Let me get this straight...

[treepoop]

Hello. I have had an interest in recording for some time now, though I must admit my understanding of it is minimal. I have tried for a while to get a straight-forward answer to what is necessary for building a bare-bones studio, but I always receive different answers, and I have found that trying to navigate online catalogues of recording gear, while fun, is confusing.
However, I think I may have finally found a kit that would allow for the simple type of recording I want to do, with the ability to branch out and use more complicated techniques and equipment in the future.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/PreSonus-FP10-Recording-Package-485737-i1526624.gc

I already have a 2009 macbook pro and would download a free DAW like Reaper.
I would also later add a midi controller.

So my question is, would this minimal kit be enough to make very basic recordings of guitars (electric and acoustic), voice, bass, and eventually (with the addition of more mics) drums?

Thanks in advance for the help. I also apologize in advance for any major mistakes I may have made.

 

[moresound]

Yup kinda sorta. buy like you said you'll need a few more microphones.

 

[philbagg]

Hello. I have had an interest in recording for some time now, though I must admit my understanding of it is minimal. I have tried for a while to get a straight-forward answer to what is necessary for building a bare-bones studio, but I always receive different answers, and I have found that trying to navigate online catalogues of recording gear, while fun, is confusing.
However, I think I may have finally found a kit that would allow for the simple type of recording I want to do, with the ability to branch out and use more complicated techniques and equipment in the future.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/PreSonus-FP10-Recording-Package-485737-i1526624.gc

I already have a 2009 macbook pro and would download a free DAW like Reaper.
I would also later add a midi controller.

So my question is, would this minimal kit be enough to make very basic recordings of guitars (electric and acoustic), voice, bass, and eventually (with the addition of more mics) drums?

Thanks in advance for the help. I also apologize in advance for any major mistakes I may have made.

Yep, this seems to have the whole package. But one more thing that's very important for recording (except close-micing) and mixing: room treatment. Have a look into that

 

[TyphoidHippo]

Yea, that'll do it, and yea, like said - if you intend to put a mic in a room with an acoustic guitar (and especially with drums, eventually), that room's gonna need to sound good. That's an obnoxious truth, I'm afraid.

Close-mic'ing a loud guitar amp - eff it, just don't do it in the bathroom (unless your bathroom sounds kickass) and it'll probably come out fine. Bass you can DI, and there's all kinds of cheap little tricks you can do to get away with a subpar room when recording vocals - the "mic-in-a-dead-box" comes to mind. But an acoustic guitar or drums - no such luck....

Addressing your room might not even really be possible without your gear to begin with, though (how could you specifically address exactly what problems will manifest themselves while recording if you can't, you know... record), so don't get hung up on it just yet - order your stuff - make some recordings. Post 'em in the clinic here, discuss your room in the related forum. Good times, man. Welcome to HR!

edit: Oh, by the way - Reaper's not exactly "free", bud. They would like you to pay for it, eventually

 

[moresound]

Typhoid....what is a Mic-in-dead-box? maybe I'm just not familiar with that term.

 

[TyphoidHippo]

Typhoid....what is a Mic-in-dead-box? maybe I'm just not familiar with that term.

It's exactly what it sounds like - which is deceptive. I think everybody actually considers this at some point, then we're like "no that's stupid, stupid us" and we go back to reading about music voodoo. Well at some point I read that this really does work from somebody whose opinion I put stock in (maybe Ted Perlman or Ethan or... hell I don't remember - somebody whose opinion I respect), so I tried it, and lo-and-behold. It worked.

Put a bunch of sound-deadening crap in a little box (I prefer a torn and slightly dirty cardboard box just to complete the "wow that's awesome" looks of the whole thing), somehow rig a mic up in it, sing. It's like a 4 dollar vocalbooth that sounds like a ridiculous idea, and looks even more ridiculous but it works just fine (for getting that completely dead, room-less type of recording - which I can certainly work with, personally - it's way better than a 'made-in-a-terrible-room' recording).

 

[moresound]

OK thanks Typhoid ......maybe I'll get around to trying it at some point.
Any other tricks up your sleeve?

 

[dastrick]

looks good

That kit has pretty much everything that you need to get started. If you're going to close mic a guitar amp I would go to www.glsaudio.com and get yourself a GLS ES-57. It's a knockoff of a Shure SM57 and sounds great. And it's only $40 for the mic, cable, clip, etc.

 

[dastrick]

Looking at it a little closer, I don't see any cables to go from your interface to your monitors. You'll need to get a set of those.

 

[Jim Lad]

That's starting out right.

 

[Psylon]

That kit has pretty much everything that you need to get started. If you're going to close mic a guitar amp I would go to www.glsaudio.com and get yourself a GLS ES-57. It's a knockoff of a Shure SM57 and sounds great. And it's only $40 for the mic, cable, clip, etc.

But do invest in a set of SM-57s at some point if you're planning on going a bit more into the free lance recording side of things. Just, you know...down the line. They're relatively inexpensive, and used throughout the industry. We use em at school a lot and they're great mics for the money. My $.02

Also, thanks for the heads up on that package. I may have to take a look at those Fostex's a little more. I'm in the market for some new monitors, and those fit the budget nicely.

 

[bstarstudios]

That kit has pretty much everything that you need to get started. If you're going to close mic a guitar amp I would go to www.glsaudio.com and get yourself a GLS ES-57. It's a knockoff of a Shure SM57 and sounds great. And it's only $40 for the mic, cable, clip, etc.

im looking at the gls 57, looks solid for 40$. thanks!

 

[dastrick]

im looking at the gls 57, looks solid for 40$. thanks!

I've got an SM57, Audix i5, and (2) GLS-ES57. I would put the ES-57 anywhere that I would the other two. It will hold it's own and sound good. You really can't beat them for $40.

 

[Bare graves]

like the others said sm57's are great for their price. close mic the guitar amp and crank it so the room becomes alot less of a problem. moreover it can be used on the snare or any toms of the drum kit.

you can also pick up a rode nt1a i think it is called and that is very cheap and i have heard good results from it, perfect for vocals and acoustic, maybe even a drum overhead later who knows?
£150 for the mic set with shock mount and cable

 

[Chibi Nappa]

Yea, that'll do it, and yea, like said - if you intend to put a mic in a room with an acoustic guitar (and especially with drums, eventually), that room's gonna need to sound good. That's an obnoxious truth, I'm afraid.

Close-mic'ing a loud guitar amp - eff it,

You've got it backwards. If you only have one treated room, you don't record anything in there. It is much more important that you remain in the treated room and listen to the sound coming out of your monitors while the instrument being recorded is in a different room where you can't hear it. It's the only way to know if the mic is in the right position and the correct sound is coming off of the instrument being recorded.



As for the original poster's question: I would start with better monitors than the ones that come in the package and I would lay aside a few hundred to build DIY bass traps. If you can't afford that, you could really sacrifice every single item in that package aside from one of the mics, one of the mic stands, and one of the mic cords.




And by the way, Treepoop is just about the best user name ever.

 

[Atom Bomb]

And by the way, Treepoop is just about the best user name ever.

iwonder if he throws himself at stuff when threatened or bored?



Sounds about right. NOt a bad start up kit at all.

 

[TyphoidHippo]

You've got it backwards. If you only have one treated room, you don't record anything in there. It is much more important that you remain in the treated room and listen to the sound coming out of your monitors while the instrument being recorded is in a different room where you can't hear it. It's the only way to know if the mic is in the right position and the correct sound is coming off of the instrument being recorded.

Good point, Chibi. However, I'd just add that a "treated" and/or "controlled" monitoring room, and a "good-sounding" room to record things in... don't necessarily mean the same thing...not to me at least.

I have a dead room and a live room that I record in. My monitoring room is neither - there's some reflections in there, but not so many that there's misleading reverb like in a big, empty, untreated, wood room (which would suck to monitor in, but yields some pretty good recordings).

 

[moresound]

If you have poop fling it now.
I agree too great user name treepoop.

 

[treepoop]

Thanks for all the help. Wasting hours and hours researching this on Ultimate Guitar lead to no avail; this place is much more awesome (of course, this is a recording forum...). Anyway, I don't know if there is too much I could do about room treatment other than using things like the "mic in a box" or other cheats. Also, thanks for letting me know that reaper isn't free. i now remember being told you can use if for a while without paying, but then you have to buy it.

And yes, my username is awesome.

Thanks once again.

 

[moresound]

Later poop...