How to build a home studio with Focusrite 6i6 sound interface? Pls Help

[sameesamdon]

Hi All,

I have been making Hip Hop music using FL studio for a long time. I have done a couple of songs which aired on radio in my country (Voice recording, mixing and mastering were done in a professional studio though). So I have never done any voice recording, mixing and mastering, This is where I am about to start.

I am looking for a good quality equipment set up and a work flow guide( I hope to get Cubase for mixing and mastering). I am not going to do any multi-input recording(I mean I will create music using sound samples, vsts, and loops as I have done before). So I purchased a Focusrite 6i6 sound interface after reading a few posts to do voice recording easily and to input a midi keyboard.

I have following questions.

1. Should I purchase a Triton or a Motif for good sound samples? I heard that if you have good sound samples and a midi keyboard it can be done! (The sound samples on FL studio are crap. The sound engineer who mixed my tracks told me that in the face)
2. Any suggestions for good sound monitors(Speakers) with the Focusrite interface I have?
3. Any suggestions for a good microphone to work with the Focusrite interface I have?
4. Any suggestion for a good headphone?
5. Is Cubase user friendly? easy to learn kind of thing? I have been reading many threads and finally decided to use it anyway.
6. In case a midi keyboard can be used , what sound samples or vsts should I get to use with it. and what midi keyboard I should get to work with Focusrite? (a friend suggested UMX 61)

I do not want super expensive gear. However, I require a good quality set up that will help me to produce professional kind of music even though I wont do this as a profession. ( I mean I am an Architect by profession but I hope to do a CD of my own music)

I hope people with experience will help me to get proper equipment. And give me a good guide on everything I need to know before I start.

Thank you all.

Regards,

Sam

 

[Noah Nelson]

For a mic buy a bluebird for $300! they compared one with $1000 mics in my friends studio and it sounds great next to! a lot of people trust yamaha for monitors, don't cheap on them. Buy monitor headphones with nice cloth padding so they don't bleed to much into the mic when recording (stay away from leather/plastic for recording they bleed more). Motif is great, i have not worked with triton before. Fruitloops is cool because it excepts plug ins and although it seems basic, you can build it up into a great program. a lot of my friends who are into techno or DJing tend to work with cubase (pattern??) and a lot of my friends who mix use Logic (once again, another pattern??)..The best sound samples are original, learn how to manipulate rather than buy!

 

[homestudioguy]

Your questions will get you different answers from different people.
Much of this depends on your available budget too.
So here is my 2-Cents:

First, as you say you are doing most of your work "In The Box" except for Vocals, I suggest you get an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter Pro and a Real-Traps Portable Vocal Booth, place your microphone in the Reflexion Filter and place the Portable Vocal Booth behind you. This will give you a very portable "Vocal Booth".
Together they would cost you about $600, however, there are less expensive alternatives or you'd be OK with one or the other to start with.
Reflexion Filter: sE Electronics Reflexion Filter - Only the sE Reflection Filter Works
Portable Vocal Booth:RealTraps - Portable Vocal Booth

1. Should I purchase a Triton or a Motif for good sound samples? I heard that if you have good sound samples and a midi keyboard it can be done!
I am not the best to answer this nor do I know what kind of samples you are wanting.....

2. Any suggestions for good sound monitors(Speakers) with the Focusrite interface I have?
There are SO MANY to choose from these days and as above, your budget will have a definite impact on what you can buy. I would first recommend that you take some music you are very familiar with to a Music Store and listen to some. I just bought the new Yamaha HS-7s and like them a lot but I may eventually add the Yamaha Sub-Woofer. I also use my Avantone Mix-Cubes a lot! I also have the M-Audio BX8as which sound really good but when comparing with the Yamahas, the BX8As mid-range is scooped ie not as prevalent.

3. Any suggestions for a good microphone to work with the Focusrite interface I have?
There are SO MANY to choose from these days and as above, your budget will have a definite impact on what you can buy. I would first recommend that you go to a Music Store and listen to some. The Shure SM7B might be a good one to try. I've always liked the sE Electronics Microphones as you get a lot of microphone for the money. The SE2200A II would be one to try and even the Z3300A. However Audio-Technica makes some very good microphones under $600 as does RODE and many others. Best bet is to listen to some using your voice and determine which one gives you the vocal sound you want to put in your recordings.

4. Any suggestion for good headphones?
There are SO MANY to choose from these days and as above, your budget will have a definite impact on what you can buy. I would first recommend that you go to a Music Store and listen to some with music you are familiar with. I personally like using the Sennheiser HD 280 PROs when tracking vocals as they are "closed-back" and do a good job of keeping the music in the headphones without leakage into your microphone. I wouldn't recommend them for mixing but I do like them for tracking.
Sennheiser HD 280 PRO - Professional DJ Headphones - Noise Cancelling - Closed, Circumaural

5. Is Cubase user friendly? easy to learn kind of thing? I have been reading many threads and finally decided to use it anyway.
I have only used The full versions of Cubase 4/5/6.5 and like it a lot.
I wouldn't call it user friendly per se but it is not hard to learn the basics and it offers a lot of VST Instruments and Plug-Ins including some nice Compressors, EQ's, Pitch Correction, Reverbs, Delays and much more. It also has a great Sequencer that I use all the time for writing in Bass Parts, Drum Parts and Instruments. You should check the different versions out on the Steinberg website to see what each comes with. I will say, having played trombone for 50 years now and having played professionally, I am not very impressed with the Horn Sounds (Saxes, Trumpets, Trombones, French Horns) but there are some VST Packages out there that are supposed to be outstanding.

6. In case a midi keyboard can be used , what sound samples or vsts should I get to use with it. and what midi keyboard I should get to work with Focusrite? (a friend suggested UMX 61)
Again, I don't know enough to answer this although you should be able to use a midi keyboard with Cubase.

Hope this helps somehow!
Bob G.

 

[DM60]

I always say, for DJing, EDM and still do traditional recording, you can't beat Ableton Live, it let's you sample, loop in real time (session view/arrangement view, clips, scenes, etc) give you tools to manipulate and create your own samples. Sound generators, MIDI slicing, I mean for EDM/Hip Hop, it has to be the best. And when used with a controller like APC40 or the new Push, nothing can touch the software for live active playing (real time clip/scene launch, active real time loop/effects manipulation).

For traditional recording a rarely recommend Ableton (You can as good for cheaper). Its good for traditional recording (Ableton in session view is not linear), but dollar for dollar. pound for pound, Euro for Euro, for EDM/glitch music, it is the best.

Surely that was 5 cents worth of opinion.