Need help on getting started (newbie at its finest)

[Dreams2Reality]

Hi guys, I have been a lyricist for years who has never recorded any music. I have a friend who began to make beats on Ableton for me and I have decided I want to buy my own equipment to record/make beats as well. I have an old Roland Digital Keyboard with MIDI connections in the back. I am looking at a RODE-NT1A Condenser microphone to use for recording. I tried getting help from the guys at Guitar Center but they didn't tell me much except that I need software and a preamp or mixer...

That being said, can you guys please advise me with the info of what I need to record my vocals on a beat along with connecting my keyboard to my computer to make beats on a program such as protools or anything for that matter. I have read that a preamp is more important for sound than your microphone is. I am looking to keeps cost very low. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Justsomeguy]

Hey man, welcome to the boards

Have a read of this sticky as it holds alot of the answers for starting out/making appropriate choices.

In short, you'll need;

A computer - it doesn't need to be super top spec but something reasonable will make life easier

A DAW (Digtal Audio Workstation) - the software to record into. Reaper is a great starting point as it's ultra functional, free to try and very, very cheap to buy.

An Audio Interface (AI) - these often have built in mic preamps and some have MIDI in's and out's. Something like the Presonus Audiobox or the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB would work perfectly - midi in's and out's and two built in mic pres with phantom power

A mic - the NT1a is a standard all rounder, although if you can try/listen to other mics you may find something that suits your voice better. in the same price range the sE2200a, MXL V67, and Avantone CK6 are all great mics.

Stuff to connect them all together and the annoying extras - mic stand, pop shield, XLR cable (although some mic's now come with free XLR cables), some headphones for when you're recording to hear yourself and the beat, some kind of monitors for when you're mixing, and acoustic treatment.

There's always a big debate about mixing on headphones and the consensus is normally "go for monitors (or at least hifi speakers) for mixing" (which i agree with) but as these tend to be pricey (you really do get what you pay for) most people either just use some hi-fi speakers or headphones to start off with and upgrade as and when.

There's also alot to be said for acoustic treatment and non or poorly treated rooms are often the cause of alot of noob "why does my recording suck" kinda questions. At the very least have a read of some of the threads about DIY acoustic treatment and take heed of the advice over there.

Finally the question of "which makes more difference - mic or pre?" has been asked many a time before so have a read and see what you think but in terms of the preamps built into most of the cheaper AI's the quality is pretty good and the difference between brands in a similar price range seem to be minimal.

That's probably more than you wanted (sorry, once i get started i find it hard to stop) but i hope it makes sense and i hope it helps

 

[Dreams2Reality]

Thank you so much man. I was expecting a three sentence response but this was very thorough, appreciate it! I shall definitely read more of the stickies!