios for whom money isn't too much of a worry. It would be nice but if I had the money for a better video card and another monitor I'd rather put it towards a nice mic or a pre or something.

 

[Echelon]

Once you get the comp, you will need a soundcard... Depending on what you want to do and how many tracks you want to record at a time I would suggest the Presonus firepod. It has 8 mic in puts and 8 mic preamps, unfortunately, it may be out of your budget if you've got $1000 for the whole system. People say good things about the delta 1010, not sure about the cost though.

If you have the time, you could build your own computer, which would be cheaper than buying from dell or any other company.

All in all, $1000 is somewhat limiting, but ths is probally how it will break down...

Computer = $500 (possibly... if you build it or you get a good deal off of ebay).
Monitors = $300 (There is plenty of info on monitors if you search the bbs).
Mic = $150 (you need a vocal mic, most of which are between 400-600, $150 is the cost of the behringer B2, by no means professional, but I don't really see a choice on the budget).
Soundcard = $230 (for the Delta 1010LT, never used it, but heard good things)

Now i know this puts you over your $1000 but it possible you may be able to pick it up used for cheaper. All in all, it's going to be tough to grab what you want for the price. Keep looking though, keep asking question and i'm sure it will all work out. A lot of people just buy the essentials and continually add on as they get more money.

 

[SPINSTERWUN]

You could do something like this...

First you will need a faster comp (get as close as you can to 3ghz and H/T). Look on EBAY or the DELL site, you can get something good for $400.

Since you have video monitors, you won't need to spend money on those.

If you want to have a multiple video monitor setup you'll need a different video card. You can get an ATI Raedeon (sp?) dual head video card for $70 - $130).

You will need at least 512MB of RAM. I would suggest at least 1 GIG of RAM.

That extra 512 stick of RAM will cost about $70.

You can get a pair of reference monitors (audio) on EBAY for about $200.

You can run your VST's off of one of your extra computers.

You can "slave" (sync) an extra program off of one of your extra computers to your main comp.

You can pick up a used Akai MPD-16 off of EBAY for about $150.

You can get a M-audio Audiophile 24/96 for $100

So..... you are at about $990. You still need a mic, mixer (if you are going to "slave" the other comps' to the "master" comp), programs (one for construction, one for editing, & one for multi-tracking), cables/adapters, and a keyboard[?].

 

[SPINSTERWUN]

Here's some more reading for you.....

http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

 

[Echelon]

Yeah, that's a good site to check out, very good info. You're probably going to want a decent mic too, I love my shure KSM44, but it's kind of pricey. I also second the MPD, it's a really handy too for beat construction.

 

[React]

THanks Spin... alot of the stuff i still dont get....

BTW im getting a Shure SM57 Mic
...

VST's?

why do i need a beat maker if i already have FLP 5?

and how does that whole thing work with multiple monitors when you have 1 mouse and 1 keyboard?????????

 

[rubytuesday]

As for the issue of only having one keyboard and monitor, you can get a KVM switch (you can find cheap 4-port switch on ebay pretty easy). This will allow you to hook one monitor/keyboard/mouse to multiple computers. If you want to add multiple monitors to a system and don't want to add a video card, you can get a USB to DB15 connector but it costs $100 (http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=1501&sku=30534). I would agree with spinsterwun, you need at least 512mb or memory these days. Hope this helps as this is my first post...

 

[React]

Okayyyy Heres what i got Soooo Far since last night..

GOT FLP 5

GOT Cool Edit Pro (Which im Extremely Familiar With)

GOT a Couple Monitors

3Ghz Comp with 512 DDr Ram - Or Higher
About 120 GB HD Space

Shute SM57LC - Microphone To Start With

ATI Radeon Dual Headed Sound Card

Video Card with TV Out? I Think Thats Right?

How many channels Does my mixer need to have?! (Rap Music)
and do i even need a mixer? (Rap Music)

 

[Echelon]

I don't think you need a mixer quite yet. A lot of people just use the mixer within their programs. Pretty much what you do is adjust the Mic level via your soundcard, record, then mix everything with the mouse. It can be tedious to do with the mouse, but you get used to it.

 

[React]

thanx man

 

[Echelon]

No problem, let us know if there's anything else. Congrats on the setup so far, which soundcard are you using?