Looking to buy recording gear. I have many ?'s.

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the_real_quaid

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Hi there, I am looking to start recording on my own and I have a lot of questions. I am still a beginner and am looking to purchase some recording gear. I have done a fair amount of research, but I am having difficulty in deciding what to buy. I have worked a lot with Guitar Pro 5 and a decent amount with Reaper and m-audio profire 610, so my knowledge of recording and midi is not too minimal. My budget is + or - 1000 to get started.

What I have already:
15" Macbook Pro with 4GB ram, 500 GB hard drive space, 2 GHz i7 quadcore processor etc.

What I think I need to start:
An interface - I am thinking Apogee's Duet 2, but would that be shooting to high for a beginner? I just dont like the idea of getting an mbox mini or something like that.
Recording software - debating between protools 9 and logic pro 9, any suggestions???
Drum software - I have used Addictive Drums and really liked it, but I don't really know what protools and logic have to offer as far as drums.

I guess I am just hoping to get some feedback or suggestions on what I think I may be doing. I just don't want to put a lot of money into something, have it way be over my head, and have it become so frustrating and difficult that I can't enjoy myself. But at the same time, I do not want to invest only a little and soon surpass it and have to spend the larger sum of money later anyway.

Thanks!!!!
 
Stick with Reaper, buy Addictive Drums (Reaper's midi editor is good for this), get a decent above-entry-level interface and you'll get a lot done before you feel the need to upgrade anything. You really don't need Logic or ProTools if you have Reaper. Buy all means investigate these if you like once you've got everything ticking along, but really, you don't need them to start out.

Your MacBook will be fine for now. The other things you should invest in are monitors, and a monitor, if that makes sense - ie. a large screen monitor and a pair of studio monitors.

What else depends upon what you're recording... microphones etc... or if you're totally electronic, not required. More info would help.

Cheers
 
I am planning on recording digitally, at least until I feel comfortable enough to mic my gear. Really at first I just want to be able to record drums (software), guitars, bass, and have the option to add vocals later.
I know when you download Reaper it doesn't come with any plug-ins.. what would you recommend for that? I have some friends that use amplitube but I know that can be a bit pricy.
The studio monitors are something I know I will need eventually, but I figured a good pair of headphones will work for now.
 
the_real_quaid said:
I know when you download Reaper it doesn't come with any plug-ins...
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I don't think this is true. I've had REAPER for a while, so I don't remember what you get in the free trial. But I'm 99% sure it comes with it's "REA" series of EQ's, compressors, reverb, etc.....and if I'm not mistaken, it also comes with a shitload of "JS" plug-ins. I know for a fact that the trial version isn't crippled in any way, and I'm pretty sure this includes the plug-ins.
 
yep, something like the pod studio ux1 or 2 seems it will do fine. They usually come with pod farm 1 or 2, doesnt have great sounds but good for starting off I guess. from what I know amplitube is not much better than it (from listening to other demo's) and I have moved onto micing my amp. I also started off with just headphones and that was perfectly fine for that standard. I had the sennheiser hd 201's, they are cheap and not bad but if you have 1000 to spend then I would get a good long term pair.
 
Reaper comes with all the plug-ins you could ever dream of except an amp sim, drums, and synths...basically compressors, EQs, etc, but no instruments.

Interface - the 610 is great and you can get them used for $100 or so.

get some monitors...anything is better than nothing...you can probably find some inexpensive 5-6" for $200 used, or throw some more money down for something better...I like the krk stuff 6" or 8".

drums - ezdrummer is super cool and inexpensive ($79 ... get the classics expansion and maybe the nashville for $39 each)...I prefer it to addictive drum but that's me.

fake guitars - amplitube free comes with a couple good ones, and you buy the nicer ones individually, so you can get a really nice set up without a bunch of garbage for under $100.

GET MICS!!! I'd recommend recording real instruments from the beginning and not going all digital. SM57 for guitar cabs ($80 or less used), SM7B for male vocals and kick and bass in a pinch ($350 new), SDC for overheads and acoustics ($250), that should get you by for a good while.

so for a grand total of under $1000 you can get a really nice set up that will last you well into the future. but at least get an interface and monitors, and figure out what you want for the fake instruments.
 
aaronmcoleman said:
GET MICS!!! I'd recommend recording real instruments from the beginning and not going all digital. SM57 for guitar cabs ($80 or less used), SM7B for male vocals and kick and bass in a pinch ($350 new), SDC for overheads and acoustics ($250), that should get you by for a good while.

.
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^^^ this... and as pointed out Reaper comes with a zillion plug ins.
 
Another vote for Reaper. I don't use it myself but only because I got used to cubase first. Also, another vote for studio monitors and I too have KRK's. They get the job done for sure. Many will agree, mixing on headphones is a bad idea.

Start light until you get your feet wet and decide where you want to take it.
 
I might clarify that though I say mixing on headphones often makes for bad results, having a good pair is still important.
 
Murdersgalore said:
Many will agree, mixing on headphones is a bad idea.
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I started out with just headphones for mixing, and although I would say Im still a newb I actually disagree. for professional recordings you will want studio monitors, but as a beginner your results are never going to be good if you have beginners equipment. Im not saying that the_real_quaid should not get studio monitors, with the budget he has he should definitely get them, its just most people who are young do not have that kind of money to throw out straight away. So my overall point is that as a beginner there are other things that should be bought first in my opinion.
 
Just to throw out a couple more options, if you wanna record whole band kinda stuff, you can get just an SM57 and stick it on guitar cabs, bass cabs (or do direct bass), vocals...great all around.

If you don't want to get into drums right away you can get one of the EZdrummer, AD things and go with that.

So...my revised recommendations...INTERFACE (lots to choose from), MONITORS (get them! lots to choose from), DRUMS (one of the two options above), MICS (sm57), DAW (reaper).
 
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