40 is around the corner for me and not having a desire for a harley to fulfill my crisis I am setting my mind to making a cd as my project for the year.
So I have some questions. Am i best buying a pc/laptop and then getting some specific software and a mike or is going for a multitrack recorder a better option? if you have thoughts on either what would you go for?
My plan is to travel a bit and record tracks with my music making friends and then put them together so a degree of transportability would be good. My current pc is archaic hence the idea of a new computer for the job as a possibility. It will probably come down to recording acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocal.
And if you have thoughts which are pretty idiot proof too that would be even better.
For £1500 you should be able to get quite a decent set-up to suit your needs. I'm a PC user personally but I think Mac may just be better for what you are trying to do. Adam uses Macs (I think) for his video recordings.
Hmmm! Idiot proof? To get the best out of any of the tech today you really need to get to know the software pretty well and that only comes with time playing with it.
Maybe a Zoom digital recorder which can also record video. A decent laptop and sound manipulating software. Having said that the permutations will be enormous. I'm sure others will chip in with their opinions. Nice problem to have but I don't envy the research you will need to do to make your decision. ----------
for cd quality stuff, there is great software for both mac and pc, it shouldn't make much of a difference. I am a pc user, and there are a whole bunch of programs that have great audio recording. For free, Audacity is decent and I have heard good things about Reason. For money (and/or illegal download), Cubase is solid (though I hate it), and Ableton is awesome for some things. Protools is great. Acoustica Mixcraft is basically garageband for windows. but hard to learn. Mac has Garageband and Logic. That's all I know.
In terms of equipment: do NOT use a camcorder for your audio. Not if you want to make a CD. There are a bunch of options. You could use a multitrack, but to mix/master/burn to CD, you'd still need software. What I use is a mixer and a mic. Most quality mics don't plug into USB ports or 1/8 inch cable jacks, so you'd need a phantom power source (a preamp). Most mixers (I have a focusrite saffire 6, and it's pretty great) come with a preamp built in, so you could plug your mic into the mixer, and then the mixer plugs into your usb. That reduces the latency so your multitrack recording is a lot better, and gets you potentially great quality once you get the hang of mic placement and applying filters/compression/EQ/mastering (honestly, I'd send it to someone else for the mix/master, that stuff is hard to do).
In terms of the mic, it really depends what instruments you play, but I would say that the best option quality-wise is a condenser mic. Ribbon mics tend to be costly and fragile. Dynamic mics are great for recording live shows and are really durable -- but the quality of your recording might suffer if you're recording in a more neutral environment -- at least compared to what you can get out of a condenser.
I recommend a condenser mic into a mixer, into a computer with a recording/music editing program. If you have extra money on your budget, I'd get another mic so that you can record stereo and get more depth in your sound (that would be nice -- I only have one). I'd tell you to get a mixing board, but those tend to be thousands of dollars.
If you do get a mac, it will come with Garage band, an easy to use recording program that can do all that you need and more. If you want a dirty tone for your harp you can literally record just with the built in mic and then run it through one of the many effects/processors that are also built in. Otherwise run a SM57 or your preferred harp mic through a basic mixer which will give you balanced stereo line level signal out, get an adaptor which will convert your 1/4inch jack to a mini stereo jack, plug it in to the line in on the mac and your away. If you want your amp sound, just mic it up with the SM57. Too easy. ---------- Lucky Lester
didjcripey: that's if he only wants to record amplified harmonica. The built in mics on macs aren't good for quality recording -- you'd need a legit mic and a phantom power source for that. Also, I'd try for as good an interface as possible, even to record with the harp mic through the mixer. As in, try to find the bet mixer that fits your budget, and download a bunch of VST plugins for whatever program you're using. I found a few nice, free amp simulators a while back. Garageband is a solid recording/editing program, though. Can't go too wrong with it.
tf10; the mac built in mics are actually pretty good, of course not the same as a good condenser mic, but when you get the distance, mic level and room acoustics right you'd be surprised at what you can do. I did recommend using the built in mic only if he wanted a dirty sound; garage band has stacks of amp simulators which are easily tweaked to suit your taste. I disagree about the mixer; the way I use it its basically just there to tweak the level and turn low impedance mic signal to line level. It should be 'transparent' and thats about it; doesn't need to be fancy. Record a dry signal with flat EQ and play with it when you've got it digital. You can even just run a high impedance mic straight in without an interface or mixer (if you can rig the connectors, even a low Z mic will work well). A DI box would also work. Also, in my opinion the SM57 is a legitimate mic when used properly and although a condenser mic with phantom power will be superior, they're not cheap or idiot proof. I understand that my suggestions are not going to give studio quality recording, but that's why studios and sound engineers cost a fortune. My personal preference is to keep it simple and focus on the music rather than the technology; unless of course your into that.
I've used a mac mic once -- a couple years back in a dorm room in Iowa City. I ended up recording some sort of free-form, spontaneous rap song over a guitar riff that mildly ripped off Iron Butterfly. The quality, I thought at the time, was great. But then, as I started recording more prolifically, I realized my error. That said, I am sure that when you get the right room with the right instrument and the right distancing, you can get a good sound out of it. That's what a studio is for, though -- the reference environment, the good acoustics, etc. I don't have any of that, and I doubt any of us do either (if you do, you;re really lucky). I'm hardly recording studio quality material, and it'd still be on the lo-fi end of the spectrum. But I am pretty sure it's possible to get to that point.
I dunno, I got a studio quality condenser mic for decently cheap, but that was because it was a canadian brand and I was in canada. Kel hm 1. It's very durable, and is apparently fairly popular in studios for drums or something like that. I don't exactly remember. I agree that the music comes first. In fact, i take measures to make sure that recording quality doesn't get in my way -- the squeak of the chair under me while i'm playing guitar, or when I lean into a bend on the harp...I keep all of that in my mixes.
Depends how PC savvy you are, how well you can navigate & use the pull down menus in the software... some guys might find a more intuitive system easier to get up & running with. In that case, something like the Korg D888, plus a couple of SM57, maybe a AKG C1000 or 2 (will run off a battery or phantom supply - single channel phantom power supplies are cheap & plentiful) will probably suffice. The D888 does not have an on board CD writer.
In any event, I would aim for a system that allows several independent tracks to be recorded simultaneously, to allow maximum flexibility - e.g. you can capture several sources at once & if there is little enough spill, then drop on alternative tracks/takes if necessary.
Personally I wouldn't go mad on lashing out on more than one decent condenser mic, even then, it's probably best utilised "dropping on" final vocal takes.
I use a mac. I think if you want to do live multi track recording you may need some digital hardware. If not you could even use garage band that usually comes free. I use the the motu 828 with digital performer software. I also have an old Mackie mixer that has phantom power for my mics. I would find a music store that has guys that know about the latest stuff. Mac people are now big on Logic music software.
This was done with an old Mac note book using the software and the interface I mentioned. I wrote the bass line in Finale music notation software, saved it as a Midi file and brought it to my friends place and used any number of 16 synths to play the bass line. Everything else is done by overdubs. There are only two musicians playing.
---------- Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind How you doin'
Last Edited by on Nov 22, 2010 3:48 AM
I have just been doing some "bedroom" recording with one of the bands I play with, all acoustic. I use a MAC running Garage Band. I also bought a USB condenser mic (below). It plugs straight into my MAC and is powered via the USB so no need for phantom power source. It is a fairly cheap one (around £65) but the quality is pretty good. I'm sure if spent more money the quality would go up.
I have tried a couple of different set ups. Recorded the whole band all together. This turned out pretty well but you have to spend some time getting the position of all the instruments relative to the mic right. Also tried recording each instrument individually into different tracks in Garage Band. This works really well as you can set the level, EQ and compression on each track independently.
Here is a link to a little test recording I did at home. Each part was recorded separately. I apologize for the singing :) but you can get an idea of the quality. – http://www.sb-gd.com/music/High_Heel_Sneekers.mp3
Here is the MIC: http://www.musicstore.com:80/en_EN/EUR/Recording/USB-microphones/Behringer-C-1U-Kond.-Studiomikrofon-USB-Condenser-Microphone/art-REC0006510-000R;sid=ulAXPIv8oCAWPMcW3quc2IU_eiGkEF9ZBoI=
These type of mics are really sensitive and pick up all the subtleties, fingers on the strings etc.
Also would recommend using a pop shield when recording vocals.
Last Edited by on Nov 22, 2010 7:12 AM
@yogi, IMHO digital recorders are inferior and more difficult to use than a computer with a digital interface.
PC and MAC both work fine if you get a computer that meets the specs of the program. Most people like a specific program, but they all work well (Protools, Cubase, Sonar, Logic, etc). I use Protools and think it is easy to learn.
If you are recording more than one track at a time, you will need an interface to plug into your computer. You can get them from $150-$2500. The more you spend the more features you can get. With your budget I would look into a box that can record at least 2 mics at a time, but I would consider getting more (4-8). You may find your self trying to mic a guitar, vox, and harp all at once.
Mics are not that expensive. I just bought 2 small condensers for $60 on Musicians Friend. (I recorded my acoustic guitar and the harp on my BYBO submission with them) I would consider a large condenser for vox and/or harp. Get an SM58 too, they are good for everything. You can get good results with inexpensive mics, but obviously you will get better results with higher end.
I would also consider buying a small mixing board, which would depend on how many pre-amps your interface has. This is good for running directly into a computer with out an interface too.
Buy some good headphones or some small studio monitors.
After all this stuff you should have around $800-$1000 for a nice computer.
