Starting out

[CydeSwype]

Hey all! I'm in Richmond, Virginia USA and starting up a public recording studio for our punk scene. This site is VERY informative, but i was wondering if someone could help me out with a few things. Namely, a shopping list. I want to get away with the best quality sound without spending a fortune. that's a typical kid for ya isn't it? ;^)

I think i want to go digital and use a computer as the backbone for the studio, cuz i can get computers cheap. I know i need a nice sound card (prolly an ardvaark right?) I'll need lossa patch cables, mics, and headphones. That much i know. I need to know what else i need though. A mixer right? how many channels? is 16 enough? i'm thinking a mic preamp is a good idea? I'm really a beginner on this. I can find decent prices in the trading posts and auctions online and locally, i just need to know what i need. I appreciate any help you all could give me =^)

Thanks! DIY or die!!! =^)
-Ian

 

[mavetliaravim]

a couple of ideas

hey,
im also pretty new at the recording scene been doing it for almost 2 years whcih is nothing

I recomend that you get KRKs rokit RP5 monitors... for 300$ dollars they give you great sound quality
any way what youll need to start with is a Mixer,Montiors, a Good sound card ( I recomend a delta 1010) , a pair of good headphones (around 100$) and a couple of micrphones defintly a condenser.. about cables go on ebay and try to get a batch of used cables... I got 300$ worth of cables for only 30$. theyve got great deals and if your just starting out you wont wanna buy anything new...
since your going digital you wont need alot of chanels... im using a behringer ub 1204fx thats got only 12 chanels but im real happy with it because thats all i need... got it for 150$ your best off getting there 16 chanel one whcih goes for around 250$ all in all if your lucky you can get all your gear for around 100$ and then theres the computer of course
good luck
gabriel

 

[mavetliaravim]

i meant 1000$

*1000$ i meant

 

[13th_Omen]

My shopping list reccomendations:

Mixer - Behringer 16 track (cheap but works!)

Monitors - Tannoy Reveal Actives (very good monitors... not good to cheap out on monitors because all in all, they are the only thing in the studio that you actually hear! These monitors boast a "flat frequency response" meaning they don't "color" the sound which is what you are looking for in monitors!)

Headphones - gonna need like 4 or five pairs for tracking... check for package deals, they are out there! Don't really need great cans just ones that don't distort and are comfortable.. each guy in the band needs a pair.

Soundcard - if you get a mixer you shouldn't need a soundcard with pres, so I recommend either the Terretec PHASE 88 or any other 8 channel 24/96 card. If you wanna record 16 at once it's easy to cascade the Terretecs... for only $299 each (well, that was last years price!)

PC - at least 2.6 Ghz processor, 1 GB ram, 200 GB Harddrive, a decent video card 128 MB recommended, 350watt power supply

plan on around $300 or more for cables, stands, etc..

This is just a vague list, you will need more trust me. What about mics? I suggest if possible to put drums in another room seperate from the control room (which means you'll need a 16 channel snake), and run all scratch guitars direct, do scratch vocals in control room so vox don't bleed into drum mics. Have fun!