I need input on what items to purchase

[RickyT]

Okay, I'll be upfront and admit I don't know too much about recording. I've tried reading up on it as much as possible, and I've decided it's time I finally just buy the equipment and get recording. I have a budget of around $1000, although less is always desirable... haha.

What I currently own:

A laptop. It's an HP Pavilion dv9700, runs Vista 64bit version, has 4gb of ram, an Intel CoreDuo Processor @ 2.10ghz. It's pretty speedy and I think it should be able to handle recording just fine. Also I take pretty good care of it haha.

An Emu X-board25 usb/midi controller. It's not ideal for piano preformances obviously, but I think it should serve the purpose of simple getting the notes down.


What I need:

An audio interface. My computer lacks firewire, but it seems like the USB 2.0 interfaces seem to have fixed most of the latency issues and whatnot. But I could totally be wrong... I really don't know. I'll be recording mostly vocals, electric guitar and bass, and also a lot of midi. What's something that will provide a decent quality sound that's not terribly expensive? I'm fine with paying around $200 - $300 if it'll give me a solid, reliable piece of equipment.

A mic. Or two. I don't know. Mostly I'll be recording extensive vocals. I plan to overlay my voice a lot, and I'd primarily consider myself a vocalist, so vocals are really important to me. That said, I'd still like to be able to occasionally accord a bit of acoustic guitar or totally random things (like tambourine or something silly haha). It wouldn't need to be ideal for those sounds, but I'd still like it to preform decently well in those situations. Should I get a vocal and a non-vocal mic, or can I get one that'll serve both well enough?

Monitors. I'm not terribly concerned about this, I just need some that aren't totally gigantor and will give a nice sound. And cheap is always nice haha.

Software. I'm considering grabbing Sonar, as from the demos I've briefly looked at, it seemed the easiest for me to use. I want to make sure I don't get something that's mainly for looping, as well. Suggestions?


I think that's it, but I could be spacing some important component haha. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks ahead of time.

 

[TimOBrien]

My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad:

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...ce&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Another good one is: Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Gui...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215734124&sr=1-1
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Also Good Info:
http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Other recording books:
http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) not quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and suggestions:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm


Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com

Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $50 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages - http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)

 

[RickyT]

Haha, thank you! That actually makes me feel a little better about myself since I actually bought that exact book (by Jeff Strong) a few months ago. I'm currently re-reading the whole thing before I buy anymore equipment. I've also read around the tweakz website a few times before. Again, thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.


This is a question directed towards anyone. Is the Emu 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface decent at all (I would link it but I need at least five posts haha)? I looked it up on the Emu website and I believe they have vista drivers available to download. Is USB 2.0 reliable, or should I just avoid it? The reviews don't seem to complain about latency at all. Hmm.

Also, I'm still quite scared in the mic department. I really want to get the right mic for my needs, and honestly I don't really know what I'm doing haha. Any help?

 

[WhiteStrat]

how much of that $1000 budget do you want to spend on mics? Do you want one killer mic, multiple "okay" mics?

 

[RickyT]

I think I would actually rather have one mic that sounds really good and is reliable. I don't really want to plop down more than half my budget on one, though. Do you have suggestions for good vocal mics under $500?

 

[RickyT]

I'm currently considering the Studio Projects C1 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone. From the reviews it seems like a very warm and accurate mic for vocals, and it's good for acoustic guitar as well. Is this a good choice?

Also, I'm a bit confused about monitors. It seems that they're usually sold with one speaker, which confuses me. Isn't most modern music recorded in two-channel stereo? Am I expected to buy two if I want to be mixing something in stereo? Does it even matter? Haha I have no idea...

 

[wheelema]

I'm currently considering the Studio Projects C1 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone. From the reviews it seems like a very warm and accurate mic for vocals, and it's good for acoustic guitar as well. Is this a good choice?

The C1 is a fine choice. You might also consider the Shure SM7B.

Also, I'm a bit confused about monitors. It seems that they're usually sold with one speaker, which confuses me. Isn't most modern music recorded in two-channel stereo? Am I expected to buy two if I want to be mixing something in stereo? Does it even matter? Haha I have no idea...

For whatever reason many monitors are not sold in pairs. Yes, you do need two.

 

[nattyj]

Big THANKS!

Wow some GREAT references there. Thanks. Having had a quick look I have LOTS of reading ahead of me.

Thanks for the starting point. MUCH appreciated.

Natty J

 

[nattyj]

wow! Some GREAT references there. Thanks dude. After a quick look I can see I have a lot of reading ahead of me.

You have probably saved me countless hours. Thanks again. To others I higly recommend you check out the links.

 

[Chili]

I've got the EMU 0404 PCI card. It has the same converters as the USB which sound good. It has onboard dsp effects, which the USB version doesn't have. You may not need them, though. The USB model has mic pre's which is nice to have.

From everything I've read here at HR, USB should be solid for at least 2 channels. You should be okay there.

I have the SP C1 and like it, however, I wouldn't call it a 'warm' mic as I think it's pretty bright. You have to have you sibilance under control and it picks up hard consonants easily. I've used it on my acoustic guitar with mixed results. But I'm learning that micing an acoustic is an art form. so ymmv.

When you go to buy an interface, most will come with some 'lite' version of a popular DAW, like Cubase, Sonar, etc. They will probably have enough functionality to do what you want. Don't spend your money on software just yet.

Monitors are required and people might argue that point. But to really listen critically, you need a good listening environment and headphones are only one tool in your tool kit.

Room treatment is another item that should be high on your list. I'm not talking about isolation, but room response. You have to be able to control standing waves, flutter or whatever it's called. Ethan Winer has a nice discussion here:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html


I did my room treatment for less than $200 and didn't buy Auralex. Creative use of Owens Corning 703 insulation and cheap fabric from walmart is all you need.

Good luck and have fun....
(well, you've got to enjoy it, because it will suck you in and never let you go no matter how much money you spend - Cheers)

 

[antichef]

What style(s) of vocals and electric guitar? (aggressive? not? both?) Any acoustic instruments? This'll help with the mic choice(s).

 

[WhiteStrat]

What style(s) of vocals and electric guitar? (aggressive? not? both?) Any acoustic instruments? This'll help with the mic choice(s).

Exactly. 'Cause if it's just for vocals, the Shure SM7b is gonna be recommended time and time again. It's a great vocal mic--and it can be used on a ton of stuff--all for under $350 new. But one thing it's not is an ideal mic for acoustic guitar...