Trying to build a home studio..

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tony Ali
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Tony Ali

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Hey i am a hip hop artist and I'm trying to figure out what equipment would be best for me. I have been to many studio's.. and iv'e found out that you don't have to spend a lot of money for good quality. the best studios i have been to didn't have proper sound absorption treatment or expensive monitors/ microphones.. its all in the mixing. The best studio iv'e went to was in an apartment and he was using tweeters and house speakers to mix. and used bed foam for sound absorption. I am only recording vocals and i am thinking about buying a mbox 3 and a nuemann tlm 102... would this provide good vocals? mixing the tracks will make it radio ready. I would ask the engineers that i have went to for help..but they wouldn't tell me because they wouldn't want to lose my business.
 
You're kidding yourself (or your 'friends' are pulling one on you) if you think a mix done on stereo speakers using bed foam as sound treatment is as good as any pro studio can produce. It's all on what you are listening with. Put it on iPod earbuds, or crank it out of big distorted dance speakers, and you won't hear the difference between good and bad, of course.
 
Tony, I am glad to see that you are here asking questions.

The studios and "equipment" that you have described that are being used by your friends are not really anything you should be using as a guide to putting together a studio for yourself.

I am also going to say that good music is good music no matter how it is recorded and hit records have been made on small 4-track cassette recorders so it is quite possible that your friends have done some nice stuff on what little equipment they have.

Fortunately, it appears that you already know that there is "Better" based on your choices thus far.

Nonetheless, after having purchased a decent computer, the mbox 3 mini could be a good place to start although it uses the slower USB 1.1 whereas the more expensive mbox 3 uses the faster and more current USB 2.0.

You might want to consider a Shure SM7B as your mic as opposed to the TLM 102 as it is about half the price and does a nice job. However, the TLM 102 is a really good mic.

Nonetheless, you need to find a mic that works best for you that you can afford and that will require you going out and trying some in a good retail facility if at all possible.

Please consider spending some time here reading through the posts and asking for more questions before you open your wallet.

I personally like to go to the Sweetwater Music website and peruse all the cool stuff that they have.
If you have questions there, talk to Mark Bruhn.

Good Luck!
BG
 
I beg to differ. A good mic in a very quiet room... absolutely NO reason he can't sound as good as the best of them. A good DAW program on his computer, maybe a mic modelling plugin from antares even and he CAN sound like he did it in a professional studio. Technology has surpassed the old school ways I'm afraid to say. That 2 million dollar analog studio of the early 90's can be easily outdone by a home computer and a few plugins, it just takes a bit of skill on the part of the user. I worked in those big early digital studio days when a CD recorder cost 50,000 dollars and now costs 49.95 at Walmart. It makes just as pristine dots and spaces (binary) as the best of them. Toni Ali, you have some learning to do but with the right plugins and mastering skills you CAN make a professional sounding vocal and even do it ON THE BUS FROM SCHOOL using an iPad. ;) Gotta love the geeks of the world.
 
thanks for checking out my post. I know that a commercial studios are better equipment wise. but in my short recording time iv'e found that the engineers are really who work the magic no the equipment. I know its hard to believe but i have proof, its in the music.. check this out and tell me what you think about the quality. and this is with the studio using bed foam and stereo speakers. Bryson Tiller - Trust Issues - YouTube this is old work.. can anyone recommend any equipment i would need or do you think the mbox and neumann will do the trick?
 
Wow... you are correct and so was I. Since all the music is digital except your voice, ya it is excellent indeed! It is the engineers, the mastering, and yes YOU can do it all. Mastering studios would love everyone to think its a secret or sheer magic what they do. So NOT TRUE. Not anymore. It's a shame the way they talk of this "mastering" like it's magic, cause it certainly isn't these days. I would suggest a pair of excellent OPEN headphones for your studio and away you go. Here is another secret they don't want you to know... a cheap Sony home theater amp is 99% as good as the $10,000 amps out there, if your using great headphones. The digital realm has made it so an IPOD has better sound than a big fat stereo of past years. That music on youtube is "squashed" a bit and has the 128 kbps swirlies sound but yes your lil' studio is doing pretty damn good indeed.
Oh and NO EARBUDS LOL... I don't think I need tell you THAT tho.
 
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Xntryk1 said:
The digital realm has made it so an IPOD has better sound than a big fat stereo of past years.
Click to expand...
"I beg to differ" ;)
Compressed music is compressed music and it will always sound compressed, whether it's on an iPod or YouTube, at least to my ears.
Taking into account that I was a Professional Orchestral Trombonist for many years and have heard some pretty incredible stereo systems and a few really good Studio Playback systems over the course of my 57 years may have a little to do with that.
It's unfortunate that most young people today use iPods and such as their primary listening devices because the sonic reality of it is, compressed music just doesnt have the aural quality as music on a CD or in some cases, LP's.
If you listen to the Downloaded vs the CD version of a song on a mid-high to high quality "stereo system", the downloaded compressed version will sound like crap comparatively.
As far as high-bit digital in the recording studio today, you can get incredible sound compared to recordings of the past and it is true as you have said, you don't need a million dollar studio to get a decent sounding recording, but, as I said above, the music has to be good "to be good" in any medium.
As far as Tony's situation, I'd say get your recording equipment first and start recording followed by adding accoustic materials as your next goal and as money and time allow.
I also believe that with your mic sitting properly in an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter and either a couple of 2ft X 4ft X 4-6 inch thick acoustic panels behind you or 2-3 heavy comforters behind you would be a good way to go initially for vocals.
Gotta go.
Bob G.
 
I'm going to stay out of this, starting an argument with someone who evidently has just arrived here at HR (7 posts).
There are numerous threads about room treatment, using headphones for mixing, etc. If there was no reason for $1000+ microphones or monitors, I guess those manufacturers would be long gone. :facepalm:

Before buying any equipment, I would urge anyone to read all they can, search all the reviews, then ask specific questions.
 
(mjbphotos- There are numerous threads about room treatment, using headphones for mixing, etc. If there was no reason for $1000+ microphones or monitors, I guess those manufacturers would be long gone.
Before buying any equipment, I would urge anyone to read all they can, search all the reviews, then ask specific questions)

homestudioguy said:
Tony, I am glad to see that you are here asking questions.
Please consider spending some time here reading through the posts and asking for more questions before you open your wallet.
BG
Click to expand...


Agree! :thumbs up:
 
yup.
There are times when ya just don't know what ya don't know.
 
Tony Ali said:
thanks for checking out my post. I know that a commercial studios are better equipment wise. but in my short recording time iv'e found that the engineers are really who work the magic no the equipment. I know its hard to believe but i have proof, its in the music.. check this out and tell me what you think about the quality. and this is with the studio using bed foam and stereo speakers. Bryson Tiller - Trust Issues - YouTube this is old work.. can anyone recommend any equipment i would need or do you think the mbox and neumann will do the trick?
Click to expand...

OK, I listened to some of this earlier (some is all I could stand!) This is not my type of 'music'. If all you're trying to do is do some rap/talkover on music tracks that have already been mixed and mastered, you can no doubt get away with less equipment and less expensive equipment. Any mic/preamp/interface that picks up your voice and transfers it to your DAW without distortion/change is going to work for you. Similarly, you won't need expensive monitors, and could even use headphones for your mixing - all you are doing is setting the overall volumes of voice vs prerecorded tracks. Bedfoam will do little sound changing, but might block some outside noise or reduce some window glass reflections.
 
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