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Hi guys,
I would appreciate if I could get some help. :P
I am interested in setting up a home studio because I plan on recording an album and since I work as a songwriter primarily I feel this would be a decent investment I could "build upon". But for the time being I am looking for a solution that won't run me into the ground with costs.

I read online so much info that it has me really confused to what should I get to have good recording options.
Basically, I have 2 MacBook's Pro, Samson C01U Condensed USB mic (this was just for the demos), and an M-Audio midi keyboard. I need to get some sort of interface and I wonder which would you suggest as well as which mic's, headphones, sound monitors or what else would I need to get this party started :D
I am comfortable using Pro Tools, but I am thinking of maybe using Logic...do you have any ideas or maybe if you set your studio - how did you do it?
Also are there any good mixing/mastering tutorials that you know of, since I keep finding lot of different information I would love to get something from a direct source of someone who used it and is working as an engineer professionally.

Thanks guys!

J.

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Comments

MadMax Mon, 02/14/2011 - 07:02

It all comes down to how much money have you got to throw away, and how much do you have to invest in gear, cables, etc.?

Depending on your budget over time, you might only have enough to do incremental purchases of nothing but throw away gear... or you might have enough dosh to set a purchase plan and getting 2-3 quality pieces over the next few months.

W/O some idea of a budget, it's all speculation and a needle in the butt to figure out.

I've seen some of [="http://www.groove3.com/str/pro-tools-tips-tricks-bundle.html"]Kenny Gioia's[/]="http://www.groove3…"]Kenny Gioia's[/] ProTools vids over at [[url=http://="http://www.groove3…"]Groove3[/]="http://www.groove3…"]Groove3[/]... good stuff! He also produced some killa' Reaper vids.

leopoldolopes Mon, 02/14/2011 - 10:20

For starting why don't you tell us what are you going to record? Drums, guitars, vocals... As far as I can tell... you have the start... two computers which you can use... choose one! Mics,that depends on what you are going to record, and the sound interface depends on how many channels do you think that you're going to need at one!
Budget? Do you have any!?
Mixing and Mastering that' another league, so first things first I'm a afraid...

anonymous Wed, 02/16/2011 - 07:03

Hi guys!
Thanks for a response.

Let me elaborate. The budget is not set, thus me not mentioning it, but it is something where I could put 2000 gran on a thing if needed, but rather would go with as economical option as possible :D

I will be recording vocals, music will be produced mostly through computers/midi and some actual acoustic guitar. That's the base of things.

I am not planning on "building a vocal booth" but utilizing open space I have which needs to be "treated" to make it work.

Just overall ideas would be good, even if its not specific.
Also, I plan on using Logic as the base program, just need to figure out an audio interface to buy and so on.

Thanks guys :P

MadMax Thu, 02/17/2011 - 12:48

You got a 2000 grand budget? or a 2 grand budget... my guess would be 2k and you're prolly gonna be screamin' over that...

At that level, spend wisely on basic mic's and good cables... everything else should be considered throw away purchases.

You won't get get much more than an entry level - 2 channel converter, 4-6 decent mic cables, external FW drive, a pair of 57's and maybe a cascade. You'll want a desk, a pair of speakers (as cheap as you can find - if history serves right)... and maybe a rack case or two... then upgrade your computer... then........

You'll assemble it all... and realize that you pissed away every dime except the mic's and your mic cables... and you'll sell it all... for $.25-$.32 on the dollar... and scrounge up the rest to get a new interface... all the while, you'll be loving what you track, but you won't get it to sound that good... then you'll eventually come to the realization that this is a bigger PITA than you thought it was...

If you're a creative... I'd start out with an H2 or an H4 and just get used to 2-4 tracks for a year or so... maybe less, maybe more... depends on how much recording you do, and how picky you are.

Treat your room first... get your room sounding as good as you can... THEN invest in better quality gear... once you have a better understanding of what good tracks sound like on a consistent basis.

x

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