Advice on Studio Equipment

  • Thread starter Thread starter CaseyCor
  • Start date Start date
There would probably be other routing options as well, if the Onyx is a 4 buss board....

I havent done that but a friend of mine uses a Mackie 32-8 with a Tascam DA88 to record live shows.....
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it.

So, give me some suggestions on DAW's and Mics. Links (Ebay?) would help a lot.

What about MXL as far as Condenser mikes? a 990 for vocals and acoustic guitar?
 
depends on what you NEED in your DAW....

and budget...


details?
 
Well, I'd need at least 2 XLR Imputs, with at least 2 Track Recording at once. Needs a big hard drive, or USB for an external hard drive. Also needs USB for exporting to computer.
 
if you can't do the computer firewire route, than your pretty much left with Tascam or Fostex.


go to both thier sites and study up on what all thier stuff will do for what you can afford.


need to remember that Condensor mics need Phantom power.


do you need a condensor mic? i like them, but don't know if you necessarily have to have one? the SM57 has been used to do just about everything with fairly decent results!


forget about a mixer for now. focus on your recorder and mics. get that stuff and see how you get along.

then you can worry about editing software, and lastly a mixer.

hell, a recorder and a pair of SM57's is a pretty good chunk of change for kid.


i ragged on the dp-01 for not having xlr inputs, but it does have a bigger harddrive than the comparible Fostex. the bigger harddrive plus the fact that i respect the Tascam name more than Fostex is the reason i went with it. i just didn't catch the fact that it didn't have xlr inputs.

anyways, there could be a catch to the inputs. better inputs are balanced, think most xlr are balanced but there may be some that aren't. so if nether of the units are balanced, then not having xlr wouldn't be as much of an issue. would just have to get an xlr to 1/4" adapter.

so, do homework. and check out the balanced stuff and make i'm not talking bullshit.
 
I bought my Tascam 788 with the cd burner for $250 shipped which is a good deal, and I bought a 80gb hard drive. I can record to it do some editing on the 788, or I can burn to disc and edit on my computer.....

Less than $350 for the whole thing.....
 
>|<>QBB<
CaseyCor":bde01 said:
I would use the Onyx for Recording a Live Show or a Rehersal. How would you connect the Mixer to the DAW exactly?
Click to expand...

This doesn't really make a lot of sense. You're saying you want two inputs, but then you want a mixer to have more inputs? That totally defeats the purpose of recording with a computer.

And that's why I was saying you aren't going to get a lot of use out of a mixer recording with a computer. The vast majority of the time, you'd be recording 1-2 tracks at once. IMO, the most anyone really needs for stuff like this is 4 tracks for drums. You don't have to stick a mic on everything if you have decent overhead mics and place them properly. Using tons of mics is a bitch and costs a crap load of money without a significant benefit.

You can still go that route if you want, like for recording live stuff, but you should definitely look into an interface with more than two inputs.

Of course, if you just don't care at all about really being able to edit live recordings, you could still use a smaller interface, but again, I don't really see the point in bothering then.
 
Get the 24 track unit. 8 tracks will go like a pack of Kools at a rapper party.

http://www.tascam.com/Products/2488mkII.html
 
>|<>QBB<
CaseyCor":bcba4 said:
Hey everyone,
I'm looking to compile a list of the shit I need to start up a small home studio this summer, and I've got some questions.

Question #1

I'm planning (right now, at least) to get a DAW, because funds for a nice computer for myself aren't avalible right now, and won't be for a long time. I've been looking at the Tascam DP-01 series because of it's ease of use and features, as well as it's low price. But I'm worried about it's recording capabilities, having only 2 mic-imputs and being able to record only 2 tracks at a time. What if I want to set up some room mikes and record a jam? I'd be SOL with only a 2-mic set-up. So what should I do? Funds are quite low, so reccomend something cheap. It doesn't have to be stellar quality, just something that can get the job done easily and with good results. I plan on exporting the tracks to the iMac for mixing and mastering, so keep that in mind as well.

Question #2

Suggest some Microphones. I was thinking Shure SM57 and Sennheister E609 for guitar and Shure SM58 for vocals, but I'm open to other suggestions.

Question #3

Suggest some Monitors and some nice Headphones. Do I want Passive or Active monitors?

Question #4

Share your thoughts on acoustic padding. Best brands for the price, what to get exactly, ect.. (More on this later, need to get some room dimensions)

Question #5

Do you think I should get a Mixer of some sort? I'd like to make a studio set-up that can also be used live. Perhaps a rack with a Powered Mixer and a Power Amp as a PA, and then I could run the Mixer to a DAW for recording purposes?

Thanks for reading, I know that was a lot to cover!

-Casey
Click to expand...

#1 Yamaha 1600 (I have a Zoom 1608. nice for personal use, cheaper, but not as profesional.) I definitly think MIXDOWN on PC is the way to go.

#2 Id probably get a 57 or 2, a decent inexpensive condenser or 2. (MXL or whatever) then perhaps build up the arsenal with a Senheiser MD421 & pretty much any other mics. Even cheapies can be great for getting interesting results. a nice mic pre is a good purchase down the road.

#3 try b4 u buy if possible, & get a couple if possible, that sound different so you can switch between them & maybe catch what the others missed etc. A sub can be helpful. Speaker placement is also very important.

#4 acoustic damping, diffusion, speaker placement, are all room acoustics & important.

#5 up to you. different folks achieve results thru variety or setups live. you must find your way grasshopper... ;)
 
Thanks for all the great advise everyone, keep it comming! I'll post some more details tomorrow, I'm not in the position to make a long post right now.
 
in all honesty, here's what i'd do in your situation

cheap pawn shop pc- $200

2 channel mic pre w/usb connection- $100-200

57, 609, cheap condensder- $350

cables, stands, etc.- $100

decent software- $50-150

monitors- wait till you can get something nice

you're looking at about a grand that way, even if you want a better computer in a few years you'll always have a decent spare...those mics you can use for years...the mic pre will be a nice portable thing to have, even if you upgrade that someday
 
Out of the two links above (The Tascam and the Zoom) which would you say is better for the money?
 
Pc's are so cheap these days, there's no way I'd go any other route.
 
>|<>QBB<
IHateRap":ce3ee said:
Pc's are so cheap these days, there's no way I'd go any other route.
Click to expand...


My only problem with PC is that it seems to be a HUGE pain in the ass. I have a friend who runs an M-box on pc, and he spends more time in set-up, and clicking than he does recording. Thats why I went with a DAW instead of just buying an M-box and a couple of hard drives for my laptop. I can scroll through like 2 menus and I'm ready to go.


Just seems alot easier to me, and I get some damned good recordings (will be posting some soon) :D
 
DAW is the way to go, 100%.

Above question still pending. :)
 
I'm REALLY happy with the TASCAM, only thing is getting a bigger hard drive and installing it. I bought an 80gb hd for it $50, and I REALLY like the results I'm getting. I have to go get a SCSI cable tomorrow, and If I can lay down a few tracks this weekend, I'll post some clips for you.


p.s. installing the HD is SUPER easy.....no problem at all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
 
Back
Top