Newb attack!

[Blakeb]

Hello there music junkies...

I have saved a good amount of money (~$4,000) and want to know some info on starting a solid home recording studio.

Here is some info on the gear I presently own
1) Gateway Pent 3. 2gig processor
*** factory soundcard ***
2) 1 usb midi port (1 in & 1 out)
3) 1 yamaha cs1x synth w/midi interface

The programs I have
1) Reason
2) Cubase (dont know the version)
3) Fruity Loops

I want to set up a small studio capable of the following:
1) Composing, Arranging, Mixing & Burning
2) ***Recording Vocals***
3) Recording Guitar Parts via mic & amp

My Questions:
1) Based on the gear & info I provided above... how much of these things can I already do?
2) I do not know Reason very well but it is really fun to mess around with. Can I bring vocals into Reason and make quality songs?
3) What kind of Soundcard, hardware, etc. should I invest in to bring in quality recorded sounds?
4) How can I bring vocal tracks into Reason, Cubase etc. (Cubase seems really difficult)
5) Can Reason be the only program I use to make quality songs?

Thank you in advance for your response. It is truly appreciated.

 

[hrwmusic]

wait, do you need a guitar/ guitar amp too?

and how much ram do you have?

 

[altitude909]

1) Not much. Get a good soundcard first, with that, your pretty much set with everything except mics/pres and monitors
2) Yes and no. Reason has no audio record feature but you can get creative with Dr. Rex or the NNTX. I would use both reason and cubase, that way you can record audio (Reason rewires into cubase)
3) Short answer: Search function. Figure out how much you want to drop on a sound card and we can narrow that down. Get a good (meaning TI based) fireware PCI card: Adaptec is a good choice. Figure out how many channels you want to record at once and get that many mics and preamps (which may not be necessary depending on your soundcard)
4) No audio recording in reason. Look at Traktion or N-track, they are a little bit easier on the newbie to learn. Learning curve on cubase can be pretty steep so start smaller
5) Sure. I know ppl that work exclusivly in Reason

Also put some money aside to upgrade your computer (Add a second HD, more memory etc)

 

[TimOBrien]

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:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...ce&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance
(Wish I'd had that when I got started)

Good Newbie guide that also explains all the basics:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

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


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

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com

 

[reshp1]

I think you'll need a new soundcard/audio interface. If you don't ever plan on doing drums or anything more than a couple mics, the Presonus Firebox is a decent choice, M-Audio also makes decent stuff with lots of different models to choose from.
Then I'd say a good vocal mic, probably a large diaphram condenser like a Groove Tubes GT66 (just what I use) and a dynamic mic or ribbon mic for the guitar (Sennheiser e609, Shure SM57, Nady/Shinybox/Aphex ribbon mics come to mind).

 

[Blakeb]

4) No audio recording in reason. Look at Traktion or N-track, they are a little bit easier on the newbie to learn. Learning curve on cubase can be pretty steep so start smaller

Will these programs allow me to record quality vocals? I am assuming I can then arrange/mix them into Reason?

Do you have any good resources on all the equipment (mic, premamp) & software to record high-end vocals?

I'd like to get them into Reason if possible.

Thanks for all you informative responses!

 

[altitude909]

Recording quality vocals has very little to do with what software your using and everything to do with the recording room, recording mic, preamp, and singer.

Other than that Traktion will for sure and it won't be difficult. I have not used Ntrack at all but ppl seem fond of it here so I can't speak for it. Reason has no suppost for mixing in audio files at all outside of the NNTX Sampler and Rex. You cant record them, you cant arraign them, you cannot mix them. The reason sequencer is pretty out there (this is a good thing) but it is not what I would consider a standard sequencer (although it similar) the signal routing is very limited due to the mixer and if you want to make whole tracks with sounds other than whats in Reason, you want a full blown DAW prog like Traktion. Got to Mackies website and download the demo, see how you like it. Its written for ppl new to DAW software and it will hold your hand as much as you need it to. I doubt you will outgrow it for at least a couple of years if your new to this.

Remember that reason can be rewired in to most programs so if you like it, you can still use it and have the ability to record live instuments and vocals and mix etc..