I think the answer to this question will vary widely from person to person, and it's also quite dependent on what your aim is. Are you setting up this small studio just as a hobby, or are you looking to make money?

Either way, as obviously sucky as it is, digital is the way to go. It's affordable, easy to use, and can be easily converted into a million different mediums which the bands you record will want to use. The big plus to doing it on a computer is that it's easy to upgrade to the latest editions of whatever software is driving it.

So rather than go out and give you comparisons and techno-babble about protools, cakewalk, fostex, boss, alesis, blah blah blah - (some of which I can't even do, because even though I use digital at other people's studios I'm still analog myself) - I will say this, think about the kind of music you are looking to record, and then think about the studio set-up that will work best for that. Once you get it, master it. If you know how to use it, a cassette four track can be worth more than a whole pile of computers, depending...

...just to clarify, because I realise that the point I was trying to make in the previous post was rather vague...

There's such a wide variety of good home studio equipment out there at reasonable prices, and since for the most part it all does the same thing (some of it has a few bells and whistles more than others) that you should just buy stuff that is going to fit the requirements you need, and that you feel comfortable working with.

I say this because I do a bit of freelance engineering and recording demo work here in Japan (freelance and free because I only work with bands I like) and I've been into a number of studios who have gone and outfitted themselves with top of the line everything, but don't know how to use half of it. They get it just for the "impressive" factor. To convince the band that if they record there, they will be getting the absolute best sound available with the latest technology. But we all know that's a falsehood. (especially if the band can't play worth a #&$!)

So shop around, find stuff you like, and then go with it. I'll shutup now, since I don't think I've really made my point any clearer, and someone is about to come along and contradict me any second now.

here's my 2 cents:

in my opinion, with a limited budget (and that's the key term here), a windows based recording system is the best place to start, for the following reasons.

-the software is as good as any out there...i myself am a sonar fan, but at this stage basically any recording software will do what you need it to do, be it nuendo, whatever.
-you can pirate the plugins. this is a moral issue for some people, but let's be honest, very few of us have the cash to pony up to actually buy the waves platinum bundle. and if you want to learn how to do shit, it might as well be on the stuff the pros are using. plus, it's not like you're actually going to turn a profit using this stuff.
-it's cheap. everyone knows that macs are a much more stable system, but the reality is that you can get a PC that will record and run at least a few plugins for next to nothing these days. i did my first EP like 4 years ago on a computer that was old THEN. (a pentium II 233 for those interested...cakewalk pro 9, and it performed rather admirably all things considered.)

there are dozens more reasons (among other things, you can't check your email from a 4-track, blank CDs are now cheaper than cassettes, etc), but those are the main ones. once you build up some cash, you can buy all the cool esoteric EQs and whatever else, but for someone just starting, just get 1000 bucks together, buy a decent pre and a couple mics, and you can have something that sounds better than something that cost 10,000 dollars fifteen years ago.

the most important thing is record everything in sight and really get to know how to use what you have...it doesn't matter if you have 25 different compressors if you don't know how to operate even the cheapest, shittiest one there. make up stupid jingles, record bands you hate, anything to be able to flex your creative muscle, learn how things interact, learn how to mix, and learn how to listen. i'm sure alan moulder could make a much better sounding track on the PC i'm using right now than some random guy with $100,000 worth of gear sitting at a major studio.

best of luck

echo wrote:here's my 2 cents:

in my opinion, with a limited budget (and that's the key term here), a windows based recording system is the best place to start, for the following reasons.

Did you ever go to MIA at Fanshawe?

I was sort of in this same situation… I have the VF160, and although its not much as far as mixing, it records up to eight tracks at once, and with some out board gear (a nice mixer perhaps) it could be adequate for recording some live bands…

A good computer set up is a good thing… I spent a bunch of money at the beginning, on a nice 2 channel pre, a good large diaphragm condenser and two small diaphragm condensers. Soon I realized I wanted a compressor, and then more compressors, and then more mics, pre’s a nice mixer and so on. I ended up spending a lot of money, and getting too much at once to truly use it all to its full potential… probably not even yet…

Doing a lot of work in odder places like a damp basement, and peoples garages, I realized I liked the stand alone recorder (for ease of use and transportation) and what would really be great would be a computer for the mixing end, because I don’t need to haul all the monitor and pc around… So now I have a good assortment of actual hardware comps and Pre’s and such for tracking, and a great computer for mix down and manipulation/editing.

I mention all of this because it’s important to “know your gearâ€

DAW's are definitely convenient for recording and editing, but to get the portability that theswede is speaking of, you'd need a laptop that's properly equipped to record, an external hard drive, and something like a motu 828 (which is a fantastic digital interface, even though it doesn't work with pro tools)

personally, i have an iBook G4 and an MBox. the huge downside to the mBox is that you can only record two tracks at a time unless you use S/PDIF.

one of my band members has that motu 828. usually for recording our stuff, we record on the 828, then import the SD2 files to pro tools for mixing and editing (mind you, we are an electronic band)

if you're recording mostly rock bands, it's not very likely that you'll be dragging, dropping, cutting, crossfading and all of that (or at least not nearly as much as with glitchy electronic music)

my biggest pet pieve with both of these interfaces, however, is the lack of a physical mixing board.

i have been trying to save up my money to purchase a Tascam FW 1884, which is compatible with pro tools, has 8 balanced xlr slots, and also 8 100mm faders.

hope this helps some.

I once had a 1/2" Tascan 16 track. It wasn't very expensive. I don't think that digital is the only option.

The 1/2" 16 track with snakes, MRL's, and 3 reels of blank 456 cost me only $800. It costs more for a good computer! If I were going to have a small studio again, I would definitely get something like that. You don't need to go digital to have an affordable, small setup.

Excuse me, that's "Tascam."

Hello,

So I too am looking to begin recording more seriously (this means upgrading from the boss digital four-track and radioshack mic) and am completely at a loss for where I should devote the limited amount of money I have to spend. Here are my parameters:

-I will be recording in an 11' x 11' x 10' boxed space

-I have an intial budget of $1,000 with more to come hopefully

-I intend for this to be private, so I am not gearing this to fit the needs of a variety of bands

-I know nothing about equipment at all and have a limited knowledge of the physics of sound from 2 years of engineering school (Aerospace, not electrical or audio)

Recording is a field I am very interested in learning about, and I would prefer to stick with analog. I see this as the beginning of a lifelong pursuit and would love any imput on the best way to get started, i.e. it would be better to focus the funds on getting solid microphones and a four track to start as opposed to blowing the wad on a tape machine right off the bat, right? Here is a list of equipment I will be recording...

-A fender showman 2 x 12" cabinet with a blackface bassman head

-A rhodes mk II with a 1 x 12" cabinet

And I am looking to pick up a decent drum machine, so I won't need to mic live drums. Basicallt guitar, bass, piano, drum machine, vocals. I read the drum machine thread and the alesis looks like the way to go, but does anyone have any suggestions as far as analog drum machines are concerned?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

ryan