Greetings,

I've been pondering for a nearly a year if I should invest some money
and begin creating a home recording studio. I have browsed around the
web and it has given me some good info. However, I'd like to get some
ideas from people who have had great experience in this.

I'd like to know what is the basic equipment to have. I'm not looking
to go full on into this just yet. I'd like to be able to my recordings
on the computer, so what equipment should I look into to accomplish
this.

Thank you for the help in advance.

On 4/13/2005 9:45 PM, Willard wrote:
Greetings,

I've been pondering for a nearly a year if I should invest some money
and begin creating a home recording studio. I have browsed around the
web and it has given me some good info. However, I'd like to get some
ideas from people who have had great experience in this.

I'd like to know what is the basic equipment to have. I'm not looking
to go full on into this just yet. I'd like to be able to my recordings
on the computer, so what equipment should I look into to accomplish
this.

Thank you for the help in advance.

What are you going to be recording? If just voice and guitar, get
digital recorder with a Shure SM57 and SM58 mics. Then you won't have
to deal with a noisy pc during recording.

"Willard" wrote ...
I've been pondering for a nearly a year if I should invest some money
and begin creating a home recording studio. I have browsed around the
web and it has given me some good info. However, I'd like to get some
ideas from people who have had great experience in this.

I'd like to know what is the basic equipment to have. I'm not looking
to go full on into this just yet. I'd like to be able to my recordings
on the computer, so what equipment should I look into to accomplish
this.

Thank you for the help in advance.

You will have to reveal more than that if you want any
useful advice. At minimum: what it is you are recording,
what kind of computer you have, and what is your budget?

I'm hoping to record guitar tracks, vocals, drums and keyboard. I'm
hoping to record a varity of musical genres like rock, pop and rap.

I don't have any intention of using the computer I have access to at
home. I'm hoping to buy one and only install what I need for recording.
I don't have sufficient knowledge on the tech aspects of my computer.

My budget at the moment is roughly 300 to 500 dollars. It's not much
but I'm wanting to start this.

I'm hoping to record guitar tracks, vocals, drums and keyboard. I'm
hoping to record a varity of musical genres like rock, pop and rap.


I don't have any intention of using the computer I have access to at
home. I'm hoping to buy one and only install what I need for recording.

I don't have sufficient knowledge on the tech aspects of my computer to
tell you.


My budget at the moment is roughly 300 to 500 dollars. It's not much
but I'm wanting to start this.

For a good beginning recording system at home I would recomend the following
; A good general midi compatible keyboard (casio) . A mpu401 interface cable
to connect keyboard to your computer . A good microphone to connect to the
line in jack on your computer .
Start out with some user - friendly software to learn the basics of multi
track recording . I would recomend N-track . Its easy to learn and very
powerful . Learn the basics of multitrack recording with some easy software
first . Go to Computermusic website and read some of their tutorials or get
a subscription .
this will give you a good basic setup and allow you to learn the basics .
Good luck and happy jammin !

--
http://www.geocities.com/rmathies99/index.html

to hear free mp3's by this artist goto
http://music.download.com/jazzartistrobertmathies
"Willard" wrote in message
om...
Greetings,

I've been pondering for a nearly a year if I should invest some money
and begin creating a home recording studio. I have browsed around the
web and it has given me some good info. However, I'd like to get some
ideas from people who have had great experience in this.

I'd like to know what is the basic equipment to have. I'm not looking
to go full on into this just yet. I'd like to be able to my recordings
on the computer, so what equipment should I look into to accomplish
this.

Thank you for the help in advance.

The group is more 'amateur' oriented than RAP. Most types of music
recording, editing, composing are on topic. Discussions of live
recording
are also fine.

http://tinyurl.com/4uo23

a couple of alternative ideas to the above suggestions.

I find Reason very good as a general-purpose, do a bit of everything
kind of software, very easy to use and reliable, and cost-effective in
getting you a wide range of what you'll need to do a variety of music.
Personally, I chose a MIDI-keyboard-controller rather than a keyboard
the difference is that a controller has no sound-producing capability
itself, so it will just generate MIDI and the software (such as Reason)
will create the sounds. A MIDI-controller-keyboard is likely to be
cheaper, and most of them go directly into a USB socket, so no need for
MIDI interface either.

For your budget you should be able to add a general-purpose microphone
and a low-cost but reasonable quality pre-amp of some kind.

Chris

rmathies99 wrote:


A good microphone to connect to the line in jack on your computer
..

Isn't this essentially an oxymoron - a good mic that hooks directly
to the line-in jacks on a computer?

IME its more advantageous to obtain a small mixing console such as the
Behringer MXB1002. Then you can plug the SM57 or SM58 (or hopefully
an OM-5 or OM-6) into it, and hook the main or insert outputs of the
console to the PC line-in jacks.

In article writes:

I've been pondering for a nearly a year if I should invest some money
and begin creating a home recording studio. I have browsed around the
web and it has given me some good info. However, I'd like to get some
ideas from people who have had great experience in this.

Why do you want a recording studio? Does it have to pay for itself or
are you just looking for some gratification and a place to lose money
that will give you some fun (as well as a lot of frustration)?


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

In article .com writes:

I'm hoping to record guitar tracks, vocals, drums and keyboard. I'm
hoping to record a varity of musical genres like rock, pop and rap.

Why? Do you play all of those instruments and styles? Write songs?
Have a band? Perform live?

I don't have any intention of using the computer I have access to at
home. I'm hoping to buy one and only install what I need for recording.

My budget at the moment is roughly 300 to 500 dollars. It's not much
but I'm wanting to start this.

That will barely cover a computer if you shop well and assemble it
yourself, and won't allow for microphones, preamps, monitors, cables,
and associated gimcracks and geegaws. Also. the computer you can build
for $500 will make too much mechanical noise to record anything that's
quiet and nearby.

For $500, you can get a mic or two, a pair of monitors that will let
you listen to what you're recording, but not critically and
accurately, and a simple audio interface that will accommodate a
couple of mics or line level sources. You'll have to supply the
computer in addition. You can use shareware or cheapware. This will
allow you to record and play back, and do some mixing. But it will be
a long time and require more money before your recordings sound
"professional." You should understand this right off.

If you just want to have some fun, demo some songs, work out
arrangements for your band, or make Christmas presents for your
friends and relatives, you can do it with your budget and skill level.
If you want to make CDs that will stand up against commercial
products, you have a long way to go. Before you go out spending money,
it's very important to understand your goals and limitations so you
won't be disappointed when your recordings surprise you with how bad
they sound (and how badly you play and sing when recording).

No value judgments here, just reality. You might be a very talented
kid (or adult) just waiting to bust out into the next music star, but
if that was the case, you wouldn't be coming here asking what to buy.
Someone else who has been down that road already would have heard you
and offered to record you.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Arny Krueger wrote:
rmathies99 wrote:


A good microphone to connect to the line in jack on your computer
.

Isn't this essentially an oxymoron - a good mic that hooks directly
to the line-in jacks on a computer?

IME its more advantageous to obtain a small mixing console such as
the
Behringer MXB1002. Then you can plug the SM57 or SM58 (or hopefully
an OM-5 or OM-6) into it, and hook the main or insert outputs of the
console to the PC line-in jacks.

I had read about doing something like that. I think I'll look into your
suggestion. Thanks for the help everyone.

On 4/13/2005 11:56 PM, Willard wrote:
I'm hoping to record guitar tracks, vocals, drums and keyboard. I'm
hoping to record a varity of musical genres like rock, pop and rap.

I don't have any intention of using the computer I have access to at
home. I'm hoping to buy one and only install what I need for recording.
I don't have sufficient knowledge on the tech aspects of my computer.

My budget at the moment is roughly 300 to 500 dollars. It's not much
but I'm wanting to start this.



That budget is going to tough to meet. Are you recording live? Are the
drums electronic? You need to supply more info.

Dan, Since reading more into the prices of the studio, I will no doubt
be sparing some more money. Please keep in mind I want to start getting
stuff, I don't want to buy it all at once. I'd like to be able to buy
it in pieces. When I said 300 to 500 dollars, that was not all I was
willing to spend on this. I only have so much I can budget myself a
month. If I can buy some equipment when I can, that is what I meant.

I currently have a drum pad, and hope to rent a drum kit.

I will not be recording live but in my house.

Mike, the purpose for me to have a studio is so I can record my own
material aswell as use it to give some of my friends a chance to record
their material. I'm also going to be taking a course in sound
production within the next year. I'd like to be familar with the
equipment. Also, when you said "You might be a very talented kid (or
adult) just waiting to bust out into the next music star, but if that
was the case, you wouldn't be coming here asking what to buy." The
reason I came here is because I don't know anyone who has experience or
good enough knowledge in equipment setup. I came here to ask for advice
from people who know what they're talking about.

To sum up. I want to record guitar, vocal, drum tracks using a
computer. The drum is currently a drum pad but I would like to record
with a real drum kit. I will not be recording live but in a studio
setting. My budget is 300 to 500 to spend to get the basics of what I
need. I have every intention of spending more to get more equipment. I
will be using the computer to record. I'm unsure of the tech aspects of
the computer. It is a very modern computer. My question is what
equipment is the basics. Mixer, Pre-Amps, Microphones are a given. I'd
like to know what kind of mixer(s), microphones, cable or sound card
have people found useful and would help me get started in getting my
studio off the ground.

In article . com writes:

To sum up. I want to record guitar, vocal, drum tracks using a
computer. The drum is currently a drum pad but I would like to record
with a real drum kit. I will not be recording live but in a studio
setting. My budget is 300 to 500 to spend to get the basics of what I
need. I have every intention of spending more to get more equipment. I
will be using the computer to record. I'm unsure of the tech aspects of
the computer. It is a very modern computer. My question is what
equipment is the basics. Mixer, Pre-Amps, Microphones are a given. I'd
like to know what kind of mixer(s), microphones, cable or sound card
have people found useful and would help me get started in getting my
studio off the ground.

I would suggest that you don't try to depend entirely on your
computer. It's too cumbersome for a beginner. I would also suggest
that you learn to understand the concepts and capabilities of the
various pieces of gear in the recording chain and not just brand
names. Learning about inputs and outputs (both their number and
function) is much more important at your stage than dB of noise,
number of bits, and brand names.

I would recommend a tranditional approach to multitrack recording. If
you insist on using your computer as a recorder, don't also try to use
it as a mixer. When you get comfortable with the basic process, branch
out to using it as an editor and a signal processor. Don't start too
small, but it's OK to start cheap. Buy a mixer that has 16 inputs,
even if not all of them are mic inputs. Choose a sound card that has
multi-channel outputs so that you can mix with your mixer. The Echo
Gina seris is a good example of this. Don't let yourself be bullied
too much - buy a Behringer or TAPCO mixer if that's all you can
afford. It won't be your last purchase, but it will be a good learning
tool.

You're going to have to buy several pieces if you go the route that
will teach you the most. They have to work together, and it will be
more expensive than if you just buy an audio interface for your
computer and try to do everything in the computer - but you'll learn
more, better, and faster. Don't go overboard on any one piece. Nothing
you buy right now (except maybe for a microphone or two) will be a
lifetime purchase.

Read all the instruction manuals. Find someone nearby who can give you
some real-time in-person coaching and help hooking things up. Don't
try to struggle with things too long or you'll never get any music
recoreded.




--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

"Willard" wrote in message
om...
Greetings,

I've been pondering for a nearly a year if I should invest some money
and begin creating a home recording studio. I have browsed around the
web and it has given me some good info. However, I'd like to get some
ideas from people who have had great experience in this.

I'd like to know what is the basic equipment to have. I'm not looking
to go full on into this just yet. I'd like to be able to my recordings
on the computer, so what equipment should I look into to accomplish
this.

Thank you for the help in advance.

If you can up the budget to about 6 hundred, you can get an 8-track all in
one from Boss or Fostex, a pair of good headphones, some mini-monitors, and
two differerent Shure or Audio-Technica dynamic mics. You can use the PC for
file backup and CD burning. From this setup you can learn all the basics of
recording and then some, and after some time get pretty good results.

The limitations of the system will make you more creative and challenge you
to focus on using the microphones to get a good signal, learning about
direct recording, learning the lost and arcane art of bouncing tracks,
processing and mixing tracks one step at a time, basic linear editing, and
how a recording translates to various playback systems.

You will have to rely on your ears instead of using a more visual approach
to mixing as you would end up doing with a DAW. And a small, all-in-one
recorder is both quiet and very portable.

If you're curious about models and features, you could try posting to
alt.music.home-studio.

jb

In article writes:

I would recommend a tranditional approach to multitrack recording. If
you insist on using your computer as a recorder, don't also try to use
it as a mixer.

Curious to know why not.

Because you won't learn to understand signal flow. While there's no
real signal flow in software, you need to understand the concepts in
order to hook things up. Othewise you'll never stop asking what will
eventually become dumb questions.

Besides, a mixer has knobs and a computer doesn't, unless you buy some
for it. Learning to mix on screen with a mouse is like learning to
play a piano with no keys.

I went the route of computer mixing and haven't
been learning as fast as I want

That's the problem. If you had started with a real mixer you could
have picked up computer mixing fairly quickly.

Is it a different story if you have something like emagic logic control?

Yes, except that you first have to get it working right. And you still
have to make each knob dow what you want it to do every time you wan
to do something. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it, but
it can distract you from paying attention to the music.

Some people adjust better than others. If you grew up on video games
instead of playing stickball you're probably a good candidate for
starting your engineering career on a computer. But then, how good
were you at computer games?

--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

David Grant wrote:

I would recommend a tranditional approach to multitrack recording.
If
you insist on using your computer as a recorder, don't also try to
use it as a mixer.

Curious to know why not.

Good question. I bounce back and forth between mixing on a Mackie SR32
and Adobe Audition, sometimes the same basic music, sometimes on the
same day.

I went the route of computer mixing and haven't been learning as
fast as I want,

To me, mixing is about developing the ear for a good mix, and fingers
that just go there.

One of my strategies has been to practice mixing on the computer to
speed up my learning curve for mixing live sound on the SR32.

I feel like this really worked out for me. The paradigms for mixing in
real time on a console, and mixing in nonlinear time on software are
vastly different, but the underlying abstract process is the same.

but I'm not sure if I agree
it's the computer mixing that's at fault. After all most of what I
record is 5 tracks or less.

One thing that's different is that I often mix 10 or more tracks.

Is it a different story if you have something like emagic logic
control?

I have no idea. Audition has been so satisfactory that I feel no need
for anything else.

"Willard" wrote in message
ups.com...
Dan, Since reading more into the prices of the studio, I will no doubt
be sparing some more money. Please keep in mind I want to start getting
stuff, I don't want to buy it all at once. I'd like to be able to buy
it in pieces. When I said 300 to 500 dollars, that was not all I was
willing to spend on this. I only have so much I can budget myself a
month. If I can buy some equipment when I can, that is what I meant.

Since it sounds like you're looking simply to make a decent, not
neccessarily broadcast ready recording, thought I'd chime in with some
pricing I'm familiar with.

-Computer-

I'm currently using a PIII 933 mhz which I got for $99 + $30 s/h on eBay.
Should handle anything you're likely to throw at it. I started using it
because I've gotten into video. However, I've also done audio recording on
much less powerful rigs - such as a PIII 500mhz, even a PI 133 mhz, which
are available at fire sale prices on eBay, even with an Opsys such as
Win98SE. If you're going to get use Windows 98, I recommend 98SE.

I always stuff mine with as much RAM as they'll hold. 128megs on my PI's,
384 megs on the 500mhz, 512 megs on my current 933mhz. 72-pin sims RAM for
PI's is all but free on eBay. This 933 came with 256 megs on 3 sticks, I
removed one and added another 256 megs in a single stick that I paid $25
incl shipping.


Keep in mind that while computers are always getting faster and faster, not
long ago, a 500mhz computer was considered a monster.

All that being said:

Computer:

PIII 933 Computer w/mobo, CPU, onboard 130
video, 256megs RAM, CD burner
(came with XP)

Additional RAM 25

120 gig 7200rpm hard drive 75
8meg cache

Monitor 100

Audigy2 Soundcard 40

Cakewalk ProAudio8 40

Soundforge 5 50


External gear:

Studio Projects VTB1 mic pre 100

Alesis Nanocompressor 50

Alesis Nanoverb 50

Shure Dynamic mic 40

Marshall MXL 1006 LDC mic 70

Shockmount for MXL 1006 35

Fischer Hifi Speakers 60

Amp/Receiver 100

Misc - cables etc.. 75
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1040



The above items are from various sources - ebay, pawnshops and new/new on
sale. Probably the weakest link in my rig is that I don't have a real set of
reference monitors. I'd also have to get a different sound card to do multi
in/out recording, but have no need for such at this time.

This is a decidedly hobbyist setup but I can get very decent results out of
it. Obviously, you could spend several times this on one high-end mic. I
used to have a Presonus Bluetube mic pre, but I wasn't using stereo in, and
the VTB-1 is way quieter. To record stereo, I'd likely get another VTB-1 and
either another MXL or some other pair of mics. The above doesn't include my
4 octave midi controller or what I've spent on a collection of Soundfont
patches or my sample library. I just included what was related to recording,
since that's what you mentioned.

You can probably do a little better on some of these items on eBay and shave
a bit here and there. A 120 gig h/d is overkill for just doing audio. I
needed it for video. However, there's something to be said for having a new
h/d for dependability since they have a finite lifespan. Do you absolutely
*have* to max the computer out with RAM? Probably not, but as cheap as it
is, it seems silly not to.

FWIW, my first multitrack recording experience was with a Tascam 4-track.
Passable little unit, and it was fun to play around with. There are also
much better tape units. Bruce Springsteen recorded his Nebraska album on a
TEAC cassette unit. However, once I tried digital audio, I never looked
back. I know people who have recorded very nice sounding local-release
vanity albums using a computer based around a Soundblaster Live. Probably
won't get you in the door at RCA records, but that doesn't sound like your
immediate goal.

Doc wrote:

"Willard" wrote in message
ups.com...
Dan, Since reading more into the prices of the studio, I will no doubt
be sparing some more money. Please keep in mind I want to start getting
stuff, I don't want to buy it all at once. I'd like to be able to buy
it in pieces. When I said 300 to 500 dollars, that was not all I was
willing to spend on this. I only have so much I can budget myself a
month. If I can buy some equipment when I can, that is what I meant.


I just picked up a Boss BR-532 for less than $100 at a pawn shop.
They're less than $200 on ebay. It's a great little scratch pad or
bedroom recorder with all-in-one approach. It's perfect for getting
ideas down and working out arrangements.

Start simple and work your way up. There's nothing more dissapointing
than facing a huge learning curve for a bunch of recording gear and no
recording chops.

"steve" wrote in message
...

Start simple and work your way up. There's nothing more dissapointing
than facing a huge learning curve for a bunch of recording gear and no
recording chops.

..nod

I guess that's the other "cost" I should have mentioned. You have to be
willing to spend a fair amount of time learning to deal with the various
programs, *including* glitches, not a small consideration in itself. Stuff
isn't always going to work the way it's supposed to, and manufacturers often
have criminally inadequate tech support. I find Cakewalk's to be decent,
Creative (Soundblaster) is a joke as is Pinnacle (video manufacturer)
Fortunately, Pinnacle has a user forum which is the ONLY place I've gotten
useful info besides the usenet desktop video forum. There are also some
Creative usenet forums. You need to be prepared to do some cussing and
reading online. I consider Usenet/Google groups to be essential. RAP is a
fantastic resource. And hey, the flame wars can be entertaining! ;-)

I can't say I know any of my programs inside/out, I've picked stuff up as I
go along either by neccessity or by chance. I've tried to start making
myself read the "tips" screens as they pop up, to catch a new tidbit here
and there. Relatively inconsequential items can make big difference in time
and convenience, like using the arrow buttons to zoom in/out in Soundforge,
instead of having to use the mouse on the little zoom icon which is a major
butt-pain to have to do over and over.

Thank you very much for all the advice you gave. I'll definately put it
to good use when I look for equipment soon.