Hi

I'm sure there are many people here that would benefit from your web services but simply asking questions here should get you most of the answers you need.

haus, post: 420347, member: 46299 wrote: home recording setup to run Pro Tools among other things. Trouble is, I have no idea where to start.

What other things? Multimedia?

haus, post: 420347, member: 46299 wrote: I have made music for years but I have no idea where to start

What kind of music?

haus, post: 420347, member: 46299 wrote: I'm leaning towards Pro Tools simply because it's so commonly used, it seems like it would be the easiest way to bounce projects back and forth...

Pro Tools is the most commonly used DAW for main stream recording but not EM. So, depending on your musical style and computer OS, you may be better with Ableton Live, Logic, Sonar, Samplitude.

How many tracks are you recording at a time?

haus, post: 420347, member: 46299 wrote: I have no problem dropping a few thousand to set up something that will sound good - I just don't want to waste any money if I can avoid it.

Dropping a few thousand is pretty easy to do with home recording gear.

The Pro Tools platform alone will run you around $700. When you add a multi channel audio I/O, 2 - 4 channels, you can add another $300 for a really good one with decent pre's and converters. Add a nice studio condenser mic and a couple good dynamics for around $1000,and you're already pushing two grand. We haven't yet figured in monitors, stands, cables, a keyboard controller, headphones and headphone amp, or potential room treatment to insure that your room is presenting an accuracy to your ears as you mix...

To add to Chris's questions:

What do you mean when you say, "among other things"?
Is this for you to record your own music? Or to go into business recording other acts?
Are you planning on recording with microphones?
Are you adept at MIDI?
How many tracks would you like to be able to record at one time.... a simple guitar/piano vocal...or a full band?
What kind of computer do you currently have?
What space are you panning on using as your recording area?

d.

Hi guys - thank you so much for the responses! I was pleasantly surprised to see them this morning.

When I mentioned Pro Tools and other things - I meant plug ins and other sound/beat creation software. What is an EM? As far as tracks, probably just recording one at a time. Drums would have to be recorded elsewhere and "dropped in" to my setup so the other instruments could be added one at a time.

The music would be all across the board: start with hard rock, move from that into an acoustic project, and finally start to dabble in electronic composition. This will be for my own music, and for composing soundtrack style audio for clients and client videos. Possibly doing some radio commercials. I won't be bringing clients or bands into my home 95% of the time though.

Sound treatment is a great idea - would it help if I took some pictures of the room and posted them? I would be doing work with mics, mainly vocals and a few guitar tracks (I'm guessing a 57 for electric guitar and a condenser for acoustic and vocals - that's all I can think off the top of my head). Most of the time these tracks would also be done individually.

I completely suck with MIDI and do not understand it at all. :/

Current rig is as follows - not opposed to building a new machine for recording. Is there truly an advantage to MACs though if I can build a comparable machine for half the cost? Or do MACs just work better "out of the box"?

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Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
*All updates
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core
SAPPHIRE 100293DP Radeon HD 5570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express
GeIl EVO One (3x2GB) DDR3 1333
Main Drive is a SATA 250GB Seagate
Secondary Drive 1.5TB Western Digital
OCZ Fatal1ty 550 Watt Power Supply
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Thanks!

haus, post: 420365, member: 46299 wrote: Hi guys - thank you so much for the responses! I was pleasantly surprised to see them this morning.

(y)

haus, post: 420365, member: 46299 wrote: What is an EM?

electronic music

haus, post: 420365, member: 46299 wrote: I completely suck with MIDI and do not understand it at all. :/

thats cool, no need for a daw based around midi then.

haus, post: 420365, member: 46299 wrote: Is there truly an advantage to MACs

only if the DAW you choose is optimized for Apple.

haus, post: 420365, member: 46299 wrote: I completely suck with MIDI and do not understand it at all. :/

Midi seems like a ghost haunting alot of new recordist.
Simply put, midi is a language that was invented to transmit information between keyboards in the 80s.
In the signal, instructions about notes, velocity, etc.. are sent from a unit to others. It was the first way to layer multiple sounds from different keyboards while playing only on one.

Today, midi is still very present for the same reasons and for new reasons. (exemple ; a computer can say to an electric piano ; play a middle A for 3 quater notes with a 100/128 velocity)
Some DAW Controlers (like the mackie control) will use midi to control the software's faders, mute, record, solo fonctions.
Also, you can use a midi track to control a virtual instrument (VSTi), like a piano, drums and other instruments that all the notes have been prerecorded.
One of the biggest creator of VSTi is Native instrument : http://www.native-instruments.com/
If you have a midi controler (keyboard or other) it's easy to record a midi track and make it control a piano or a string quartet etc....
Some VSTi already have midi tracks you import in your DAW without a controler (exemple Addictive Drums ; you just drag the midi to the track of your project and you have a fine drum track)

You seem to be at the entry level here.

Perhaps your best bet at this point would be to take a course in basic DAW production.

This may be of some help to you:

https://www.coursera.org/course/musicproduction

It's free, by the way.

d.

Looks like you are looking for a basic home studio. Your computer is plenty enough. Here's your basic shopping list

DAW software
Interface
Usb midi controller
Powered monitors
Acoustic treatment

All at once, that's you basics you need. The speakers don't work right without treatment, and music doesnt work without speakers. Doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. It just has to be there.

So your basic bare bones cheapest setup looks something like this.

Presonus Audiobox interface/software
http://www.presonus.com/products/AudioBox-i-Series

Any usb midi controller is fine, to start. A basic 49 key shroud be like $100 and they make some w knobs and pads.

I like these little speakers in the price range, are the best I've heard so far, but again many many options.
http://www.gearclubdirect.com/alesis-m1-active-mkii-studio-monitors-pair/?gclid=CK6Bj6XEwsECFWcF7AodsU0ADA

And at minimum 6 of these moving blankets

http://www.amazon.c…

Or ideally something more refined from something like Gik or ATS acoustics, who have entry level rigid fiberglass panel based absorbers. Just based on the materials alone, they out perform Aurelex and similar open cell foams. And are priced similarly.

I've use the fiberglass ATS sells, and along w some fabric and spray adhesive, made panels.

Add an sm57, and an AT3035 and a couple basic cables and budget stands, and your at about

250 for that

100 for the interface/daw.

300 for speakers and blankets.

100 for usb controller.

so bare bones your around $800.

It's toigh for you to use DAWs evaluations because the whole concept is still new, so start w a free one that comes w your interface. Honestly they all pretty much do the same thing, and the basics of most of them Are the same. The concept of traks, and editing, and midi, and mix screens, are all pretty much similar, and once you can get gojng on one, you can probably get going on any without the manual. Programs like reason, fruity loops, and able ton, and logic (to a certain degree) tend to have a workflow more individualized.

That's where to start if your unsure how much this is going to be used.

If you have clients already, or truly have the need for broadcast quality, the price tag will reflect that, and your more in the5-10k range for equipment, and start considering a more professional tracking and mixing environment, which will triple that number roughly.

But really, a setup,like I defined is well worth it, for less than a grand, even if you upgrade complety in a couple years it's a small inital investment, and you can just use it as a portable setup. If you don't use it at all after a couple months, you can sell in a coup,e years from now for a few hundred. I've wasted far far more money in les worthwhile ways.

Please ask any questions, your i good hands around here, and welcome to the new world of recording music! It's changed my life and truly a good thing for everyone!!!

Heres a great bunch of simp,e focused mix tips from a famous mixer Dave pensado, anyone is likely to pickup a little snippet of something new. I like em

Dont feel overwhelmed or confused by info. You're in no rush to start buying equipment, so read about all the different products and have fun with it. There are only 3 things you "need" to get started.

1) The DAW. If you're certain you want to go with protools, then thats one less decision to make. I would like to throw a monkey wrench at you and suggest you wait awhile before buying a DAW. Take the time to download a demo of Ableton. I've got alot of online musician associates who really like this program for both live and electronic music.

2) Speakers (monitors). I wont speak too much on monitors, but I will suggest to you that these will be something you'll end up upgrading if you're serious about fidelity. With that strategy in your pocket, and until you get to that point, just pick something recommended that fits your budget. A 200 to 300$ hammer is a hammer, right? So at this level anything will do.

3) Audio Interface (sound card) Get something functional that suits your needs for now. More than likely you wont be recording more than one live instrument at time, for now anyway? So this is a really nice unit to start off with:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett2i2
usb, 2 in, 2 out, headphones, and a nice volume knob on the front. this is a perfect starter interface.

thats all you "need" to get started, and those 3 things can be had for less than 800$

4) nextly, you will eventually want a midi controller, but you dont need one as you can do everything with a mouse. You can get a nice one for about 150$ or less. I dont think you have external synths, fx processors, or other controllable hardware yet. So the presence of an actual midi cable is not necessary in your rig. you'll be sending "midi over usb" right into your DAW program. so something with keys, knobs, pads, and sliders to control everything

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Oxygen-49

there are so many controllers with different combinations of pads/lnobs/sliders.. theyre all basically the same thing. find one you like and bang away!

It all spirals into a pit of interest rates and gear lust from here.

5) 1 or more microphone ; chosen carefully for the job. The classic one nearly all serious studios have is the Shure SM57 (around 100$)