Want to set up little homestudio; a few question

[Job7]

I am pretty new to good-quality multitrack-recording, but I know a few basics, and now I have a few questions for the more advanced studio-owners here. All questions are based on a low budget of in and around 1400 euros (1600 dollars I guess).

1) Is a Yamaha studiomixer a good one for plugging vocals and digipiano in a computer, or should I look for another brand?
2) When using this studiomixer, a pre-amp for my mic is not needed, I was told by some people, because a pre-amp is built-in. Are they right on that?
3) In Holland, everyone is picking on Behringer stuff, because of it's very poor soundquality. Should or shouldn't I go with the flow?
4) Can I use Reason with N-Track?
5) What studiomicrophone can you recommend for vocal recording?
6) I want to record some live percussion. Do I use the vocal mic or overheads?
7) Reason vs. external synthmodule. Wich one is preferable?
8) What should I buy the very first to start off with?
and final question
9) Or should I never consider buying any of it, but instead hire someone with advanced knowledge and stuff to record my stuff for me?

Hope this ain't to much questions at once and hope you can help me out here.
It's not that I am a total nitwit, it's just that I am a little new on the topic and want to save myself from buying any useless, expensive stuff.

Cheers!

 

[tmix]

Some Help... I hope.

Getting into a recording studio as a buisness or hobby can be a fun thing if you really ENJOY the technology and time it takes to be good at it. It can also kill your creativity if you are trying to concentrate on the music and you are having to deal with the equipment.

I love recording, but I am NOT a song writer. I am a recording drummer that loves to collaborate, and handle the recording duties while friends play.

Recording WELL is not as easy as plugging a few good pieces of equipment in and hitting a button. It is more like learning a new musical instrument. It takes time to learn the craft. Some people are better naturally at it than others.

I guess what I am saying is, you can buy the Yamaha mixer and a few mics and a computer or a stand alone recording machine and have some fun and record and mix some good stuff. Just be sure that you are willing to invest time, money, and a lot of mental effort to it. If ypu really are more interested in music making, find a friend that might play an instrument, but really loves recording, and let them help you.

There are many internet web sites that are also devoted musical colaboration through the internet if the local musician pool is small.


Tom

 

[jkokura]

1. What exactly are you talking about? Is there a model number you can give us? yamaha is usually ok stuff...
2. Need to know what the model of your mixer is...but most mixers are a combination of pre, eq, and volume control.
3. Lots of people don't like Behringer...but for some things they're fine. Depends on what you want to get.
4. Don't know
5. There are LOTS of mics. how much do you want to spend and what's your goal? I would recomend an LDC like a SP C1, or an AT 4040, or if you want to spend more try the Rode NTK.
6. You should use the right type of the mic for the job. What kind of drums are you recording? LDC's can be used for overheads, but more often SDC's are used. If you want to kill two birds with one stone 1 LDC will do both.
7. Either will do the job - which you want to use is totally up to you. Which do you feel more comfortable with? Which sounds better to your ears?
8. You shouldn't buy anything until you know exactly what you're going to do!
9. The satisfaction and long term results of owning and operating my own studio made it worth it for me - but what you want to do with your money is a decision only you can make.

Check out these two sites for more info:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/

Jacob

1) Is a Yamaha studiomixer a good one for plugging vocals and digipiano in a computer, or should I look for another brand?
2) When using this studiomixer, a pre-amp for my mic is not needed, I was told by some people, because a pre-amp is built-in. Are they right on that?
3) In Holland, everyone is picking on Behringer stuff, because of it's very poor soundquality. Should or shouldn't I go with the flow?
4) Can I use Reason with N-Track?
5) What studiomicrophone can you recommend for vocal recording?
6) I want to record some live percussion. Do I use the vocal mic or overheads?
7) Reason vs. external synthmodule. Wich one is preferable?
8) What should I buy the very first to start off with?
and final question
9) Or should I never consider buying any of it, but instead hire someone with advanced knowledge and stuff to record my stuff for me?

Hope this ain't to much questions at once and hope you can help me out here.
It's not that I am a total nitwit, it's just that I am a little new on the topic and want to save myself from buying any useless, expensive stuff.

Cheers!

 

[mawtangent]

Hey Job7...I will try to give some feedback on some of your questions. Some of my answers are based on my own experience and some on what I have read on this board...

1) The Yamaha mixers starting at around $100 (the MG 10/2 model) have been well spoken of on this board.

2) The Yamah mixers have pre-amps built in to boost dynamic microphone signals (and probably, thought I would read the specs to make sure, phantom power to power a condeser type microphone)...you should make sure you are getting a mixer with enough channels and features for what you want to do. I use a keyboard for drum sounds and mostly record things one at a time (drum sequence, then bass, then guitar, then vocal, etc.) so having a lot of channels is not important to me. I've seen drum sets miced up with 8 microphones, that is a whole different mixer situation.

3) I have a Behringer mixer that I got for around $50 (MX802A) a few years ago. I have only used the mixer on my Yamaha MT50 4-track cassette recorder before that, so, having little experience with different mixers, I don't have a strong opionion about Behringer. I suspect that my Behringer mixer is a bit noisy, but it could be other issues in my signal chain also (I've not taken a lot of time to troubleshoot my cables/signal). My recordings fall below what I would wish them to be, but I don't think the Behringer mixer is my weakest link to getting a good recording (improvement in my performance and mixing skills, especially EQing within the recording software, would improve my songs much more than a more expensive mixer). Behringer gets mixed reviews on this board (leaning heavily toward the negative it seems). I believe all the bad comments about Behringer builds up in a person's brain and has a psychological effect of making people quake when they hear the work "Behringer." I say, if you have opportunity to compare equipment, use your ears and get the best "bang for the buck" that fits your situation (ask yourself questions like: is this mostly a hobby, or do I have professional asperations). Unless a person has money to burn there is a price point were each of us has to draw the line. You can always (and you probably will always) upgrade. Some argue that you can get a more respected name brand for about the same price as Behringer and that is probably true in a lot of cases (If I was going to buy a little mixer now, I would probably get a Yamaha).

4,5,6,7) I know very little about Reason, softsynths, N-Track, and micing drums..........as far as microphones in general: The Shure SM57 is praised as a good dynamic microphone (especially for screaming vocals and micing guitar amps), and lately I've noticed a lot of good comments on the Studio Project B-1 condenser microphone (a condenser with pick up more of the room and is good for more delicate sounds like normal singing and acoustic guitar).

8) What should you buy first?...that is a wide open question...others could probably help you better with this...I would say let your greatest need/weakest link dictate what you need first...try to get the most out of what you do have that might serve you adequately at present, instead of just trying to go out and buy a lot of stuff that you might not need yet...ask yourself what do you want to do...you could think about what you might be using now...is your computer and recording software up to what you want to do...can your computer, if needed, be upgraded...your soundcard (I'm still using a SoundBlaster Live)...your monitor system...it sounds like you need a mixer and microphone to utilize your computer, that sounds good.

9) The only reason I got into recording: I was making up songs and trying to put words to music and the next logical step was to record it. If I had 12 songs worked out to perfection (that is, I knew they were great songs that people would love, and I had all of the performance, singing, playing, arranging, figured out) I would pay someone else (better at recording than me) to do the recording. Having my own recording resources allows me to experiment, make mistakes, and continue to work out the songs without worrying about paying $50 + an hour while I'm doing it. So if you are not driven to get into the "recording engineer" side of things, if you've got a great performance worked out, and your only problem is getting it onto a CD, I'd say pay someone else to do the recording.

 

[dgatwood]

1) Is a Yamaha studiomixer a good one for plugging vocals and digipiano in a computer, or should I look for another brand?

Yamaha makes solid gear, generally with good sound quality. Alternately, if you're looking for a good, low priced mixer, IMHO, Peavey's PV8 has nice, clean pres as well; it's hard to beat for the price.

2) When using this studiomixer, a pre-amp for my mic is not needed, I was told by some people, because a pre-amp is built-in. Are they right on that?

Yes, although without knowing the model, it's hard to say how good the pres in that particular mixer are and whether a standalone pre might sound better.

3) In Holland, everyone is picking on Behringer stuff, because of it's very poor soundquality. Should or shouldn't I go with the flow?

I would avoid it for recording. If you're doing PA work and are cutting costs, it's probably solid enough.

5) What studiomicrophone can you recommend for vocal recording?

What kind of vocals? (Genre, gender, high or low voice within that gender, airy or focused voice, etc.)

6) I want to record some live percussion. Do I use the vocal mic or overheads?

I'd use a pair of small diaphragm condensers for overheads. A vocal mic would be okay if you're using it to mic a tom or something....

8) What should I buy the very first to start off with?
and final question

A decent audio interface. The Presonus FireBox is a good starter interface. IIRC, it includes pres, so you could skip the mixer for now.

9) Or should I never consider buying any of it, but instead hire someone with advanced knowledge and stuff to record my stuff for me?

Depends. It tends to be a never-ending cycle of equipment upgrades, tweaks, etc., so if you plan to just throw money at it once and hope for the best, probably better off throwing money at renting a studio. If you plan to do this regularly for the next ten years, give the home recording thing a shot.

 

[Job7]

Thanks so far

Thanks people! This is all very helpfull to me.

Having read your replies, and comparing doing it myself and letting others do it for me, I'm more and more excited to do the whole thing myself. I'll take my chances, with in mind having to upgrade my stuff from time to time, to improve the quality of the recordings.

Some details on the wanted stuff and my style:

- My style is a mixture of (symphonic) rock, soul, ballads, even some jazzy influences. In my songs I mostly use piano, bass, guitar, drums and orchestral sounds. I'm often "accused" of having a special and recognizable "Job"-style, wich by the way is not always understood by everyone. It makes my audience a bit small, but fanatic. My voice is quite high; I'm a tenor. I think, for as far I can judge it myself, I've quite a clear sound, no vibrato.
- I'd like to do my homerecording mostly for a hobby, but later, when I've practiced, I want to end up making professional demo's and things like filmsoundtracks and offcourse personal gifts for friends and family.
- The Yamaha-mixer I'm particularly interested in is the Yamaha MG 12/4 FX.
- The studiomic I had a look on was the MXL 2003 and for the percussion I saw the MXL 603 overhead.
- I'm planning to record most instruments, such as drums, piano, synths, organs, guitars, with the software of Reason, using a MIDI-controllerkeyboard.
Furthermore I'd like to record real percussion, such as a shaker, a set of bongos and wathever things sound good tappin' or shakin' 'em. And I also would like to record vocals and offcourse my home- and digital piano's.

Greetings from Holland and hope to hear again from you.

Job7

 

[Purge]

Reason works GREAT with N-Track. N-Track includes an application to sync them together.

 

[jkokura]

- The Yamaha-mixer I'm particularly interested in is the Yamaha MG 12/4 FX.
- The studiomic I had a look on was the MXL 2003 and for the percussion I saw the MXL 603 overhead.

Are you sure you want the onboard FX of the MG? You might be spending money for something you don't need - unless you're planning on using this board in live situations and in that case you might want the reverb or delay or whatever...

The 603 is a great choice, but it's not called an overhead persay - it's a Small Diaphragm Condensor (SDC) that can be used as an overhead. When overheads are used it's usually in pairs - matched if possible. Get two 603's if you can. As for vocals the 'studiomic' you're describing is usually called an Large Diaphragm Condensor (LDC). The 2003 is probably not the best option. MXL's V67 is a better mic, and there's other better options from other companies as well.

When you're recording drums or percussion it's usually better to use a mic close to the drum, and if there's a set you're using (like a drum kit) it can be good to have overheads. It's called close-micing.

Any more questions?

Jacob

 

[Job7]

Ah, so that's the word

In Holland we call that kind of mic a "grootmembraan", but I couldn't find the exact English translation, so that's why I wrote "studiomic".

So the MXL 2003 is not the most perfect option. I'll look for others as well, then.

Just to make sure evryone has the right info on me: I've got no such thing as a live drumset! I want to play the drums by using Reason. The only percussion I have and want to record is bongo's and shaker and furthermore all things (desks, chairs, tables, spoons, whatever) sounds good playing them.

Many regards from Holland again.

Job