Recording Setup

[rollo47]

Hey All

So, I'm not too crash hot in my recording know how (I get by, but I'm not a professional by any means of the word), but hopefully I'll be looking at buying some new recording equipment either later this year, or at the start of next year. At this stage, I either go direct in (bass to PC), or through my SWR head. What I'm looking for is some suggestions as to the different routes that I could go with equipment. If all goes to plan, I'll have around about $3000AUD to spend. I already have a pretty decent PC, which I'm sure would do fine until I can buy a dedicated PC for recording work. Keep in mind that the $3000 would have to include software, as well as hardware, mics, whatever.

I realise this is a fairly general question, so any help is much appreciated

Thanks again.

 

[niftydog]

What are you aiming to acheive with your new rig? $3000 is a lot for some setups, but it's a drop in the ocean for others!

 

[rollo47]

Really, I'm looking for gear to make my recording sound better, but possibly also something that I could use in a small studio setup later on. Like I said, I realise that it's a fairly general question, but I'm just looking for suggestions as to the different routes I could go.

 

[caesarbass]

Just curious...what are you using now for recording?
I would get a good DI, I use an Avalon U5 and I love it, you could get away with using a Sans Amp Bass Driver, they are also great and a little less expensive. Do have an interface? Are you familiar with ProTools or Cubase or Sonar? Have you thought about an Mbox 2, or maybe a Mackie Onyx board with the firewire interface, or a focusrite Saphire? How many inputs do you need? Do you have good studio reference monitors or a good pair of headphones?
We need a little more info...Thanks.

 

[caesarbass]

Check out this site:
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[clockworkwar]

Mac Computers will be good for you then, recording is one of there strong points!

 

[rollo47]

Just curious...what are you using now for recording?
I would get a good DI, I use an Avalon U5 and I love it, you could get away with using a Sans Amp Bass Driver, they are also great and a little less expensive. Do have an interface? Are you familiar with ProTools or Cubase or Sonar? Have you thought about an Mbox 2, or maybe a Mackie Onyx board with the firewire interface, or a focusrite Saphire? How many inputs do you need? Do you have good studio reference monitors or a good pair of headphones?
We need a little more info...Thanks.

At the moment I have nothing - no DI, no interface, no mics. I have a fairly decent pair of headphones, but not top of the line at all. Not particularly familiar with any of the software, though I have used Cubase on a few occasions. At the moment, like I said, I'm going direct into my sound card (bass->soundcard), or occasionally, through my SWR head. I'm not too worried about the number of inputs, though it might be nice to have a few so I can use the gear for band recording later on down the track. I don't really know anything about the Mbox etc. which is why I wanted a few opinions of different routes I could go with gear.

 

[rollo47]

Mac Computers will be good for you then, recording is one of there strong points!

I did think about it, (though I'm not looking to buy a new computer at this stage), but I was turned off by the fact that (from what I can tell) they're hard to upgrade, and quite expensive.

 

[clockworkwar]

It would be a good investment, but a good pc will be perfect for you atm. All you need is an M-audio input card and probably a behringer mixer, that is enough to create some great recordings. Some decent headphones and a mic. And then you could just use audacity or splash out of some cut down programs, like the 'light' versions. That is what i do, and it works incredibly effectively.

 

[caesarbass]

I think sticking with your pc would be fine, also check out the Focusrite Saphire, it is an interface and it also has great effects built in so you don't tax your CPU, it also comes with Cubase LE. You would not need an extra mixer or anything, you could plug your bass directly into the Saphire.
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[rollo47]

Excellent, thanks guys. Any other ways I could go with this? How are those Behringer mixers, anyway?

 

[caesarbass]

Beware of things being too cheap, in other words, you get what you pay for, and I've "heard" and have experience with behringer products not being very reliable. That is my honest opinion, I don't want to start a flame war but my advice would be to go with something other than behringer.

 

[geoffkhan]

I would say to go Sonar (especially if you're into MIDI and VST/VSTi stuff and want to mix that with your audio recording) and PreSonus Firepod. Either the Firepod or an M-Audio FireWire 1814 or 410.

That'll leave you money for mics and whatnot.

Stay away from the Behringer stuff, you can't rely on that stuff. As far as mixers go, as long as you already have the audio interface sorted out, and have plenty of inputs/outputs, don't bother with getting the sliders. If you're into MIDI automation, they make control surfaces for that, but otherwise boards are pretty much just for show (it makes clients feel like they're in a more pro studio) in the digital audio recording world.

 

[Stumpy]

At the moment I have nothing - no DI, no interface, no mics. I have a fairly decent pair of headphones, but not top of the line at all. Not particularly familiar with any of the software, though I have used Cubase on a few occasions. At the moment, like I said, I'm going direct into my sound card (bass->soundcard), or occasionally, through my SWR head. I'm not too worried about the number of inputs, though it might be nice to have a few so I can use the gear for band recording later on down the track. I don't really know anything about the Mbox etc. which is why I wanted a few opinions of different routes I could go with gear.

simple. just keep it simple. But the best that you can with what bucks you have.

Mbox1 or M-Audio for the interface
If on the PC use Cakewalk or like software
If on the MAC then use DP or ProTools (how many tracks you thinking of ???)
I would use the DI from your bass head for your bass sounds
ART makes a passable Tube Pre for the mics
SM58/57 for vox as well as a large capsule (Marshal MXL or the like)
Set of Yamaha NS 10's (used) ... if you can make it sound good on those then you can do it for ANY set of speakers

Just some inexpensive thoughts.

 

[agreatheight]

I run Sonar with an Avalon u5 as my direct box and am always happy with my recorded tones.

 

[caesarbass]

I run Sonar with an Avalon u5 as my direct box and am always happy with my recorded tones.

AMEN!!!!!!!!

 

[rollo47]

I did have a look at the Avalon, it's gotten some great reviews around the place. How would I go about connecting that to my PC? Would I need an audio interface?

 

[dragon5363]

m-audio 1814. easy to use, compatible with lots of programs, and expandable. unlike the mbox or mbox2, it has adat lightpipe in, making it easy to record a whole bunch of tracks at once if you have a band. get a good di, even the sansamp will work. mics arent such an investment if youre nto recording a drum kit. use protools le 7. a tascam contol board is a good thing to have, it makes using software easier with less mouse use.

 

[clockworkwar]

Stay away from the Behringer stuff, you can't rely on that stuff.

Behringer studio equipment are used in the top studios, and they are reliable. But if you dont want a Behringer mixer, Yamaha, Peavey and others do the same mixers essentially for around the same price. Well worth investing it. Balanced signal output ones are better but its not essential.

 

[chrisp2u]

Behringer studio equipment are used in the top studios, and they are reliable.

Well, I'm not exactly sure about that statement... I've seen and been to "top studios" and I don't think I've ever seen any Behrenger gear at any of them (maybe they were just embarrased and were hiding it). From my personal first-hand experience with Behrenger mixers, they seem to rob your audio of fidelity and make your mixes sound thin.

But anyway, to make this short, as with anything, you get what you pay for... budget stuff will generally work (hopefully), but it's not going to give you the same quality as higher-end gear. With that said, there are also many examples of budget and mid-range gems out there.

Also keep in mind, if you're new to recording, it's probably gonna take you a bit to get the techniques and know-how to make stuff sound good no matter what you're using to record.

If you've got a decent computer stocked up on RAM and with semi-respectable processing power (the processing is the most important aspect here since most recording systems are host-based... meaning they use your machine's processor), then that's a decent hunk of the battle. From there, your biggest decision is the interface and software... as these are often quite subjective and can vary greatly depending on your needs:

- are you recording just yourself?

- do you plan on recording others?

- if yes to the second above, how many simutaneous channels of input will you require (ie. mic and line inputs). Something like drums generally requires 3 channels minimum.

- will you be integrating MIDI into your setup?

Also, I'd probably recommend a Firewire-based interface. Cards offer more throughput, but who knows what kind of card bus your next machine might have. Firewire isn't going anywhere anytime soon and they're easier to deal with (no putting in and removing cards), and I doubt you'd ever run into a bottleneck. I've recorded 18 channels of audio simultaneously over FW without a glitch. FW also lends itself to portability. Wouldn't suggect an m-box... there's next to no expandibility there. Something like the m-audio 1814FW is decent and it can run with protools or most any other audio app.

Other things to consider...
- do you need/want a mixer? Not necessary, but some people like the tactile feel of moving faders rather than using a mouse.

- Software. This one is extremely subjective. I used/tried just about everything out there at some point. I regularly use ProTools LE, but also use Tracktion and Ableton Live a bit too. All very good software. I've tooled around with Logic and Digital Performer a bit too... also good stuff. It all comes down to what you're comfortable with... they all do pretty much the same thing (though some occassionaly have the edge in certain features/functionality), and work similarly, but usually put their own spin on it... so there's usually a bit of a learning curve for each. There's free/cheap stuff out there, but most stuff runs between $250 - $900 or so.

Microphones... you probably want a few in the long run. Different mics have different strengths in different situations/applications. This is also one of those categories with some budget gems. If you're looking fo a decent all-round mic for vocals and stuff, it's hard to beat the Studio Projects C1 for the price. I'd start there, and add other stuff later as needed or as you're more comfortable with your needds.

Good audio monitoring makes a big difference in the mixing process... this seems to be one of those places where people like to skimp because good monitors aren't cheap. You can get stuff cheap, but once again, you get what you pay for. You're looking for accuracy, detail and the flatest freq response possible ultimately... these are the things that allow your mixes to translate and sound good on everything else. I wouldn't suggest toching anything less than $500. One gem I've discovered in this category is the BlueSky MediaDesk 2.1's. Best sound I've heard for under $600.

I could go on and on, but I need to get back to work, so I'm cutting myself off. Good luck with your hunt.
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