Maybe this should be a GROUP, but...after three years and two false starts trying to finish my CD with my producer friend, it's become clear to me that I won't be able to rely upon him after all. So...I'm afraid I'll have to do it myself if it's ever going to get done. Things just keep coming up.
So, does anyone here have any advice, based upon your experience, about setting up a basic home digital audio recording outfit? I've read a few things online, but I would like to hear from people here who have done it.
Thank!
Tags:
Couldn't remember if I thanked you for your input. So...Thanks!
all what Oily said....just to summarise my recording set up...
Shure SM58 mike, only one needed, i usually record one track at a time, mike guitar from amp speaker 6-10 inches, with vocals use a pop screen.
Mackie 4-channel mixing desk (not absolutely essential unless using 2 or 3 mikes, or V-Drums in stereo)
Boss SE-70 effects box...better than the new ones! Chorus, delay, reverb - all here!
M-Audio USB interface
Laptop computer 2.6 GHz but 1.8 will do with a litttle extra RAM (1Gb)
Sennheiser Headphones - the best you can afford for accurate monitoring.
Audacity sequencing software (download), versatile and accurate, converts completed songs to WAV
Magix Audio Cleaning Lab for final mastering, removing hiss and setting volume level, converting completed songs to to WAV or MP3.
Most important thing to watch is recording levels - do some test runs and keep the levels low to avoid distortion, all can be lifted in the final mixing stage!
(-:
Cool! Thanks!
You can get very serviceable recordings with just a few pieces of equipment / software.
Blue Microphones makes a USB microphone interface called the Blue Icicle. It's about $30. With it you can use any microphone to record direct into your computer. It even has phantom power.
Audacity is a free piece of software you can use to record whatever source you plug into your computer. Works on any OS.
There's any number of USB guitar / instrument interfaces out there. I haven't used the Behringer UCG102 Guitar Link, but it's $30 and I like Behringer gear. (I use an old Creative Labs soundcard that has spdif inputs so I can use my rack-mount PodPro - but I have to use Windows XP.)
I like using Sony ACID for multi-track mixing. The bonus is that it was made for loop-based music creation. This means you can easily use drum loops and even loop your rhythm guitar riffs and bass riffs. The 'home' version - with everything you'll probably ever need - is about $40.
That's about $100.
Thanks a lot, Craig!
No problem. I try to keep it as simple as possible with few pieces of equipment/software needed. Not only am I cheap but I think it helps creativity when technology isn't getting in your way.
I also teach audio production for animation at university so the less that's involved the easier it is to teach.
Craig, what kind of mike do you use for recordings? Is it Blue mike?
Blue makes good USB mics. A Blue Snowball is ok and it's about $50. The YetiPro is more expensive but it sounds better. I use a Rode NT1 mic. It is an XLR but I use a Blue Icicle USB interface. With it you can use any XLR mic - it even has phantom power.
Greetings Kevin, I am fairly new to the CBG world but coming from the ukulele world and releasing 2 albums I'm living proof that anyone can record a DIY album for around $500. I use a Mac, which comes with Garage Band, but as Ron said you can also use Audacity and get good results for free.
My equipment is: AKG Percepion condenser mic ($150) and Focusrite Saffire 6 USB input ($150, to connect mic to computer), plus a cable, boom stand and microphone pop screen. My not-so-secret weapon is a program called Band in a Box ($200), that generates drum tracks, bass tracks, and any other backing instrument you need. Simply import those individual backing tracks into Garage Band/Audacity, and then record your vocal and CBG tracks. Add some reverb and compression and export a finished MP3.
It takes some practice, but if you can devote a weekend or two to tinkering you should have the knowledge to produce your own material. From there, you can use Discmakers to press CDs ($2-$3 per CD) or simply upload the tracks to Soundcloud/Bandcamp etc. and sell them or give them away.
Good luck and be sure to post some samples!
Greg
I appreciate the advice, Greg. Thank you!
Hi Kevin, to answer your question on my profile page you can find samples and 2 free downloads here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hilogreg2
Best of luck!
Greg
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