I am n00b, hear me roar.

[TheSpaminator]

I am an active musician that plays every rock band instrument (starting piano, percussion since 7th grade, guitars). I am still in school so I am not making any good amounts of money. I am in the process of moving into a new house that has the second floor of the garage which is a finished room (AC + heater, carpeting, had computers in it ) and as soon as I stepped in I thought, this is gonna be a recording studio. It looks like it was an office/storage room. It has closets and things like that though. I need to know if this could work. I am no n00b to music equipment (amps, effects, etc. but would still like to know more) and no n00b to using computers (know nothing about recording software) . I need to know if a Mac would be a good deal better for recording and I need to know what equipment I would need to make this happen, and what the heck it does. I would also like to know what the advantages are to a more digital approach and a more acoustic approach. If you could tell me what each thing does and what the essentials are that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

EDIT- Money isn't a problem, I'm in no hurry.

 

[Creamyapples1]

Well, cookie cutter reply at this stage would be: What are you wanting to record? Guitars, Bass, Drums, Brass, Piano, keyboards, vocals, midi, etc, etc?

I can't speak on the differences between PC and MAC as I'm a PC user myself. I'll let someone else tackle that one.


Mics - Dynamic, Condensor, Ribbon, whichever will suit your needs, which we'll get into later. Capture sound.

Mic preamps - Depending on your needs and preference you can go with stand alone preamps or use preamps from a mixing board. Preamps, in short, boost the signal captured by the microphone.

Sound Interface - Depending on your needs, range from 2in/2out to 8in/8out most have atleast 2in/2out digital as well. Can get in USB, Firewire and PCI formats. Allows your signal to be captured into the PC/MAC

Software - Try out some free demos and freeware stuff. I've only experience with Cakewalk products so I can't give you much on the different ones, but Cakewalk works well for me. Tons of tracks, can use VST plug-ins, easy to navigate and understand, discounts on new software for registered users.

VST Plug-ins - Software based effects and tools such as compressors, delay, reverb, phase, etc, etc. Any effect you can think of, chances are there is a digital VST version useable with most decent recording programs. Some free, some you gotta buy.

Studio Monitors - to monitor your sound. There are powered monitors and passive (which requires an amp)

And I gotta jet, I'll check back later tonight and we'll rap some more. In the meantime, there are plenty of topics on these boards that cover most of that stuff. The biggest thing needed imo, knowledge. Prepare to read your ass off. And welcome to the board!

 

[Sirnothingness]

I use Macs and have also used PCs. I find that the Macs are a bit more plug and play and come with some cool software. You don't need to purchase a new soundcard but will need someway of getting the sound into the computer (via some control unit). I play guitar and pretty much just go guitar - PodXT - computer. For vocals and drum machine, I just go in through the Macs audio input. PCs might be cheaper route than Macs. It just depends on what you like more.

 

[hrwmusic]

try this software man:
www.cockos.com/reaper
ive kinda been boasting about it, but it really is great. and free.

-harry

 

[cpl_crud]

If you are, as you say, computer savvy, then you've probably got your opinions on macs/PCs. Stay with that choice. The difference between a mac and a PC these days is very little, espically in audio (in graphic design and printing macs still have a bit of an advantage, but yeah).
If you know how to install PCI cards and work your way around windows, then chances are you're probably better off with a PC.

I find that the majority of Mac users can't really offer any quantifiable reasons. The "wank factor" tends to be Mac's major selling point.

Anyway, I forgot what we were talking about so I'm oing to go with the usual "spend money on preamps, monitors and acoustic treatment" and be ultra-helpful as always

 

[Richard Monroe]

Regarding Macs vs. PC's, Macs used to be more desireable because the first major music recording system, Pro Tools, was designed to run on a Mac, and getting it to run on Windows 98, ME, or 2000, was a pain in the ass. Pro Tools runs fine on Windows XP home, and now there are lots of other available software systems for recording. More and more, the only difference is that a Mac costs more.

The difference between in line/Midi/electronic recording and recording real acoustic sound in real acoustic space is more complex. It's easier to get usable basic sound going directly into an interface. You don't have to worry about background noise, bothering the neighbors, or how bad your room sounds. But- to get the best sound, it still requires a good room, good mics, and a whole lot of practice and screwing aroung. You can get OK sound going in direct, but great sound is an expensive pain in the ass, which in my opinion is worth it. You pays your money and makes your choices. -Richie