Recording Equipment

  • Thread starter Thread starter CheddaC
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CheddaC

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Just starting to build my in-home studio. Any suggestions for what gear to buy to start compiling hip-hop albums? I have a yamaha keyboard and make beats on that..should i upgrade to a beatmaker? Also, what mixers, mics, recorders, monitors, etc. would be recommended to make my first album? Looking for a total cost of under $1000. thanks

C
 
i read ur post in the other forum that you don't want any computer in ur studio, right? If so, it's gonna be kinda tough cuz you're gonna need something to record to, be it tapes(4 tracks and so on), adat or whatnot, and any of those can easily go over your budget or at least in the long run.

If I were you, I would invest in a cheap computer ($300-400), then softwares and a mic with preamp. But if you still don't want a comp, I'd say get all the instruments (mics, sampler, synthesizer, sequncer) and get famliar with them first and record them onto a home stereo until you can afford something better.

Oh, wait, you could serach for a used sysnth+workstation that has a sequencer built-in. But, you wouldn't be able to record vocals tho. Motif by Yamaha is a pretty standard for hiphop stuff, i heard.

Sorry, couldn't be more helpful. Good luck

AL
 
Someone told me last week that I could buy a used TASCAM PORTASTUDIO 8 track recorder, and hook it up to my keyboard. From my keyboard I already made beats and melodies, which could be sent to the 8 track, and then hook up mics and monitors right into the Tascam, and even burn it onto cd-r, which comes in some tascams. He said if I bought used or off e-bay i could get close to $1000 for making an album. Would this setup work?
 
CheddaC:

I really dont have any experience with 8tracks, but, if they do come with CD burners, and hopefully some mic preamps, then I supposed you could just get a mic (Shure sm58 is a common one) and rap on top of whatever you recorded with your keyboard.
But, I don't think you are gonna get a fantastic results tho, since you are limited with one keyboard's capability of making beats, sound effects and so on. Plus, you can't really do anything but EQing with your vocal...
BUT, talent and efforts often beat the gears, so, go to a shop, play with the toys there, pick up whatever you like, and start making music.

I wonder why no one else is responding to this thread...

AL
 
CheddaC said:
...... would be recommended to make my first album? Looking for a total cost of under $1000. thanks....
Click to expand...

I truly cannot see you making an ALBUM on a budget of just $1,000.00 for equipment. :(
 
how to make an album on $1000

first: get an old computer. people put these out to trash. find a friend who will give you one for cheap. $200 or so. dont pay more than $500

second: for software use n-track and freeware plugins. $30

third: get an sm57 off of musicgoround.com for $39. maybe a studio projects mic or an mxl mic as well $99. dont get a mic stand, duct tape the mic to something about your height. make a pantyhose pop filter. see the tech n9ne video "slacker" for example of pantyhose pop filter.

fourth: get an m-audio card off of ebay. $130 or so.

fifth: download some samples of drum machines etc. from the internet. free.

sixth: get some sort of preamp for the mic. m-audio, rane, symetrix, the list goes on and on. just dont spend over $100 and dont buy a new one. you only need one channel. see if you can borrow one from a friend.

there, i think we are well under $1000.

now start recording.

have someone with some experience listen to your tracks. work on them. figure out your weakest link. then go to guitar center with a credit card and buy the most expensive thing to fix this weakest link. you have 30 days from this point to record your album. then return whatever you bought. get all your $$$ back.

i dont know anyone who recorded their first album without something bought at guitar center then returned.
 
Re: how to make an album on $1000

eeldip said:
how to make an album on $1000
Click to expand...
An album with $1000 will sound EXACTLY like an album made for $1000 no matter how you slice it........
 
Re: Re: how to make an album on $1000

Blue Bear Sound said:
An album with $1000 will sound EXACTLY like an album made for $1000 no matter how you slice it........
Click to expand...

Voila, mon frere. Merci beaucoup. :D

Eduoard
 
no it wont

i think the biggest hurdle will be the skill issue here.

an album made by a first time engineer is going to sound like an album made by a first time engineer.

gearwise- i think you can squeeze some pretty good performance out of $1000 these days, especially if you "borrow" another $1000 or so of gear from GC.

but that is besides the point. he wants to make an album for $1000. he is going to get what he pays for, but who cares?

yesterday, i was listening to the krs-one/mc shan battle album. that stuff sounded like it was recorded with 50 cents worth of gear but it is fucking amazing stuff.
 
Re: Re: how to make an album on $1000

Blue Bear Sound said:
An album with $1000 will sound EXACTLY like an album made for $1000 no matter how you slice it........
Click to expand...

Instead of helping like spinsterwun and eeldip you post this. if you got to 6000 post like this then maybe you should give some of them back.:D The hitsquad site is how I got started. I recomend it. They have some pretty good software there I got a demo of fruity loops from there and then purchased it. I don't use fruity loops any more though. Like eeldip said once I needed something corrected I went out and bought what I needed. Nice info guys
 
i think the guy doesn't want to have any computer involved.

what other options does he have with a 4 track or alikes??

AL
 
cheddaC,

computer or not?


dont fear the computer! dont fear it!

remember- you can record your album on the computer, AND do the artwork, AND burn the CDs, AND make mp3s and post them on the internet, AND make a website, AND start an e-mail list for your shows and record releases.

also i gotta tell you, i have an 8 track 1/2" tape machine and there is NO WAY i would use it to make a hip hop album unless the vocalist was fucking incredible.

much easier to track vocals on computer for the uh.. less talented.
 
If I did use my computer...what would I need to make albums? List everything you can think of for the first couple albums I record. Tell me more about the vocals, I didn't know you can improve the sound of them on computer. Thanks

C
 
well actually...

i was talking about tracking. [but computers can also make vocals "sound" better. as in they can eq and compress them and so on. or add distortion, reverb, delay and so on and so forth.]

as for tracking, it is easy to assemble multiple takes, easy to punch in and out. you can change your timing easier...

for example: you finish up a verse, you lay another verse down to double it. sounds good, but on take two you hit a "p" sound for a word a little after you did on the first take. it sounds funny. so you go into your editor and pull out the "p" on the second take, or move it over slightly so the "p"s line up.

stuff like that. cant really do it on a tape machine easily.

it is a dangerous path to take cause all of a sudden nothing sounds perfect enough, and you do take after take and edit your song all to hell. whereas with tape you would just accept the error and move on. (just listen to old records- there are flubs all over them) in a way, the computer way of doing things is better.

of course in another the old way is more interesting, and more pleasant in terms of the experience of recording...
 
umm cheddac, a computer is a good option for you... i got reason 2.0 and a damn low budget. i mean i don't have enough money to buy something equivalent in hardware to what the program gives me.
well i burned the cds for reason 2.0 (hope i don't offend anyone here :))... i'm 17 and i don't have time to work full time so i'm trying to pay as less as possible :). my computer had already been used by someone else, so I paid less for it.
i bought a midi keyboard for 276$.

The total cost of what I use to produce songs is under 1000$, and it does sound good. the vocals don't sound as good as the rest, cause my microphone is cheap shit so it exactly sounds that way. I have to work a lot to make them sound not too shitty. The mic cost me like 30$. for that, all the skills I have or will ever have really can't help anything... you need a good microphone and a good place to record the vocals. if your overall budget is 1000$, you should get a fine microphone for like... 150$ and more...
 
I tell you what cheddaC....you can make an amazing album with a budget less than you described...it's not about money or brand names it's about talent and that is all man....but a computer is a great tool to have with a home studio. I've tried also without one
but i finally gave in and now i don't get pissed off all the time.
Just either buy a cheap one like other users suggested buy either cakewalk home studio xl or sonar xl a nice condenser mic.(never short change a mic) and i also would recommend to buy and Ozone 8 by M-Audio.(if you can find one now) they are hard to get because you don't need a mic preamp audi midi interface etc.
Thats why it's so hard to get... Then you can find some monitors cheap anywhere with alittle research and your set! You don't need all that other crap to make good music. Sure it's nice but with a limited budget you can sound just as good as everyone else i promise you. I made most of my cuts on Magix Home studio a raggedy 30$ program with the mic my dell came with for god's sake and i got my shit played on hot 103.9 here in columbia so when it's all said and done.....this may not be the best way but it's my opinion and i'm stickin to it. Peace Love Respect
 
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