if you are thinking of becoming a pro you need to spend money, however if you are an amateur then buy brand name stuff, but inexpensive. You can check out Long & Mcquade http://

But if you amateur now but thinking of becoming a pro later save your money and buy good quality stuff. Most DJ/studio equipment is very expensive. If you looking at buying a whole home studio package depending what you are usuing it for. For live music, electronic music, either PC based studio, hardware equipment studio or a little of both. You would in my opinion spend minimum $1,000 (all prices are in Canadian dollars) for headphones, mic and whatever else you need. To save some more money there are thousands of software and sites that able you to download free music, recording, DJ and production software. If you looking at building a more old fashioned studio with more equipment than software/PC then you looking at min. $10,000 for a very very inexpensive studio. if you looking into a good studio it takes many years to build it. ATB (famous German DJ/producer) took him about 8-10 years to set up his first studio.

What ever you do, think first. Good quality equipment/software = expensive $$$. I suggest you save your money and get good equipment.

PS. You definetely need a mixer which will cost you min. $300 for a small basic mixer. It all really depends on what you are using your studio for. Is it for live guitar, or vocals or elctronica music or whatever, but you need good shit! That all I can say. If you like man you can message me. The only trouble with me is how to hook the shit up! :? Yahoo messenger: dj_michael_jatas

re

No im not interested on instrument recording.As i said above i m going to record only vocals (commercial spots ),so i dont need multiple channels.Im thinking computer based recording with a mic pre amp and a compressor.Simple things.Should i go with pro tools?(i think they only work for mac).They are good both for recording and editing.Or is it too much for what i want to do?

Apple is best no matter what anyone says. Even though it's expensive. Digital is the way to go. Software all the way! Good luck buddy!

Voice-overs

Hey Distorted,

I do exactly what you are talking about doing. I do voice-overs at home for training tapes and CD's. Yes, over the years I've acquired some high-end equipment because I also record my own music, but I can share some of my voice-over experience.

If you are going to get true broadcast quality, you can not do it with amatuer grade equipment, but you don't need to spend an arm and a leg either.

If you have a PC you can use it without having to go out to buy a Mac or an ultra high power PC because you are not going to need to record 24 tracks or even 12 tracks or even 4 tracks. So, almost any computer will do.

I'm recording to a DAW (Akai DPS24) and using outboard mic pres. Let someone here (or on another forum) advise you as to what sound card to get for your computer. Or go to http://www.sweetwater.com get their phone number and call Brad Lyons. He has helped me a lot in getting the right equipment without breaking the bank.

You don't want a home quality card, and you do need a sound card that contains a decent mic pre for a low impedence mic if there is such a card being manufacturered. (The card must also have a balanced line input.)

If no such animal exists, then you will need a mic pre to go into the balanced line input (three wire connector...XLR or TRS) of your sound card. An RNP (Really Nice Preamp) from FMR and an RNC (Really Nice Compressor) also from RNP will give you the most bang for your buck and give you true broadcast quality sound. Both are available from http://www.mercenary.com (Just under $700 for the two.)

Let someone else here advise you as to what software you will need for recording/editing. (Remember folks, he doesn't need to go 24 tracks with all the whistles and bells...just basic good quality.)

And Brad Lyons at Sweetwater should be able to help you here too. No it's not spam...I don't work for Sweetwater. I buy from all the companies I have mentioned.

The room you record in will affect the sound. If the walls are hard, you will get a slap-back echo...something you will never hear in a radio station studio. You need to treat the walls with foam to deaden the slap-back. No, you don't need expensive bass traps...you are not recording musical instruments.

As for a mic, you will not need a $3,000 Neumann, but neither will you want a $69 Radio Shack mic.

A directional mic (cardioid) will help keep down room noise but will give an increase in bass response when you close mic ... that is speak while real close to the mic. This increased bass response is called proximity effect and happens with directional mics. An omni directional mic will decrease the proximity effect, but it will also pick up room noise and slap-back.

ElectroVoice makes a mic called an RE20 that is directional (Cardioid to keep out unwanted sounds) but the RE20 has a built-in design that eliminates the proximity effect. This mic is made for doing voice-over work for boadcasting, and for this reason it is a very popular mic used in radio stations around the world. The cost is aroung $400 US. (You can get one at http://www.bhphotovideo.com)

Another mic I like for the money is a Rode NT-1A (Jokingly we call it a Rodent 1A.) The cost is around $200 US. This is a directional mic and will have the increased bass effect when close talked. But if you have EQ (tone control) in your software...and you will with professional software, you can compensate for this by turning down the bass.

Assuming you already have a computer, you're going to need to spend $2000 to $3000 to get this going. Yes, it's a necessary evil. You must have the tools. Would you go to an auto mechanic who didn't have any tools? Would you go to a dentist who only had a Black and Decker quarter inch drill? No. You do need the right tools.

So, that's my 2 cents worth. I does work. I know...because I'm doing it.

Don

Since he doesn't need multitracking wouldn't Protools Free and/or Audacity work for his software needs? It runs on either MAC or PC and It would be really cheap, that's for sure. I remember when I first tried Protools Free I was really amazed at the capability for a free package but I can't remeber all the limitaions it had.

randy

If the computer being used is up to date, Pro Tools Free is not an option, as Digidesign ceased support for it long ago. PT Free will NOT run on Windows XP or OS X. So, its limitations are that it only runs on Windows 98 and Me, and OS 8.6 and OS 9.