Please HELP! To Set up a Basic Home Recording Studio

[officialspider]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie here and also to the overall 'recording' stuffs so please over look if I post any thing ridiculous.

For last one year I'm trying to set up a very modest home recording set up to record my bands stuffs in a decent way. I've researched quiet deep in to the matter and finally, maybe able to understand few things though I'm not sure about this. I'm laying out an overall home recording studio set up flowchart so that you can get a clear picture what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm only concerned about two things, 1) The sound clarity/ quality 2) Using stuffs that won't exceeds my budget.

Please have a look in to this lay out. I'm also curious to know what are the role of a compressors, noise gate, rectifier, splitter in case of home recording set up. I understand that they perform or handles a specific tasks but couldn't figure it out theirs usefulness in case of home recording. Does including them improve the recording/ tonal quality ? On types of sound we will be recording is our's is a nu- metal band but some times personally I play country or blues so that will need to be



Please provide your suggestion on this and pardon me if I posted in a wrong thread.

Thanks a lot,

 

[GuitarLegend]

The DI box and the mic preamp may be unnecessary depending on the mixer. That is not to say that people dont use them but even modest mixers have good mic preamps built-in. Same with the DI box unless there is some distance between the instruments and the mixer. The effects units have line-level outputs that are more than adequate for the mixer

 

[officialspider]

Thank Guitar Legend,


So what should I do regarding this ? Should I use only mixer with audio interface no DI box & mic pre-amp? Will it sound good if I put the out put form the instruments into the mixer straight ? Please help.

Thanks,

 

[GuitarLegend]

Thank Guitar Legend,


So what should I do regarding this ? Should I use only mixer with audio interface no DI box & mic pre-amp? Will it sound good if I put the out put form the instruments into the mixer straight ? Please help.

Thanks,

Just as an example, and not necessarily a recommendation, lets say you bought a Yamaha MG166CX 16 Channel Mixer. This mixer has 10 microphone inputs that can also be used as inputs from your instrument effects boxes. Although you can connect instruments direct, it is often better to either mic your guitar amps or connect them direct from your guitar amp line out to the mixer.

In your diagram, your effects boxes are connected to the mixer but you wont hear them unless your mixer is also connected to speakers. With a powered mixer (eg, Yamaha EMX5016), these will be normal speakers, otherwise you will require powered speakers.

Both types of mixer will send audio signals to your interface for the computer

If you are just starting out, then a powered mixer like the Yamaha EMX5016 and a couple of 15" speakers will do what you need them to do. It can be used on an indoor stage with good results and you can also use it for recording purposes. The mixers provide phantom power for condenser mics or you can use dynamics depending on your needs.

The DI box and mic preamps are just not required at this time and only introduce an additional complication. Only get them when you find you need them.

 

[mjbphotos]

You set up will work, but try just plugging the guitar and bass FX units into the interface. Same on the mic, go direct to the interface. A mixer is for mixing sounds form multiple sources together. You want them to be separate going into the interface to record them separately. Of course if you are just using the mixer to keep everything plugged in at the same time while you record first one, then another, then another part by yourself, there's no issue with this.

 

[GuitarLegend]

There are a range of good audio interfaces that can also double as a mixer, for example, I use a Focusrite Saffire PRO 40 which has 8 microphone inputs with great preamps. You can record your instruments direct and apply effects in the computer or your can connect your effects boxes direct. Presonus, Mackie and M-Audio also make great audio interfaces. It just depends on your requirements and how much you want to spend.

You can still use an external mixer and connect that to whatever interface you choose but the cabling and speaker setups start to get a bit complicated. For example, I have an external 1200W powered mixer connected to the stage speakers and the Focusrite Saffire PRO 40 connected to monitor speakers for recording purposes. I also have a patch bay for re-routing for whatever combination of speakers I want to use.

For the most straightforward initial setup, get a powered mixer and speakers that you can use for stage work and a simpler audio interface to get the sound into the computer. Skip the DI box and the mic preamp and make the setup reasonably simple. You can always add more gear as you find you need it

 

[officialspider]

Thanks a ton mjbphotos & guitar legend,

Thanks for your response,

Ok at this point of time I'm under strict budget to complete my rec setup so I don't think I'll be able to afford such good and versatile mixer (like one that you have mentioned). I want to go with something like Behringer XENYX 502 but as these type of small-scale mixers don't have an USB output to connect to the computer does an additional interface recommended or required to connect the overall out put to the computer ? Oh also I'll not buy a pro studio monitors and will be using my good old wood speakers as a substitutes. You have been a great help.

Thanks,

 

[GuitarLegend]

I would suggest going to the next model up, the XENYX 802 as the 502 may not have phantom power for condenser mics. A better option is to get an audio interface that does the job of a mixer and an interface.

If money is tight, there are a range of low-cost audio interfaces but it will be hard to find one that is capable of driving your normal speakers. A low cost set of active speakers should not break the bank