What To Use?

[Alexandrah]

Hey everyone,

I'm a newbie to pro audio recording and would like to create the humble beginnings of a home recording studio. I would like to create music along the lines of PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age and The Doors. What would be my best bet in terms of hardware/software?

I hear so much about Cubase, Logic, Protools, Propellerhead...etc. but I don't know where to start for some eerie blues aggression. I would HUGELY appreciate any help you can offer.

Thanks a bunch,
Alexandrah

 

[Bulls Hit]

Will you be recording drums, or using a drum machine/software loops?

 

[Stealthtech]

Naturally....I have to say LOGIC
Hardware ? Depends

 

[Alexandrah]

Definitely will be needing some drums on the software cause I'm in an apartment complex and can't do the real thing. Is LOGIC the best software for eerie blues rock?

If I purchase the Logic software, what would I need to plug in the vocal and guitar mics? Also, is it possible to use Logic software with Protools hardware? Any combinations that make sense - please let me know.

Thanks again!

 

[Bass Master "K"]

You are going to want to do a lot of research before you make any decisions. Do some searches on recording programs, soundcards, monitors, ect...

Logic is not your only option, and it is a mac based program only. Cubase, Sonar, Nuendo, all are good programs, and it really depends on how big your projects are going to be. You might be able to do what you want with a much smaller and cheaper program. I have a friend who makes some pretty good recordings on a program he paid $40 for.

Then you have to get the sounds into your computer so your going to need a quality soundcard. Again, what you want depends on your needs.

You need to make sure you have a computer that can handle the audio and is built for recording.

You will need monitors.

For your drums you can use CD based samples like drums on demand, or there are programs like groove agent that will work as a program.

Your going to need some good mics. You will need a good room.

Depending on your soundcard you will need good preamps.

So basically you will need to research all this stuff to see what suits your needs. This question is asked all the time, and I wish that one of these days they would make a thread like this a sticky, because it is such an important subject. Many people make the mistake of just picking things that are at their local music shop, or taking the recommendations of one person and they don't end up with a setup that suits their needs and feel like they wasted their money. DON'T BE IMPATIENT!

As much as I am sure you want to get this going as soon as possible, take that energy and research.

Good luck.

 

[Alexandrah]

Thanks Bassmaster...better start crackin.

 

[Bass Master "K"]

Thanks Bassmaster...better start crackin.

If you keep that attitude, you will be very satisfied that you spent your money well and you will have a setup you will be happy with. There is loads of information at this site about each and every piece that you will need for your studio. Read up, and don't forget, each manufacturers website will give specifics about their product, so when you know what your need is, you can also use their sites as well. Of course they are all stilted towards their product so keep to the hard numbers and info, and don't pay attention to the "shine" they spin on their products.

Good luck!

 

[Ronan]

well for eerie blues rock, your best bet would be analog tape, but its seems that it is not an option for your apartment etc. I need to agree with the earlier posts and tell you to do a lot of research (posting here is a good start), because the more research you do the better you will spend your money.

Also, I do not know what your budget is, but I would suggest if you are going the computer route that you start out with some cheap stuff until you start to get your sea legs in recording. If you buy a bad ass pro tools rig for 15,000 by the time you know what to do with it, there will already be a next generation in computer recording and better gear will cost less than what you already have. I will however recomend that you spend some money on one or two good mics. It will make recording much more enjoyable and they will hold their resale value.

 

[Stealthtech]

Logic is not your only option, and it is a mac based program only.

Incorrect.....
yes if you get v6.0 and up....no if you get 5.8 and below which often times can be had on ebay for $100 and less.

 

[manning1]

alexandrah......my suggestions for high quality......
1. an amd based daw - fast for lots of tracks.
2. good mics....check out beyer and CAD. sennheiser 441 also.
for a cheapie a lot of folks like ....gxl1200 or mca.
3. good soundcard. this is the heart of your sound quality.
cheap - check out maya , expensive but great drivers ...rme or lynx.
4. for multitrack software as always i recommend powertracks from pgmusic.com. at 29 bucks. 48 digital audio tracks and a superb midi sequencer. if you dont believe me talk to some users on the forum.
5. a good set of preamps for the mics. cheap little mixer is a alto s6.
expensive fmr audio or say real high end - great river and many others. or build your own mic preamps like i do. eg the song i'm too old to rock n' roll at soundclick.com/bmanning
good luck. btw if you shop wisely you should be able to put a decent studio
together for under 2k. i just did this for a friend with very clean pro results.

 

[tedluk]

Incorrect.....
yes if you get v6.0 and up....no if you get 5.8 and below which often times can be had on ebay for $100 and less.

No offense, but, while what you say is true, let's be realistic and point out that getting an earlier version of Logic is a dead end path. There is little or no support on the PC side and it's only going to diminish in the future.

This person is new, why confuse them with an option that's really not an option?

Besides, we have plenty of other things we can confuse them with!

Alexandrah- Any of the programs mentioned will record any kind of audio you throw at them. The kind of music shouldn't be a determining factor. HOW you will record makes a big difference though. Are you playing all the parts or will it be more of a band situation? Will you be incorporating MIDI or will everything be done through audio (except the drums as noted earlier)? Are you trying to create radio playable CDs (possibly not a realistic goal depending on your space) or are you recording for fun and relaxation?

Before you start buying things, take some time and analyze what you are trying to accomplish. Define your priorities. Once you start figuring out where you are trying to go, then it becomes a lot easier to draw up a route.

Once you have a good idea of what things are most important, then you can look at your budget. Fortunately, it's possible to make remarkably high quality
recordings with a modest budget and limited resources. When you know how much you can spend and what things are most important then you will be able to narrow the choices down quite a bit.

Once you've accomplished that, then you can spend some time at the store trying things out and asking lots of questions. Of course you can post here and we'll give you our opinions (sometimes they're even useful) .

The options can be intimidating. I was out of music for a long time and I was totally lost when it came to computers and digital audio. There is a lot to learn and it changes all the time. But you WILL get there!

Just remember to focus on what your goal is and make your choices based on whether the item will help you achieve it. Try to ignore as much of the hype as possible and look for reviews of actual users as much as possible. They're the ones who know what works and what doesn't.

Another suggestion- On major items like audio software or soundcard purchases, join the user forum or Yahoo or MSN groups, if they have them. These are an invaluable resource for learning about not only the product, but also what kind of support you are going to get.

Good luck!!

Ted