Simple Home Studio

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chipppy

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Hi Home Recording forum. I'm ignorant, and I need a simple home studio. Just to record vocals and and an acoustic guitar, and maybe a djembe .... and an egg .... and a trombone. Not all at once.

Here's my plan as it stands:

Get a Mac. I don't need much, just whatever is necessary to record some music. I feel comfortable starting with Garage Band (hence the Mac), assuming I can upgrade to Logic or something else later. Can you recommend the least expensive Mac for the job? (Like I don't know, a MacBook? An iPod? Just kidding.)

Get a package deal with an interface and two (?) mics plus all that other junk I need.

Does my plan seem reasonable? And are there any outstanding or infamous products I should be aware of?

Thanks!
 
My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470385421
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Another good one is: Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Gui...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215734124&sr=1-1
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at www.tapeop.com

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics and have good tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/tips-techniques/168409-tips-techniques.html

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig: http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Also Good Info: http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Other recording books: http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and tested suggestions that WORK: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm
(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)
Another good article: Choosing an audio interface - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep08/articles/audiointerfaces.htm


Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com/smm

Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $50 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages - http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE and July 2009 issue they put out Samplitude10SE. FREE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)
 
yes

chipppy said:
Hi Home Recording forum. I'm ignorant, and I need a simple home studio. Just to record vocals and and an acoustic guitar, and maybe a djembe .... and an egg .... and a trombone. Not all at once.

Here's my plan as it stands:

Get a Mac. I don't need much, just whatever is necessary to record some music. I feel comfortable starting with Garage Band (hence the Mac), assuming I can upgrade to Logic or something else later. Can you recommend the least expensive Mac for the job? (Like I don't know, a MacBook? An iPod? Just kidding.)

Get a package deal with an interface and two (?) mics plus all that other junk I need.

Does my plan seem reasonable? And are there any outstanding or infamous products I should be aware of?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

yes, even though i hate macs, that could work for you ---
but be aware that some macs seem to have problems with some audio things so i have seen on the net. you may need to find help andor workarounds if you hit a snag.

you need a pc, recording software, mike, cable, interface, and a lot of learning. read some books like the other message noted. read em free at the library or nearly free at B&N while you drink their overpriced coffee. most are not worth buying to keep around.
 
Thanks!

I really appreciate the help. I've been reading "tweak" and I'm astounded at how well his guide is laid out and how much I learned quickly (thanks Tim).

http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

While I remain almost entirely ignorant, thanks to this guide I've gained confidence in Mac and Presonus. Here's a combination I'm looking at: Mac mini and Presonus Firestudio.

Given this combination, can I expect the drivers to work well?

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/PreSonus-FireStudio-Project-Recording-Package?sku=482341&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=162466793

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_mini?mco=MTM3NDcyODI

Thanks in advance for any additional advice, you've been more than helpful already. :) And now I'm off to Books-A-Million for some overpriced coffee.
 
maybe

drivers.... whole nuther issue

if you have the latest drivers from presonus for your model mac and opsys then it should be fine

i would google for the key words and also "problem" and similar
to see if anyone can share real experience with your devices
 
simple...

I wouldn't even bother with interfaces. For something as simple as 4 tracking a trombone, guitar, voice, and some hippie percussion you don't need a high end computer. It's cheaper and way easier to use to get hardware with a USB port so you don't have to upgrade your computer. 200 bucks gets you a hardware recorder with knobs and dials and built in stereo mics and assignable reverb and compression and so on. really that's all you need for a simple setup. Hey it beats paying a thousand for a fast cpter and another couple hundred for software. Hardware is your friend man.
 
newcomputeruser said:
i would google for the key words and also "problem" and similar
to see if anyone can share real experience with your devices
Click to expand...

What a good idea! I think you just gave me something on the level of a life changing pearl of wisdom.

AbuseTheMuses said:
I wouldn't even bother with interfaces. For something as simple as 4 tracking a trombone, guitar, voice, and some hippie percussion you don't need a high end computer.
Click to expand...

lolz! Well, you know how these things go. I want to be sure I can expand my capabilities as needed.
 
You could get an Lexicon Omega for about 200 dollars. It is usb and can do 4 tracks simultaneously. It also includes Cubase SX. As far as going out to buy a mac for some simple bedroom recording - don't bother. When I first bought my lexicon I used it with a crappy dell with 1gb of ram. Worked fine. Take the rest of your money and buy as many books on the subject as you can afford. IMO
 
maybe

rfahey86 said:
You could get an Lexicon Omega for about 200 dollars. It is usb and can do 4 tracks simultaneously. It also includes Cubase SX. As far as going out to buy a mac for some simple bedroom recording - don't bother. When I first bought my lexicon I used it with a crappy dell with 1gb of ram. Worked fine. Take the rest of your money and buy as many books on the subject as you can afford. IMO
Click to expand...

looked at it didnt get it - FUD from badmouthing on the net

thought it was only 2 tracks but my memory is not that good

i would be careful about being able to get good drivers
word on the net was they stopped updating them so if you use vista or 7 you may have big problems
not sure what mac version they stopped at
 
Just a note: Lexicon Omega comes with Cubase LE, not Cubase SX, from what I understand.

I've used the unit on a Mac and thought it was a bargain. The Pantheon reverb was very good and it gives you inserts on the inputs, which I like.

I've seen them go for cheap on eBay, here's one that sold recently for $36+20 shipping: http://cgi.ebay.com/LEXICON-Omega-L...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item335c3d885b
That was especially cheap... but you should be able to get one for $60-70 + shipping off of eBay.
 
AbuseTheMuses said:
I wouldn't even bother with interfaces. For something as simple as 4 tracking a trombone, guitar, voice, and some hippie percussion you don't need a high end computer. It's cheaper and way easier to use to get hardware with a USB port so you don't have to upgrade your computer. 200 bucks gets you a hardware recorder with knobs and dials and built in stereo mics and assignable reverb and compression and so on. really that's all you need for a simple setup. Hey it beats paying a thousand for a fast cpter and another couple hundred for software. Hardware is your friend man.
Click to expand...

stand alones have other problems and shortcomings.
great for portability, pita often for at home use and much more limited than a full pc DAW set up with interface.

software makes the hardware happen.
and it is a lot more affordable and flexible these days.
 
newcomputeruser said:
looked at it didnt get it - FUD from badmouthing on the net

thought it was only 2 tracks but my memory is not that good

i would be careful about being able to get good drivers
word on the net was they stopped updating them so if you use vista or 7 you may have big problems
not sure what mac version they stopped at
Click to expand...

You are right about the drivers not being updated. The latest drivers are good for XP and Vista 32bit (not 64bit). I have had mine for about 3 years now (I am the 3rd owner) and it still does the job. I will work for windows 7 but only in WDM mode not ASIO.

I does do 4 tracks simultaneously so you can make a simple recording of a drum set if you need to. I only has 2 mic pre's tho. It does come with cubase LE (not SX, I stand corrected). For a cheap way to start a simple studio is definitly is an option. I currently use it with cubase 5 and have seen it used with Sonar 7.
 
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