music recording setup suggestions

[callmecars]

so I want to record some songs... but I don't really know what kind of setup I need

It'll just be vocals and an acoustic guitar, and maybe a piano that's far away from the PC. with that, what setup would I need? I just thought at first to get separate microphones for each instrument (like one for voice and one for guitar) but I wondered if that's actually good since the two won't really be far from each other...

sorry I'm really just inexperienced at this, I noticed that some of you here do some music recording and productivity like that so I just hope to get some tips on what to do for setups like these.

I'm not sure about a budget, since I don't really know what's the price range of good or bad microphones. but if I had to say now, maybe $200 could be a max budget for me. of course if you guys would recommend something better, and it is justifiable, then please recommend.

[SSL]

If you must economize, get just one microphone and record each instrument/voice separately so that you can optimally position the mic for each one. Then mix them together in software. I hear the Shure SM57 is a decent all-rounder but I've never used one.

 

However, you'll get better results if you can get dedicated mics for vocals and instruments respectively. You'd want a large-diaphragm condenser such as the Audio Technica AT-2020 for vocals and a pair of small-diaphragms in a stereo pair for the piano and guitar. You'll also need a USB audio interface to actually run the mics from.

[ZmanFTW]

Shure SM57 is a great all around mic. As stated above just mix the 2 tracks using software. Focusrite USB Audio Interface. You may also want to consider active studio monitors to detect imperfections in your recordings. The PreSonus Eris E5's are rated well and priced decent. The thing you need to pour the most money into is the microphone pre-amp for professional sounding vocals. There is the Focusrite ISA One but a really good pre-amp runs in the thousands. There is always bigger, better, and more expensive. DA conversion for studio monitors and AD conversion for recording vocals.

[callmecars]

If you must economize, get just one microphone and record each instrument/voice separately so that you can optimally position the mic for each one. Then mix them together in software. I hear the Shure SM57 is a decent all-rounder but I've never used one.

 

However, you'll get better results if you can get dedicated mics for vocals and instruments respectively. You'd want a large-diaphragm condenser such as the Audio Technica AT-2020 for vocals and a pair of small-diaphragms in a stereo pair for the piano and guitar. You'll also need a USB audio interface to actually run the mics from.

 

 

Shure SM57 is a great all around mic. As stated above just mix the 2 tracks using software. Focusrite USB Audio Interface. You may also want to consider active studio monitors to detect imperfections in your recordings. The PreSonus Eris E5's are rated well and priced decent. The thing you need to pour the most money into is the microphone pre-amp for professional sounding vocals. There is the Focusrite ISA One but a really good pre-amp runs in the thousands. There is always bigger, better, and more expensive. DA conversion for studio monitors and AD conversion for recording vocals.

thanks for the input guys! wow I thought recording music was more simple, just get a mic and plug it into my PC haha!

but with that I'm now more confused than before I made my question... so here they go

I haven't really checked the prices yet so I don't know if I'll go with the Shure and mixing the tracks, or get two mics like what said and record at the same time, I just want to know though, if I'll record my voice on one mic while recording an acoustic guitar on a different mic, how would the final track sound? like will it sound nice or like I'm listening from two different speakers that are recording the same thing but it sounds weird?

and for ZmanFTW I want to know if studio monitors are the only way to go, because I'm actually planning on buying bookshelf speakers and I saw that they look pretty darn similar to each other, I don't even know what differences they have.

I'm also confused if the Focusrite USB Audio Interface and the Focusrite ISA One serve the same purpose or what, an explanation on their purpose would be nice, and if I really need them or not especially since I'm not really recording any professional music (since all this feels so professional to me)

also if you guys can provide any detailed tutorial as to what these are and how I'm gonna use them would be appreciated. I don't even know what key words to search for to find the information I need...

[ZmanFTW]

1. Room Acoustics are THE most important thing when recording because sound bounces off walls and recordings will sound echo-e without room treatment.

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X

2. USB Audio Interface acts as sound card and provides connections between computer and microphones/instruments
http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847221&sr=1-5&keywords=usb+audio+interface

3. Without at least a decent mic pre-amp (like Focusrite ISA One), vocal recordings will not sound AS professional

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Classic-Single-channel-Pre-Amplifier-Independent/dp/B0019335UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847273&sr=1-1&keywords=Focusrite+ISA+One

4. Studio Monitors have flat sound so you are more easily able to detect flaws in your recordings. Recordings will not sound AS professional without them.

5. PreSonus Studio One is good software: http://www.presonus.com/products/studio-one/download

6. PreSonus Eris E5's and E8's are some of the best sounding budget studio monitors but active means they have built-in amplification, passive is no amplification. http://www.amazon.com/Presonus-Eris-E5-Pair-High-Definition/dp/B00DP1RDHY/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847333&sr=1-3&keywords=presonus+eris+e5

 

You can start off recording with just a decent Focusrite Scarlet audio interface and a Shure SM57...but you will see what I mean (especially with the echo). In order to get that professional sound you will need to invest in the other stuff too. The more you invest and the more you practice recording, the more professional your recordings will sound. There are software pre-amps and sometimes you can get an audio interface with built-in pre-amps...BUT they will never sound as good as a dedicated microphone pre-amp. Studio Monitors are for after you have recorded and you are listening for any possible flaws and need to remove them using software.

[ZmanFTW]

There is also DA or digital to analog for studio monitors (which connect to USB Audio Interface). A decent USB audio interface will do this automatic, even a smartphone has DA. More important is AD or analog to digital because a computer stores all sound digitally. When you record vocals they are analog and so you need as high quality as you can afford conversion to digital so you can capture the trueness of the way it originally sounded and store it on your computer. A higher priced USB audio interface will have both DA and AD conversion...

 

http://www.amazon.com/RME-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-BABYFACE-Bus-powered/dp/B00HZ2CSMY/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847839&sr=1-12&keywords=usb+audio+interface+DA+AD

 

The Focusrite Forte is only $400 but the RME Babyface is total sweetness and worth $800 easy. Otherwise you can connect this to the Focusrite ISA One...

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ISAOneCard

 

THIS IS ALL BUDGET GEAR!

 

HERE is the VERY pro gear:

 

Sony C800G Microphone

Rupert Neve Design Microphone Pre-Amps

RME MADIface XT

Focal Twin6 Be Studio Monitors

Auralex Acoustic Treated Room

[callmecars]

1. Room Acoustics are THE most important thing when recording because sound bounces off walls and recordings will sound echo-e without room treatment.

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X

2. USB Audio Interface acts as sound card and provides connections between computer and microphones/instruments

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847221&sr=1-5&keywords=usb+audio+interface

3. Without at least a decent mic pre-amp (like Focusrite ISA One), vocal recordings will not sound AS professional

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Classic-Single-channel-Pre-Amplifier-Independent/dp/B0019335UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847273&sr=1-1&keywords=Focusrite+ISA+One

4. Studio Monitors have flat sound so you are more easily able to detect flaws in your recordings. Recordings will not sound AS professional without them.

5. PreSonus Studio One is good software: http://www.presonus.com/products/studio-one/download

6. PreSonus Eris E5's and E8's are some of the best sounding budget studio monitors but active means they have built-in amplification, passive is no amplification. http://www.amazon.com/Presonus-Eris-E5-Pair-High-Definition/dp/B00DP1RDHY/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847333&sr=1-3&keywords=presonus+eris+e5

 

You can start off recording with just a decent Focusrite Scarlet audio interface and a Shure SM57...but you will see what I mean (especially with the echo). In order to get that professional sound you will need to invest in the other stuff too. The more you invest and the more you practice recording, the more professional your recordings will sound. There are software pre-amps and sometimes you can get an audio interface with built-in pre-amps...BUT they will never sound as good as a dedicated microphone pre-amp. Studio Monitors are for after you have recorded and you are listening for any possible flaws and need to remove them using software.

wow thank you very much for the time and effort you put in gathering the links and giving the explanations! I might do what you said and start off with an audio interface and the Shure SM57, just because I'm not filthy rich, and slowly buy more and more of the other parts that you recommend, buying them all at the same time would probably be too much of a culture shock for me... and at least I'll see the improvement in quality as I buy more and more parts.

I don't understand though what the PreSonus Studio One software is for though? is it to calibrate the studio monitors or something?

 

would getting good headphones be useful too and possibly be good enough to replace getting studio monitors? I'm guessing that for recording that I'll need closed headphones since open would be heard on the microphone?

 

one last thing, I understand what room acoustics do, and I was wondering if I could do some kind of setup like what Linus does (with the microphone in a little half cylinder acoustics chamber) instead of putting  all those pads in the room, since I'm just gonna use my bedroom. what I'm actually planning to ask is what can I do to block outside noise? since I live with my family sometimes sound still manages to leak in my room and also from the streets outside, what could I do to minimize this?

[callmecars]

There is also DA or digital to analog for studio monitors (which connect to USB Audio Interface). A decent USB audio interface will do this automatic, even a smartphone has DA. More important is AD or analog to digital because a computer stores all sound digitally. When you record vocals they are analog and so you need as high quality as you can afford conversion to digital so you can capture the trueness of the way it originally sounded and store it on your computer. A higher priced USB audio interface will have both DA and AD conversion...

 

http://www.amazon.com/RME-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-BABYFACE-Bus-powered/dp/B00HZ2CSMY/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1421847839&sr=1-12&keywords=usb+audio+interface+DA+AD

 

The Focusrite Forte is only $400 but the RME Babyface is total sweetness and worth $800 easy. Otherwise you can connect this to the Focusrite ISA One...

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ISAOneCard

 

THIS IS ALL BUDGET GEAR!

 

HERE is the VERY pro gear:

 

Sony C800G Microphone

Rupert Neve Design Microphone Pre-Amps

RME MADIface XT

Focal Twin6 Be Studio Monitors

Auralex Acoustic Treated Room

damn that's already a budget gear... didn't realize music recording was an expensive thing to get into

[ZmanFTW]

PreSonus Studio One is really good and affordable recording software or DAW.

 

[ZmanFTW]

damn that's already a budget gear... didn't realize music recording was an expensive thing to get into

 

Neither did I at first!

[callmecars]

Neither did I at first!

I guess setting all this up won't be as simple as I thought at first, thanks anyway!

[ZmanFTW]

wow thank you very much for the time and effort you put in gathering the links and giving the explanations! I might do what you said and start off with an audio interface and the Shure SM57, just because I'm not filthy rich, and slowly buy more and more of the other parts that you recommend, buying them all at the same time would probably be too much of a culture shock for me... and at least I'll see the improvement in quality as I buy more and more parts.

I don't understand though what the PreSonus Studio One software is for though? is it to calibrate the studio monitors or something?

 

would getting good headphones be useful too and possibly be good enough to replace getting studio monitors? I'm guessing that for recording that I'll need closed headphones since open would be heard on the microphone?

 

one last thing, I understand what room acoustics do, and I was wondering if I could do some kind of setup like what Linus does (with the microphone in a little half cylinder acoustics chamber) instead of putting  all those pads in the room, since I'm just gonna use my bedroom. what I'm actually planning to ask is what can I do to block outside noise? since I live with my family sometimes sound still manages to leak in my room and also from the streets outside, what could I do to minimize this?

 

Yes studio headphones are something I forgot to mention...Audio Technica or Sennheiser HD Studio (280, 380,etc.) are a good starting point and they don't really replace studio monitors but you may be able to squeak by for awhile.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1421851296&sr=8-10&keywords=sennheiser+studio+headphones

 

You can either use a closet as a vocal booth and riddle the walls and ceiling with absorbers, diffusers, etc. or just get something like this...

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ReflexionX

 

Make sure you use a carpeted room for recording, carpet works great as sound absorption on floor. Room with vaulted ceiling whenever possible can also work wonders.

[vembutech]

Here check this How Can I Set Up a Home Recording Studio on the Cheap which may get you with some idea.