really, really newbie

[melzamar]

i have no idea how this whole digital home recording works but i really want to learn...i have been a musician for about 15 years, and i want to explore new horizons.

i have a roland fantom x7 keyboard, xp-80, triton le 76, and a small peavey 12-channel mixer. what other equipments do i need to start out?

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

welcome to the BBS.

you really need to read around a bit and find out about the different recording setups and then decide which one would suit you best.

You've said digital so that sort of narrows it down to an all in one digital recorder or recording into a computer.

Most people seem to choose the computer route but that said there are many people who seem very happy with the all in one box solution.

If you want to take things seriously you'll need a decent monitoring set up (and that includes room treatment as well as the speakers). You will also want to look at treating your live recording area. If it's all just a bit of fun though this could be a bit OTT for you.

What sort of music will you be recording and do you have some sort of budget in mind? What are your aspirations for the quality of your recordings?

 

[melzamar]

thanks for reply

hey thanks for replying.

the types of music i may be recording is really diverse. from R&B to Alternative, but no hardcore metal stuff. let's just say i have no idea what budget to make, how about i start with a couple of thousand dollars? is that ok enough to start?

i really dont want to break the bank on this new endeavor; but i dont want to water down my music either. so can you give me the best quality for this price range?

thanks a lot man,
MeL

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Do you think you'd like to record into a comp or would an all in one recorder suit you better? The all in one option (often referred to as SIABs (studio in a box) because they have all of the tools to produce a complete recording (effects, preamps, mixer etc)) is probably a bit cheaper and possibly less complex but for me the computer route is the better option. More possibilities in terms of using vst stuff (effects and instruments) easier to upgrade all elements of the chain (preamps and A-D conversion, with most all in ones you're stuck with the (usually pretty average) pres and converters built in to the machine. The mixing and editing stage is so much easier on a comp because it's all laid out on a big screen and best of all it's the popular choice so if you have a problem/questions there will be more knowledge and help out there.

If you go all in one then it's really just a case of looking at what's out there and seeing which one has the features that suit you best within your budget.

Do you have a computer with a reasonable spec? I don't know how much you can get a reasonable PC for where you are but here in the UK that would take up much of the $1000 budget. In fact my music PC (3.0Ghz P4, 1 gig of RAM, 120Gb HDD) was around £700 (roughly US$1250).

Another key question- how many individual tracks will you be wanting to record simultaneously? Would you be happy building tracks up with overdubs or will you be wanting to record bands live as they play? Will you be wanting to record drums?

 

[LfO]

Here's a link to a pretty comprehensive intro of what you'll need.
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

I'm not recommending against getting advice here, by any means, but it will give you a much better general idea of what you might want.

 

[jonnyc]

I second LFO's recommendation. Tweak's guide is one of the most comprehensive online texts about this subject I've ever read. I just found the site because I wanted to to home recording and literally had zero idea of where to start. In fact before I read tweaks guide I bought a radioshack mic with a built in 1/4 inch an a soundblaster card with cubase se, man I thought I was on my way. I read his guide and it opened my eyes. This site is great, my favorite in fact but for getting started tweaks guide is the poop.

 

[TimOBrien]

This is also a good bood that'll show you how to set up a studio and get started:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-1414838-0140803?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

 

[melzamar]

thanks alot man. i'm gonna check it out.

 

[melzamar]

first of all, thanks for your help.

I dunno if it really matters to me if i get one which records many simultaenous tracks at one time. I may be recording one track at a time. Overdubs would be fine with me. im not really into live recording yet. and yes, i want to record drums.

By the way, i have a Fantom X7 keyboard, is that ok enough?

thanks again.

 

[mikeh]

I think as a general rule the all in one "studio in a box" is a better option for newbies - in particular if you anticipate that the majority of what you plan to record will be solo stuff recorded one track at a time.

As Kevin points out the all in ones can provide built in preamps, effects CD burning, etc with the ability to record numerous virtual tracks, etc. While most of these built in components may not be a good as dedicated rack gear, for most people they are more than enough.

Like any equipment purchase, you need to determine what you want to achieve and then purcahse the gear that meets that goal. If you plan to record live drums (vs. samples, loops whatever) you will need anywhere from 2 to 8 (or more) inputs. a 3 or 4 mic technique can work well, and some 2 mic techniques can also work - but with live drums I would suggest allowing for 8 inputs. If you plan to record other instruments at the same time as the drums you then may need 12 - 16 inputs.

You can spend from about $600, maybe a little less (8 tracks) to about $2500 or more (16 - 24 tracks). Plan on maybe $200-$400 for a decent condensor mic (for vocals) and maybe $200 - $400 for some dynamic mics (or a drum mic pac - which may even include 2 condensors for overheads).

I would think the Fantom should be good for most keyboard parts (and even drums parts). Another question you do need to ask yourself is what level of MIDI application do you plan to use? Most table top studios have limited MIDI capabilities (that's where the various computer based systems really come in. If MIDI is not a big deal, then a studio in a box is still likely to be your best option. If you pland to use a lot of MIDI then a computer would be better.

I would think most Alt music (guitar driven) would be fine on a studio in a box, but R&B can have so many little keyboard parts going on that MIDI then becomes more important.

Welcome to the world of recording - just understand once you start, the gear lust will consume you (look at the trhead on this site about how much money people have in gear). This is not a "hobby" for the faint of heart or thin of wallet.

 

[Dani Pace]

Welcome aboard. We were all new once so don't be afraid to ask questions, even if they sound really dumb, sometimes even the simple stuff gets confuseing. You can spend a small fortune on gear or you can find ways to get the most out of what you have then add more as the need arises and you can afford it. Use the best you can afford, the results will be worth the extra investment. The first things to get are (not nessassaraly in this order) mics, mixer/preamp, decent soundcard, good monitors, and recording software. Check the individual forums to learn about these things and decide what will best suit your needs. From there it's up to you whether you want a simple set up or if you want to go all out. You also need to consider your recording space (room), the better your room sounds, the easier the rest of the recording process will be. Good luck.