Phase Two: Music Studio Equipment for Recording vocals and live instruments

Microphones, professional sound cards, and more

Live recording is done through what is called "audio" . That's an actual recording of a live sound, just like a tape recording. As mentioned earlier, your audio/midi sequencer program will also handle audio recording, so you can do everything in it. Alternatively, you may wish to pursue a standalone digital multitrack recording device. We will discuss both on this page, as well as other essentials for this phase.

• 1. Get your digital multitrack recorder
• 2. Get your microphone.
• 3. Get your audio interface/sound card.
• 4. Get your studio headphones

1. Get your digital multitrack recorder or software multitrack sequencer.

Ingredients: Either a software sequencer that records audio as well, or a hardware  multitrack recoding machine.

Click here for Basics: How a Home Recording Studio Works

Steps: Decide where you want to record your audio. Here are some of the considerations. If you wish to use your computer's program, that's great and you'll save a lot of money. With a good quality sound  card, you can record at very high fidelity.

The downsides, though, are significant. As we all know, computers are not the most reliable pieces of equipment in the world. No, you're saying, mine NEVER crashes! Well, for you, the one person on earth who can say that, skip to the next paragraph! The rest of us don't enjoy losing lots of time and hard work when the computer freezes, as becomes more likely the more you demand CPU power for multiple tracks and adding things such as reverb and echo.

Further, mixing down on a computer with a mouse is not very convenient or effective. It can be done, and for simple 4 to 8 track projects, you'll do fine.

Using an external digital  multitrack  recorder  has many advantages in that they are more reliable, easier to mix with because they have those old familiar faders, and generally are of higher sound quality. They also come with internal effects such as reverb, delay, chorus, and so forth things which often crash computers if done internally. The downsides are the cost, albeit not so bad, and the limited number of tracks (usually 8 to 24).

Another consideration is that with an external device, you must make sure it has proper connectibililty and synchronization capability with the computer programs. Digital multitracks often utilize V-takes as well, which means you can record a number of versions of track 1 bass, for example, and choose the one to activate for your final mix.

Once you've analyzed your needs, go and get the home recording studio recorder or program you wish to work with. If you are using a software audio recorder, you may wish to consider an external controller board which will give you real faders for mixdown, instead of having to do it with a mouse.

 

Digital Multitrack Recorders for your studio Budget: TASCAM DP-02CF Digital Multitrack Recorder TASCAM's DP-02 is the 8-track digital recorder that makes recording fun, ditching menus for simple knobs and faders. Quality: Fostex MR-8HD CD Digital Recorder with CD Burner Capture inspiration whenever and wherever you are. The MR-8HD/CD is the easiest to use digital multitrack ever. If you can operate a tape recorder, you'll be recording, multitracking, and burning your own CDs within minutes of opening the box.

 

Back to top

2. Get your Microphone.

Ingredients: Well, yes. Microphones. Good ones.

Steps: Recognize that your standard windows microphone is not up to snuff. You will need a mic that will accurately record your music. Microphones are the most important feature, because their quality widely varies, and they are what you hear. The most famous and best budget microphone ever is the Shure SM58 Mic. I recall being in a studio and just for the heck of it switching from a thousand dollar Neumann to the Shure for a take, and choosing the Shure track. In your home recording studio, equipment like that can do all you need.

Microphones are not all the same. Here are the basic varieties to choose from:

1. Condenser Mics = the most common studio microphone, these excel at vocals.
2. Dynamic Mics = used for instruments with a larger dynamic (loud-soft) range. They are better for live gigs as well.
3. USB Mics = can be both condensers or dynamics, and are so called because they are their own audio interface, ie., they connect directly to your computer's USB port.
4. Specialty mics = include everything from drum mics to pencil condensers for area miking, floor mics and so forth.
5. Wireless mics = are only recommended for live performance, when you need hands-free amplification.

If you are going to record into your computer, you may have a connectivity issue, as many mics have what's called a balanced output cable. If your sound card or audio interface (see below) have the corresponding input slot (not common on PCI soundcards at all) you're OK. Otherwise, you'll either need to run it through a mixer that has it or a pre-amp. Alternatively, you can get good dynamic microphones which use an unbalanced jack, which you can insert or get an adapter for your sound card. Recording into digital multitracks usually won't be a problem, as they are made for all mics.

Another consideration is what's called " Phantom Power." More quality condenser mics require some small current to make them work. This feature is not on dynamics, so you'll be safe regarding that. Most digital multitrack recorders have a phantom power switch on the mic inputs, so condensers will work fine with them. For your computer recording, the pre-amp should give phantom power.  

 

Home Recording Studio Microphones Budget: Shure SM58 Mic Consistently the first choice of performers around the globe, the SM58 vocal microphone is a genuine world standard and a true audio legend. Quality: Rode Microphones Condenser Microphone The RODE NTs are the world's fully variable control microphones! Never before has this much control and versatility been available in a superlative class large capsule recording microphone.

 

Back to top

3. Get your audio interface recording sound card.

Ingredients: A way to get the sound you wish to record into your computer.

Steps: Even if you'll be recording externally, you'll still need to get the sound into the computer for mastering, burning, MP3 upload or whatever else. You want to get it in at high quality, so some of the factors to look for are types of input, quality and connectivity. Thus you need a GOOD audio interface.

Digital is different from analog. Analog is for our purposes actual sounds, while digital translates the sounds into numbers. When you sing, you will need to translate your analog signal (the singing coming into the microphone) into digital data, so your computer can record it. Thus, your soundcard does that translation. You want it to be able to do so at least at 16 bit, 44.1 Khz, which is the standard for CDs. Nowadays, most quality cards offer 24bit/96khz, so why not?

If you've used a digital multitrack, you should know the advantage of digital is that it doesn't lose quality when copied digitally to another device. Your digital multitrack can probably send it's music out digitally, so you'll do best to have a sound card that can accept digital data as well. The standard formats are called " spdif" , and come in two flavors, requiring two different types of cables: optical (spdif/o) and electronic (spdif/e). Make sure your multitrack and sound card use the same flavor and can connect.

 

Audio Interfaces for a Computer Home Studio Budget: Yamaha Audiogram6 USB Audio Interface With the AUDIOGRAM6, you get a powerful mixer-type audio interface with two mono input channels and two stereo input channels. Each of the two mono channels features combo-type connectors for direct connection of a wide range of sound input devices. Quality: Lexicon I-ONIX U42S USB 2.0 Audio-MIDI Interface Standard Brilliantly designed, the IONIX Desktop Recording Series fits where it makes the most sense, between your keyboard and monitor. With all the level meters and gain controls at your fingertips when using your DAW, you'll wonder why no one ever thought of it before.

 

Back to top

4. Get your studio headphones, playback gear.

Ingredients: The ability to hear the backing tracks as you record new tracks and vocals.

Steps: Make sure your backing tracks are synchronized to the device you will be recording your vocals to, because you will need them to play together when you mix, and you need to hear them to record with.

If you are using the computer program, this is usually automatic, but if you are using a  multitrack with a  computer, you may need to tweak your synchronization a bit. That usually entails connecting the computer and multitrack via a MIDI cable and then specifying on each (the program and the multitrack) which sync signal (MMC, MTC, SMPTE) is sent/received, the frame rate, which device is the master (the one that when you press play on it, the other plays as well), and whether pressing play on the master starts playback at the beginning or at the song position of the master (what you want).

A limiting workaround to synchronization is simply to record all your tracks as audio onto the multitrack, and then you don't need to use the computer until mastering. If you lack enough tracks, you can do a premix of the band onto fewer tracks (e.g. drums and bass, choir, stereo guitars). The drawback here, it that you can't make changes in that sub-mix afterward, but at least you've got the ability to proceed.

For recording you must listen to the backing tracks through headphones. Speakers won't help you here, because the sound will be picked up by the mike and it will muddy your vocal.

 

Studio Monitor Headphones Budget: Audio-Technica ATH-M20 Studio Monitor Headphones The Audio-Technica ATH-M20 Closed-Back Headphones deliver exceptional clarity, rich bass, and extended high-frequency response. The circumaural, closed-back design ensures superior isolation. Top: Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones Gloriously rich music reproduction for the road. Experience the innovative combination of Bose's acclaimed noise reduction technology and headphone audio performance with QuietComfort© 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones.

 

Back to top

So here's a synopsis of what we can do now:

1. Connect your microphone to your recording device.

2. Connect your headphones to your backing track source.

3. Enable the tracks on your recording device to record, and make sure that your microphone is being registered.

4. Record your vocals.

 

Alright, you've recorded it all by now. Onward to Phase Three in creating your home recording studio: Equipment for mixing down your songs.