How much is "too much" when spending money on recording equipment?

  • Thread starter Thread starter stevefromboston
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stevefromboston said:
After playing guitar for over 6 years, I am looking into creating a small home recording studio/setup. I know the basics I need (audio interface, MIDI, DAW, and some cables). The total cost of what I have listed would be around $800. I'm used to spending plenty of money, and often too much money, on guitars, amps, pedals, etc. However, home recording is completely new to me. Should I be intimidated by the price tag or should I just be glad that I am spending less than $1000?
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This is right at the very bottom end - my cheapest microphone is about the price of your whole budget.

If you are a good musician with good instruments, then you should buy the recording gear that will do your instrument and your performance justice.

If you are just messing around at home for a hobby with cheap instruments, then $1k is OK (though still a bit low, even for that).
 
OK, it is expensive, but I think it is not as expensive as other hobbies. I always use fishing. There are some dudes who really get into it here in the US (other countries I am sure, but I don't know then that well). Get a bassboat and you have to have a nice truck to pull it. That is probably $50K and I haven't even made to the fishing site.

Just depends on how much you love it. Without microphones, you could get into it as little as $600 and do a good job. That is at the basics. Add monitors, microphones outboard gear, plugins (those $99 VST sales add up) and you will get to a few thousand pretty quick.

I still think it is a worthy cause for those who have a drive to create.
 
It all boils down to what you want to achieve and the quality you desire.

I'm no master, don't claim to be nor wish to be. I class all my gear as cheap stuff, the lower end of the spectrum. I have enough recording experience to get the best out of it all, for me. I'm happy with what I have. For the small amount of time I spend recording, my small investment in gear suits. (About £2500 over the last 10 years)

You don't have to invest a fortune to have a half decent recording set up but knowledge doesn't come with it all, sadly.
 
Meh. You can get started with absolute basics for a lot less...but you'll probably end up throwing it out and replacing it with more expensive stuff in the first year or so, making the "savings" a waste. Conversely, you could easily spend ten times that, get a pretty good (but still not top of the line) set up, then decide home recording isn't for you.

As a rough budget, $800 doesn't sound bad--but it might be worth posting a gear list. People here might be able to recommend cheaper...or suggest places where an extra $50 might yield big benefits in quality or future-proofing.
 
Spend your money on creating better sounds. A good guitar, amp, cabs, drums, etc will sound much better with average mics than shitty budget gear recorded with expensive mics.
 
Greg_L said:
Spend your money on creating better sounds. A good guitar, amp, cabs, drums, etc will sound much better with average mics than shitty budget gear recorded with expensive mics.
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Absolutely this ^^^^^
 
stevefromboston said:
After playing guitar for over 6 years, I am looking into creating a small home recording studio/setup. I know the basics I need (audio interface, MIDI, DAW, and some cables). The total cost of what I have listed would be around $800. I'm used to spending plenty of money, and often too much money, on guitars, amps, pedals, etc. However, home recording is completely new to me. Should I be intimidated by the price tag or should I just be glad that I am spending less than $1000?
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Read a lot before buying anything. Plan ahead and you'll save money in the long run by not buying stuff you'll need to replace in a year or two.
So ... interface: maximum number of inputs/mic preamps you're ever likely to use. Think you'll be recording a drum set at some point? Then 6 or 8 mic preamps for sure. The Tascam US1800 has been discontinued, but still can be found for $230 or less.
DAW - have you checked out Reaper? Free to d/l, $60 to register. Serious bargain.
You haven't mentioned monitors or acoustic treatment. They'll eat up the rest of your budget in no time.
 
The interface I am looking at is the Scarlett 2i4. I don't have a mic, I just have a guitar/pedal/amp setup that I will be plugging into it. As for room setup, I live in an apartment so I do not have much room to make drastic changes.
 
stevefromboston said:
The interface I am looking at is the Scarlett 2i4. I don't have a mic, I just have a guitar/pedal/amp setup that I will be plugging into it. As for room setup, I live in an apartment so I do not have much room to make drastic changes.
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I see the update to your original post.
You don't mention monitors and it doesn't sound like you have any. What are you planning to use?
Bad speakers in a bad room = bad mix.

Are you just recording electric guitars or will you be doing vocals and acoustic instruments?

There's great advice up there about getting the source right, alternative interfaces, and Reaper! :)
 
Mr Clean said:
It all boils down to what you want to achieve and the quality you desire.

I'm no master, don't claim to be nor wish to be. I class all my gear as cheap stuff, the lower end of the spectrum. I have enough recording experience to get the best out of it all, for me. I'm happy with what I have. For the small amount of time I spend recording, my small investment in gear suits. (About £2500 over the last 10 years)

You don't have to invest a fortune to have a half decent recording set up but knowledge doesn't come with it all, sadly.
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Wise. it is after all about learning to get the best out of the gear you have. speaking of which, I had a listen to one tune on your page. Cool, reminds me of old Kinks.:listeningmusic:
 
The apartment I live is strictly against speakers and that sort. It's unfortunate, but I will basically be using headphones to listen to the music. I would much prefer the sound through a monitors but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

I will just be recording electric guitars. Perhaps in the future I will record acoustic or vocals. For this reason, I the audio interface (Scarlett 2i4) has an extra port for any mics if I have a guitar plugged in.
 
They're against speakers but guitar amps are cool? lol. Nice.

Fair enough, headphones have their drawbacks for mixing but at least they take the room ambience out of the equation.
If you're just recording electric guitars that's good too. The room sound is much less of an issue on loud close-miked sources like that.

It would have been worse if you were doing acoustics/vocals too.
 
Since the 2i4 sells for $200, I assume the other $600 in your proposed plan is ProTools. If so, why did you choose it? Again, look at Reaper first - free to try the full version and see if you like it.

As others have said, tehre's no such thing as 'too much' when it comes to spending money. I know a guy with a dozen guitars - some of them quite nice, none of them over-the-top price-wise. He's got close to $20K invested in remote control vehicles (mostly off-road style). Yet, when it comes to recording he records in an untreated room that sounds reverby and boxy every time, and talks about 'going to a studio' at some point to record more seriously.
 
mjbphotos said:
Since the 2i4 sells for $200, I assume the other $600 in your proposed plan is ProTools. If so, why did you choose it? Again, look at Reaper first - free to try the full version and see if you like it.
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He mentions Logic as his DAW. $200.
 
He updated the OP after some questions.

$400: MIDI Keyboard: Akai MPK249
$200: Audio Interface: Scarlett 2i4
$200: DAW: Logic Pro X
$<100: cables and miscellaneous

He left monitors out because he'll be using headphones.
 
$400 for a midi keyboard for a guitar player? Get a Samson Graphite 49 - $179 w/ free shipping. There - I just saved you $220. Put that towards something like a Scarlett 18i20 or a decent pair of headphones.
 
I'm still at the dabbling stage with recording but it seems that almost any hobby you care to name needs about $1000 input in order to get an adequate setup to get a good experience with it. Even backpacking can add up. Never mind such things as shooting, motorcycles, RC flying, quilting, sewing, fly fishing, jeeping, ham radio etc.

And then there is the really expensive stuff- racing cars, flying (real) airplanes, women, vacation homes ..........
 
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