New Studio Setup - equipment suggestions?

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ProjectJLN

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Okay, so I'm new here (as is probably obvious from the n00bishness of this post), and am hoping that someone more experienced than I am could give me a bit of help with something.

I'd like to set up a tiny recording studio, mostly for vocals, though I also have an acoustic guitar and an electronic piano. Since I play all of those instruments myself, I don't need more than one or two inputs on anything. (Up until now, I've been recording on my laptop through the mic input, but the quality is not as good as I could get with some better equipment, I'm sure.) I'd like to record the final onto my computer, which is pretty fast, so it should be able to handle a hard drive recorder. In my research on other websites, I've been hearing about all kinds of accessories like compressors, noise gates, 4-track recorders, 16-track mixers, direct input boxes, and goodness knows what else. Before I go and spend a lot of money, I'd like to know what I actually need to meet my requirements... specific brand/model suggestions are obviously welcomed, too. ^_^

Since I'm still in college, I'll have a relatively small budget, but I'm willing to save up as long as I'm assured of getting decent quality. I don't plan to go pro, so I don't need anything super high-end, I just want something that works better than my current setup.

So, to sum up...

INSTRUMENTS: Electronic piano, vocals, acoustic guitar
SPACE: Very limited; portable equipment preferred
EMPHASIS: Vocal quality
MAIN QUESTION: What equipment do I need for a small, very basic home-recording setup?

Thanks! I realize that - since I'm not very familiar with technical terminology - I've probably left all manner of gaping holes in my description. Just let me know when you spot one, and I'll be sure to tell you what I can.
 
To keep it small, simple and portable consider this... A good laptop (1 gig or better ram and a fast hd,) a usb interface (M box or similar,) recording software compatable with the interface, 2 mics (a good condenser and a good dynamic,) a couple of mic stands and assorted cables to hook it all up. Put this in a decent sounding room, add a little talent and patience and you should be recording much better in very little time. Good luck
 
try giving us a set budget, theres many more questions that need answering to help you out properly.

how much are you looking to spend?

AND

how much do you want to spend on each item individually

youve said mainly for vocals, but will there be other instruments played/recorded?

Like dani pace said, how is your "studio" computer? high quality and very fast?

are you planning on connecting your interface via USB, USB 2.0, or Firewire

are you planning on keeping this setup once you have it? or do you plan on upgrading more in the near future.

the tweak heads guide that jimlad helped you with will be your best friend with making a list of gear you want, even though it seems like tonnes of work, you NEED to read through all the basics on pretty much everything. tweakheads has "studio rigs" which are pretty much packs of equipment that can all be used well together, this page should have a rig that suits your needs

http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Try to understand WHY a piece of equipment does what it does, because thats the only way your going to know if you need it.

also, your "noobish" questions should be posted in the "newbies" forum, thats what its there for. welcome to the forum!
 
Thanks for the responses, everyone! Now, to business.

I'm hoping for less than $100 per component, since these are likely to have a somewhat rough life. I don't have a real budget limit, I'm just hoping for reasonable economy.

There will be an acoustic guitar recorded, probably through a condenser mic based on what I've read, and an electronic piano. That doesn't need a mic, since I can just use the output instead.

My computer is an XPS m1730, with nothing on it except MS Office and MAGIX MusicMaker12, so it should have plenty of ability for the recording.

I hadn't decided that yet... my readings seemed to indicate that it depended on the equipment I ended up buying.

After I spend this much, I don't think I'll be upgrading for at least four years. I'll be out of college and in a real job by that point, so I'll have a bit more income.

Thanks for the link, I'll keep up with the reading, and I apologize for the misplaced post. I was just afraid that - much like on the other sites I frequent - posts in the newbie forum would remain largely unexposed to the real knowledge-wielders.
 
My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

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/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470385421
(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!!)

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at www.tapeop.com

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 and have good tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/tips-techniques/168409-tips-techniques.html

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) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and tested suggestions that WORK: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm
(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)


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/smm

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 and July 2009 issue they put out Samplitude10SE. FREE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)
 
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