I'm wanting to start a small studio just to record myself. I saw some tri-fold type sound proof studios? is that a good idea for a beginner? I was also wondering if i got a vocal mic with a pop filter, how that would work out. Im 13 and I got to pay for it myself and I was just needing the cheapest way out and thought i'd upgrade from there. please help
Okay...first thing to do before spending any money will be to read all the various FAQs at the top of the page. They'll give you a good overview of how things work and what you need.
Now..."sound proofing". The sort of thing you're talking about isn't sound proofing--it's acoustic treatment. Sound proofing is not something you can do temporarily--it takes heavy walls within wall, a floating floor, etc. etc. However, unless you're in an unusually noisy location, you probably don't need it.
Acoustic treatment, on the other hand, you will need. The section on studio building has lots of instructions on how to do it permanently but at a fair expense. A good way to do it for a beginner is to build your own framework out of the kind of PVC pipe you can buy at DIY shops--it's very cheap and you can use the stock corners and such to put it together. You're aiming for three sides--I've seen it done with two two-sided frames or a single 3 sided one. If you leave some of the joiners unglued you can pull it apart to store it under a bed or similar.
When it's up, use big spring clamps to hang quilts or moving blankets from it. For vocals, stand just by the front edges facing outwards and with the mic facing into the quilts/frame.
Yes, a vocal mic is needed, as is an external audio interface, probably a USB one. the built in sound cards in any computer are simply not designed to take the input from a "proper" vocal mic. If you need to save money (and at 13 I sure would have) I'd suggest you look at one of the basic Behringer Large Diaphram Condenser mics--maybe a C1 or C3. Considering the prices, they don't sound bad at all. Yes, you'll need a mic stand, a pop filter and an XLR to XLR cable to connect the mic into your interface--and the interface needs at least one mic pre amp and a source of phantom power. I'd probably look at
a Lexicon Alpha Studio or an M Audio
Fast Track Mk 2 (don't get stuck with the Mk 1). Or you could consider
a Behringer Xenyx 302.
Finally, you need software on your computer to run all this. Audacity is freeware but will rapidly become limiting. Depending on which interface you buy, there may be the Lite version of some software for free--but again it'll soon be limiting--they want you to buy the full version after you spend some time learning it.
However, if you can scrape up $60,
Reaper is the cheapest full feature DAW I know of--and it's free to try for as long as it takes you to decide if it's for you.
Arrrgghh! Headphones! I knew I'd forgotten something!