wanna start a studio..dunno how

[nisthana]

Hi,
I want to start my very small recording facility, mostly for my private compositions. I have a 10x10 room (I live in an apt) where I have set up some equipment, but I dont know where/how to start buiding my studio.

The equipment I have is as follows
1. Dell PC - 1.3 Ghz, 80GB, 256MB, SB Live (approx 3 yrs old)
2. Cakewalk Music Studio 2003
3. Makie 16 channel mixer (4 mic i/p with preams, mixer has phantom power)
4. Yamaha acoustic guitar, Yamaha DTX drumkit, Yamaha PSR 1000 keyboard.
5. 200W Aiwa stereo that I use as my amp.

I want to be able to record vocals and acoustic guitar using mics.For rest of the instruments, I run them through my mixer and record one track a time. I want to be able to mix all tracks properly, avoid noise and hums in the mix.

The room I have has a sliding glass door (opens into the balcony) and a small closet in the room (2'x8'). I want to know what kind of treatment should I give to the room so that

1. I am able to keep sound from going out of my room and reaching my neighbours,specially while playing drums ? I want to put something on the carpet and put drumkit on that something so the thud of the bass doesnt disturb neighbor below me. Is that possible at all ?

2.I am able to make my room ready to record vocals and guitar. Right now when I speak, I hear the voice reverberate, which I think could be bad for recording. I have a walk in closet in the other room and because of the distance between the two rooms, I probably will not be able to convert the closet into a vocal booth. (plus running long cables might affect quality ?)

3. I am able to mix the recording properly. I will be recording Indian music (from India) which contains heavy instrumentations (20 instruments playing together is not a big deal for indian music). I want to mix these with as much clarity as possible. (most of the instruments will be midi version, like sax, trumpets, piano, etc).

In terms of equipment, I want to know whats a good budgeted equipment list for novice like me. I have had no education in sound engineering and am picking up things on the web and learning, so I dont want to spend a hell lot on something I dont know much about. I have the following questions

1. How important are monitors in the mixing process ? Wont my Aiwa speakers come handy ? What monitors do you suggest for newbies ? Where can I get used monitors (i live in the SF bay area) ?

2. Do I need to get external preamp unit, or can I use the one on my mixer ?

3. What mic(s) do I need to buy ? Will dynamic do for both vocals and guitar ? Do I really need a condensor mic for vocals and guiar ? What mics (dynamic/condensor) would you suggest I can start with ? Any place I can get em used ?

4. Should I be buying a compressor unit or can I use the compressor plugin from Cakewalk ? Can you suggest some cheap compressor units ? What about other effects live eq/reverb/echo etc ?

5. What kind of headfones would I need if I want to mix using headfones ? Can you suggest some ?

6. Is my PC good enough for the job ? Should I be thinking of upgrading it ?

7. People say Protools is the killer software, but its expensive too. Do you think Cakewalk can be a good alternative for Protools (specially considering the fact that I havent learnt Cakewalk too yet). Other software that I might use ?

8. Can you suggest some books/sites that explain basics of mixing,tracking,recording, etc ? I have been reading the material on the net and the one on http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/index.html really cleared my concepts. But I want to know more about them.

Thank you all for listening to me. I am sure I will get some answers from all the helpful folks around this bulletin board.

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hello nisthana, welcome to the bbs.

I want to be able to record vocals and acoustic guitar using mics.

Mics would be a good choice unless there is some other option.

avoid noise and hums in the mix.

yes, that would be good too.

The room I have has a sliding glass door (opens into the balcony)

That is NOT good.

1. I am able to keep sound from going out of my room and reaching my neighbours,specially while playing drums ? I want to put something on the carpet and put drumkit on that something so the thud of the bass doesnt disturb neighbor below me. Is that possible at all ?

No. I'll tell you why. You could build a floated platform on neoprene pucks to isolate direct structural transmission. But impact noise will be still transmit via airborn vibration to the walls, where it will then transmitt structurallly to the whole framing of the building, exiting in adjacent spaces as well as those beyond most likely. Sorry, this is one of the most severe problems with drums on upper floors of apartments. There is really very little you can do to stop this short of adding TONS of mass to the WHOLE ROOM!!

.I am able to make my room ready to record vocals and guitar.

Thats good. What are you going to use to do this?

Right now when I speak, I hear the voice reverberate, which I think could be bad for recording.

That depends. Most live rooms have a certain amount of room ambiance(reverb), but it is usually the decay characteristics of different frequencies that matter. And it is usually in the ear of the beholder that determines what is good and bad.

I have a walk in closet in the other room and because of the distance between the two rooms, I probably will not be able to convert the closet into a vocal booth. (plus running long cables might affect quality ?)

Does your mixer have LO z inputs, or do you have all hi z mics? Lo impedence mics can use very very long cables. Up to 1000 feet, but thats for live instances.
You could use 50' cables if you had Lo z mics with no problem. That is if you mixer accepts them. If not, even if you had lo z mics with hi z inputs, you could run long cables with an impedence adaptor at the inputs.

I am able to mix the recording properly. I will be recording Indian music (from India) which contains heavy instrumentations (20 instruments playing together is not a big deal for indian music). I want to mix these with as much clarity as possible. (most of the instruments will be midi version, like sax, trumpets, piano, etc).

Cool. That means the volume of the instruments can be controlled through your monitors instead of YELLING at the musicians to "turn it down"!

1. How important are monitors in the mixing process ?

On a scale of 1 to 10....10. Buy the best you can afford. They are the final determination of what your mix actually sounds like. Given the room and monitoring position are set up correctly.

Do I need to get external preamp unit, or can I use the one on my mixer ?

Not if your budget doesn't allow it beyond the monitors and mics. But this all depends on your quality/budget ratio and your level of experience. Most people can get by with the preamps in the mixer. Get your mics/monitor quality up first. Then if your budget allows, then preamps. But most important, is your room. Without proper treatment, the best equipment will still not be used to its best advantage.

What mic(s) do I need to buy ? Will dynamic do for both vocals and guitar ? Do I really need a condensor mic for vocals and guiar ? What mics (dynamic/condensor) would you suggest I can start with ? Any place I can get em used ?

There are hundreds of choices with mics. Microphones are the recordests palette of colors. Each has its own particular patterns and coloration, depending on use. It takes a long long time to understand mics and how to use them correctly. My BEST advice is to read "THE MIC THREAD" by Harvey GERST in the mic forum. It will tell you everything you need to know.

4. Should I be buying a compressor unit or can I use the compressor plugin from Cakewalk ? Can you suggest some cheap compressor units ? What about other effects live eq/reverb/echo etc ?

This all has to do with HOW you ultimately track and mix. Personally, I track analog to tape, mix to tape, and dump to computer. There are MANY hybrid methods. As to compression, where and when you use it is a matter of choice. However, the difference between compression plug ins and analog compression is HUGE. AND when you use them depends on your setup AND if you track/mix within the computer or dump back through an analog or digital mixers etc etc etc. There are many things to consider when doing this stuff. Your best bet is to study LOTS of threads in the RECORDING TECHNIQUE and COMPUTER forums. There is still mucho debate in regards to this stuff, even in the pro world. If you really want to learn about the pro side of this debate, go here. Read everything you can. This is a continuing exercise in the analog/digital/format/plugin/tracking/mixing/mastering/listening opinion war.
http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/f/29/8617/?SQ=bc48bfdc49f76ec14b146c964fb06b4f

Is my PC good enough for the job ? Should I be thinking of upgrading it ?

Again, it depends on which program, ram requirements, track requirements, plugin use, and a dozen other things. I would suggest asking that in the computer forum.

7. People say Protools is the killer software, but its expensive too. Do you think Cakewalk can be a good alternative for Protools (specially considering the fact that I havent learnt Cakewalk too yet). Other software that I might use ?

See 4

Can you suggest some books/sites that explain basics of mixing,tracking,recording, etc ? I have been reading the material on the net and the one on http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/index.html really cleared my concepts. But I want to know more about them.

I don't personally know any new books, but this MIGHT help.
http://www.recording.org/forums.html

As far as building your studio, I won't pull no punches. Apartments are almost impossible to isolate from neighbors. If you MUST record live drums and other loud sources, it might be wise to record them elsewhere if you have problems with neighbors. Sorry, but that is the truth. Especially on upper floors. Like I said, you can build a platform but I doubt if it will STOP transmission to other apartments. In fact, I'd bet money on it. As far as treating your room for acoustics, that is another animal entirely. There are tons of threads here and the other sites like this
http://www.realtraps.com/art_studio.htm

. If you have specific treatment questions, I can tell you right now that you will need LOTS AND LOTS of absorption because your room is square. The BEST ADVICE I can give you is READ THIS.
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=8c5d6d31c5295ea6f9c786d921e28d2d
and THIS.
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=8c5d6d31c5295ea6f9c786d921e28d2d
You won't find better information other than Ethans site.
fitZ