This evening I had the pleasure of dinner with a good family friend. Andy is a great musician and has been writing and recording his own music for some time. It is a hobby for him, but one he devotes a lot of time and energy to (not to mention the fact that he is an amazing song writer). He's been working on a new CD and I had the pleasure of hearing some of his work.
I have started to play around with recording (garage band is an amazing thing) and I'd like to spend more time with it.
As we were talking it was suggested that instead of spending ten grand on studio time it would be worth creating a studio in his basement. He's willing to finance the cost and I'm more than willing to put in the time and energy.
At this point, I'm just gathering information to see what we'd actually be getting our selves into. I'm hoping that someone out there will be able to provide me with some recommendations.
The primary recording will be acoustic guitars, vocals and keyboards (MIDI). Becuase its what I've go the most experience with, I'm hoping to start from a G5 and work from there.
Can someone provide me some recommendations?
Thanks for your help.
Adam
Comments
Different strokes for different folks ... first I would get a PC
Different strokes for different folks ... first I would get a PC instead of a Mac ... no reason to spend 3 times as much money unless you want to be able to say "I have a Mac" ... other than that, PC, are just as capable of doing audio as is a Mac.. second, I would not use PT Le or otherwise ... lots of reasons for this ... you can check the forum here for the lengthy thread, "Why I hate Pro Tools" and the DAW poll ... it's not true that PT is "THE" standard ... and things are changing quickly ... Nuendo or Cubase are both great alternatives to PT, at a considerable savings ...
The Mackie 824s are just about one of the most hated speakers on the planet ... very non linear and they do not sound good in all rooms .... especially smaller ones ... save some dough and go for the Yamaha MSP5's ...
Kurt Foster wrote: Different strokes for different folks ...
Kurt Foster wrote: Different strokes for different folks ...
So true!!! I agree with Kurt - this isn't 1994, you don't need a Mac. If you know PCs, buy a PC. Stick with what you know. But hey, if you happen to have the Jones for Macs, then feel free to spend your hard earned money on one...
Personally, I would opt for the PC with Cubase for a basement studio. I like Cubase and I use it on a lot of my projects! It's a very powerful and considerably cheaper tool. Not to mention, you can use virtually any hardware you would like to on it.
Kurt Foster wrote:
The Mackie 824s are just about one of the most hated speakers on the planet ... very non linear and they do not sound good in all rooms .... especially smaller ones ... save some dough and go for the Yamaha MSP5's ...
True, True. But, they are also just about one of the most loved speakers on the planet. Suffice it to say, they are one of the most prolific speakers on the planet. That does not necessarily make it a good speaker. Personally, I hate 'em. But, you'll find 200 people on this board who love 'em. Go figure.
Play around with a few brands/models and see what you like. Then, when you buy them, make sure there is a generous return policy. Chances are, what you like in the store won't sound the same at home.
MSP5's are good choices as are some of the offerings from Event (these are budget monitors at best though, don't get caught up spending sh*t loads of money on Events...)
My personal recommendation - find a good, honest store, with a good honest sales person that knows his/her stuff. They can go a long way in assisting you to determine what works best for you. Plus a good relationship with a salesperson can make things like "trials" and returns much easier.
Cheers!
Jeremy
have you guys seen the dual g5??? it's da bomb!!! sure it costs
have you guys seen the dual g5??? it's da bomb!!!
sure it costs a lot of money like good pres cost and so on...
pcs are ok and cubase sx3 seems to be great too but the mac is the mac!
i've been a mac user since the plus days and pc user since the 386 so i know a bit of what i'm talking and macs are much more stable! not just the design... altough like many studios have big consoles just to show off... having a mac will show off too...
but yes pcs are great too! i use a pc all day but because i work with autocad so i need pc... (and of course money is a big issue too...)
as for key recording setup i'd go with the fantom xr and an oberheim mc 1000
they have multiple choices!!!
as for mics there are plenty of options! maybe the c4 pair will be good for you and a good condenser like the c414! just remember that good acoustics cost money too...
If you want an honest opinion i would buy myself a G5, Pro Tools
If you want an honest opinion i would buy myself a G5, Pro Tools Le maybe digi 002, a nice set of Mackie 824s, get some nice preamps and mics, and spend the rest on building a good vocal/guitar booth and working on my room accoustics.