The big transition

[pisces7378]

Hello. I am 22 years old and American, however I have lived in Munich Germany for the past 5 months. Anyway, I have played in bands since I was 24, every instrument from Drums guitar and bass to Digery Doo. Anyway, I have always been a pretty straight forward person as far as my musical tastes go. No heavy influence of computer (electronic music). Pretty much only rock. However for the last year and ESPECIALLY with the European influence I have been bombarded with these last few months, I have developed a stronge desire to record music COMPLETELY ALONE without a band. I can play all the instruments and I wrote all the songs for every band I was in anyway. However. I do not want to use acoustic drums. And... ( I knwo i am about to become a huge joke to you guys) I do not want to use a computer. The reason is, I am in Germany and all the Windows, Microsoft etc... Is all in German and I can barely use a computer as is, much less with a foreign language. ALso I am not a huge fan of it. I knwo it is difficult but I need the challenge to make up for the fact that I will be makign music without the garage "road miles." Anyway, can someone PLEASE tell me what I should buy. I have all the time in the world. Here is what I planned on buying and you guys tell me if I am retarded or not:

A DAT recorder (no idea which one, (around $1,100-1,300).
A Drum Machine (Also no idea which one)
A Mini Disc Player (for down mixing and recording
strange sounds like the Munich Subway
etc...)
A Keyboard/Synthesizer (Don'T really know the difference)

Well I am not rich. In fact quite poor. This will deffinitly break me. But I am passionate as hell about making music. And I am passionate (idiotic as it must sound to you all) about doing it without a computer. PLEASE e-mail me with ANY advice. Thank you for you patience and time. Maybe I am making a grave financial error. Please someone help me. ALSO... MORE IMPORTANT THAN IT ALL!!!!!!...... I am an idiot when it comes to recording in general. Can anyone recomend the BIBLE of all BIBLES for home recording. PARTICULARLY techno/"nine inch nails"esque Music??


Mike

 

[Logik]

There is no need for a computer to record music, but there is an item missing from your purchase list that is pretty important, a multitrack recorder. Get a copy of a recording magazine (Sound On Sound, Future Music, don't know about any German ones) and read the equipment reviews. I'm sure you'll find something you can use that falls into your budget. Also read the classifieds as there are many used gear bargains out there.

I'm not sure I would get a DAT recorder, they are a bit expensive, and a MiniDisc should do a good enough job in the beginning for mixing down to 2 tracks. I'd recommend a CR-recorder. CD-Rs are cheap and you can play back your mixes anywhere. Check your local hi-fi store for prices.

A drum machine sounds like a good idea. As an alternative, you may want to consider a sampler. You could stick all the percussive noises you want in there from any source, and edit them to taste through the onboard filters and effects. And it would be perfect for editing and playing back your Munich Subway recordings in perfect synch with the rest of your music. They don't come cheap but if you search in the local newspapers, magazines and the internet you should find the perfect unit used for a fraction of the price of a new unit. If you don't get a DAT and drum machine there may be room in your budget to get one and have more left to buy other gear.

As for the synthesizer just make sure it has an onboard sequencer so it can trigger your sampler or drum machine in synch with your music. It will also be a useful source for drum sounds as any synth has at least 8 drumkits onboard.

If you plan on doing vocal tracks you're obviously going to need a microphone. The Microphones section in this forum will give you the information you need.

Whatever gear you decide upon do your homework and be on a constant lookout for bargains. It's really amazing how much cheap and good gear is out there. And you don't have to get it all at the same time. The multitrack and a microphone would be a great place to start.

Good luck.