hey guys, i need info all around. i'm looking to get together some recording equipment to get me on my way. i'd like to have a list of stuff i i can research to see what suits my budget, etc.

i've done some recording of my own band with various tascam products in the past, so i'm somewhat up on available products. but, i'd like to get a more serious than a portastudio.

should i go for an analog setup or digital? is protools the best software out there? suggestions?


also, drum mics? i have NO idea which mics to even consider.
room mics (for both drums and live recording)?
vocal mics?

i have a couple of sm57's and was thinking about picking up a 58 or 2. i also just used a beyer dynamics M-160-M ribbon mic in the studio that i was kind of into...

my budget isn't huge, but hopefully within a few months to a year, i can get something "quality" together...

thanks.

A number of these things have already been discussed here and other places. On this site, try searching for "microphones", tape vs. digital, etc and you'll find pages of stuff to sift through ideas. You'll find so mich stuff your head will explode... but that's a good thing. Once it's back together, dive back in and read till you pass out.

I'd also recommend doing the same searches over at tapeop.com, recordingproject.com, prosoundweb.com, just for starters. I'm still very amateur myself, and all I can say is ready everything you can, there's a lot of knowledgeable folks here/there.

Also, Tapeop has a FAQ list of mic reviews and other useful stuff to help you get started.

Good luck.

-sam

If your band is making next to no money than you shouldn't feel bad about stealing some software. If that's the case, I'd say get the best PC you can afford and find a cracked copy of Nuendo. In many ways it's better than Pro Tools. It's a little bit more complex at first, but in the end you'll love it.

(I say get a PC because cracked software for PC is far easier to find)

And if you are making enough money to pay for your software, I would still get Nuendo. I've never used it on a Mac, but I'm sure it's pretty much the same. I still prefer PC's though. I find you don't have to use the mouse nearly as much on a PC, which is weird, because Mac's actually have more softkeys, but with less functionality. On a PC you can do virtually everything without a mouse. On a Mac, it's always "clicking-draggin-with-5-alt-keys." On Pc's you just toggle around the fields using TAB, Up, and Down.

kevin wrote:also, drum mics? i have NO idea which mics to even consider.

Being a drummer, this was the first thing I looked into when I started getting into recording. This a good set up to start with:

Bass drum: Shure Beta 52 or AKG-D112. Both are good, and both are good with bass guitar as well. Each will run you about $200.

Snare: Shure 57. There are better mics, but for about $80 it's a good start.

Toms: Sennheiser 421. Each is about $300

If you encounter a drum set with three toms, another shure 57 is ok to use on the smallest tom if you can't afford a third Sennheiser 421.

Overheads: I have a pair of AT 33A, but it doesn't look like these are around anymore. The Rode NT-1A is also good, and is around $200.

Even this simple set up is going to run you around $1200 or so, but everyone will tell you it's going to be better to take your time, save up, and get good stuff than to buy a lot of shitty gear up front.

if you're spending 300 dollars on toms, why shirk on an 80 dollar snare mic

snare is way more important, than toms

1) Digital is the only way to fly these days. I'm not aware of any commercial analog solutions except used or refurbished gear. Of course, I know many who will disagree with this statement (including the guys at Electrical). Analog is analog and digital is digital. Both have their time and place but the benefits of digital recording seem to outweigh any sonic superiority associated with analog gear. Especially if you're just a home enthusiast.

2) Consider Pro Tools for no other reason than compatability with other studios. I'm no expert on this subject but from everything I've been able to read, PT isn't really any better or worse than any of the other recording solutions out there. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Steinberg seems to have established their own standard with Cubase and Nuendo and then it sort of breaks down from there with other products like Sonar, Samplitude, Logic, Digital Performer, etc (some of these are Mac only programs). And, of course, if you want something better than Pro Tools look at Radar These topics are hotly debated on most recording forums with no clear winner in my mind. If there is any one aspect of a program that should be considered more than anything else it's support. Investigate how well each company supports their products. That might help you to make a final decision.

3) Your choice of microphones will be dictated somewhat by budget and plain ol' personal preferance. I personally like Audix mics for drums but I also like Shure and AKG and Sennheiser products. Go to their websites and do a bit of homework on their product lines. The fun is in the choosing.

Larry wrote: Digital is the only way to fly these days. ... benefits of digital recording seem to outweigh any sonic superiority associated with analog gear....Consider Pro Tools... PT isn't really any better or worse than any of the other recording solutions out there....

Come on lads, are we going to let him get away with this?

absolutely not. digital is total crap. if you are recording digitally, it is impossible to have any sonic power or inherent beauty of the instruments themselves. yes, the beauty of the instruments won't come through unless you are recording in analog. and please, oh please, don't give me shit. i have plenty of experience with my ears, thank you very much.

Both have their time and place but the benefits of digital recording seem to outweigh any sonic superiority associated with analog gear. Especially if you're just a home enthusiast.

"the fact that it is easier outweighs the fact that it doesn't sound as good." really, give me a break. i end up listening to it, i don't care less whether the person got to pick his nose during recording. i made the effort to make my album analog, tascam porta 02 and all. so you do the same. maybe your turntable sucks, larry, but mine doesn't. and you are simply wrong.

-noah

For kick I'd forego both the Beta 52 and the D112 and get an Audio-Technica ATM25 (around $150). For toms use your 57s for the rack toms and pick up another ATM25 for the floor tom ($300 so far). Snare get a Beyer M201/Revox M3500 off of ebay for around $150, or another SM57. Overheads: search out a pair of Oktava MK012s ($200 per pair). Total. With M201, about $650. With extra 57, about $570.

Mind you. I'd forego tom mics and just get the ATM25 and the pair of MK012s. Then you'd have more money for the rest of the chain

i guess part of the issue is that i'm probably leaning towards some sort of digital platform for editing. i certainly don't have the know how in order edit tape effectively (although, obviously it can be learned). it just seems way easier to edit on PT, from what i've seen. i would love to learn analog though...

my roommate and i just had the brilliant idea to use our van to get other bands to their shows...last night was the easiest $60 we've made, since in NYC, relatively few bands have amps as big as ours. moving their equipment was, dare i say it, a pleasure...so hopefully, my budget will expand as word gets around that we're doing it. so for any recommendations, consider my budget moderate.

i'd like to avoid buying crap just to have it now...thanks.