Newbie & a girl...2 strikes against me!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Christine K
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Christine K

New member
Hey all, I just stumbled across this forum. I'm a relatively new guitarist and am really involved in writing my own songs (acoustic instrumentals). I've been looking at the Fostex MR-8 digital recorder and will probably start hanging around that forum once I purchase one (in the next few weeks). It's within my budget (the best part), but I'm really clueless as to what kind of mic I should be looking at for recording an acoustic guitar. I gotta admit, to us gals, all this "condenser and dynamic mumbo jumbo" is just that...confusing as the blazes! I'm pretty computer savvy, and I'm sure I can buy the recorder, set it up and start learning the ins and outs of home recording, but I'd really like to buy a decent mic without spending a small fortune, and I'd like to buy just one. You know, not go through 5 mics by mistake just searching for the one I should have bought in the first place.

So what's a gal (or anybody for that matter) to do? I don't need to spend a lot of money, but I don't want to buy a $9.95 special that I end up regretting. And any other advice regarding the MR-8 and home recording in general for a beginner is really appreciated! Sorry for being the "minority sex" here...I really had no say in the matter! :D

Thanks a bunch!

Christine Kaye
 
Welcome aboard....

There are quite a number of choices, but one that you might want to consider is an Audio-Technica 4041.... it's an inexpensive small-dia condenser that would serve you well for many applications.
 
hi. welcome to the board.
a sure 57 would be a good mic to start with.works well for instruments as well as vocals.you should be able to pick one up for less than 100.eventually you will want to upgrade to a condenser mic.
good luck
sheppard
 
If you are computer savy, maybe consider a computer based DAW....it will bring the initial startup $$$ way down and give you more $$$ for the important stuff - mics and preamps......
 
WELCOME

I agree with Gidge, if you have a decent computer already you could probably get more bang for your buck using that as your recorder/effects rather than buyng numerous outboard items.


Plus, I love chic guitar players....hee hee
 
Make that 3 votes for the computer-based DAW, unless you don't have a laptop and need the portability.

Welcome to the board! :)

No need to apologize for your sex. There are a few women who hang around these boards. Just be wary of the cave. There's stuff in there that even offends me!:eek:

Not an easy task.......

:D
 
Actually - while we're on the subject... these guys have good points, but before you actually buy anything - check out the FAQ to give yourself a better understanding of the options available...

Once you've got through that, you can check out this place....

Then you can ask more specific questions that we can help you with on the details.........
 
Yo Christine! Welcome to the board. Well, you're not done spending money by a long shot. Understand this- Dymamic mics are less sensitive, so they tend not to pick up as much background noise. On the other hand, because their signal is often not as hot, this causes you to have to crank your preamp to get more gain. Yes, the Fostex has a preamp in it, which will probably not win any awards. Often the choice between a condenser and a dynamic is whether you'd rather deal with the noise in your room or the noise your preamp makes.
Condenser mics require power to be fed back up the cable to them, called phantom power. The MR-8 doesn't produce that. So if you decide to use that recorder, you either have to use a dynamic mic (Shure SM57 is a standard, about $80 new, $50-60 used.) or you need a phantom power supply. Rolls sells a cheap one that works pretty well for about $45. If you decide to use a condenser, Studio Projects B1 is a good place to start. (also about $80) I personally believe you would get better guitar sound out of a B-1 than a 58, if you can get a room with a little peace and quiet. The SM57 is simpler.
The people above are trying to convince you to use the computer you already have as a recorder, so you can spend your budget on things that produce a better signal, mostly a good condenser mic and a preamplifier. This will require upgrading the sound card in your computer. They are basically right that that route is more cost effective, more expandable, and more versatile. It is, however, not portable, and there's a little more learning curve involved. Be aware that you will need a 128mb card for the MR-8 (I think it comes with a little one that is fairly useless). There are arguments for both routes, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay $50 or so for 128mb of memory when you probably have multiple gigs sitting right in front of you.
But then again, I own a card recorder (Korg PXR4) and I love it. When I travel, I take the Pandora, a cheap solid body guitar, and some headphones. On the other hand, that's not my main recorder, either.
As far as being of the female persuasion, there aren't enough women in home recording. I went through almost 2000 listings one day on guitar9 studio registry, and found 2 women, both inactive. I really have no clue why recording is driven by testosterone, but being a singer who works with some *great* women singers, I decided I would always go out of my way to help any woman interested in recording. My best advice- Spend your money on guitar strings, and wear them out. Lurk on this board and read books on recording and mic technique 'till it starts to make sense. Do a lot of research before you spend money. I'm sure we'll cross paths again.-Richie
 
Wow, thanks for all the quick replies, you guys are great! Richie, that's also a bunch of good advice, thanks for taking the time to put your thoughts down. Here's what my situation is:

1. The computer is a 1 GB pentium, 256 mb ram, 40 and 20 Gb hard drives, Soundblaster "Live". But the dumb fans make so much noise that I can't imagine recording through a mic and not having problems. I don't have a laptop. All my recording would be through a mic as I have only acoustic equipment with no pickups installed (Lowden and Martin guitars).

2. Memory for the MR-8 (or equivalent) is not much of an issue. I have several 256 Mb flash cards (Viking) that I use in a digital camera and an MP3 player (NEX-II)

3. You cleared up my question on the phantom power. I had seen that in the adds and had no idea what they were talking about. It makes sense now. I actually was considering the SM57 mic, so I think I will go with that one for starters.

4. I like the portability of something like the MR-8 to take to a friends house as well. We could do some recording, I can transfer the tracks to the computer when I get home. It's mostly for our own use for now, I'm not at the skill level yet for making a demo or anything.

I'll be doing plenty of lurking, probably only a little posting. I don't give up easy and figure I can do about anything if I put my mind to it. I don't really apologize for being a girl, it's just nice to find a forum where people appreciate you for what you are interested in. I have as much computer experience as my husband, even though I have to ask him to bail me out once in a while on hardware problems!

And HogansHiro, I like guy guitar players...see, mother nature made that all work out! :D
 
In the end, Christine, I made the same decision. My computer's just too noisy for recording in one room, so I use a dedicated multitrack recorder. Best of luck with everthing.-Richie
 
Hi Christine, welcome.

I started with a VS-840, and moved to a PC a couple of years later (though I've been doing midi on PCs since 1986 - still have my 8088 studio. It might even work - haven't fired it up for a while.)

There's good and bad about both approaches - I'll try to address both:

A standalone recorder locks you into current technology, though upgrades are occasionally made available. This means you'll probably begin to feel very limited by the Fostex in a year or two. BUT - at that point, you can move to a PC, make the Fostex your "field recorder", and record live concerts, church services, etc. My friends are very impressed that I have field rig and a studio rig. They have no idea what a hack I am. Or they're not letting on. :D

Your SB Live card is okay - I love Sound Fonts! - but its low sample rate and non-support of ASIO and other fast access schemes makes it unsuitable for studio work. Mine is disconnected now, in favor of a Delta 66.

A noisy PC is a drag, but you might not notice it on recordings, as long as you stay away from omni mics. 1) use a directional mic, 2) point it away from the PC, 3) max your source sound (mic close to source, source as loud as possible without sacrificing tone), 4) Do what you can to isolate the PC - I throw a heavy coat over the CPU when I'm using mics. I did all this on a solo a capella vocal, sound floor was inaudible.

Your best bet, if you want to hit the ground running, might be to go for the Fostex (or another all-in-one digital recorder), and start playing with your PC now, learning the ropes. Computer Music mag includes enough free software in each month's issue to put together a whole studio - sequencer, sampler, drum machine, synths. It's a UK mag, but you can pick it up in the US for $10 or $12 at Border's Books. Or find them online and subscribe - good tutorials each month too.

Your PC's actually was a little better than mine, except that I just upgraded the hard drive and memory - yours is still faster though. Just a decent sound card standing between you and a PC studio.

Glad you're here. We love girls, even if we don't know how to act around them... :rolleyes:
 
Welcome to HR. The recording industry know's no sex boundries, but the majority involved in the production end of it are male.

I think it's a gear thing. Ya know, the guy with the most toys at the end wins, sort of thing. I don't think women are as competitive in this area as men are. Just an experienced observation.

Nothing wrong with getting the ladies involved. A lot of times they will have an insight to something that goes right over our heads.
 
Christine

First of all, no need to apologize for being a girl.

Most guys like girls.

The MR-8 has a built-in mic, and that might be good enough to get you started.

The MR-8 does not supply phantom power, so in order to use a condenser mic, you would either need to buy a condenser that runs on batteries or get something like an Audio Buddy ($80).

So you might be better off starting off with a dynamic mic. The Shure SM-57 ($80) is a good choice for both vocals and instruments, and the SM-58 ($100) is a good choice for vocals.

Notice I said good, not great, but you don't necessarily need great at this point.

But again, you may get satisfactory results from the built-in mic.
 
If portability is not an issue, then I'd check out companies like
Raxess that make an acoustical product to put around your computer to help deaden fan noise. Then I'd consider something
like;

1) The Tascam US-428 controller.
(I have the smaller US-224)
2) Studio Projects VTB-1 mic pre (has phantom power BTW)
3) Studio Projects caridod condenser, or if it's in the budget,
a multi-pattern polar response like their B3 or C3.
That way you could close mike your acoustic guitar with an
omni. The "B" series is supposed to be rather neutral sounding,
the "C" series more vintage. www.studioprojectsusa.com
4) Fmr. Audio 1773 RNC compressor from www. mercenary.com
5) Outboard effects unit ala Lexicon for reverb, etc.
6) Shure SM57 (for general instrument/vocal use)
7) Vocal pop screen (not foam!)

That's a good start.
The MR8 will seem very limited compared to the above plan.

Chris
 
Ahh, sorry Demensia, you're a few years too late! But thanks for the offer, that was sweet of you to ask!

Thanks for the good advice Chessparov. I have not made any purchases yet, and I will definitely consider your tips. I am still doing plenty of web research. I don't like to spend the $$$ until I really am sure I know that it's going to be exactly what I need. You guys are great, this is what I came here for...good advice.

The marriage proposals were just icing on the cake! :D
 
Welcome to our home here at HR.COM, Christine K. :)

You've already received a lot of information from some very competent individuals.

I agree with the masses in terms of going the computer based recording route.

I was wondering what is your budget, for additional equipment?

That would help us to steer you in the right direction. ;)

spin
 
The link that Blue Bear Sound gave you has a TON of info at its location.

If you want some additional reading go here...... more info
 
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