home recording advice sought

[tanglewoodtree]

i'm thinking about getting home recording equipment, but i'm overwhelmed with the choices and my lack of knowledge. my experience with recording is limited--i've recorded with 'audacity' using the crappy mic on my laptop. the sound quality is horrible.

i'm not looking to produce cd's to sell, but i would like to get a quality recording. i see there are what seem to be stand-alone units, e.g. the tascam units that come with built in mics, and also non-stand alone units such as the mbox with pro-tools.

i mostly will record vocals and guitar. i guess i could spend around 1k for equipment (i hope that's allright with the mods. it seems necessary to give a ballpark price for folks to get an idea of what would work for me).

thanks for any advice.

[mjudd]

If you have a Mac, I'd suggest the Apple Duet, Logic Express (or Garage Band), and a decent mic. Well within your budget and the quality is superb. It's easy to use (I can figure it out, so I'm sure you can), and versatile.

[MattChen]

hey I'm just going through the same phase as you, although maybe a few months in now.
1k is perfect. Spend half on a good audio converter/preamp ... I have focusrite saffire 6, it's not the best but it's quality stuff for the money. And it's only around $250. For the mic I say stay with the classics, the SM58 or SM7B are pretty household names. I've gathered this from my research and the fact I just got a SM7B, it's good.

But yea, you really only need two things. It's not as hard as you think.

[Daktari]

I am just a little bit ahead of you...
While you may only need just "a few" things to get started, you are probably going to want "just a few more" things.

I bought an iMac last May, and it comes with Garage Band, which is a great little program to get started. You will hear a lot of folks talking about Pro Tools and the "lite" version, but, unless you plan on going into Recording as a profession and want to learn, "the standard", it (Pro Tools) is not necessary.

Regardless, you need a way to get your sound into the computer. You could use the mic imput on your computer, and plug a 1/8th Mic into it, but most folks go with a external interface device.

My mistake is that I am a scrounger, and hate paying "new" prices for things. I somewhat enjoy scouring eBay/Craigslist for bargains. I jumped right in to an Alesis Multimix12 Firewire which has a ton of inputs and, due to the firewire nature, will allow for several tracks to be recorded at the same time.

The problem was/is, its an older unit, and the driver support is lacking.

Most folks go with something like the M-audio Firewire Solo, which is targeting the "guy with a mic and a guitar" crowd.

So you have an interface, you need a mic (you can figure that one out on your own).

Another piece of the pie would be some decent monitors. I went with the KRK Rokit 5s. I got them through MF for $299 with free shipping. You want to check how your interface connects to your monitors, and get appropriate cables (RCA, XLR to 1/4, 1/4 etc)

For cheap, you can pick up a midi keyboard. I went used on this item, and got a M-Audio Keyrig 49 shipped to my house with a sustain pedal and extra cables for $60 (I found that scouring online forums).

So far, I am into it for
Computer (iMac 21" $1400)
Software (Garageband - came with iMac)
Mic (and appropriate cables/connectors) (CAD95 $50)
Interface (Alesis Multimix12 Firewire $175)
Monitors (KRK ROkit 5s $299)
Midi Keyboard (M-audio KeyRig 49 $60)
Various Cabling & Stands $50

I am climbing up the learning curve now... so don't be expecting my debut CD until 2017.

[tanglewoodtree]

thanks for the advice so far.

one thing i should have said is that i don't have a mac, and i don't intend on getting one, as i'm a lifelong windows user.

as for firewire, i don't know if that's an apple only thing or will work with a pc.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by tanglewoodtree

thanks for the advice so far.

one thing i should have said is that i don't have a mac, and i don't intend on getting one, as i'm a lifelong windows user.

as for firewire, i don't know if that's an apple only thing or will work with a pc.

Firewire, the IEEE 1394 interface, is compatible with Macs and PCs. It an audio/visual standard.

By the way, the no-price-discussion policy only applies to guitars. You may mention budgets for guitars or prices of other equipment such as amplifiers, recorders, etc.

[colinmac]

You can get a lot of low-end kit for 1K, and since you don't want out-and-out pro quality then I'd think you can get going for much less.

First, let's consider microphones (because you don't want to record only from the guitar's pickup, assuming it has one). There are a bunch of cheap condensers sold in pairs for instruments, and one example would be the Behringer C-2s. These come with a separator bar, so you can mount them both on a single stand and point them in whatever direction you choose, and give a decent enough sound.

For vocals you could use one, or both, C-2s, or you could go for a large diaphragm vocal mic like the MXL 990.

Rather than get a portastudio type of thing, I suggest recording onto your laptop. The laptop will have a microphone / line in socket somewhere, so one plan would be to feed that from a small mixer such as a Behringer UB1202.

You can continue to use Audacity or you can go for some relatively cheap DAW software, e.g. Cakewalk Sonar Home Studio, if you want something more advanced.

You can use a decent pair of headphones for monitoring / editing, which simplifies things somewhat compared to using regular studio monitors.

As a shopping list this works out as:

Pair of C-2s: $65
Vocal MXL990: $50 (Music123.com sale price, normally $150)
Mixer: $80
Headphones: $50
Mic stand: $30
Cables: $50

Grand total: less than $350.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by tanglewoodtree

... i mostly will record vocals and guitar. i guess i could spend around 1k for equipment ...

There are options to suit just about anyone. I like recording on a computer but I also like the option of having a portable recorder so, for me, a device like the Zoom H4n is a good compromise. When using a computer it becomes an interface. Its built-in microphones are good enough to make quality recordings but since the H4n has phantom-powered, XLR microphone jacks, one is not limited to the built-in mics. If I had a thousand dollar budget I might consider this equipment:

KRK Systems VXT 6 monitor (pair)…….$400
Zoom H4n…..…..…..……..……..…….....…..$320
AKG K240 Studio Headphones…….....……$100

http://www.guitarcenter.com/KRK-Rock...60-i1562750.gc

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...order_Kit.html

http://www.guitarcenter.com/AKG-K240...83-i1406311.gc

[theotigno]

If you're looking at non-mac and non-firewire, I'd consider getting a Sound Devices USBPre as your interface. I use one and purchased based on some of the reviews and recommendations I read online. Please note that if you're using it with Windows Vista, installing the drivers can be a bear. If you do purchase it and you have Windows Vista, I can try to recall what I did (I just got one a few weeks ago).

Once you get an interface (such as the USBPre), I'd look at these microphones to start building your mic locker. Here are a few options:

• Heil PR-40 (I own one; great on vocals)
• MXL 603s (I own one; decent for recording guitars)
• EV ND/967 (I have used a friend's mic, check out fingerpick.com ... scroll down for it; usable for vocals and guitar)
• KEL HM1 (haven't tried it but I have been impressed by the recordings)
• ... and of course, the old Shure SM57 standard

That could make a good start.

[rpg51]

Get yourself an iphone and buy a $10 multitrack recording app and call it good. You will never regret having an iPhone. If the internal mic isn't good enough you can get an external mic - and even an interface to plug in most anything - for mucho less than you are talking about spending. Another option is one of the Tascam units. They are excellent - and best of all - you don't have to be futzing around with computer interfaces and all that razmataz. Couple of hundred bucks max for either option and you will be doing all you need simply and fast.

[rhancox]

I bought the Saffire 6 USB interface (see sig for link), the MXL 990/991 condenser mic set (see sig for link) and a couple of mic stands for around $300.

The Saffire comes with Ableton Lite but I'm still using CuBase LE, that came with another interface I used to use. It will also work with Audacity, if that's what you're comfortable with.

I used to plug directly into my old interface (a Lexicon Omega) from the pickups in my guitars. I was happy with the sound quality, but now I use both mics on a guitar (the 991 on the neck and 990 behind the soundhole) and I'm extremely happy with the natural, stereo, sound I'm getting.

I've been told the mic preamps in the Focusrite product line are the best. I'm no tech-head, so I couldn't vouch for that, but I am very happy with my purchase.

Here are some samples:

My six string, as a test.

My 12-string, mainly, but a complete multi-track song.

[fitness1]

I've had excellent, and very simple results with the Tascam DP01-FX......very straight forward unit with effects, phantom power and all the mixing/uploading features you could ever want. I run an Audix VX5 on the vocals, and an AKG C3000B on the guitars and it's just great. I bought the Tascam new (they have a new model now) and the mics used and have just over half of your budget spent Here's a recent recording to give you an idea of what it's capable of.

http://www.box.net/files#/files/1/f/0/1/f_356088662

[makikogi]

don't get too strung up on software, doesn't really matter what recording software you go with, they all basically do the same thing. Software won't determine the quality you get. You can get a regular ole usb interface, but as long as you have good pre's and mics, that'll yield better quality recordings in the long run. I love pro tools, but the fact I'm paying for those mic pre's (hopefully soon to upgrade to a 003 control surface from my 002 rack), when I would rather mix and match pre's depending on what I'm recording.

[fitness1]

I should add that before I purchased my Tascam, I bought a Lexicon Omega USB interface with Cubase LE software. Came with a 500 page manual!!!!
I spent nearly an entire weekend and the best I could do was get a recording that sounded like I was at the bottom of a pool. I got the Tascam, and within 15 minutes I was multitracking......

Moral of the story.....ease of use is a HUGE determinant for me.

[makikogi]

^^^ agreed software comes with a huge learning curve so just get ready to watch a lot of youtube video's if you go down that route