Newb looking to build a studio....

[burnisgood]

Hi,

Please ignore the naivety of this!! And I apologise if it has been asked millions of times before.

Can you tell me what I need to build a basic Home Studio? I have read loads of websites that contradict each other and seemingly leave off lots of things that others have on.

The budget is to be about £800. (around ($1500).
I am a guitarist and will be using it to put down backing tarcks, ideas and rough demos.

I basically want to record using Cubase on my PC and really would like a list of what I need for the Studio. What hardware/software I need for a basic setup. Do I really need a MIDI keyboard? A lot of home setups I have seen don't have a mixer, why not? Include in the list if I need A/D converters, Audio interfaces etc.

I have decided to use SM57's. I own a nice pair of B & W's. I'm a PC user.

I suppose what I am after is a list of what I need to get the basic studio up and running. Again I'm sorry if this seems stupid but the advice would

 

[LfO]

You don't need a keyboard if you don't want to play it. If you want to program soft-synths using the mouse on the piano roll (which is a tool in Cubase), you can. Most people find a keyboard to be a faster and more expresive way to lay down the synth tracks, but you certainly don't have to have one. If you decide you do want one, you can always add it later, and no harm done.

The mixer is the central hub of a traditional studio. Cubase replaces the traditional studio, and includes a software version of the mixer. Consider what mixers allow you to do - bring levels up and down, pan left and right, EQ each track, etc. You can do everything in Cubase that a mixer could do, but with unlimited tracks (Cubase does have unlimited tracks, right?) and very good automation. Some people prefer the tactile interface of a mixer, and some go a middle ground, using a "control surface," which provides physical mixer-like controls for the software. Its really a matter of preference. What the software mixer CAN'T do, is get the signal into the software mixer, which is the purpose of the audio interface, which CONTAINS A/D converters (many components contain A/D converters - rarely, if ever, will you actually want a component that does nothing but convert analog to digital - in my experience, at least).

Forgive my ignorance, but are B&Ws meant to be used as monitors, or are they for home hi-fi systems? If they're not designed as monitors, they're probably not the best thing to use - however, they'll probably be more than sufficient to get started.

Sounds like you've got your PC, software, monitors, mics and everything you plan to record. (You don't NEED anymore software - you may want a dedicated wave editor and/or softsynths other than those that come with Cubase - check out kvraudio.com for some good freebies). All that you seem to be missing is an audio interface - if you're only recording yourself, something like this will probably work:

USB: http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--TASUS122
Firewire: http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MDOFWSOLO

Consider how many things you may want to record simultaneously, and pick an interface capable of that. Shop around, and come back here with your short list to get opinions.

 

[Sirnothingness]

LFO nailed it. You need something to get the sounds into the computer. Tascam makes some USB control units or you could even go with something like a Pod if you want effects as well. However, the Pod most likely will only handle your guitar and vocals (yes, it will do vocals).