Recording/Podcasting/Streaming recommendations and advice

[schwarzerrogen]

Podcasting.

 

Steaming.

 

Content Creation.

 

A lot of folks do these things, but know that the gear they have isn’t exactly optimal. Not the computer or peripherals, per se, but the audio equipment. There are always going to be questions regarding the Pro-Audio, or ‘recording’, market; I can agree even with my history with this market and my experience in this field I still can get overwhelmed by what’s out there. So, before we dive into equipment, let’s take a small step back and look at some low level points that need to be covered.

 

Who is this guide for?

 

There are definitely some who this guide will be built for, but for the day to day use of your computer (simple gaming and web surfing) nothing here will be of any practical use; buying a recording interface won’t increase your game’s audio enough to justify the investment. Some of the equipment listed is designed to do what it’s designed to do; there will be little other use for it.

So with that said, I’m tiering this guide for some basic applications:

Streaming
Podcasting
Simple audio recording (both music and film work)

 

I won’t be breaking into the more involved equipment for professional production, mostly because there are much better places this equipment can be discussed (for example, few people among you would need to know how precise a Burl Mothership is, or how clean the signal path of an SSL channel is compared to the equivalent BAE).

 

How did I determine these recommendations?

 

In most cases, it’s from experience with this equipment from a professional’s view. I’m going to give some opinions that diehards won’t like, and that’s fine. This is a market completely built on personal preference at it’s varying levels (the differences between one $100 LDC Mic and another are minimal) Other things that will be considered are budget. Not everyone can go off and buy a u87. So, with this in mind, I’m choosing what I’ve found from experience, and from insight gleaned from others, to be the best value for what you pay (performance, durability, longevity, utility). I don’t like arbitrary numbers/other numbers; what does that mean? Your 8/10 may be my 4/10. 

 

How rigid are these recommendations?

 

They’re not, and in no way should these recommendations, or any post like this on any forum for any subject, be taken as gospel or law. There are hundreds of options at this level and there very well may be better out there that I have no knowledge of; that’s expected. These are informed options and nothing more. If I list it, I would be willing to spend the money on it, and I’m a cheap and critical bastard. So what can you expect to see in this guide? I’m going to break this down as above and include both Hardware and Software. But before I do, we need to cover some basic knowledge you will need to follow this guide properly.

 

Common Terminology

 

In the recording/pro audio world, there are some terms that will be used a lot, and we’ll cover the common ones here.

 

Pre / Preamp: This is what you plug a microphone/guitar/source into on an interface, or on a stand alone platform. This converts the low-level signal that microphones and other sources output into higher level output that allows better processing and enhances the noise tolerances (hiss and static as well as interference). Provides voltage gain, but no current gain. Also helps to combat distortion (although you can find they increase distortion, more on that later). In easier terms, provides your microphone ‘volume’ to your destination.

• Phantom Power / +48v: This is a voltage supplied via a mic cable to a microphone that powers the internal microphone circuitry for active microphones, such as condensers. Most non-active microphones (such as a Shure SM57 or SM58) are designed to ‘ignore’ this voltage. There are caveats to phantom power: If you apply it to a passive ribbon microphone older, you’ve just fried the microphone. I did this by accident to a Royer ribbon mic once, and 1700CAD later learned to never do it again. Easier: Powers active mics remotely.  If applied on an input with a patch cable, or ¼” cable plugged in, it shouldn't apply this voltage across (unless it’s badly built).
• -10/-20dB pad: Attenuates the signal of the microphone, allowing you to capture louder sources such as drums or electric guitars. More useful for music production than film or podcasting.
• Roll off: applied EQ on a signal that ‘rolls off’ the frequency below the defined range. Mostly seen as a 80Hz roll-off to help eliminate rumbling and bass issues with the signal (vibration of the mic stand, A/C rumble, traffic sound, etc).

Mic/Microphone: I’m not giving much of an explanation here as everyone should know what this is. I’ll instead explain the major types:

• Dynamic: These microphones use a diaphragm to move a coil inside of a magnetic field producing varying amperage which the internal circuitry converts to voltages that the preamp processes. These microphones, while not as sonically accurate in terms of frequency response, can usually handle much louder signal sources (drums, bass, percussions, electric guitars) and are much more durable due to the simple design. These do not normally require phantom power, but in recent years a number of active dynamic microphones have been released with greater frequency response and reproduction.
• Condenser: This microphone type uses charged electric plates (one moving, one static) that when vibrated create a difference in capacitance between the charged plates that is converted to DC signal which is then again filtered through the internal circuitry and sent to the preamp. These require phantom power (either from the preamp or from batteries). While not as fragile as other mics, these do require careful handling as the capsule can be easily damaged by falls or loud signal sounds. Shotgun mics will fit into this category.
• Ribbon: Easily the most fragile of microphones, this uses a micromilimeter-thick corrugated metal ribbon suspended in a magnetic field that when vibrated sends a voltage to the preamp. These are exceptionally fragile in both physical handling and in use; a signal too loud or fast (such as a drum) can stretch the ribbon and ruin it. Do not apply phantom power to these unless the design is active; the voltage will fry the internal components and ruin the magnetic field. Newer ribbon mics use much stronger materials and internal filters to allow use with phantom being applied accidentally and with loud, fast sources.
• Tube/Valve: A condenser microphone that uses tube circuitry in lieu of transistors. These are supplied with a separate power supply that powers the tube and associated circuitry. Still requires a preamp but does not require phantom.

There are other types of microphone (electret, carbon, PZM) but they aren’t as common in recording (except maybe LAV mics) and you can research these on your own time.

 

Interface / Audio Interface: These are computer peripherals that contain any number of inputs and outputs, as well as A/D/A conversion to allow a user to use any computer as a recording platform. The most common are USB and Firewire however recently Thunderbolt has been common, and PCI is still used in higher-end solutions. This has one of the greatest impacts on a new user’s sound and workflow. These will vary in quality and construction but perform the same role: the interface between analog and digital.

 

Signal Level: This is the level, or amplitude, of the source device:

• Line Level: This level is what most interfaces will use with other pieces of gear (external pre-amps, keyboards, compressors, EQs, effects units.
• Mic level: The output signal that microphones output. Very low level, and mostly low impedance.
• Instrument: Guitars, basses, etc. Low level, high impedance.

A/D and D/A, ADA: Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog conversion: I could get into the math and technology behind this but that’s been covered in the DAC thread. Moreso than with simple computer audio, this is a Maker or Breaker with equipment in audio production. Converts analog voltages to digital signal and vise-versa. Bad A/D/A will ruin the clarity and crispness of a signal when converted. There are other things that high end users need to account for: Clocking, or the simultaneous digital sampling of audio sources across multiple devices. If not clocked properly, you will hear snips, pops, digital hiss, and other artefacts in your recording. A good engineer can edit these away, a great engineer never encounters it.

• Sample rate: The rate at which the analog voltage is sampled by the converters themselves. A sample rate of your average CD (44.1kHz) means that the analog signal is sampled 44 100 times a second, and the same going the other way (the D/A converter sends the appropriate voltages 44 100 times a second). Most film audio is recorded at 48kHz.
• Bit-depth: Much the same as with monitors, this is the resolution of the audio signal, or how much dynamic range (loud to soft) it has. The CD standard (RedBook) is 16-bit, which to most people is fine. The most common used now is 24-bit or 32-bit.

Digital Audio: I’m not going to get into the large number of digital signal types, but want to cover the most common connections:

• ADAT/Optical: This is an optical interface that can send between 2 and 8 channels unidirectional (one way). Not commonly seen on lower end equipment, and for years was the way to get large track counts around a studio or film house. Do not confuse this with the optical you see on your computer’s mobo; they aren’t the same standard.
• S/PDIF: Sony/Phillips Digital InterFace. The older optical standard of a stereo signal over optical. Also applies to the S/PDIF coax. Same optical cable as ADAT when optical, coaxial cable when coaxial. This is sometimes used on mobos, sometimes not. Can be confused with TOSLINK, which was roughly the same standard.

Connectors:

• XLR: Actually XLR3, is the 3 pronged plug synonymous with mics. 
• ¼” TRS: The typical ‘big plug’ that you’ll see on headphones, stands for Tip, Ring, Sleeve. Sends a stereo, or balanced, signal. Used in studios as the analog cables between 99% of equipment, like preamps, EQs, Compressors, etc.
• 3.5mm: We prefer ⅛ jacks, and aren’t very often used. Still useful to connect laptops and computers to a source, but suffers from interference way to often.
• Instrument: ¼” TS (Tip, Sleeve) cable. Used on guitars, basses, keyboards, etc. Can be used in place of TRS cables when required.

There are a lot more connections, but not commonly seen outside of a studio (TT Bantam, XLR5-7)

 

DAW/Digital Audio Workstation: Software used to edit and arrange recorded audio on computer, as well as mix, master, and manipulate MIDI. Most people call all of them Pro Tools, these people are idiots. There are a number of DAWs out there, and I’ll cover the most common later.

 

Monitors: Studio speakers. Contrary to popular belief, these are NOT designed to sound good; they are designed to sound accurate. They play exactly what is put into them. In theory, the best monitors are the most neutral and accurate speakers. You won’t find your Bose over-polished fake as balls sound here. 

There are a number of terms I know I’ve forgotten (I’m sure) and someone will say “Hey, what does this mean?” As I think of, and encounter, more terms I’ll add them to the list.

Streaming recommendations

 

So I’m going to start with streaming as this is probably the easiest to start with. Most streamers only need a microphone and headphones. Some I know use a mixer to have optional devices such as a phone or another computer, but that’s a bit extravagant.

 

I’m not going to get indo headphones just yet as clear, accurate reproduction of your source isn’t required for streaming, and enough headphone recommendations exist in the Recommended thread. Go there to read up on some good Computer headphones.

 

As such, you’ll want to look for a microphone that is clean (little noise, few thrills) and clear (not muddy or overhyped in the top end). At this stage any microphone will work for you, but I’m going to say that a USB mic is best as it’s low fuss.

 

I used to work with a podcast and we tried a bunch of USB mics out and had our choices narrowed down to the ones below. Any of these will work, but you’ll want to investigate a bit to find your best fit.

 

 

Blue Microphones Yeti - Approximately $130

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/yeti-professional-usb-microphone/9737441.p?skuId=9737441

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/blue-microphones-blue-microphones-yeti-usb-microphone-blue-yeti/10154447.aspx?

 

For a lot of people Blue Microphones are a kind of unknown company but in the recording world Blue is quite well known for their Bottle series of Microphones. As the capsule is about the same as the Baby Bottle’s, this microphone is accurate for voice work. The A/D conversion leaves a little to be desired for me (I find it ‘smears’ or unfocuses the very top end of the voice) but for spoken word this isn’t as noticeable.  

 

Issues with this mic are well known, and I know from testing that most of these are right… the mics are NOISY! A lot of hiss, a lot of internal noise. For some people this isn’t an issue, bit for me that’s a killer. If it’s noisy, it’s a poor circuit and not worth my money.

 

One other thing about this microphone I don’t like is the Mute button is on the mic itself, so if you’re a bit clumsy getting to it, your viewers will hear you fumbling about. Being able to direct monitor your voice is a nice feature, but somewhat useless for the applications this microphone is used for. The stand is integrated and somewhat limited, but overall still a nice touch.

 

Audio Technica AT2020USB+ - Approximately $150

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/audio-technica-at2020usb-side-address-cardioid-condenser-usb-microphone

https://www.long-mcquade.com/22477/Pro_Audio_Recording/Microphones/ART_Pro_Audio/Cardioid_Condenser_USB_Mic_w_Headphone_Port.htm

 

Nearly identical to the conventional AT2020, I preferred this mic to most others. While not as sonically pleasant as the Yeti (there’s a bit of upper-midrange funkiness that makes my voice sound nasally), the A/D conversion is better and as such the top end stays a bit more focused. Sonically this microphone will make already nasal voices slightly more so, so if you already sound like that, get something else. Again, not sure why they put headphone jacks on these mics, but it’s their product so they can do as they please. No mute button on this (which may suck for you, but not a killer by any means) is a minus, but the ability to mount this to any mic stand is a big plus, so this can also be useful to people working on voiceovers for video, or shooting video to computer.

 

Neat Microphones Widget A-C - Approximately $100

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/neat-microphones-widget-b-usb-microphone?rNtt=neat microphones &index=6

https://www.long-mcquade.com/67083/Pro_Audio_Recording/Microphones/Neat_Microphones/Widget_C_Desktop_USB_Mic.htm

 

First, I want to say these are the coolest looking things I’ve tested in a while and love the aesthetics.

 

Sonically, these are really good. Low noise, good frequency response. Operationally these are very easy to use: plugin and go which is great for streamers who aren’t used to messing around with audio settings. Some things to keep in mind: they are much bigger than the images make them appear so keep that in mind. Another thing that may be a negative is the mic does NOT tilt in any way; it does move up and down the stand but that’s it. Overall, I’d go for this one over all the others as it suits my voice best, but your mileage may vary.

 

For others, however, this mics may make you sound a bit bassier than others as the low end doesn’t roll off as much as the AT2020 or the Yeti.

 

So I made three recommendations… and that’s it. You’ll notice some omissions (Blue Ball, anything by Samson or Shure)... there’s a reason. The Ball sounds really crunchy and isn’t pleasant, and the Samson stuff is outright trash. The Shure stuff is good, just way overpriced. I’m sure there’ll be some disagreements and probably hurt feelings because I called your favourite gear trash; I call it as I see it.

You’ll note that these are all condensers… you want pristine audio capture that’s what you’ll need. You’ll also note that these are all USB; nothing else should be needed for streaming. If you really want a mic and interface, look at what’s below in Podcasting or Simple Recording for advice.

 

Podcasting recommendations

Podcasting is a great way to get a message across, and we want to ensure that the message is getting across as clearly as possible. A lot of people will use the same mics as above to podcast (and this works fine) but sometimes you need another microphone, or maybe a bit more control over what you’re doing. 

Knowing this, what do you need to accomplish with podcasting?

• Clear voice work. A necessity for podcasting as it’s the main engine to your ideas.
• Editing abilities. Now you’ll actually need to start recording audio and editing it if needed. You won’t need the full Pro Tools or Logic suite here, but some rudimentary editing and EQ/Compression is required to ensure the best quality.
• A pop-filter to deal with plosives (percussive vocalizations that can cause pops and other artefacts caused by human speech).

 

So to do this first we’ll look at some hardware considerations. I’m not going to reiterate the USB options as they’re described above, and will dive straight into the interface and mic world.

 

Interfaces

 

Interfaces are the main peripheral that gets your spoken word into the digital realm. Comprised of mic preamps, DAC, and monitoring facilities (also called monitoring or FoldBack), these are just as important as the mic and computer. A good mic can be ruined by a bad interface in terms of audio quality, while a suboptimal mic can be improved in the same way. I’m not going to cover iOS and Android devices as I have no experience with them. We’ll look at small input counts as most podcasts will need only one or two mics to fire.

 

You’ll notice that most of these are USB. I don’t want to get into having to break things down by TB/FW/USB as TB interfaces are on the pricey side, and FW is a rather dead interface mode by comparison. As well, a lot of TB devices seem to be Mac-only. For a podcast, USB should have no instability unless your system itself isn’t stable.

 

Moving forward I’m not giving links to these are they are very common interfaces and mics unless it’s something a bit more obscure. Prices are varied, and you get what you pay for with a simple explanation:

• Quality of audio
• Quality of device
• Features
• Bundled softwares

 

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 - Approximately $150

I’ve been a Focusrite user for a long time and have found that Focusrite is my preference for non-PCI interfaces. Their drivers are solid (but we’ll look at something a little later that’s go them beat in this department) and the build quality is very good. Aesthetically, the Scarlett series is Red and Black, so if matching peripherals is important to you this may not be your boy. Although, if you’re choosing audio equipment based on looks and coordination with the rest of your gear, you’re doing it wrong.

Sonically, the Focusrite pre-amps are clean, if a little on the clinical side (meaning they’re not special, nor are they bad; they work, and aren’t a hindrance) and for spoken voice this box, without a doubt, is perfect. The DAC is perfect for voice work and light music recording. This box has one headphone out jack, that when combined with a headphone splitter will give you two headphone outputs. Overall this would be my pick for an interface as it’s bit more polished.

 

The included DAWs, Pro Tools | First Focusrite Creative Pack and Ableton Live Lite, are more than enough to edit and EQ/compress spoken word. I would avoid using the Pro Tools thing as the lite versions of Pro Tools are garbage; Live Lite is quite nice for both Podcasts and small music productions of small channel counts (a few tracks).

 

PreSonus Audiobox 2x2 - Approximately $100
This is another interesting interface from PreSonus. This may appear to be a better value (and for some it will be) I’ve found that the pre-amps and DAC aren’t quite as clear as the Focusrite’s. Where this box does come ahead of the Focusrite interface is the inclusion of MIDI in and out, allowing you to connect a MIDI controller to control software instruments. For voicework however, this box is perfectly fine. The drivers appeared solid to me when testing and I never encountered any instability when testing this out. The in and out are the same as the Focusrite, only difference is the headphone jack is on the back of the unit instead of the face. If you want to get into MIDI creation (such as EDM or something) this may be the starting box for you. Bonus marks for making a Black version for those who actually care, because to be fair PreSonus’ hardware looks kinda shite.

 

This box comes with Studio One Artist, which is WAY overpowered for podcasting, but quite pleasant. I’m personally making the change from Pro Tools to Studio One myself, and can vouch that this is some good software. For music, SOA is a great place to start and PreSonus has upgrade paths to the other versions.

Roland UA-22 DUO CAPTURE EX - Approximately $180

While Roland isn’t the highest quality in terms of sonics, the drivers and hardware are top notch. Sonically, this is actually on the PreSonus level but a more Focusrite stability. This has a lot of options (MIDI, selectable input impedances for DI work) but you get what you pay for, and is more expensive, but is the most comprehensive. This box is easily the best starting point for someone who is only podcasting now, but wants to move onto bigger things. Stability wise, these drivers are exceptionally well compiled and the Roland support is great. Another fun thing about this box is it’s ability to be battery powered, so if you like to travel and talk you can do so without drawing USB power.

 

The included software is Sonar LE. I’ve used Sonar and liked it, but note that this is PC ONLY! Mac users will need to look elsewhere if the bundled software is a key consideration. If you are a mac user, you should be able to use this with Garageband, so that’s an easy work around.

Steinberg UR22mkII - Approximately $130

I have a love/hate relationship with Steinberg/Yamaha. On one hand, the Cubase software included is quite nice nice, and the drivers are fine and stable, but the hardware itself is lacking. While not bad sounding by any means, this does have what I call the Yamaha sound, so the higher end of the audio spectrum (sibilance and other high frequency sound) is slightly phased. While most people won’t notice this right away, once you convert audio recorded with this to MP3 it’s a bit more obvious. That being said, for voice this is a great option, I just wouldn’t use it when recording instruments. Again, the same rough configuration as the others, and almost identical to the Roland up above.

Cubase is a solid DAW and will work for the applications we’re looking at here… podcasting. I used Cubase for years and still occasionally will work on a n older project with it.

You may have noticed that all of these boxes can be powered off of the USB bus; this was done on purpose. A clean station is great for creativity and workflow. The USB bus power will have little to no effect on the audio quality or stability.

Microphones

This is a debate as old as recording technology: What mic is best? There’s no easy answer as budget and quality are hard to align. There are a few other things that can affect this, such as your own voice and how it works with a microphone, the preamp you’re plugging it into, etc. 

For spoken word, there isn’t really any one mic that is better than others. Some people swear by LDCs, some by Dynamics. It’s all preference. I would love to just say “Get a Shure SM7 and call it done” for podcasting but to most people dropping 400 bones on a simple dynamic microphone, albeit very nice mic, is not an option. On the other hand if you pay peanuts, you get elephants. Cheap mics are cheap in quality, sonics, and durability and not worth the hassle. There is a happy medium from experience, and hopefully we’ll cover that here.

MXL 990s - Approximately $80

I like this mic for spoken word. It’s definitely a cheaper mic but for a podcaster this is a great value. The ‘s’ version (listed here) has a switchable low end roll off to help eliminate rumble and bass build-up, and a -10dB pad to help control levels. While not the most elegant mic, for 80 or so bucks this is a great first mic. It comes with a shockmount to help with rumble and stand noise as well. I’d recommend this for the budget conscious folks.

Studio Projects B3 - Approximately $160

A great all-around starter mic for anyone. This has 3 pickup patterns Card, Omni, Fig-8). About the same sound quality as the 990s, this will satisfy most users at this budget. The Fig-8 pattern will also allow easier use of the mic for 2 people simultaneously. This also has a low cut and -10dB pad. If you also want to experiment with music production this will work for you just fine. The one I tested came with a shockmount, most you’ll find have a clip. Either one works.

BLUE Spark - Approximately $130

This mic would be my choice for someone who’s looking at podcasting, but also laying vocal tracks or playing acoustic. A nice sounding mic that has a slight presence lift to help your voice stay lively. Also looks really cool. This mic includes a pop-filter (a MUST for voice work). Also comes with a shockmount IIRC. Not too many frills, but the sound is above the others listed above and below.

MXL V900D - Approximately $150

This dynamic mic is probably one of the better ones that would allow good quality for a recording setting. A classy look as well as good tone, this would be more aligned to someone doing voicework with podcasting on the side, or a vlog of some sort, but would definitely hold up for full time podcasting. Not a normal recommendation, but I’ve used this mic for recording spoken word before and would recommend it.

 

Shure SM58 - Approximately $100

This dynamic mic is one of the most common mics ever. A lot of people would turn their nose up to seeing this in a recording/podcasting setting but I consider it as it has very good sound for it’s price, is cheap, and practically indestructible. Only the SM57 (same price) is more durable in my mind. You can definitely use this mic for podcasting with no issue. I’d really recommend this mic if you need to get two or three mics for a group podcast and don’t have a lot of spare cash. You can get these used for like, 30 bucks. 

Obviously I can’t make a billion recommendations as there’s always personal preferences and budgets involved, but those should give you some basis to start, in my opinion. Now, this is great and all, but you’ll need a few other things. First, we need some editing software. 

 

If you’re using an interface/mic combo, this should already be covered for you, but if you’re using something second hand or USB, you may still need a DAW to do some editing and processing. Here are some budget options for you:

 

Reaper - $60 (but theoretically Free)

This DAW has a lot of power for 60 bones. Some guys use this professionally. I have little experience with it but everyone I know who uses it likes it a lot. 60 is still a fair amount for a podcaster, but this is an option. You can theoretically still use this for free, you’ll just be prompted to pay for it every time it’s launched.

MuLab from MuTools - Free

I’ve seen some rumblings about this around but haven’t tested it. From what I’ve seen and read, a podcaster would have no issues with this at all. All you’d really need is some basic editing and EQ/Compression, and this will get you there.

Audacity - Free

Good old Audacity. Perfect for podcasting. Note that all edits are destructive, so CTRL-Z isn’t gonna save you. I’d use it if needed.

Studio One 3 Prime - Free

I’d recommend this over anything else. A free version of Studio One? OK, you lose some multitrack features, but you’re podcasting; big deal. Get this for sure. I’ve been using this to test Studio One’s editing, and it’s quite nice. Podcasting beast.

Now that we have some software but there are a few things that need to be gotten that everyone forgets: Stands, Cables, Pop-filters.

Any mic stand will do, but for a podcast let’s go simple pimple and get a desk stand. I’ll link one here as I don’t want to review it; it’s a stand, it holds a mic…

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/proline-ms112-desk-boom-mic-stand

That will hold any mic listed, and hold it well.

 

Cables are a bit weak for me as I make my own; for a podcaster any bought cable will work. Let’s get a 6-footer.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/rapco-roadhog-xlr-microphone-cable

20 bucks, but should last a long time. I don’t believe in the Monster cable bullshit, or the oxygen free shit either.

 

Pop-filters are easy. Get one. Done.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/musicians-gear-pop-filter

This will help tame the plosives inherent with speech. As well, it will train you how to speak into a microphone if done right.

 

Simple Recording recommendations

 

Music Recommendations

 

So we’ve covered mostly spoken word at this point, let’s move onto something that is more up my alley: music production.

 

With this being said, however, you won’t be seeing my usual recommendations to people I work with for equipment as they’re looking for large-scale recording, like a studio or mobile recording setup. I can make these recommendations for the more money-ful of you here, but I don’t like doing so in a public format as a lot of very high-end recommendations are really pricey (Such as a 2 channel compressor that costs 4000USD) and gets into the real nitty-gritty of recording technology.

 

So you want to record some music; maybe a demo, or do some electronic music. There are a lot of options and flavours here (as we’ll soon learn) with our choices, and things really start opening up in terms of what’s viable and also constricts us as to what’s not viable. I use viable vs. useful as everything has a use in music production; even the jankiest gear can be gnarly if that’s what you’re going for.

 

Knowing that we’re working with music, we now need to know what style you plan on working with. Someone doing electronic music won’t really need a lot of microphones and the such, and someone recording guitar demos won’t need the tonal manipulation and sequencing that an electronic creator does. So we need to break this further into two separate categories: Live Music and Electronic Music.

 

Live Music

 

Live music is actually very straightforward at it’s most common path: Source >> Mic >> PreAmp >> Computer >> Speakers/Headphones. But, it’s the parts between input and output that get somewhat tricky. If you’re trying to record a nice violin part with the mic you’d use recording death metal guitar, you’re gonna have a Bad Time™. And we don’t want Bad Times. Unless you’re recording doom metal, then everything is terrible and Bad Times are actually Good Times, but bad.

 

First thing we need to review is what you’re recording. If you’re a drummer, you ultimately need higher track counts and more microphones to obtain the sound you want as well as the durability to take an errant drum stick and the ability to handle the sound pressure level (SPL, or how much weight a sound has in terms of volume and transient response). As drummers know, it’s expensive playing drums; it’s also expensive to record them. Using years of being a cheapass and experimenting with things has allowed me the (dis)pleasure of learning what works and doesn’t, even on a budget. Guitarists have it easier, but your choices are more broad, so the cost is low, but the decision is harder.

 

Another factor in recording music is Round Trip Latency (usually just referred to as latency), or the time (in milliseconds, or ms) that it takes a signal input into an interface to be processed through it’s internal processing then to the DAW in the computer, processed by it, then back out to your monitors or headphones. When recording, we want sub 6ms; anything more is noticeable and causing timing issues: recording guitar to a drum track with 8ms latency feels draggy, and you’d notice a delay between playing a note and when you hear it. To combat this, most interfaces use a couple of standards for their drivers.

 

ASIO or Audio Stream In/Out - the main low-latency Windows driver for audio work. Using your CPU’s power, this driver forces your system to distribute audio through your interface directly vs. processing through the Windows Wavetable.Basically, this takes exclusive control over all audio inputs and outputs in your system and tells Windows “Pound sand bud, I got this.”

 

With Apple, the low-latency drivers actually still use Core Audio (the default Mac audio drivers) but with the device driver is allowed to take priority control over the audio routing, and force the MacOS to process it more direct to the interface. Basically says “Let me help you out, little dude.”

 

The last thought we need to give live music recording is accuracy. The human voice, while covering a fair gamut of frequency space, only actually needs a selected range to be intelligible; an acoustic guitar occupies a large frequency space as well, but needs most of it to sound correct. The more accurate your system is at capturing this, the easier you will be able to get it to sound good. This is why a Sony C800 microphone costs more than 10000USD: it’s accurate and does nothing to the sound but capture it and convert it to voltage. This being said, however, your gear can be chosen to impart a specific character. Want something to sound old school? Capture it old school. Need something that sounds super smooth? Capture it that way. Want your drums to sound like the latest Green Day album? Buy a 48 fader SSL 4000E/G+ with black EQs and updated dynamics for 250000USD, hope the 17RU computer still works, and go to town. Don’t forget the 12000USD/pop C12s!

 

All jokes aside, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this discussion: how to properly season and prepare your potatoes and the proper grilling some recommendations to get you on your way to creating.

 

Interfaces

 

If you’re just recording a single electric guitar, or just putting some vocals (singing) down onto existing tracks, then everything above works just fine. If you want to record drums, or maybe your band’s demo, we need to increase your track count some. I’ll throw some info here…

 

If you’re recording drums, you only really need 4 inputs (Bass drum, Snare Drum, Overheads) to get an idea across. Your toms may be suspect and kinda small in a mix, but remember that Led Zeppelin recorded with 3 mics on drums and that sounds HUGE. If you want to record your drums for a more accurate or modern sound, you’ll need 8 channels (Bass Drum, Snare Top, Snare Bottom, 3 Toms, Overheads)

 

If you’re recording your band, you’ll want at least 8 inputs (Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Overheads, Vocals, Guitar, Bass, and that last channel can be another guitar or some keyboard stuff. You could also get away with not recording vocals with everyone else and add them later and then you have a spare track for something, like a cowbell).

 

Any higher channel counts than this (say, full drums with multi-miced amps, etc… the more high-end style) you’re looking at cost. You’d need a lot or pre-amps, and interfaces that support 16+ inputs at low latency with enough accuracy to make it worth it are thousands of dollars, and are not friendly to the inexperienced (cause then you get into clocking issues, gainstaging, MADI or AES/EBU protocols)

 

If you need a few inputs for guitars or vocals, look at the interfaces in the Podcasting section. These will suffice. If you need a few more inputs, here are the recommendations for that.

 

Focusrite 18i8 - About $349

 

Focusrite, you’ll see in this thread, is one of my preferred brands for project-quality hardware. I use Focusrite preamps a lot, so I know the sound. I personally use the next interface up from this one (18i20) on my personal system and have never found an issue. The drivers are solid and include a very nice software mixer, so you can monitor multiple sources with no latency, as this controls internal relays to distribute the audio inputs to the outputs as required. The preamps (4 mic on the front panel) sound very nice, though can get somewhat crunchy when pushed. This is actually true of all interfaces at these levels, but I digress. I would recommend this first, but some people would go for other options. This is a USB device.

 

 

Roland Octa-Capture - approximately $300

 

If the Focusrite didn’t exist, I’d choose this one. Roland’s gear is always passed over for some reason, and I’ve never understood why. Good preamps, fantastic stability, great support, and an easy learning curve. Sound quality is in par with the Focusrite, and can do 192kHz capture. The only knock here is that Gibson is killing the Cakewalk division, so Sonor is becoming a bit of a worrisome thought. Sonar is still a fantastic DAW, but we don’t know how the support will look after this coming year. Great if you’re using a laptop and recording while travelling, or you tend to record at your friend’s place.

 

PreSonus Audiobox 1818VSL - approximately $400

 

Presonus is the last brand in this very short list. Why a short list? Everything else at this level is expensive (Zen, UA, RAE, MotU) or crap (Behringer, Zoom, MAudio). Presonus has been around for quite some time and is a good brand. While I don’t personally like the preamps or software mixers, the strength of their products is integration. This box is perfect if you want to expand into a purely Studio One (Presonus’ own DAW) environment, this box is your bag. Presonus has designed all of their newer gear to integrate into Studio One in terms of mixing, DSP, and physical connections: Studio One detects the box and remaps your DAW to match. It’s great.

 

You’ll notice that I didn’t really extrapolate much here… these boxes are all roughly the same in sonics, features, and stability. The add-ons are the only real difference (I put Focusrite first as it comes with software versions of the Focusrite Red2EQ (a $2000 hardware EQ) and Red3 Compressor (a $3000 hardware compressor) as well as a partnership with the Plug-In collective, that basically gives you a great free plugin every so many weeks). Roland has some great included stuff (their plugins are always good, and often Auto-tune and some sick samples and loops are thrown in) and Presonus gives you a copy of Studio One and some great samples and loops as well) so the choice is a bit more difficult.

 

There are lots of interfaces out there, I covered the only ones I felt worth buying from my testing. It’s not to say that other options won’t work for you, but I have experience with these ones listed and can vet their usefulness and quality. This brings me to another point I want to bring forth:

 

If you don’t recognize the brand, don’t buy it! Do some research before buying: while I take all online reviews of something with a large spoon of salt, if you notice trends in the reviews, there’s definitely some weight to that trend. If there’s 500 reviews of a mic and 200 of them mention it was DOA, you may want to think about it a bit harder. That kind of QA is terrible for an audio company, and as such I wouldn’t trust it very much. Conversely, don’t only read good reviews; do some research and try to find bad things (outside of OMG too xpensiv!) about it. If you find very little, then it’s a quality item. There’s a reason why Telefunken is still in business all these years later: quality.

 

Speaking of Telefunken, let’s look at some mics. Ultimately we need to break some of these down into either type or application; I prefer to list type and then give some common applications for the mic.

 

Shure SM57 - about $90USD

 

There’s nothing much to say about a mic that’s had everything said about it. These mics are the most common instrument mic in the world. They’re a dynamic design, so they’re not expensive, and they sound quite nice for almost every application. The main thing that’s known about this mic is it’s construction: practically indestructible. I’ve seen these dropped 20 feet onto a concrete floor, dropped into a sink of water, ran over by a liftjack, hit by a car (a great story), thrown at stone walls, electrocuted, burned… and in each case, the mic still worked and sounded exactly like it did before. The SM58, the common handheld ‘vocal’ mic, is of the same design with a different head, so it’s just as durable, and the same price. Used in EVERY studio in the world, usually in the 4-of range.

 

Uses: All drums (no cymbals though unless in a pinch), electric guitar, electric bass, voice, any percussion, all brass instruments, Wurlitzer/Leslie combo… your dad’s V-Rod, a jet engine… whatever you want to put it on it will pretty much work. I own two myself.

 

AKG D112 - about $200USD

 

These are bass workhorses. They, like the SM57, are dynamic design, practically indestructible, and can handle massive amounts of SPL. With the larger coil, they are much more suited to bass instruments, but can work on more than just bass.

 

Uses: pretty much just Bass Drum, Bass Guitar, and Electric Guitar. I’ve seen these used occasionally on pipe organ and marimbas, but not very much.

 

Sennheiser e609 - around $110USD

 

So I have a love/hate relationship with this mic. Sometimes, it’s the best mic I own, sometimes it’s turds and I want to throw it in the river. It’s not a bad mic, just has relatively few uses. Sounds good, just not as durable as the SM57.

 

Uses: Electric Guitar, Voice, any Leslie-type rotating cabinet (and if want to see some cool but old technology, a Leslie Cabinet is some cool stuff).

 

So, there are tonnes more dynamic recording mics, but most are quite pricey, or aren’t worth the box they’re in. If you want to risk disappointment with a cheaper version of a mic (such as some Pyle SM57 clone), it’s your call but I’d recommend against it. With that, I’ll move onto some condenser recommendations.

 

You’ll note first thing that none of these mics are below $150USD… anything below that price range usually sounds bad. Sorry if you read reviews that state otherwise but after 15 years as an audio engineer I can tell turds from truffles. Trust me, you won’t want to go lower than this for sound quality.

 

Rode NT1-A - about $220USD

 

This is what I consider to be the best of the entry-level condensers. These sound good enough to be used anywhere, but the price belies their build. These are workhorses, and unlike most sub $500 mics, they don’t have that crunchy top-end. What I mean by that is most cheaper mics are ‘hyped’ in the upper registers and can sound ‘harsh’ and unmusical, leaving guitars way too bright and vocals too sibilant. If you can snag two of these used, you can use tem on drum overheads in lieu of a ‘pencil’ or small diaphragm condenser to add some girth and power to your sound. They’re built quite solid, and will last forever if cared for.

 

Uses: Vocals, acoustic guitar, string instruments, piano, drum overheads/room mics, electric guitars.

 

Blue Spark - about $230USD

 

Blue is a strange company that most people relate to meh sounding USB mics (Yeti is, sadly, a steaming pile of turds in terms of sonics and quality) and average headsets, but don’t realise that Blue has been in the recording business for more than 20 years, and is a strong brand in recording. Their Bottle Rocket is easily one of the coolest mics ever made, and sounds amazeballs. The Spark is their entry-level recording mic. It’s got a good sound, if not slightly clinical, and can be used everywhere the NT1-A above can. Of note is that this mic has 2 modes: one that is relatively flat and unflattering, and one that adds some high end ‘sparkle’, and by sparkle I mean crunch. Not terribly so, but the 2ns mode needs the right preamps to work (tube or trafo-based preamps). I’d look at this one for both sonics and if you want something that’s kinda crazy looking.

 

Apex 185B Stereo - about $150USD

 

So these may be hard to find in the US, but anyone in Canada can get these at Long-Dong McQuaid. A lot of people shit on Apex, but ultimately they’re great utility mics that do their job. These are a stereo pair, meaning you get 2 mics close enough in sonic character that they functionally sound the same; there will always be minor differences. I use these a bit as spare stereo room mics and on acoustic guitars, and they give the expected sound: clear, but not as pristine as my Oktavas.

 

Uses: Drum overheads, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Strings, Piano, Voice, percussions, etc. You can really put these anywhere that the capsule won’t explode (Don’t put them on a snare drum or you will kill them)

 

Rode M5 Stereo - about $200USD

 

These are a bit pricier, but gain advantages in durability and SPL handling. If you want to record a lot of drums, get these as they’ll handle it a lot better. The sound the same as the Apex mics above (well, not really, but close enough for most people to not notice).

I want to throw this one out for drummers, as sometimes drum mics add up fast.

 

CAD Premium 7-Piece Drum Microphone Kit:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/cad-premium-7-piece-drum-microphone-kit

 

I’m not going to elaborate too much on this as the reviews on Musicians Friend say it all. They’re great if you want to do some drum videos on youtube or some demos, but I’d never use them for any major production work. If you need drum mics in a hurry, look for packages by CAD, Shure, and Audix.

 

So there’s some mics, and I’ll break down some mic buying ideas.

 

Acoustic Guitar and vocals: The Apex mics + an SM57

 

Electric Guitar and vocals: SM57 and a Rode NT1-A

 

Basic Drums: 2 SM57s, Rode M5s.

 

Close Mic’d drums: D-112. 3 SM57s, Rode M5s.

 

Strings/Horns: NT1-A and Apex mics.

 

I’ll add more at a later time about how to use these mics as a simple guide if needed or wanted, but ultimately there are hundreds of guides online that will sort you out.

 

Next up is Electronic Music recommendations, as well as the DAW section for recording.

• Film and Video Location
• Film and Video Post-Production

[Volbet]

I was about to reply in the previous thread; saying how you would probably make a better thread than I could ever do. 

Let's just say you exceeded my expectations. This is definitely better than anything I could have written. 

It was a great read and I'll look forward to reading further when you're done. 

[schwarzerrogen]

Updated with streaming recommendations.

[schwarzerrogen]

Updated with Podcasting recommendations

[anothertom]

Haven't read it through yet, but you could clear it up a bit by embedding links into product titles.

[schwarzerrogen]

I could but I'm functionally stupid with embedding things.

[schwarzerrogen]

Updated with basic Live Music recommendations