What to do now?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Supercooper
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Supercooper

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Hello all -

I'm just starting into the recording side of music, and so far, I am in love! I guess I've gotten hooked into the tangle of recording gear as well. But can you really blame me for guiltily coveting others' studio gear?:D

But I also had a question: even though it's really only been a few months for me, I think I'm ready to make the next jump. I've recorded many songs and I've been satisfied with much of my work. That being said, I realize I need to upgrade if I really want to make my recordings better. So I was wondering if anybody with more expertise had any suggestions of where to go next.

I have an audio interface - a pretty small one, the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. I don't need anything bigger than that for now because I'm not into recording drums or more than 2 tracks at a time yet. I also have a RODE NT1-A (large condenser mic), which I love, and I run Ableton Live Lite 8 (which came with the Scarlett) and M-Audio Bx5a Deluxe monitors. I don't think I need to upgrade the monitors yet. However, I was wondering if I should upgrade my software, and also if I should buy a keyboard. And if so, which first? I've realized that Ableton Lite only allows for 8 tracks and 10 effects on any given song, so I'm thinking I want to attack that problem first. I don't have deep pockets, and so I think I need to conquer one hill at a time.

Thanks for any suggestions, and good luck with your own recording ventures!
Supercooper :guitar:
 
You, my friend, are a PRIME candidate for Reaper! It's a full-fledged DAW that tons of people around here use. The best part is that it comes with a fully-operational download that you can use as a demo to see if you want to purchase it! AND THEN on top of it all, the purchase price is waaay low. I think it's $40 (possibly $60 now? I can't remember :D). Either way, it's still the absolute best deal out there!

Here is the site and a link to the download page! :)

REAPER | Download
 
Thank you guys for responding! Reaper sounds like a good option for me. Also, yes the Rode is my only mic currently. So I should get another few mics before I move on to other things?
 
A few - depends on what you are to be recording. I would say a matched pair of SDC, Maybe an other flavor of LDC's and a few dynamic microphones.
 
Supercooper said:
I have an audio interface - a pretty small one, the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6.
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Hi supercooper, I'm just getting into computer music production (having done a lot of fully analogue music production years and years ago). I've been researching audio interfaces and the focusrite scarlette 8i6 interests me very much. Can you tell me a bit about it? I understand it has two inputs with preamp suitable for mics and/or guitar. How many other inputs does it have and what kind of features does it have that you are finding particularly useful? Would the 18i6 have been any better? And if so what are the differences?
 
Supercooper said:
But can you really blame me for guiltily coveting others' studio gear?
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No of course not. You can't be blamed for covetting someone else's studio gear. But you can be dragged into a dark alley and given a sound thrashing for such shameless covetousness ! :spank:
 
Firestorm79 said:
Hi supercooper, I'm just getting into computer music production (having done a lot of fully analogue music production years and years ago). I've been researching audio interfaces and the focusrite scarlette 8i6 interests me very much. Can you tell me a bit about it? I understand it has two inputs with preamp suitable for mics and/or guitar. How many other inputs does it have and what kind of features does it have that you are finding particularly useful? Would the 18i6 have been any better? And if so what are the differences?
Click to expand...

Hey Firestorm 79,
So far, I have found the 8i6 to be able to do anything I ask of it. You're right, it has 2 preamps, which can be used as XLR or instrument jacks. It has 2 more line inputs on the back, and then midi in/out and spdif. The real difference between the 8i6 and 18i6 is in the number of inputs: for me, I'm only recording myself, so I didn't need to get into the many more inputs of the 18i6. If you're just recording yourself, then the 8i6 is plenty, because I know I would be hard pressed to use 6 inputs simultaneously, especially since I haven't yet gotten into drum recording. But if you're recording a band, I would say that you should go with more outputs. Hope this helps you out!
Tom
 
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