What is a good recording studio to get?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mrfishingexpert
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telling you that all the recording softwares all had a steap learning curve and costs hundreds of dollars and that it took years to record something good.

I told him that the software was the least important part and that that pretty much every other aspect of home recording had a steep learning curve.
A very important point that is missed more and more with each passing day!
 
I told him that the software was the least important part and that that pretty much every other aspect of home recording had a steep learning curve.
A very important point that is missed more and more with each passing day!

And not looking to veer off the original topic...but yeah, when I see newbs looking to "get a studio" and they're really referring to just some software or a DAW setup...I see that they missed the point of what is really required to get that pro recording, and that software (and hardware too) is only one small part.
I kinda cringe a bit when someone says that they know nothing about recording, but all of a sudden they have a need to setup a recording rig and churn out a pro level recording, and that they are under the gun for both budget and time. You just know that's not going to go well.

That's different from the guys who say they are just looking to "get started" and who understand it's going to take lots of time and work..etc...to get something of real quality.

It's not their fault...the misconceptions...but it's obvious that the interwebs are the breeding ground for the skewed perspectives.
 
All i have to add is this.
The best gear is meaningless without experience.
Professional recordings require these items.
1) professional gear
2) professional rooms
3) and you guessed it...Professionals doing it.
All this is asuming your band is good.

Remember the band has to be professional and experienced as well.

It is a joy to record a singer that knows mic technique
It is a joy to record a bass player or drummer that know how to control dynamics.
Recording a novice band can be a nightmare.
 
I agree with everybody that a pro recording should be left to the pros ( or even us wannabees willing to work at it). Maybe these guys need to try capturing a live sound with some reasonablely good gear. Their buds might remember it better that way and if there is a demand for more they might invest the time going to a pro studio.
 
I don't disagree that recording as a whole band has its merits...but this broad statement is wrong on a few levels, considering the HUGE amount of recorded music that has been recorded as multiple, individual tracks and then mixed together, and that has sold millions of copies and been listened to millions of times by millions of fans.

"Dry and boring" is the result of dry and boring songwriting, arrangement and mixing and overall production decisions...and not so much about tracking individually VS as a whole band.
That said.. tracking as a whole band will give you a more "live band" sound....IF that's what you want...but it can still be dry and boring in the end due to all the other things I mentioned.

A little bit tongue-in-cheek to make a point.

But a great recording comes from a musician putting heart and soul into the "performance".

This is very hard to do track by track, but not imposssible.

And large sales do not necessarily equate to large listening numbers.

And there are plenty of CDs that sound great on first listen, but don't have that "magic" that gets them played again.

Just trying to make the point that "performance" and a musician putting heart and soul into that "performance" is the No.1 thing that makes a great recording.
 
I'm going to pile on at this point and suggest going to a studio.

The thing that will increase the cost of a home system is having to record drums. In the genre(s) you described, you will need at least one mic on every drum, two overheads and probably a hat mic. So you will need 8 inputs with preamps, 8 mics(two of which should match, one should be a kick specific mic) and 8 cables. On the cheap (crappy) end, that will cost $500 for the mics alone. And don't forget how much the room the drums are in affects the drum sound. Room treatment will be a must for a professional result.

It might be worth it to get the drums recorded at a studio, take the tracks home and buy a 2 channel interface, a 57, an LDC, and a DI to record the guitar, bass and vocals at home.

Oh, wait. You still need monitors...and a room that doesn't skew the sound to the point that you can't rely on what you are listening to.

Go to a professional studio to get professional results. It's not enough to have the equipment, you need to know how sound works, mic technique, what an instrument needs to sound like going in to a mic in order for it to be what you want in the mix, etc... This is not the sort of thing you pick up in a video class, or in a short amount of time.

Everything else can be done with a two channel interface and a couple of mics.
 
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