Very much a newbie...

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Vinny_Mac

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Hello there,

I am not sure this is the right forum for me - perhaps if I explain the situation you could either help, or point me to a more appropriate place....

My wife enjoys all forms of singing. I have purchased several 'experience' days for her to record a song at a recording studio, and she thoroughly enjoys it. She is always playing singstar on PS3, and actually has a reasonable voice.

I am very PC literate, and we have a decent setup at home. I am interested in putting together a 'basic' recording studio for her. We are not interested in recording instruments, simply adding her singing voice to a background track - a la karaoke - but with some control over the dynamics of the voice track. It would also be very useful to be able to record the track in several 'takes' while using the best bits from each.

I have seen the studio guys doing this when we have been there in the past, and I wonder which software / hardware I should be looking at, how much I might have to pay (£s rather than $s if possible!!) and how I would go about getting hold of the backing tracks?

Thanks for any and all help,

Vince.
 
things you are going to definetly need:
* usb/firewire interface
* xlr cable
* condenser mic
* popshield
* mic stand

as recording program you can use for example Kristal audio engine which is free... on the other hand some companys add light edition of recording program to their interface... Cubase LE for example, which is basically the same as Kristal.
 
Thanks for answering. I already have both USB2 and Firewire, so should be fine from that respect.

Could you confirm a few bits please?

what is an XLR cable, and a popshield?

Also, for the bits listed, what is a ballpark - £100 all in? £1000 all in?

Thanks again,

Vince.
 
Vinny_Mac said:
Thanks for answering. I already have both USB2 and Firewire, so should be fine from that respect.

Could you confirm a few bits please?

what is an XLR cable, and a popshield?

Also, for the bits listed, what is a ballpark - £100 all in? £1000 all in?

Thanks again,

Vince.
Click to expand...

A XLR cable is a mic cable (low impedance) and a pop filter is a small membrane like nylon stockings stretched over a circle to help with vocal pops but you can get away with out it if you have the mic up a bit say around the nose/eye area then the p,t,k will not be so prominent.
 
A couple of good quality Intefcaes to choose between could be
http://www.gear4music.com/Recording...te-Saffire-6-USB-2in-4out-Audio-Interface/BTG

Or

http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Comput...ng&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_term={keyword}

An XLR cable is one that plugs a microphone in and has paticular jacks in each end

A pop shield sites between the vocalist and the microphone and as it says stops "pops" being picked up by the microphone by airflow etc

Reaper Audio is also a good alternative recording software that you can evaluate for free and if you like it it's approx £40 to buy, it'll do everything you need for now and a lot more as well.

All if for you want should be less then £400 for good quality equipment, hope that helps.
 
hi, my name is catsink nice to meet you:):D i'm planning on using reaper, although i haven't yet. it has a free trial, although the actual purchase price is worth it if you research into it. it might not be the one for you, but after alot of research i knew it would be the one for me.

i recently bought 2 microphones, one for voice and one for instrument. i wish i would've done more research into that first, because i'm not sure if it will be very good. alot of people say the microphone is one of the most important things to put your money into. there is alot of microphone information here if you search it. i wished i would've done that first but i was getting anxious:)good luck:):D
 
Hi Vince,

You might also consider buying an usb microphone with included interface, like the sE 2200 usb:
http://www.seelectronics.com/USB2200a.html
(no affiliation)

Then you need just a recording software, a headset, and a pop-filter, and then that should be it.
(that is, you can skip buying a sound-interface, and cables and all such stuff).

For pop-filter, I recommend buying one in metal, you'll get much much better treble than from using one of nylon.

Oh, and consider buying a reflextion filter of some kind, to isolate the room when recording, and place a duvet or similar behind the vocalist when singing, for damping the reflections from the voice bouncing back into the mic from the wall behind.

Hope this helps.

Njal Frode
 
Hi Vinny

USB/Firewire INTERFACE, not just USB / firewire cabability...

Essentially you need a microphone of reasonable quality, a program to record onto on your PC and everything in between...

So that might look like this in real life...

Mrs Vinny Mac
Pop filter
Microphone (on stand)
XLR/microphone cable
Interface which uses USB or Firewire to interface with
Recording program on PC
Vinny Mac at the keyboard / mouse
Beer
Endless patience

I'll let the other posters offer specific advice on the individual components... you could do it all for 200 pounds or 2000 pounds and all stations in between - it's sort of like asking.. "I want to get from A to B" and getting told "You'll need a car!" and answering "So how much is a car?"

It all depends upon what sort of driving experience you want! And what you have the experience to get the best out of and appreciate...

Can't help you on the backing tracks alas... :laughings:
 
Room treatment
Monitors
USB microphone like the AT2020USB
Reaper (DAW software)

Get your backing tracks on cd's and import them in .wav format to a stereo track in your DAW software. Play the backing tracks (through headphones) while you record the mic.

If you prefer not to use a USB microphone, then you'll need an interface and a microphone (probably a condensor).
 
Thanks everyone for all the information. I take Armisitice's point about costs - I guess I just wanted a ballpark, which I now have.

So, time to go and do some research on the various components, software etc.

One last question, which I hadn't thought of until some of the comments here, is about the 'studio' itself. I intend to use my study, which is about 16' long x 8' wide by 8' high. All 4 walls are 'external' construction - ie, they are blockwork with plaster skim, and the floor is wood. 2 of the walls have floor mounted, full width book cases, which are full of books. 1 wall is 'blank' and the other has a large window (with floor length curtains).

I guess I am going to end up with all sorts of nasty echoes / reflections? Do I need soft covering on the floor as well as using something behind the singer? Do I need to put soft coverings on each wall (over book cases etc) or will there not actually be too many echos?

Thanks again!

Vince.
 
Vince,
I'm pretty much a newbie as well but I'd probably try it 1st and see how happy you are with the sound you get, you may be quite suprised.
I found some old recordings I did approx 3 years ago the other night with the whole band plugged straight into a mixer (with electronic drums) then straight out of the CD / Tape out and into the onboard soundcard of the computer and using Audacity.
It was a straight take with reverb for the vocals coming from the mixer and I'd forgotten how good they actually were, good enough to burn onto a disc and take round to pubs as demo's to get gigs.
Try it and see how you go and then adjust accordingly !!!
Just my pennies worth
 
Vinny_Mac said:
Thanks everyone for all the information. I take Armisitice's point about costs - I guess I just wanted a ballpark, which I now have.

So, time to go and do some research on the various components, software etc.

One last question, which I hadn't thought of until some of the comments here, is about the 'studio' itself. I intend to use my study, which is about 16' long x 8' wide by 8' high. All 4 walls are 'external' construction - ie, they are blockwork with plaster skim, and the floor is wood. 2 of the walls have floor mounted, full width book cases, which are full of books. 1 wall is 'blank' and the other has a large window (with floor length curtains).

I guess I am going to end up with all sorts of nasty echoes / reflections? Do I need soft covering on the floor as well as using something behind the singer? Do I need to put soft coverings on each wall (over book cases etc) or will there not actually be too many echos?

Thanks again!

Vince.
Click to expand...

Room treatment is important, but if you are just starting out, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to spend a mess of money on acoustical treatment. Bookcases full of books are good, and anything else that can break up large expanses of wall and floor. Carpet on floor is good, but you don't need to cover up the bookcases and other furniture.You probably won't hear echoes as such, but you may get boxy-sounding recordings.

I'd suggest getting something up and running and see how it goes first. If you are not sure and want help, you can post an MP3 in the MP3 clinic and seek comments.

If it happens that you are not happy with the sound of the room, you can always try another room . . . the bigger the better (and the more clutter, specially heavy clutter, the better). Living rooms are good.
 
As to room-treatment, one easy way to get better vocal sound, it to buy an sE Reflexion filter or something similar, like the Real Trap portable vocal boot (no affilation to either of the companies).

One of those, together with a duvet behind the singer, will easily make the recordings much better, and stop (or make less) the reflections from the walls coming into the sound.
 
If you want help with your room acoustics, try posting over in the Studio Building Forum. Post a diagram of your room with as many details as possible. There are some good folks there that will help you out.
 
A dynamic mic will pick up less room sound than a condenser, but you can close mic with a condenser (say about 6" mic to mouth) and you should be fine in about any room. A pop filter is a must at this range, with most mics. Let us know your budget and what your wife's voice is like and we can make more specific recommendations as to mics.

If you need to get rid of room sound, try hanging a couple moving blankets (or quilts, comforters, sleeping bags) on mic stands in a V, then sing into the V. This will minimize early reflections (that create that boxy in-a-closet sound) by minimizing mids and highs from getting into the room in the first place, thereby minimizing early reflections back into the mic. You can even hang another blanket behind the singer for more treatment, but I find this is usually overkill. Better yet, record in a large room with high vaulted ceilings, irregular walls, with some thick upholstered furniture in it, like a large living room. You may like the reverb-like reflections you get in a big room.

A great audio interface for $200 is the Emu 0404 USB - excellent AD/DA converters and decent, quiet preamps (condenser mics require preamp).
 
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