starting equipment ?

[xoRockstarxo]

Hi....what kinda good equipment will i need for great recordings ?
at this moment i'm using my guitar amp for everything.....from guitar to vocals.....any advice will be great thnx

 

[matt rascal]

well for GREAT quality...
Something to record on, be it a computer or a stand alone device (use the search function if you aren't sure which one is best for you), a preamp of some sort, decent mics (an sm57 for guitar + a LDC for vocals, if you shell out 100 bucks for each, you'll be pretty close to 'great quality'), mic stands, room treatment, and high-quality monitors.

and some combination of these will get you close ;-)

p.s. - if you're gonna be recording drums, you're gonna want a mixer and more mics. If you're gonna go the computer route, you're gonna need some sort of software and a good sound card.

 

[LfO]

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

Read it, and you'll be enlightened

 

[Kasey]

what kind of music do you plan to record? folk music with acoustic guitars and soft vocals? rock music with drums and electric guitars with screaming vocals? electronic music with nothing else but vocals? all of this effects the answer to your question greatly.

 

[xoRockstarxo]

yea i...i record mostly just rock stuff....with heavy choruses and stuff ....so yea i'm also looking for sunthing that candle handle that pressure in performance

thnx Bruce

 

[Kasey]

yea i...i record mostly just rock stuff....with heavy choruses and stuff ....so yea i'm also looking for sunthing that candle handle that pressure in performance

thnx Bruce

this list may be a bit extensive to begin with but eventually you'll probably need it-

mics for drums - two small diaphragm condenser mics for overheads, and a dynamic bass drum mic.

mic for electric guitar - an sm57

mic for bass - either DI the bass (plug it into the recorder, no mic) or use that bass drum mic.

vocals - dynamic mic for screaming, large diaphragm condenser for normal volume singing (whichever you do)

all of these mics will work for performance except for the large diaphragm condenser.

as for a recording medium you can go a million different ways. i'll list a fwe options for simplicity-

Studio-in-a-box - this is everything you need in a single box; mixer, recorder, and often effects. The problem with these is that you usually can't record more than two tracks simultaneously. I personally hate these things, but they can deliver much more bang for the buck than other options.

Standalone recorder - it's just the recorder. no effects, no mixer. you can get pretty nice ADAT's super cheap these days. if you get one of those, go with the XT20. or you can pay way more four the HD24, which records to hardrive instead of digital tape and has 24 tracks instead of 8. (I'm a firm beleiver that 8 tracks is all anyone really needs - and bouncing tracks has become a lost art) If you're mixer allows it you can record all 8 or 24 tracks simultaneously.

computer - seems to be the most common these days. What you can do with them depends on your computer's speed and the soundcard you buy. i hate computers.

reel to reel - you know, the old school 8 tracks with the big reels. i admit to being an analog fan. they have that warmth that you just cant get with digital mediums, and theyre simple to operate and actually make recording a little easier in my opinion. I feel like i dont have to tinker with the sound as much if im recording analog.



and thats the basics. if you dont go with a studio in a box you'll need a mixer, which range from the number of inputs and outputs, theres not a whole lot different about different mixers besides that. theres always other things you can buy - effects, compressers, noise gates, nicer preamps (than the ones built into the mixer), etc.

i hope i havent overwhelmed you and scared you out of it. sounds fun though right?

 

[xoRockstarxo]

nope it's not cunfusing at all.....thnx everyone for giving sum advice

thnx Bruce

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

The best thing you can have for consistently great recordings is about 20 years experience doing it....

But having some neat-o gear is fun too.

 

[jimfrusciante]

first?

Hey up.

I must have made just about every mistake you can make.
But I recon you can do a lot worse than getting a basic one track recorder with a microphone and concentrating on
a) live sound,
b) mic positioning.

from there 4 tracking and more is easy to reach.
For gigs you'll need a decent PA, my advice is get something you can use at home and miss out that whole combo low budget stuff, as far as I can tell its purely for learning, which you can do with most house equipment.

I rekon my mic and guitar amp are all that remain from my original "personally selected" Gear, you think stuff defines your sound (well unless you really are aiming for the stars) but I think I got sick of defending my cheap plastic gear to sound engineers and other snobs like that.

Best and worst thing that happened to me, that part when the band forms and you start collectivley gathering PA and transport. Best advice I could give would be to expect most of that "industry influence" to come directly from the mates who are closest to you... I prepared every arguement to fend off the manipulation of outsiders, and found that I had no defence from my best mates who all wanted to make everything to sound like it does on MTV.

So for that "best" sound, chose stuff you like, read about it.
ask more questions than you should, ask em even when you think you know the answers,
and never display fear embarrasment or shame for lack of knowledge. I rekon George Martain would most likely be able to handle being told what to do - a good pro is invisible.

All I really know is that nobody really wants to be a front man so much as have total control over one. And every part should be performed by someone who believes that they are the front of their particular field, no matter how inexperienced, remeber Music is the one area where the mystics, theives, spin doctors and svengalis, all bow down to the chance that greatness is available to any participant with absolute and unquestionable permanence.

I had to sit through more mind controlling manipulation drug influence lies commericalism schooling and litteral beatings than I care to recall, and the only thing that changed was that I knew I wax right when I was 16.

Don't let em do it. Music is ours, as I'm sure everyone on this forum will agree.



JIM