starting out

[ajdrummakemusic]

The school I attend is working on building a "music technology lab" and they are giving me the opportunity to be in charge of the audio recording area. Although I am extremely excited and interested, I am not very knowledgeable in that area. I am trying to make a list of all the basic mic's I would need to simply get the studio off the ground. Some suggestions would be nice. Please keep in mind that the budget is limited. Thanks.

 

[famous beagle]

let us know what type of music you will be recording and what instruments you'll be recording.

 

[ajdrummakemusic]

uh...mainly vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, an upright piano, drums, woodwinds, strings and everything else recordable. All kinds of music will be covered.

I have a few really good engineers and producers helping me out, but i thought it would be nice to get some more opinions.

 

[Big Kenny]

What do you have now? What is your budget? What is your quest?

 

[Warhead]

What is your quest?

This wins the award for newest and most proper approach to a newbie question.

War

 

[OneRoomStudios]

Two years ago I helped start a similar program at my school. I also ran it for the last two years (until I graduated last Saturday). A big thing to keep in mind is that if a lot of students are going to be using the equipment, you don't want anything that's going to be impossible, finacially or physicially, to replace. People here may tell you that you're going to need thousands of dollars woth of mics and great preamps, ect. If the budgeting at your school is anything like it was at mine, that's not going to fly. Here's what I ended up getting:

1 Pair of small diaphram condensers (I got Rode NT5's but I would also suggest checking out Studio Projects C4's or MXL 603s's)
1 or 2 Large diaphram condensers (I ended up with Samson C03 because the school had a "deal" with Samson, I would recomend you get something else, like a CAD M179)
2 or more SM57's. You can use them for a lot of stuff.

Honestly, that's all you really need for a small studio. You can always get more mics for "flavor," but but with two small diaphrams, two large diaphrams and some dynamics, you can record pretty much anything. You can get all those mics for $700 or less total, and you would be set.

With that combination I was able to record everything from folk to free jazz to big band to punk. But you have to know what you're doing, I would highly suggest taking some classes or at the very least reading some books, or if it's feasable, hiring a new staff member to help run the studio.

I hope that helps,

Peter

 

[chessrock]

I have a few really good engineers and producers helping me out, but i thought it would be nice to get some more opinions.

What I'd do is take these engineer / producer friends of yours out to lunch sometime and chum up with them. Get them excited about the project the same way you are. Sell them on the idea that if they can help you get this off the ground ... that you'll let them use the studio from time to time if they need it, and that they can possibly get some referals through some of the musicians who might track there.

If you play your cards right, then they just might be willing to donate some of their spare mics. Or they might sell some to you for a really good price. At the very, very least, they should be able to point you in the right direction as far as what kind of stuff to buy and where to get it.

 

[noisedude]

Chess is right.

OneRoom makes good suggestions too. Here's what I'd do:

- Get a Mac - saves re-installing Windows every time some kid screws up the sound card drivers or something.
- Get a MOTU interface and Digital Performer - good Mac-friendly combo and commonly found in schools and other educational establishments. You won't need a full-on mixer or a tonne of preamps if you get the right MOTU.
- Get a few basic mics. SM57s, C4s (I'm not a huge NT5 fan), AKG D112 or Audio Technica ATM25, and one or two half-decent LDCs. Depending on your budget, something 'see-through' such as the AT4040 and something 'coloured' like the SP C1, Røde NT2A, ADK Vienna/Hamburg.
- Treat your room - basically high-density material such as rock wool to absorb the lows, and a bit a foam for the rest of the nasty reflections.
- Get a pair of monitors. Wharfedale 8.2As are cheap and well-liked ... just not by me. Or for something a bit pricier, Genelec 8040As are really good IMO, or you could go and get Mackie HR824s ...
- Get some cheap and hardy headphones - Harvey's MoreMe phones are better than the Sennheiser HD202s for isolation and durability.

Bickety bam - you're there. You can thank me later.

 

[ajdrummakemusic]

Thanks for the tips. Having almost no experience makes it difficult to blend in with this "community"...but I am looking forward to learning all I can.