Cheap Home Studio 2021 for those behind the curve

[brianrost]

Is MIDI still a thing or has USB replaced it?

If you will only be using software instruments, then MIDI over USB is the modern standard, it's been around for more than 20 years now. It's still MIDI data, but USB is the transport layer. Hardware devices (keys, drum machines, etc.) cannot connect to each other using USB. USB is only for a single device to the computer.

For hardware instruments in addition to the real 5-pin DIN plug style MIDI cables there are now bastardized cables that use 1/8" plugs for devices that are so small there's no room for the DIN jacks. Damn hipsters wanting to stuff their entire rig into a backpack causing all this confusion.

If you need to buy a MIDI controller keyboard (as opposed to using an electronic keyboard you might already own) all the low priced ones only have USB outputs, no MIDI jacks at all, so they can only work with computers.

 

[equill]

For hardware instruments in addition to the real 5-pin DIN plug style MIDI cables there are now bastardized cables that use 1/8" plugs for devices that are so small there's no room for the DIN jacks.

Man, I'd almost forgotten this.
Turns out that only 3 of the 5 pins were ever actually used, so a stereo miniphone jack has all the connections you need for a valid MIDI link. Naturally, there are two schools of thought about which pin should be connected to which conductor, so that's a whole other gotcha with this approach.

 

[DanGroove]

I have owned a touchmix and traded it in for a Soundcraft UI24R. It should be cheaper channel for channel than the touchmix and I personally like it better. I am currently recording my band using the UI24R and it has been very easy to work with. It connects to the PC via USB and everything records directly to DAW. I expect the touchmix works the same, though I only ever used mine for live recording when I had it.

 

[3bc]

A number of questions you should be considering:

1. Budget?
2. Mac or pc
3. Total number of inputs I will need at any one time?

These questions will generally dictate the route you go. Stand-alone interface is usually a bit higher quality compared to USB boards, but mackie, behringer and tascam make boards with built in USB interfaces. Others do as well I’m sure.

focusrite and presonus are probably the best bang for your budget interfaces. You can get these with 2/4/8 inputs for reasonable prices. I think at least presonus comes with a free daw. Reaper is a very cheap daw, and if you have a Mac GarageBand is free and Logic Pro is $200, and probably the best value in the music instrument/production industry that exists. Since by your admission you are not a keys player I would get something like an Arturia keystep just for pounding out chords and inputting data into the daw, help with musical ideas, and if you eventually venture out it’s a great controller for hardware analog synthesizers.

depending on the number of inputs you need, and most people are fine with two or with 4 unless you’re trying to record drums, you should be able to get a decent interface for 200-300, a Keystep for $100 or so, some inexpensive monitors for a few hundred, and you’ll be off and running.

I have been recording bands for 20 years, having used everything from the original DIGI 001 native system to big HD systems, to current lots of native systems with logic, pro tools and ableton. Have owned dozens of interfaces and converters and keyboards over the years. If you can expand on your budget and objectives I can give you a lot more specifics in terms of things to look at.

 

[Ronzo]

Hi, Jimmy. For a budget home studio, I’d suggest looking into this model:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...er-xenyx-qx1202usb-mixer-with-usb-and-effects

I have a similar model (Xenix 1202FX) without the USB connectivity. I use it for my small home rehearsal studio, for vocal mics and acoustic/electric guitars, feeding 2 powered PA speakers. No issues whatsoever. In service for about four years now. Mic pre’s are more than adequate for my needs. On-board effects meet my needs; usually just adding or subtracting reverb to move voices or instruments back in the soundstage. Don’t really use much else in that regard.

Some people have issues with Behringer as a company; I do not. I have used a LOT of their products over the last 20 years, with zero failures. Yes, I baby my stuff. When I gig with them, I’m aware of abuse-related potential failure. But if it does the job at home, it historically has done the job on whatever stage I’ve been on. It just works. For a lot less money.

No affiliation at all with Behringer or their distribution channels. Just a satisfied customer who appreciates a high value.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

If you're a Mac guy, I would recommend the Presonus AR models of mixer/interfaces. I have an AR16 for live location recording, and it feeds straight into Logic with a single USB cable and no software downloads required. It gives you the familiar look and feel fo a live mixer (which is what it is and I use it that way too), but it is also a great sounding interface. Reasonably priced, and idiot proof. They make 8, 12, and 16 channel models. I just completed an 18 track big band recording with it, and the pres sound great.

 

[74hc]

MIDI over USB is the thing nowadays. When we had our lockdown, I borrowed a MIDI controller with tiny keys to work on songs during the lock down. I could edit my mistakes in Reaper afterwords. Tiny keys suck, though not taking up much desk space was nice.

 

[MasterG]

I have good results with my Behringer XR18. It can operate as a full 18 in x 18 out USB audio interface, with all the EQ, dynamic processing and effects of a digital mixer. I use mine to record into and monitor the REAPER DAW on my computer.

When looking at mixers you just need to look at the specs. The XR18 works as a computer audio interface, but doesn't record directly to a usb stick or a usb hard drive. The smaller XR12 and XR16 models record 2-channel directly to a usb drive, but don't work as a computer interface.

I'll concur. The XR 18 air makes a killer daw interface.

 

[Boundary Effect]

I disagree in the case of the Presonus AR16USB as being awful. While it is not the most sturdily built live-mixer nor does it have all the features one could hope for, at its price point, there is a lot of good, particularly in the OP's situation. It functions nicely as a 18x4 DAW interface through USB with 12 of those 18 inputs having mic pre amps. I purchased one because I needed a board with more than 8 mic pre-amps and for the interface. Using an old MacMini I originally bought for my daughter when starting high school ten years ago, I easily get 16 tracks of band rehearsal recorded to disc, that I then bring home and mix on my pro DAW.

 

[Huw Phillips]

I have done a bunch of video watching and asked on here and asked my brother who mixes in a theater and have pretty much settled on the tascam model 12 it seems to offer lots of 2021 functions yet is capable of getting everything done on its own if needed, the preference for me was easy to use and recoding on board
I will be interested to know your choice

Edit here’s the information that TB members gave me that you may or may not find relevant Looking to buy my first mixer HELP !!!

 

[funkinbottom]

I want everything to be plugged in and ready when I want to do something, and be able to accomplish my tasks quickly. I plan on doing some programmed instruments like keyboard and drums, and would like to add a decent little electronic Ringo kit eventually so I can actually get back into playing drums some more. Any keyboards, however, would certainly be programmed. Can't play keys very well but I can program like a son of a gun.

For a DAW I would suggest Reaper. The program itself takes up very little hard drive compared to others. It is only $60, plus free updates as they come, and compatible with PC or Mac. (I run PC) As I'm not a real tech kinda guy, I found it pretty easy to learn. Tons of tutorial vids on their site, as well as tips/tricks/shortcuts on youtube.

For interface, I would go with a 4 channel that has midi in/out. That way, if you eventually get an e-kit for drums, (and/or keys), you can midi in with that and still have 4 inputs for you and three others. If budget is tight, Behringer might be a way to go. A friend recently picked up a Behringer U-Phoria UMC404 for $150 from Sweetwater. He likes it a lot. It has phantom power also, which is nice if you use condenser mics.

For drums, I picked up an Alisis Nitro mesh kit ($380) and use Toontrack EZdrummer 2 for sounds (as well as programming ). Quick note on e-kits. Advise I got from a couple drummer friends that actually use electronic kits. Get mesh heads, and what they call a kick tower. A mesh head that uses an actual kick pedal as opposed to the lesser expensive button trigger bass drum. They told me main difference in lesser expensive and expensive mesh head kits is the module. Kits like Roland have a big library of great sounding kits, where as kits like Alisis, like the one I bought,has a much less expansive library, of which, only 2 or 3 usable kits. (IMO). But I was not concerned with the limited internal sounds, as I bought it to trigger sounds from EZD2.

As far as keys, sounds like you have a pretty good handle on programming, so you can paint (write) in midi, and there is a huge selection of vst's ranging from free to ridiculously priced. Just keep in mind, if you're doing a live session with anything being recorded through midi, you need a vst for sounds. But you probably knew that.

All and all, Reaper @ $60 (or any inexpensive/free DAW), and a 4 ch. interface @ $150 - $300, you would have a pretty rockin' home studio.

 

[Ryan in PDX]

I can't speak to 'most.'
I can tell you that my SoundCraft exports 22 individual channels and the two Master channels.
(Up to) 24 separate, simultaneous tracks.

I use the Soundcraft Ui24r as my mixer, live recorder (using a usb drive), and audio interface. I love it. In addition to the master LR and all 22 inputs, the first eight aux channels are also sent out (post fx) to the computer. I use two aux channels as my source for video chat and Zoom lessons, with a separate mix from what I'm listening to as a monitor.

Based on the OP, I think @JimmyM might be better off with any prosumer level desktop or 1U rackmount interface (e.g. Focusrite Scarlett). If I only needed a few channels for bass, and midi for e-drums, I would definitely go that route.

 

[longfinger]

For multi-tracking at home, in addition to mixer-Interfaces (Thunderbolt, USB, Firewire) combined with computer and DAW that are being mentioned in other posts, there are still the all in one stand alone Porta-studios.

Some folks prefer that workflow, you might be one of them. Though the piano or drum programming would still come from your computer, the tracking would be done on the portastudio.

TASCAM is renown for these.
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There is also the
Zoom R16


When working with these units, you'll be focussed on the music and not on the latest posts of Talkbass, YouTube videos, Facebook, emails etc.

 

[ctmullins]

Dead easy: Focusrite Scarlett Solo into MacBook into GarageBand.

This works really well for people like me who play one instrument at a time, and layer up the tracks into a finished product.

It's also handy to have a cheap keyboard. I got an M-Audio Keystation for $50 years ago. It's great.

 

[GregT]

My home studio is all based around the Tascam DP32SD. I have it set up so I can record bass, guitars, violin/fiddle, mandolin, drums, cajon, and a few other things easily. The KSM44A and SM57 mics really work well with it as well as just a line in. It did come with a pretty heavy duty learning curve, but I'm getting pretty handy with it. It's just one of the options out there.

 

[Mark Ambler]

Dead easy: Focusrite Scarlett Solo into MacBook into GarageBand.

This works really well for people like me who play one instrument at a time, and layer up the tracks into a finished product.

It's also handy to have a cheap keyboard. I got an M-Audio Keystation for $50 years ago. It's great.

Agree with the Focusrite Solo, and although I have Logic Pro X, I prefer Studio One 5 and that also has the benefit of being compatible with Mac and PC, whereas Logic albeit excellent, is Mac only. For the record, I use a very old PCIE MOTU 2408 mk2 for Windows, (why not, still works fine) and a Focusrite Clarett 4 Thunderbolt for Mac. Thunderbolt is as good as PCIE for low latency, and USB comes pretty close, but if you're using VSTs it's nice to have very low latency.

 

[LBS-bass]

Dead easy: Focusrite Scarlett Solo into MacBook into GarageBand.

This works really well for people like me who play one instrument at a time, and layer up the tracks into a finished product.

It's also handy to have a cheap keyboard. I got an M-Audio Keystation for $50 years ago. It's great.

I have a Focusrite 2i2 with a mac and Logic Pro X. Even though I only play one instrument at a time, I like the dual XLR inputs because I can leave my bass and microphones plugged in and set up to record at the proper level and I never have to touch anything that isn't inside Logic. That comes in very handy if I decide I don't like something and want to do a punch in a week later.

Just as an extra precaution I bought a mic cable with a switch for a layer of protection against accidentally arming the mic track while my monitors are on. It's about as simple as it gets. Anything you can do on a big mixing console you can do on the computer and it leaves plenty of room for a controller with full-size keys. I also have an M-Audio but I'm looking to replace that with something that has aftertouch. Those tend to not be cheap, though. Most stuff you'd never need that for.

 

[JimmyM]

Thank you all for the great advice. It's a lot to absorb, but I will totally come and sort through everything and start making a short list, so I really appreciate it!

 

[wattsman]

I suggest going as simple as possible. Focusrite, Universal Audio Apollo or something in-between. For DAW either Logic Pro or Live. And to midi is not a thing anymore, it's so transparent that is a given and no need to think about it anymore. DAWs will handle for you. So don't overthink it, bedroom studios are way simpler than what they were 10 years ago. There are great options for little money.

 

[John Chambliss]

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd generation works well with my Mac. I agree with keeping it simple. I’m using Reaper as inexpensive software with lots of bells and whistles.