Newbie just starting!

[mikulnite]

Ok, so i dont know really anything about recording. I want to start a home studio and i need to know like a basic list of things i should buy to make a low budget studio,I already have a computer to use. I want to be able to record like full bands, not just guitar and vocal stuff. if anyone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated. and sorry if this question is really stupid, i just have no clue where to start.

 

[Jeyan]

If you are not mainly concerned about quality, just get a mixer, few mics and run the mixer main out into your soundcard line in and now you'll be able to record your band in some software (there are so many choices, so do the homework and find one that you like)
IF you are expecting more quality, get a better soundcard. The more you pay for a soundcard, the better the quality is, decide the budget and go for it. Good Luck!

 

[baba]

hi,

jeyan's post was good advice and exactly how I began recording but if you have some cash to invest, read the post by manning1 in the newbies forum. there are some solid suggestions that are not that expensive and will help you learn the trade not fight with too many limitations early on.

a break out box or mixer w/good preamps is a great way to get out and into the sound card...1/4 inch analog inputs and no computer noise artifacts on your recordings is a big plus. quality converters at the 24/96 sample rate and resolution help you learn how to use dynamic headroom to your advantage ( or disadvantage ) I feel that nervous twitch again LOL. takes a fairly stout system to handle 24/96 demands on large projects.

finally and one of the most important, your monitors need to tell you the truth about your mix. fostex pm .o5's are quite nice with 40w - 30w amps in each monitor. 5" woofer and dome tweeter. I really like these, they sell for under $300.00/pair on musicians friend. zZounds probably has them to.

I agree with manning1 about recording software. most if not all the shareware like n-track and multitrackstudio are capable of pro quality if you have decent hardware to use it with. all this is secondary to the skills or "ears" you develop along the way but good tools make any job easier.

cheers,
baba