Starting with home recording

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wsmoter

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Hi, I want to set up my own home studio, but I don't know what to start with.
I already have some music equipment for playing:
- for bas - Ashdown MAG300 with 4x10'' Ashdown speaker
- for guitar - Line 6 Spider III 75
- computer and Seagate USB hard drive - very quiet, but without good music card
I'm planning to buy Shure SM57 mic and Line 6 POD Studio UX2, but I'm not shure if it is good choice because I want to have posibility to upgrade my equipment in the future rather than replace old one. It's mean that every new piece of stuff should be an addition to this what I already have. Can you help me what to start with? (I want to record electric guitar, bas and vocals for first, maybe in the future also some keyboard or drums).
 
Well...you obviously need some sort of convert box that gets the audio from your mics and your instruments into the computer...there are MANY choices...so really, you budget and your long term goals are going to decide which one you get.

What's your starting budget?

Also...you need a DAW application to work with the audio once it's in the computer. Again, there are MANY...but start with something basic/cheap or free. My suggestion to a total newb is to try out something like N-Track Studio (Google it)...it's only like $60-$70 but it's quite robust. There are quite a few others, and I'm sure people will give you more suggestions.

That, along with a mic or two will get you going.
 
Thanks for reply.
My starting budget is quite small it's about 300 to 400 dollars. That's why I thought to buy USB device like Line 6 POD Studio UX2 - it's not expensive, and gives good posibilities to start, but as I said I'm affraid that when I'll get some more money and buy something else it wil be useless. For app I've heard and read good opinions about Cubase, so I think that I'll try this unless you tell me something else :)
 
If it becomes useless to you then you can sell it either here in the want adds or your local craigslist or evilbay.

Possibly by the time you out grow it there will be a newbie looking for just the same type of start up system. ;)
 
Nothing wrong with the SM57, a good all-around dynamic mic. The M-Audio Fast Track Pro is probalby the most-recommended interface device here. Add a cable and mic stand (I assume you will need) and you're at about $350 - save a few bucks buy buying used. Of course you're going to need headphones and monitors more sooner than later. You can try out Reaper software indefinitely until you're ready to purchase it.
 
I've got headphones sony MDR-XD200, I also have two old Polish (I'm from Poland) 70W speakers with amplifire - I know it's not good monitors, but for now it have to suffice.
 
Consider this:

[url=https://en.audiofanzine.com/pocket-recorder-multitrack/zoom/H4/user_reviews/]Zoom H4n | 8thstreet.com | Call 1-800-878-8882 | Free Shipping on most orders![/url]

Along with that SM57 or equivalent (I like Sennheiser e835, or AKG D5 personally), it will give you some options that might meet your short and long term needs. First, it is a computer interface with 4 tracks instead of 2, and comes bundled with Cubase. You will need to add at least a 16mb card, 2mb doesn't cut it. You can plug any mics you want into it, and it has a usable pair of onboard stereo condenser mics. It can record 2 channels up to 24bit/96kHz, or 4 tracks simultaneously in 16bit/44.1kHz (same as a CD), as long as 2 of those tracks are the onboard stereo mics or an external stereo mic. So, for instance, if you have this:

Zoom RC4 | 8thstreet.com | Call 1-800-878-8882 | Free Shipping on most orders!

and this:

Zoom H2 Mic Clip-ZMA2 | 8thstreet.com | Call 1-800-878-8882 | Free Shipping on most orders!

you can record a drum kit with it. You mount the H4n to a boom stand and use the onboard mics as the overheads, and patch the snare and kick drum mics to the XLR inputs, and record all 4 tracks. The remote control card is very handy for that. Not possible with the UX-2. So there's your first advantage- 4 tracks (with some limitations) instead of 2. Second advantage- a stereo pair of condenser mics that's not in your current plan. Third advantage- it is also a standalone recorder that can run on batteries and fit in a guitar case or your pocket, or a small camera bag with all the accessories. So- it gets you started recording right away, and when you upgrade to a more advanced system with more inputs, it's still a useful remote recorder, and an idea scratch-pad for a recording artist. On trips, you can plug your bass into it and use it for a headphone amp, lay down tracks for future processing. It can dump tracks to the computer as WAV. or MP3 files, or record straight to the computer using USB bus power. Personally, I have thousands invested in recording gear, but I use the H4n all the time. In the studio, I often use it as a preamp for a talk-back mic, jacking the line out into the aux input on my headphone amp, which keeps the signal chain separate from the recorder, and doesn't use up a precious channel to talk to people wearing headphones. It's a metronome, a tuner, a cheap reverb unit, and a rudimentary compressor. Unlike that interface, it doesn't need a computer to be useful, and it is lots more versatile. What's not to love?-Richie
 
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