Beginner Home Studio setup

Adorerofblood

Hi All

I'm seriously looking to get a decent beginner recording setup going at home. I'm completely new to sound engineering so forgive my lack of proper terminology. Could you guys please suggest cost-effective solutions to the following:

1) A decent DAW - I have Windows 7, currently using Reaper
2) A reasonably priced, good quality audio interface (I'll be recording guitar, possibly vocals)
3) Some form of material which can teach me the basics of mixing and mastering

Thanks!

FruitarGeek

1) Reaper is fine
2) I have an M-Audio that I got from a Forumite. Works like a charm. Some basic questions you must ask yourself. How many channels (inputs) do you want, do you want midi support? Phantom power? USB or Firewire (although I recommend USB) etc. Give answers to this and it helps narrow down the options
3) http://www.eComputerRecordingSoftware.com <---- Download his eBook
http://soundselect.co.za/downloads/eBook/ebook.pdf <----- Download this one too.

Both of these are great beginner resources. Lastly, know your DAW like a champ. It will only make you all the more better at mixing and recording etc.

greetings

Adorerofblood wrote: Hi All

I'm seriously looking to get a decent beginner recording setup going at home. I'm completely new to sound engineering so forgive my lack of proper terminology. Could you guys please suggest cost-effective solutions to the following:

1) A decent DAW - I have Windows 7, currently using Reaper
2) A reasonably priced, good quality audio interface (I'll be recording guitar, possibly vocals)
3) Some form of material which can teach me the basics of mixing and mastering

Thanks!

1. Reaper is good, actually very underrated. Stick with it if you enjoy it. Or try out the demos for other software platforms. For the money, Reaper can't be beaten.
2. I find the M-Audio interfaces to be just ok. In the price range, nothing beats the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (around R1500), in my opinion. Great preamps, great converters, great drivers. Can't go wrong. I always recommend these interfaces for home studio guys who don't need more than two mic pre's. Bear in mind that your computer needs to have a fair amount of muscle to get the best possible results.
3. The above material that was listed is good.

4. How are you referencing the stuff you want to record? You'll need to invest in a decent pair of studio monitors.

Adorerofblood

Thanks guys! I will definately start working through those eBooks.

I don't really need more than one channel at this point, nor midi support, as ill basically only be recording guitar tracks. USB preferable. At the moment I just have stock headphones, haha, after an interface, I'll look into monitors

FruitarGeek

Maybe go for one of those el cheapo USB ports. I had one for a year or so before I moved up to a proper interface. It helped me realise what I want and don't want.

The one I used was the Behringer (cringe, I know) USG 102 or something like that. But, if you are taking it a little more serious than that, then definitely move up to proper interface. I recommend buying second hand, they much more affordable then. Keep your eyes on this forum classified. You guaranteed to get a good/reliable deal then.

And monitoring... YES! Big factor, but big expense as well. So save up for some good stuff when you have the cash. You will be amazed how different the stuff sounds on different speakers. Its actually very off putting cause it makes you wonder if anything you listening to is really the 'true' sound.

All the best with your recording endevours. You will come to realise it is really fun if done properly

Fingerpicker

An essential bit of kit for home recording is a twin barrel Browning .50 calibre machine gun for blasting hadedahs. Their racket can go thru about two feet of concrete and have spoiled many a take of mine.

deefstes

Fingerpicker wrote: An essential bit of kit for home recording is a twin barrel Browning .50 calibre machine gun for blasting hadedahs. Their racket can go thru about two feet of concrete and have spoiled many a take of mine.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

As it happens I had that very frustration just yesterday.

Gearhead

Dunno bout them Hadedahs, but I prefer my Boss BR600 over fully fledged DAW on PC for simplicity of recording. Admit that the user interface could do with a bigger screen and an overhaul, but still it is way better a sketchpad than a PC.

DonovanB

Gearhead wrote: Dunno bout them Hadedahs, but I prefer my Boss BR600 over fully fledged DAW on PC for simplicity of recording. Admit that the user interface could do with a bigger screen and an overhaul, but still it is way better a sketchpad than a PC.

I can easily concur. Especially if you just noodle about on a guitar. Great fx and easy to get started.

majestikc

Adrian Rogowski wrote: 1) Reaper is fine

Reaper is godlike, and that's after switching from Pro Tools and Sonar (a fair amount of Cubase as well)

Nitebob

I use Ableton as a DAW and the lite version, but it seems to be sufficient. I have a Scarlet 2i2 which IMO is awesome (and it came with the Ableton) also have a Behringer C-03 Condensor Microphone which gets it done. Some egg-sponge for sound dampening...(Will the browning work on the neighbours kids?) and oh yeah and a Yamaha keyboard for recording drums (percussion) as well as bass and the odd strings, harmonica, or banjo. Also a real tamborine, as most Midi tamborines suck!!! Thats just about it...

Hammeron

deefstes wrote:
Fingerpicker wrote: An essential bit of kit for home recording is a twin barrel Browning .50 calibre machine gun for blasting hadedahs. Their racket can go thru about two feet of concrete and have spoiled many a take of mine.
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

As it happens I had that very frustration just yesterday.

Yes, but you didn't shoot them with a machine gun you shot them with a Cannon.........E0S. ?