| "the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread"
Posted: 1/8/2006 6:28:40 PM | Hello I would like to welcome you to
"the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread"
here you can ask questions about recording gear in the ever blooming world of
home recording
It is so inexpensive to get into recording you could have a recording rig in your car and in
your bathroom too......lol
please feel free to share your advice on good gear and ask questions about components
we are here to help
  | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/8/2006 7:00:19 PM | cool...
i have a korg D1600 DAW and it's been really fun to learn how to use...i got a apex large diaphragm microphone...that sounds great.
i edit with adobe audition...i also use it to produce drum loops with.
i have sennhieser headphones and they are also cool...
i've been trying to educate myself as much as i can about home recording...and licensing music, publishing...i have used pro tools, i demoed two song this year and it was a total buzz to take that puppy for a spin.
i really pushed the studioi was in, it was fun...nion linear recording is so much fun, COPY PASTE is tghe bestthing in the world.
anyways...
the stuff i've been learning so far has been pretty ommon sense, but have a dvd with studio design and it made things clear on why most mixes don't travel well from studio to various stereos...that was very eye opening...
rock on to all
Aaron
 | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/8/2006 7:39:06 PM | welcome dude
checkout this cool recording site
http://www.prorec.com/
for some great articles
I think have really good monitors is very inportant to hear what you are recording
I have a pair of
MACKIE HR824
made in the usa(the new one are made in CHINA)
they are very smooth sounding and have been a blessing
I a-b-c between
-the mackies
-a large home stereo
-a computer speaker system consisting of 2 speakers and a sub
this helps check my mixes | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/8/2006 7:56:34 PM | How much would we be talking about getting started with the basics for a home recording studio? Is Pro Tools spendy?
Toon | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/8/2006 8:07:17 PM | basic recording......
I have helped many people get setup
It is so inexpensive,If you have a decent computer.........
yesterday.....
I went to Long and MACquade(a music store)
I got a friend setup for about $1100 canadian
we got some
-yorkville studio monitors(powered)
-alesis 6 channel mixingboard/with digital effects with built in 24bit digital convertors --firewire --to her
existing MAC G4
the alesis came with
CUBASE SE
a recording program
she is good to go now
that is an example of a decent budget studio
it just depends on how much you can spend
my system is much more costly
but ,you can be very effective for about $1000 to start
| |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/8/2006 9:16:21 PM | ...it all depends on how fancy you want to get. It can be very expensive. It is getting more affordable every year.
Guitar Center, Sweetwater, Musicians Friend and other music chain stores have alot to choose from.
Software for synths can be spendy if you want many different types.
You can save some money on synths if you buy the modular versions... | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/8/2006 9:29:00 PM | Will a good mic compensate for a room's natural acoustics?
Do you have to insulate the walls of the room you have your home recording set up in?
Toon | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/8/2006 10:40:19 PM | acoustics........
go in the room
clap your hands.....
it you are getting an unnatural slapback echo from lots of hard surfaces like dry wall
put up a rug or foam
you do not want it totally dead but neutral sounding
your question about the mic......
a decent condenser is like a microscope
it amplifies what it hears
make your room neutral and you are good to go
you can get a reasonable condensor for about $250 can | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 12:06:11 AM | way to go Gman...
good idea about the home recording studio thread,
I'm sure it will be as much informative as your guitar thread...
I'll be bouncing from this thread to the other..   | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 2:44:53 AM | I'm sorry but I love the riffworks rifftracker. It can recreate anything & is sooooo flexible.
I think it's the best value for money piece of equipment I've ever got. | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 5:03:11 AM | | Has anyone used the Roland V-Synth XT module? Some of the sounds I've heard this thing generate are simply stunning (like the demo on the SoS disc several months ago), except I've heard it generate some really dodgy sounds too. Presumably it can handle instrument emulation adequately, but what I want to know more about are the 'evolving' sounds it makes. If anyone has either used it or found any good demos, let me know! I'm also wondering if there are any competitive alternatives. It's not particularly expensive, though I hear bad things about Roland as a supplier so I want to be as sure as possible before I buy. | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 7:08:56 PM | roland. lol
i use a 33 synth and bought the appropriate axe.
cause roland loves roland.lol
gr8 thread.
rifftracker is good.,
but i love analog recording.
but,simply no choice.
we all live in a digital world. | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 7:20:27 PM | yes stevens
analog is better/warmer
but very difficult/expensive to do now
I have made my peace with digital and I am "moving forward "with it
currently I use
cubase vst and sx
they are very complete programs and probably the most compatible with other musicians
I am speaking in the home studio world
ie
pro tools is more of a professional format not many consumers have a
pro tools rig
and from my experience the latest Cubase sounds every bit as good as pro tools
many pro tool guys are switching over | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 7:26:36 PM | 2 old truths that are just old now
1- mac is better for recording - in1998 (yes)
in 2006(no)
mac out of the gate was a more mature platform,so it was the system of choice
now the gap has close considerably
but some people still hold on to this one
in my experience anyone that bought a mac had problems being compitible with
90% of their friends
lots of software/hardware does not support mac
2-pro tools is the way to go-in 1989 (yes)
in 2006 (maybe)
-pro tools
out of the gate was a more mature platform,so it was the system of choice
now the gap has close considerably
do a search on the net of producers and find out what they are using today
things have changed | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 7:54:09 PM |
i love analog recording.
but,simply no choice.
we all live in a digital world.
Hmmmmm..... not necessarily true.
Whether or not you go "through" AD/DA for tracking, mixing and mastering?
The more you preserve the analog signal in the front end, ie: pre's, comp, EQ, etc. the less loss of signal.
100% discreet circuitry, and quality gear is key.
The digital recording format is getting better (done right), the method of product delivery still sucks, and is getting worse as people "get used" to higher and higher compression rates. And the practice of digitizing signal before it gets to the higher-bit/resolution final A-D convertors, degrades signal two or three times (x1 for every single "VST" plug-in or other software based "sound enhancement" too) before it hits the hard drive.
Less is more.
The ultimate goal is to preserve the analog signal path as much as possible using digital ONLY for final media.
For home studio use, it's still possible to have an analog front-end comprising two channel strips for tracking that has the same quality signal path of that in high-end "Neve" stuff, for around $5K.
The more you can avoid the "ones" and "zeros", the better it will SOUND.
Forget the Macs and PCs and their "software" recording swiss-army knives, the future of digital recording is "mainframe"....
http://www.izcorp.com/mainframe.asp
Watch for this stuff to come down in price in the next few years, .....and the analog "front-end" components will NEVER become obsolete. | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 8:09:48 PM | I totally agree with you on analog front end
I think that has helped me a great deal in trying to preserve some warmness
i will check out the izcorp site
I am not so sure it will be the future though
because they said that about
radar,Euphonix 96k digital recording system too
and a few other systems
I think the issue of affordability
and ability to share projects with your friends and other musicians will ultimately win out
for 90% of users in the home market
trust me I am not a fan of lose of fidelity
but, so far
price
familiar software platforms
product availabilty
have been winning the home recording market game
I just set up a friend with a basic system (see above)
cubase se was included with the firewire sound card
you basically can get a version of recording software with a purchase of a bag of chips and pop..........lol
this is smart though
you get the end user familiar/hooked on a product and you got him
ie
you use a platform for a year you have a lot of songs in that format ......
you have spent a lot of time learning that DAW
it is hard to get someone to switch
| |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 8:48:53 PM | but some people still hold on to this one
in my experience anyone that bought a mac had problems being compitible with
90% of their friends
What format are they using that's not compatible?
lots of software/hardware does not support mac
Hmmm.... actually, a lot of the good stuff like Logic, is Mac only, most decent to high-end hardware is non-proprietary.
A lot of these are old myths. Companies like Steinberg (Cubase), MOTU, and ProTools have apps that run better on OSX, ....probably because it's a UNIX based kernel.
Cost-wise, TCO is still cheaper, with a longer useable "life". The OS is integrated with the hardware which are both purpose designed to be a p 'n p DAW via "Core Audio".
I have been "crash" and "freeze" free since '01 when I started using X.
What Mac set-up are you basing this info on?
Will a good mic compensate for a room's natural acoustics?
Google "bass trap", .....if you can kill any standing waves and other "room" problems, "natural acoustics" are your friend.
When in doubt - use ear, while being aware of how we hear things (not 3" from a kick-drum or guitar amp, but in the "room"). | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 9:13:00 PM | what formats are they using
pc......all of my musician friend use pc
and file sharing is a breeze
out of 10 people i can think of one has a mac
hmmmmm
so when I want to get the project file for a song from a friend's studio
I can just get a disk and it open in my studio just like if I recorded it at my house
softwaRE DOES NOT SUPPORT MAC
yes you picked Logic a great system and one of the only Mac only apps
now there are lots that are only pc
or come out as pc first with mac to follow.......sometime
CRASH /FREEZE
you might have me there my friend....
but I have seen macs crash too ,they maybe more solid to a degree sure
but ,in my neck of the woods being a mac user would be like being a betamax user
when all of your friends are watching vhs
kinda hard to borrow movies to watch among my peer group
and betamax was a better format too technically
I just think there is a lot to be said about being about to easily share recording project files with your musician peer group
IE
I write a tune
my friend is a keyboard player
I give him a disk
it opens on his system just like we recorded it at his house
he can remix it /add tracks
and give me a disk back...nice!!!!
for some this is not important
I think Logic/radar is a great platform
no one I know personally uses it
so again compatibility with other studio musicians I know
Ie
If I was an audiophile
and ordered those special 24 bit remastered cd of my favorite albums
to play in my ultra esoteric media player
I would have a hell of a time bringing those to any of my friend's houses
| |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 10:06:57 PM | I can just get a disk and it open in my studio just like if I recorded it at my house
Haven't had anything that my Mac won't parse yet.
Cubase - Logic - Deck - Digital Performer (MOTU), Live, .......
Hardware? ...a lot of the higher quality stuff is less likely to have problems on the Mac, reason being: OS-Hardware integration, which is another reason it's more stable.
The problem with PC's, and the higher quality audio hardware, is that a lot of hardware is optimized for highest quality comp hardware, which is SOP for Mac and more likely to be iffy on a PC.
They are closer than they ever were, BUT, there's a reason that you are more likely to see a Mac in a professional environment = industry standard.
For the beginner user on a budget?
Macs come with Garageband, .......take it out of the box, start it up, plug in a Firewire or USB DAW (Macs = no drivers needed), plug a mic into the DAW, click on the app and start recording.
... mere minutes after it clears the nice box it came in.
If you're already familiar with Windows, know how to troubleshoot it, and have only the best hardware components?
Pick the devil you know.
BUT, don't use it for anything else, viruses, etc.
If you want "out-of-the-box" ready to go audio recording, and be able to also edit video, RAW graphics files and integrate all three without even having to buy ANY software, AND surf the net and get your email without worry of viruses?
Mac
For both, remember, .....the more popular home recording becomes, the more crap gear is going to be marketed to consumers. I can't believe the shitty quality of entry level mics, pre's, comps, EQ's that "Music Stores" are selling.
IF you want to set-up a home-DAW, talk to a pro if you can, at least to find out which mass-marketed do-dads to avoid, and which of the very few "cheap-but-good" pieces of gear to empty your pockets on. | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 10:19:14 PM | again you have made awesome points
i guess the devil you know is the answer
I guess when I started I was an pc user already
and it just seemed like the least expensive way to get into recording was to use my existing system
I think many people these days will probably feel the same way
we shall see
I like the stability of stand alone systems
but it is technology and does not hold it's value well
ie
go look at the used price on all the first generation consumer recording workstations
like the roland,fostex,adat .....etc
goto L&M
when they come in they sell them as door stops
not like the old days of analog | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/9/2006 10:42:47 PM | I like the stability of stand alone systems
but it is technology and does not hold it's value well
Hmmmmm...... Check out the Yamaha AW4416, killer rig, and you can always toss in a new HD, and upgrade the AD/DA to 24bit Apogee cards and I'd take that sucker over a Mac or PC anyday. (sure held it's value better).
I've used these before, while they aren't the best for mastering, you can always dump data to a Mac/PC via light-pipe and take it to a pro mastering facility and pull off a stunning CD.
I'm going to sell all my DAW stuff and pick one of these up, a better set up for me for "Home" as I already have access to a pro studio.
Ever used an AW4416?
You can even use them for FOH!!!!
Mix your sets in rehearsal, eq the room, hit a button and instant auto-mix of an entire gig regardless of the room..
| |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/10/2006 12:34:39 AM | i have only seen them
it looks like a great piece of gear
it sounds like those upgrades would be expensive no?
plus the cost of the unit?
i hate digital because when some company starts using "32 bit as a standard"
the price of 24 bit drops
look at 20 bit adats
16 bit adats | |
|
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/10/2006 4:00:14 PM | it sounds like those upgrades would be expensive no?
plus the cost of the unit?
A few years ago, this set-up would suck $10K out of your wallet.
You can get a "44" for under $1K, ...probably the two Apogees for around $2.5K new, less used.
i hate digital because when some company starts using "32 bit as a standard"
the price of 24 bit drops
Heh heh..... the "44" has 16/24 bit stock AD/DA, .....32 bit internal freq. With the Apogees (24bit), the "44" is amazing bang for buck, and less "jitter" than almost any DAW you can get now.
The fact that it has such a great upgrade path makes it an awesome value.
As far as 24 verses 32 bit conversion, IF you're talking about a top o' the line 24 bit converter, there is no difference, ....it's a physics thing, When sampling a bandlimited signal (e.g., through analog to digital conversion) the sampling frequency must be greater than twice the signal's bandwidth in order to be able to reconstruct the original perfectly from the sampled version.
Intuitively, if a signal is bandlimited prior to digitization, it cannot change very rapidly, so that the information obtained from the samples is enough to reconstruct the signal. A greater sampling frequency is required for a signal of greater bandwidth. If the conditions of the theorem are not satisfied, and thus the signal is not sampled fast enough, the resulting phenomenon is called aliasing. This is undesirable in most applications.
.......Also why a 100% discreet analog front-end is sooooo.... important.
look at 20 bit adats
16 bit adats
Absolutely despise ADATs, especially the 16 bit ones, the first time I worked in a studio with ADATs ('90-ish) was the last, LOL! ........ just hated it. | |
|
| |
| the HOME RECORDING STUDIO thread
Posted: 1/10/2006 7:13:59 PM | A couple of years ago I picked up a Zoom MRS 1044 and a couple of condenser mics.
Haven't had the time to really try it out yet and I get antsy everytime I think about it.
How do the Zooms rate, are they any good? | |
|
Home
login 
