The MD8 is a nice unit. It's a bit pricey if you decide to buy rather than rent. Renting can get pricey, too. If you're serious about recording a good "quality" demo, you're gonna have to spend some $$. You might want to try recording your demo at a professional studio, since you have little or no experience with the recording process. I say this because bands sometimes have a tendency to break up after investing thousands of dollars in equipment and then everything has to be sold for a big loss when the band splits.
You have to sit down with the guys and map out your plans as to what is the most cost efficient, time-saving, and convenient way to go.
The benefits to recording at home are:
CONVENIENCE: You can record at the times you want to (provided the neighbors can stand it) and you don't have to schedule a recording date. There's no time limit either. Remember, at a pro studio there's other bands on the list waiting to record, too. You might have to cram all 6 songs into a 2 hour session, and might not get it right in that time.
COSTS: If you are planning to do a lot of recording in the future, home recording is the way to go. Pro studios can get pretty costly. Especially if you decide to do an album.
ENVIRONMENT: There's no hurry if you own all the toys. You can set everything up the way you want and record at your leisure.
.....The benefits to Pro-Studio recording:
CONVENIENCE: You can just walk in, plug in, and get right to playing. The engineer in the booth is a professional who (hopefully) knows his shit and will do his best to make you sound good. You'll save the time and aggravation of making the mistakes that most amateurs usually make... like accidentally erasing that "perfect" lead guitar solo that took you 25 takes.
COSTS: 3 or 4 hours in a professional studio will cost you a helluva lot less than spending a $2,000 on a quality digital multi-track recorder, mixer, mics (dynamic and condenser), cd burner, cables and cords, mic stands, pop screens, top quality vocal and guitar effects, monitors, headphones, sound reducing studio-foam, and a large desk or work center to hold all of you equipment.
Can you do without some of this stuff?
Yes...
Will you have excellent recordings by cutting corners and buying much smaller portion of the above listed items?
Maybe, but not likely...
But hey, most of the bigger stores will let you buy on credit anyway, so what the heck!
ENVIRONMENT: Since you don't have to worry about pushing buttons, setting levels, or a Harley with open pipes going down your street while your doing a vocal track with a condenser mic, the pro-studio is a less hectic alternative to a home studio.
Okay... I know I've probably scared the hell out of you as to recording in a home studio. I just wanted to give you the pros and cons, so you know which is the better choice for you.
Renting recording equipment is not a good idea because it takes too long to get to know how to use it all the right way. You might as well go to a pro-studio if you can't afford to buy.
But if you have the time and dedication (and the money), recording at home is extremely gratifying when you get it all together and make some great recordings. Another great benefit to buying all of your own recording equipment is that if the band does break up, you can buy out the recording equipment and do everything by yourself.
The people on this BBS are extremely helpful and knowledgeable, so you're off to a great start by finding your way here.
Read as much as you can about other members opinions and thier experiences with different brands and types of equipment. This will help you to make the most educated decisions.
Personally, I think recording in the home studio is one of the best things you'll ever experience as a musician... short of having beautiful girls throwing thier panties at you while you're playing at a sold-out stadium. So, good luck to you.
A good basic recording package would be...
1: A digital 8-track recorder.
The Fostex FD-8 would be good, since it has 8 inputs, which will allow you to record all 6 drum mics, then bounce it all to another track. That would eliminate the extra expense of having to buy a mixer (for now).
2: A Jaz drive to store all the songs you've recorded
3: A power amp and monitors. I have no opinion here... it's up to "your" ears and price range on this one.
4: Top quality headphones. Get one really good set and one cheaper set. You'll need both.
5: One good condenser mic (also subject to opinion) and some good dynamic mics.
Shure SM57's and SM58's are usually the top vote getters.
6: A pop screen
7: Good quality cables and cords. You'd be surprised at how the cheap ones give you line noise and screw up your recordings.
8: A CD burner. Spend the extra few bucks and get a re-writable, it's great for doing multiple or practice mixes.
These are just the basic needs for decent, digital-quality recordings. The other stuff will come with time. So will the experience and know-how. Let us know how you're progressing or if there's anything else we can help you with. Again, Good Luck!
[This message has been edited by Buck62 (edited 12-28-1999).]
