silly newbie questions!

[maceo]

Complete Newbie here, so be nice
So, I've been thinking about putting together a home studio, and found this web site. I have several questions. First, I'm leaning towards using Pro Tools, but I don't see much conversation on this site about it. Opinions? Also, if you have Pro Tools, and a CD Burner on your PC, can you mix down to that CDR, or do you need to purchase a seperate CD Recorder? And here's the loaded question, and I know everyone will have a different opinion, but I'd like to here them all. What affordable mics should I have in my closet? I plan on recording alternative rock (whatever that means)... drum kit, bass, rhythm and lead electric guitars, acustic guitar, and vocals. I will be recording in a 15x20 room. I will probably record the drum kit and bass at the same time in seperate rooms (so I can't use the same mic for kick drum and bass cabinet). Here's what I've come up with so far, let me know if I'm on the right track

sm57 - for snare
sp c4 (pair) - for overheads
akg d112 - for kick
md421 - for bass cabinet?
at4040 - for vocals (shot in the dark on that one)

Should I use sm57's on toms too?

I have no idea what to use for electric and acustic guitars.

Any help and opinions will be rewarded with my utmost appreciation!

 

[maceo]

oh yeah

oh yeah, which of these mics do I need pre-amps for, and which pre-amp do you suggest.

Ok, I'm done, I promise... for now

 

[guitarnate69]

use sm57's for electric guitar amps

 

[dwillis45]

"ProTools" exists in two versions. The first is an expensive software/hardware grouping that includes a variety of interfaces, preamps, converters, and other dedicated equipment for DAW recording. ProTools LE is a scaled-down application that comes bundled with Digidesign's middle and low-end equipment line. There are a lot of other software choices beyond ProTools and certainly other hardware devices to setup a digital audio workstation. This, combined with the cost of ProTools, is probably the reason you don't see a lot of discussions around here.

Regarding internal CD burners: Your computer CD burner should work with whatever software you choose. Just about every recording program features some type of mixdown and export function that creates a standard file (often WAV of AIFF) that can be dragged and dropped to CD burning software. There are some complications such as where you dither, but basically it's very straightforward.

On Mics: It looks like you've done your reseach! There are always other options (4040 for overheads or RE20 for kick), but your picks are pretty standard. Just add a SM57 for guitar amps and use the 421 on toms. And for vocals you have a lot of leeway given you are doing alt rock. You could use the AT 4040 or another 40 series mic like the 4050. You could also use an SM57 or even the Sennheiser 421 if you like dynamic mics. Just experient!

Preamps: All the mics you mention will require some type of preamp if you want to do things the right way. And condenser mics like the SP and the AT will require phantom power. You will have some available preamps and phantom power through a mixing board if you use one or through a stand-alone computer interface (You didn't mention one but I assume you are looking at this option). Otherwise, you will end up getting some stand-alone preamps. Take a look at the FMR RNP for a start.

 

[maceo]

dwillis45,
Thank you so much for your very detailed answer. It really helps alot!

 

[Ibrow]

Being it's a homerecording website, for the most part, protools will be cost prohibitive. You can get software that does basically the same thing for a lot less.

Most folks have gone with a PC based DAW. That is the first bit of hardware you will need for sure. Inside the DAW, you will need a decent soundcard. How many ins/outs you are planning on using at a time will determine, more or less, what you'll need. Along with this, a hardware mixer is nice to have as it keeps everything straight, lets you buss things around, and provides your preamp and phantom power for mics if need be. Also, in your studio, you will need decent monitors. How decent? It depends on your budget and what exactly you are planning to do with your studio. For the most part, if you are "serious" (LOL) about hearing what you recorded, you should be looking in the $300-$500 range for monitors. The more serious you are, the more you should spend. LOL! But you can get pretty good monitors for home recording purposes in that price range. It seems you have the microphone thing pretty much licked.

This is all based on PC homerecording. If you go analog, that is an entirely different monster that I know little about.

 

[maceo]

I keep seeing "DAW", but really don't know what you guys mean by that. The best I can come up with is "Digital Audio Workstation".. am I close? Is a DAW just the combination of your PC, sound card, software, etc.., or is it an actual piece of hardware?

I like the idea of having a mixing board, any recommedations? I just posted another question about digtal mixers right before you replied to this thread. When they say 8 buss, does that mean that you can route your different channels to 8 outputs? Say for instance if you had a Delta 1010, you could send a differnt sound (signal, source, whatever you call it) to each of the inputs, which could be set to record 8 different tracks at once?

As far as monitors go, I am thinking about the M-Audio BX8, but I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet, but then again, I'm not even sure what to listen for. Anyway, thanks for your input, it means a lot.