newbie help regarding recording gears

H

harman90

New member
Hi !
Firstly I would like to start with that ... I am total amateur in this field.

I want to start recording as a freelancer. So in a way i need gears for home-recording.
For now I have computer with soundforge 10 and adobe audition.

My budget is nearly 200$ !So can you suggest me the option to get best quality out of 200 bucks !!
Should I go for usb mic or would it be better to purchase interface and mIC differently as I don't need different channels.
I just want noise-free , good quality recording.

Please also let me know the website where I can find gears, because I am in india and I probably would be asking friends to get it for me.
Thanks in advance.
Cheerz
 
Hello “harman90”!

Welcome to the forum.
Since you’re new in the field, I can assure you that you’re in the right place to learn a lot about recording gear, and about recording techniques (I did learned a lot with all the guys!!!).

About your questions:
In my opinion, you should definitely look for an audio interface. There are a lot of good interfaces in the market, and they can record at an awesome quality. You'll never get a good quality sound with a usb mic as you can get with a mic that's connected to an audio interface.

About one of those, I got an Alesis Io2 Express. But it got a problem, 'cause it's does not support usb2, resulting in a low rate data transfer speed (which may 'cause latency - a kind of very annoying delay). So I would advise you to buy an audio interface that supports usb2.

Check this out: M-Audio Fast Track USB 2 Computer Audio Interface
(Amazon.com: M-Audio Fast Track USB 2 Computer Audio Interface: Musical Instruments)

Is cheap, and it comes with very cool features!


About a mic: I can advise you to get a SHURE SM58 (it’s my crown jewel!!!).
Simple because is a very strong mic, high quality, and very versatile.
You can use it to sing (that's what it's made for) but also you can capture instruments with very good quality.
It’s not cheap (well, the cheapest) but I can assure you that it’s worth it!!!
And since you only have 200 $, I strongly advise you buy the audio interface with a cheapest mic. I’m sure In the future you can get more money to buy a mic like SM58. Never do the opposite: the good mic without an audio interface!
About a place to buy: why not “amazon.com”? They're very professional and secure.

And since you’re starting, I strongly advise you to read a very good book: “Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies” (Please, don’t get me wrong! I own that book, and it’s a great place to start!!! AS you’ll be moving on, you’ll find other good books… but this one, is a must have for a started).

Hope this helps.

Good luck…

Ps: Sorry for the eventually bad english, I'm portuguese!!!
 
Thank you very much mate !!
It's always great to get advise from the senior !

Actually I need it only for vocal recording ! I want to be freelancer voice artist.

I read the reviews bt M-Audio Fast Track Usb 2 on amazon!! Many people have reported about its Crackling issue !can you tell me about that?

Mate can I write some more combinations ! can you please let me know which one would be the best? I am copying it from ebay

1. M-Audio FastTrack II USB Computer Audio Interface,w/AKG Perception 220 Mic
2. Focusrite Saffire PRO24 Firewire Audio Interface w/ MXL 440/441 Mics ( 299$)
(which seems like little out of my budgeT)
3. M-Audio FastTrack II USB Computer Audio Interface + PTSE w/ AT2020 Mic
4. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Recording Interface w/MXL 440/441 Mics (199$)
5. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Recording Interface w/MXL 440/441 Mics ( 250$)
6. Focusrite iTrack Solo - Audio Interface w/ Shure SM57 OR MIC REPLACED WITH "AUDIO TECHNICA AT2020"


THERE ARE 2 MORE INTERFACE WITH SAME COMBINATION : Tascam US-125M USB AND PreSonus AudioBox 44VSL

These all combinations are from seller from ebay ! I am not able to hyperlink because website didnt let me. So , sorry for that.
Can you please help me find best combination that could work for me on pc.
 
scdaymon said:
...since you’re starting, I strongly advise you to read a very good book: “Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies” (Please, don’t get me wrong! I own that book, and it’s a great place to start!!!)
Click to expand...

Absolutely.

Plus there is Tweak's Guide.
(Getting a little dated since he passed away but still a good place to start)
 
TimOBrien said:
Absolutely.

Plus there is Tweak's Guide.
(Getting a little dated since he passed away but still a good place to start)
Click to expand...

Yeah Tweaks guide got me started in the right direction when i started out,it sad that he passed away.But at least his nephew is carrying on the legacy. If i were you depending on your needs i'd test out a few of the one's i'm interested in from somewhere with a 30 money back guarantee if your not satisfied policy.
 
For a limited budget, a low head-hours Alesis ADAT (either Blackface or XT20) can be found used in the $100 range. They each sold new for about $3k and saw worldwide use in pro studios 20 years ago, but now sell used for next to nothing. Both types use S-VHS tape to record the tracks, but are actually digital systems. The Blackface is 16 bit and the XT 20 is 20 bit. Along with an 8 channel analog mixer and cabling, this would be a self contained and mobile recording rig.

The ADATs all have Toslink lightpipe out of all 8 channels with a single cable, with sample accurate sync. So any ADAT interface would get the tracks into your computer for editing, processing etc. Even lacking an ADAT interface, you could "slate" all 8 tracks with an initial sound impulse, that would serve as a visual way to line the tracks up should you import them two at a time via an ordinary computer soundcard and recording program. There are free computer recording programs like Audacity and others.

This would a hybrid old school/new school way to record up to 8 tracks at once, at a very low cost.
 
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