Topic: Hey, older member here, with a newbie question(s)

[deadfire]

Alright... A lot has changed since I made this account in 2007, when I was super into getting live shows and such... And I remember this place was chock full of people who were like.. Bloody experts at anything about recording. So.. Maybe now in 2011, this'll be relevant to someone and they can help, eh? :-D



First things first, I want to record myself. I make hip-hop music, and I think it's time for me to get serious, and get somewhat of a studio going on. But alas, I'm on a budget. Aren't we all? Haha... So... I have a spare room in my house, and who knows, I could just turn that into a recording booth. So hey, if you have carpenter experience with things like soundproofing, or know of some guides towards soundproofing, that'd be exquisite as well.

Well, beyond all this.. I need some way to record myself. I mentioned I'm on a budget. Basically, I get paid every 2 weeks, and get $850 a paycheck, and can probably dedicate at least half per paycheck towards whatever needs to be done...

I'll start off with what I currently have: Computers, and an old XLR microphone... That... Isn't worth a damn.

So, I'll need to start getting things.. As far as I can recall towards back when I was considering recording live music, I know I'll need like.. a Preamp, and a badass microphone. Neumanns or AKG come to mind, but those are in the thousands.

So what say you Tapers Section? Let's help some retarded white young adult record flawless audio in his own house, so he can wind up never becoming famous!

[beatkilla]

Get a Shure SM 58 mic thats plenty good enough for tracking vocals and is about $130 new.

[SmokinJoe]

SM58's are great for on stage use.  They are tough and reliable, and sound pretty decent, no arguments.  But I think when it comes to studio vocals, the majority is done with large diaphragm condensers.  The classic is the Neumann U87, but that's big big bucks, and there are plenty that are more reasonable.  One thing about LDC's, they will pick up noise in the background.  If you live in the city, and there is a lot of traffic/train/neighbors, they will pick it up, so yes, you'll need some sound proofing.

I'm a big fan of ADK mics (I just counted... I own 10).  ADK has a basic A51 model which is used by a lot of people for vocals http://www.adkmic.com/catalog/audiophileseries  New they run $169 each.  There was a glut of them last year, and someone here probably has a pair they would part with for $200'ish.  For vocals you will want a basic stand and a pop screen.  If you have a pair of them, they are great for taping concerts too.  For something like $250 each, ADK has the Vienna which is one step up and might be better if you are really focusing on Hiphop vocals.  There are literally hundreds of other LDC's in this price range, ebay is clogged with them.  Some sound great, some sound like shit.  I don't know much about most of them, and most people on this forum don't either.  We don't normally use them for taping concerts... they are made for studio vocals.  I just know that the ADK A51's should work reasonably well.

There are a ton of computer interface boxes you can use, and they have preamps and phantom power, either USB or Firewire (Roland, Focusrite, Presonus, and others).  So you have mics > that box > existing computer.   If you are doing vocals, and maybe a guitar or something at the same time you can get by with 2 inputs.  If you want to do a whole drum kit... mic'ing a drum kit is a whole science in itself, but 2 mics on a drum kit is very limiting.  4 to 8 inputs is better.  You should be able to find a good one for less than $425 no problem.  Most of them are designed to work with a computer, but some of them will work in standalone mode too... so you can record a concert without the computer... run mics > box > handheld recorder.   Aside from USB vs Firewire, there are "bus powered" ones that get power from the computer, versus ones that run off a transformer you plug into the wall.  While there are exceptions to the rule, low cost bus powered units are likely to be pretty noisy... there will be more hiss in the background (the EE working with 5V x .5 amps has to make comprimises that someone working with 12v x 2 amps doesn't).

So if you are just focusing vocals... an ADK Vienna + a used Mod UA-5 in the yard sale can be done on one of those half paychecks.  For 2 half paychecks, a pair of mics and a 4-8 channel box.

[rastasean]

If you want to start multitracking directly with a computer, make sure its pretty modern and quiet for the reasons Joe listed--LDCs are sensitive. With the computer you will need some kind multitracking software so start looking into that. What if you want to record somewhere else and you don't have a laptop? My personal opinion would be a zoom r16 & a couple of the mics like Joe recommended.

Do you have any mics like the shure SM57 or 58? It will work with the zoom r16 until you can afford the nicer LDC. If you don't have those, just wait for the LDC. The r16 isn't perfect but it can get you pretty far WITHOUT a computer because you can play tracks while recording, so you could record your track, go to a friends house and record their track while they hear your track. There are only two inputs with phantom power so if you plan on having more LDC mics, you would need some kind of power supply like an ART two channel power supply which then would allow four phantom powered mics. If you play guitar or bass, you can plug it directly into the r16 and use any of the built in effects...of course you could also mic the amp and record into the r16 as well. 

Really this is all about how much you want to spend and how far you're going to go with this. Don't let us talk you into spending all your money if you just wanted something else.

website on the r16: http://zoomr16.org/
art power supply: http://www.artproaudio.com/products.asp?id=69&cat=13&type=90
retail dealer of ADK: http://proaudiotoys.com/adk-microphones-m-6.html (also has ebay store)
manufacture of ADK mics: http://adkmic.com/