Guide to starting a home studio.
This may not be a comprehensive guide, but it should work for people who are looking at buying equipment, but have no experience with recording equipment at all, and are questioning what to buy. Hopefully, I can clear up some questions that causes people to wonder if they are cut out for it.
What do I buy?
This is a loaded question. It will depend primarily on budget and your uses for the equipment. If you are just learning, and want something cheap to learn on, then you probably will not want to spend thousands of dollars. However, if you plan to run a state of the art recording studio with rooms to lease, or production and mastering, then you will, of course, be looking at more expenses.
I will start small because that is where I started. My first recording equipment was a $70 mic, and a Tascam Porta05 4 track tape recorder. It was $495 back in the day. No frills, but it taught me some things. These days, due to the lower costs of equipment, I suggest going straight to digital. Skip the cassette tapes, and make sure it has a cd burner.
Keep in mind, too, that if you are a solo artist, then you don't need a lot of inserts. You will probably only be playing, and possibly singing yourself, at the same time, so a 4 track with 2 playable tracks is all you need.
If you are in a band, and you have a drummer, vocalist, guitarist, and bass player, then you will need to be able to capture 4 playing at a time with each instrument to a track generally.
Digital: computer software or a track machine?
Good question. I think computers make it easy. For about $550, you could get Mbox with Pro Tools Le, and be off and running with more than any studio had in the 1960's or 1970's. One question I have about that is, with all of the technology at hand, why isn't the music produced as good as it was back then? Perhaps it is too much technology? Simple is good. Don't get me wrong, the Mbox is an excellent system, and I have thought about it for myself in some applications, but it is very easy to get lost in computer software.
Click the picture to read more about Mbox:
In addition to the Mbox system, the Music Production Enhancement Suite, and the standard Bomb Factory plug-ins, you also get the moogerfooger Analog Delay, JOEMEEK SC2 Compressor, JOEMEEK VC5 Meequalizer, Cosmonaut Voice, Maxim, and a pre-authorized iLok smart
If I were to get the Mbox, I would want the best computer for the money. You
could get a Mac for the Mbox, but if you are into windows like most people, then it would
require something like this:
With any technology, the learning curve goes up. Albert Einstein said "Any sufficiently advanced technology becomes magic". It is true in any field. For many people, computers are scary. The touch of a button can cause lots of work to go -poof-! This must be stated for those who are wanting to learn. You can make really good music, but you can lose it very quick, too.
Pro Tools is, I think, the best computer software available. Mbox will record 2 instruments at a time. Very good for the soloist.
I would suggest for the average new user, something like the Korg PXR4. Click the picture to read more:
Kit includes PXR4 Pandora, AKG K-44 headphones, 20' mic cable, Behringer XM8500 microphone, Whirlwind Little Imp impedance matcher, and Guide to Home Recording book. The PXR4 features REMS modeling effects (amp, cab, mic, etc.), superior-quality guitar multi-e
It records 2 instruments at a time, and it has a little less sound quality, but still a very good machine to learn on.
Stepping up a bit in price to about $1400, we come to the Korg D1600 MKII recording bundle, which gives a lot of performance for the home studio. (This is essentially the equipment I have, with a few different components. Click the picture to read more:
Enough tracks to make serious recordings and everything else you need to make it happen! Includes Korg D1600mkII recorder, Fostex PM0.5 powered monitors, tripod mic stand, Nady QH560 headphones, MXL990 microphone, 2 - 20' mic cables, 50-CDR spindle, and 2 - 10
The Korg D1600 MKII, can record 8 instruments at a time, which is more than enough for most bands. It can do quite a lot.
It does not take much to get started once a person settles on equipment. Once you read through the manuals for whichever system you choose and get familiar with it, then it gets easier.
Ok, so you have chosen your equipment, and it has arrived, and you've read the manual, you've made a few sample recordings, and played with it until you feel somewhat comfortable.
Is there anything else I should know?
Depending on what you got, you will at some point want to make sure you have a good drum machine if you do not have a drummer, and you will want to make sure you have a good mic pre amp (Firebox includes a great mic pre). Other than that, I hope you enjoy your equipment!
If you have any questions about recording, you can contact me through my email address. I will respond as quickly as I can.
As you may have noticed I have not updated this part in awhile. Well, I wanted to let everyone know that I bought A Toshiba Satellite laptop like pictured above, and with it I purchased this:
PreSonus FIREBOX 24-bit/96kHz FireWire Recording System.
Why did I purchase this over the Mbox? Mainly because I read up on protools. It requires getting exactly the right type of Intel pentium processing chip, which can be daunting for some people, and then if they choose wrong, it doesn't work at all. Presonus does not have that problem. It DOES require a firewire (IEEE1394 port). Most computers are bundled with those. If not you can get one at linkshare/tigerdirect.com. I am not saying it is a much greater deal than protools. Protools is very good if you know exactly what is in your computer, but to me, the Presonus Firebox cannot be beat for ease of use.
It's cheaper, too. Enjoy!