Possibilities for DIY studio

[matt1345]

My band and I are in the process of deciding whether or not we're going to do our own recording in the future or if we'll just go to a studio somewhere. Up to this point we've really only had a few brushes with recording (generally using a one track cassette to record practices but lately we've been experimenting with my mixer and computer). Right now we own just one truly decent mic and that's the SM58.
I'd consider myself a novice in determining the best recording equipment but I've been doing a lot of research in the past few months. I'd like it if some of the guys here could give me any tips, any opinions at all concerning the equipment choices and whether or not I'm going in the right direction. If it helps I have a pretty good idea of how I want our recordings to sound: I'd really like to get a faithful, clean "band in a room" type sound. Something warm and open. Thinking Sun Records, Moondance by Van Morrison...but also the rawness of The Velvet Underground's recordings and even the slightly out there sounds in Bowie's Berlin trilogy. I know mics and mic placement are going to be huge determining factors in the way the recordings eventually pan out.
We want to put together a semi professional, workable recording set up. However money is a factor and for the time being we don't have a lot to spend on all sorts of stuff. So we're trying to find a good mix of equipment, the bare essentials, to give us a recording set up that will yield decent results.

Sorry for the long winded explanation. So far this is some of the equipment I've been looking at. What do you guys think?

MIXER
Alesis Multimix 8 or 16 - From what I've read I see that to be able to record multiple tracks separately (like a full drum kit) onto a software program like Pro Tools or Mixcraft you need to use a firewire instead of a usb soundcard. Since you can get the Multimix 8 and 16 with firewire that's a big reason I'm looking at that item.

MICS
MXL 990 and MXL 991
Another Shure SM58 or Beta 58
Seinheiser e609
Audio Technica 4040

In terms of how much we have to spend I'd say 600$ to 800$ is what it would come down to for now. I'm not set on any of these items but some opinions would be nice. I want a mix of condenser and dynamic mics. Should I be looking at ribbon mics? I haven't done much research on pre amps or compressors. Should I be looking at those? Thanks for looking!

 

[mjbphotos]

Do some reading here - there are a zillion threads on 'starting out'. Remember, no matter the equipment, you have to learn to use it well - that takes work and practice practice practice.

 

[stevieb]

This may sound antithetical to this entire forum (it's not named homerecording.com for nothing,) but stay with me.

To be honest with you, I think you need to give this some long, hard thought. Assembling the equipment for a studio, then building out the rooms needed to take full advantage of the equipment's features and abilities, will take a lot of time, money and effort- and that TME will probably come from TME you might otherwise spend on making your band/playing better. Amateur studios and amateur engineers pop up like mushrooms after a summer shower, so there are probably several close to you. Find them by swinging a dead cat around your head- one or two of the things you hit will be what you are looking for.

The out-of-pocket cost will be quite modest- the economic law of supply and demand ensures that.

And now, the down side of that approach.

Quality of both equipment and operator will be very spotty. This is usually in reverse correlation to the the talk the engineer offers- the better game he or she talks, the more you should be wary (but I bet you already knew that.) From my experience, if someone calls themselves a "producer," RUN.

You will probably think you have wasted considerable time with engineers who are barely able to push "record," but that time is not actually wasted. You get practice time, both as a band and musicians, and as a "recording artist." By the time you find someone who is actually good, you will have learned how playing in the studio is different from playing anywhere else. By then, you will have a collection- perhaps a big collection- of CD's, tapes, files, etc. of your stuff, capped off by (hopefully) a professional-quality CD that shows your band at it's best. It certainly won't be free, maybe not even cheap- but the quality and consistency of the results may well be better than what you could have produced yourself- and you will also have learned much about the recording process, which you can apply to the next step:

Building your own studio!