Newbie in need of help!

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bradkiskis

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Hey guys!

So basically, All I want to do is record vocals and an acoustic guitar. However, I'm a student, I do not have a great deal of money and want a great sounding affect. USB mic or XLR Leads, Dynamic or Condenser - It all just baffles me so much! I've read through the stickies in the forum but they all seem to advanced for my little knowledge with recording. I've seen a condenser mic with many good reviews which is the SL150 by Editor Keys but i'd rather have a solid opinion first.

Does an USB mic give a better quality recording?
Is adobe audition a suitable program to record on to?
Any microphones recommended for a good quality sound, but cheap price?

Your help is much appreciated!
 
why not pick up a good book on the subject suited to your level of understanding.
something like the for dummies series.
or watch a shed load of stuff on recording for beginners on you tube until you understand the jargon a bit better and begin to get a handle on it.
better still call your local home/project studio and ask if you can work for them for free in exchange for knowledge.
 
what is your budget precisely?
you dont want a usb mic. You want xlr leads to plug into an audio interface. There is a sticky which talks about audio interfaces and good cheap ones. I would use a condenser for the acoustic, and if you were on a very low budget and recorded things separately then you could use the same mic for vocals, but a good cheap vocal mic is the shure sm58.
Many DAW's (software/programmes, whatever you want to call them) come with audio interfaces, but from my knowledge adobe audition would be not bad.
behringer c-1 or c-2 isnt a bad condenser.
Hope this helps and I'm sure someone else will give you a more detailed and better explanation.
 
thanks both above!

I have a big recording venue just up the road from me so it's probably worth getting in touch.

Ollie, I wouldn't like to spend over £500 in total. I've used adobe audition before, I recorded the acoustic track first, then plugged in headphones and recorded a voice using the same condenser mic. However, background noise got the better of me. Just a quick question, Your Microphone connects to an audio interface using an XLR lead, and then to a computer?
 
There is soooooo much to take into consideration, but my thoughts would be this;

USB mic's are ok, but limit your choices for recording and upgrading if you decide to in the future.

Realitsically, to get a basic good quality recording chain, you need;

An audio interface (ideally with a preamp built in)
a microphone
an XLR cable to connect the two
a mic stand
a pop shield for recording vocals (but you can DIY these with a pair of tights and an old metal coat hanger)
some headphones to monitor what you're doing (and them maybe monitor speakers but, to start with, i wouldn't be too concerned)
Some recording software (commonly called a DAW; Digital Audio Workstation)

An audio interface will serve two main purposes; the preamp will turn the microphone signal up to a useable level and the convertors in the interface will convert the input signal into a digital signal for the computer to see.

Depending on whether you want to record guitar a vocals separately or together you will need either one or two inputs (and if you plan to do both together it's advisable to use two mic's, although you can capture both with just one mic and careful placement)

Audio interfaces range in price, but on a budget the best "bang for buck" ones are either the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (about £120) which has two mic/line inputs, the Maudio Fast track (about £80) which is mic input and one instrument input (if you want to plug your acoustic guitar straight in; or DI it in other terms) or the Presonus Audiobox (about £120) which also has two mic inputs. They are all very similar in quality, although from personal preference i prefer the focusrite.

Mic's in the same price range as the SL150 vary wildly, but there are ALOT of options, and seeing as your main goal is acoustic guitar and vocals a large diaphragm condenser mic (LDC) would be the most appropriate. The MXL 990 gets great reviews (for about £99 with another mic as well!) but if you can stretch at all, the sE2200a (about £160) or the rode NT1a (same price) are great all rounders and will put you in good stead for future projects. there are some very good bundle offers with accessories for both at the moment so just have a look around the net.

Adobe audition is probably no better or worse than any other DAW's and the main argument comes down to how you work best within the software. Reaper is a very cheap (£40 - £60, i forget which),has a 30 day free trial, is packed full of features and is becoming well regarded in the audio world.

Hope that helps
 
that venue seems like a good place to talk to :)

£500 isnt bad I guess. If its the background noise that you dont like then I would get the shure sm58. If you like adobe audition then go for it :)
and yeap, most interfaces have usb outs, some have firewire, but you can just get a firewire to usb adaptor if your computer doesnt have a firewire port.
 
Justsomeguy said:
There is soooooo much to take into consideration, but my thoughts would be this;

USB mic's are ok, but limit your choices for recording and upgrading if you decide to in the future.

Realitsically, to get a basic good quality recording chain, you need;

An audio interface (ideally with a preamp built in)
a microphone
an XLR cable to connect the two
a mic stand
a pop shield for recording vocals (but you can DIY these with a pair of tights and an old metal coat hanger)
some headphones to monitor what you're doing (and them maybe monitor speakers but, to start with, i wouldn't be too concerned)
Some recording software (commonly called a DAW; Digital Audio Workstation)

An audio interface will serve two main purposes; the preamp will turn the microphone signal up to a useable level and the convertors in the interface will convert the input signal into a digital signal for the computer to see.

Depending on whether you want to record guitar a vocals separately or together you will need either one or two inputs (and if you plan to do both together it's advisable to use two mic's, although you can capture both with just one mic and careful placement)

Audio interfaces range in price, but on a budget the best "bang for buck" ones are either the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (about £120) which has two mic/line inputs, the Maudio Fast track (about £80) which is mic input and one instrument input (if you want to plug your acoustic guitar straight in; or DI it in other terms) or the Presonus Audiobox (about £120) which also has two mic inputs. They are all very similar in quality, although from personal preference i prefer the focusrite.

Mic's in the same price range as the SL150 vary wildly, but there are ALOT of options, and seeing as your main goal is acoustic guitar and vocals a large diaphragm condenser mic (LDC) would be the most appropriate. The MXL 990 gets great reviews (for about £99 with another mic as well!) but if you can stretch at all, the sE2200a (about £160) or the rode NT1a (same price) are great all rounders and will put you in good stead for future projects. there are some very good bundle offers with accessories for both at the moment so just have a look around the net.

Adobe audition is probably no better or worse than any other DAW's and the main argument comes down to how you work best within the software. Reaper is a very cheap (£40 - £60, i forget which),has a 30 day free trial, is packed full of features and is becoming well regarded in the audio world.

Hope that helps
Click to expand...

I said someone would explain it better
 
Justsomeguy said:
There is soooooo much to take into consideration, but my thoughts would be this;

USB mic's are ok, but limit your choices for recording and upgrading if you decide to in the future.

Realitsically, to get a basic good quality recording chain, you need;

An audio interface (ideally with a preamp built in)
a microphone
an XLR cable to connect the two
a mic stand
a pop shield for recording vocals (but you can DIY these with a pair of tights and an old metal coat hanger)
some headphones to monitor what you're doing (and them maybe monitor speakers but, to start with, i wouldn't be too concerned)
Some recording software (commonly called a DAW; Digital Audio Workstation)

An audio interface will serve two main purposes; the preamp will turn the microphone signal up to a useable level and the convertors in the interface will convert the input signal into a digital signal for the computer to see.

Depending on whether you want to record guitar a vocals separately or together you will need either one or two inputs (and if you plan to do both together it's advisable to use two mic's, although you can capture both with just one mic and careful placement)

Audio interfaces range in price, but on a budget the best "bang for buck" ones are either the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (about £120) which has two mic/line inputs, the Maudio Fast track (about £80) which is mic input and one instrument input (if you want to plug your acoustic guitar straight in; or DI it in other terms) or the Presonus Audiobox (about £120) which also has two mic inputs. They are all very similar in quality, although from personal preference i prefer the focusrite.

Mic's in the same price range as the SL150 vary wildly, but there are ALOT of options, and seeing as your main goal is acoustic guitar and vocals a large diaphragm condenser mic (LDC) would be the most appropriate. The MXL 990 gets great reviews (for about £99 with another mic as well!) but if you can stretch at all, the sE2200a (about £160) or the rode NT1a (same price) are great all rounders and will put you in good stead for future projects. there are some very good bundle offers with accessories for both at the moment so just have a look around the net.

Adobe audition is probably no better or worse than any other DAW's and the main argument comes down to how you work best within the software. Reaper is a very cheap (£40 - £60, i forget which),has a 30 day free trial, is packed full of features and is becoming well regarded in the audio world.

Hope that helps
Click to expand...

You've been a brilliant help, I'm starting to understand it a lot more that's for sure! I'll look into all the audio interfaces.
 
The 990 for vocals with silky highs and tight, solid lows
The 991 for acoustic guitars and drum overheads
gold-sputtered diaphragms for a professional sound
Comes with carrying case and mic stand adapters
Suited for digital and analog recording
Wired with Mogami cable
Click to expand...

A description of the MXL 990, Comes with the 991 which seems suitable for recording acoustic guitar. For the price this definitely seems like the best buy at the moment. What the on earth is a mogami cable though?
 
The reason i suggested a small studio is because a large facility probably won't want a newbie any where near their expensive gear but you could always ask them they might know someone who can help you.
Theres nothing as friendly as a sound guy. Unless you piss one off during a stage act.

I reccomend you take your time and try to buy the products best suited to your needs and budget.
because buying twice is expensive, if you buy shite first time trust me i know.

learn how to do it before you buy too theres so much to consider.
 
The reason i suggested a small studio is because a large facility probably won't want a newbie any where near their expensive gear
Click to expand...
yes that, my mistake.

because buying twice is expensive, if you buy shite first time trust me i know.
Click to expand...
me too unfortunately, but we learn from our mistakes :)
 
we do indeed Ollie.
i'm just trying to help the OP from wasting cash and endig up with stuff you cant sell for more than half what you paid for it 6 month down the line.
 
bradkiskis said:
You've been a brilliant help, I'm starting to understand it a lot more that's for sure! I'll look into all the audio interfaces.
Click to expand...

Glad it helps :)

bradkiskis said:
A description of the MXL 990, Comes with the 991 which seems suitable for recording acoustic guitar. For the price this definitely seems like the best buy at the moment. What the on earth is a mogami cable though?
Click to expand...

Mogami is just a brand name, and seeing as they have some affliction with MXL (or are owned by, i can't remember) they make a point of mentioning it.

The MXL 990 & 991 package looks bang on and would give you not only a lot of scope for different sounds, but would already give you a separate vocal and guitar mic.

£500 is more than enough with todays gear to buy a simple and good quality recording setup. even if you price it up like this:

MXL mics - £99
interface - £120 ish
mic stands - depending but you can get 2 cheap ones for about £10 each
two XLR (standard mic) cables - again, cheap ones of a reasonable length are about £4 each

i'm guessing you've got some headphones and, unless you really want to buy one, just DIY a pop shield to help prevent "popping" the mic when singing too close to it, and if you already have Adobe Audition you may as well sick with it. Even that only comes to about £250
 
start with an sm58, you can do amazing things with that mic. i personally use ableton live as a daw.
 
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