recording equipment - new member

allfalldown · Unread post by **allfalldown** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:54 am

hey folks - I'm new on the board, but not new to dmb...lol. Been playing for 7 years or so (I think?), and learned to play specifically because I wanted to play dmb songs. Been listening to Dave since 1994. I know, not much of an intro, but I guess that's it...

My first post here is a question to all those who record at home:

Can anyone recommend decent/good mic and USB Audio/midi interface to get started with doing some recording? I don't mean top of the line stuff, but something of good quality that I'll be able to enjoy and put out some decent sounding stuff. Also, I only have acoustic guitars, so will I need a pickup, or can I just use a single mic for voice and music? If I will need a pickup, what is a decent one of those that I can start with? If it matters, I have an Ibanez and a Takamine.

Thanks a lot.

Brock · Unread post by **Brock** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:28 pm

I have an M-Audio Audiophile USB that works great. If you have FireWire on your computer, get the FireWire one to avoid USB latency issues.

You can use a single mic for voice and music, although if you prefer recording both at once positioning the mic to get good-quality sound from both at the same time might be difficult. I would recommend either two mics or a mic and a pickup (although as a general rule a mic'd guitar sounds better than a pickup'd guitar). If you go the pickup route, I love my B-Band AST+A1 (link here).

i-am-me · Unread post by **i-am-me** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:35 pm

brock, can you explain how a mic and a picup would work??

Brock · Unread post by **Brock** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:36 pm

i-am-me wrote:brock, can you explain how a mic and a picup would work??

You would need an audio capture device that takes two inputs, or use a mixer in between.

i-am-me · Unread post by **i-am-me** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 2:23 pm

so what's the most simple set up. not looking for anything insane. just a mic that'll get me some good sound, probably want to record straight into the computer....is that okay?

allfalldown · Unread post by **allfalldown** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 2:47 pm

Does this look like something that would work as far as having a mic for voice and guitar? As TrippinBill686 recommended, this would allow me to not have a pickup.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MEWA:IT

Thanks again.

allfalldown · Unread post by **allfalldown** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 3:00 pm

oh, and I do have a firewire card, so I guess going with an interface that uses that over USB would be what I should do.

How's this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MEWA:IT

Thinking more - the Firewire interfaces seem a lot pricier when compared to the USB. Is it reallly that big a difference to substantiate the price?

MWR · Unread post by **MWR** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 6:54 pm

As far as firewire interfaces go heres a handful of options:

Mbox
Mackie Onyx Mixer with FW interface option
M-Audio FW interface

These are a little on the expensive side but they include everything you need: At least two XLR inputs with high quality preamps, phantom power, midi interface, and usually an LE version of whatever software (mbox has the edge there).

The cheapest solution would be to get a inexpensive mixer with XLR inputs and Phantom power. Behringer is pretty popular for cheaper mixers. Then you hook that up to you comp thru the sound card like TrippnBill686 said.

As far as mics go I would get a large diaphragm condenser like a Studio Prjects B1
Dnyamic mics like an SM58 are great do everything mics and are really rugged for live situations but for recording acoustic guitar and vocals in your bedroom a large diaphragm condenser is a much better decision.

If you have your heart set on recording vocals and guitar simultaneously than a pick-up is probably a good Idea. That way you avoid the bleeding and phase problems of setting up two mics. Plus finding the right placement for both can be a pain. But if you don't mind recording them spererate(as in most studio situations) you'll just need the one mic and your set.

Hope that helps.

We should get a sticky going with some basic recoding advice/recommendations.

allfalldown · Unread post by **allfalldown** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:13 pm

Thanks for the tips Mike. I'll check those options out.

Any other comments appreciated.

Swe dmbfan · Unread post by **Swe dmbfan** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 8:14 pm

dmbtabs.com welcome to it.

CheersDtoT · Unread post by **CheersDtoT** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 3:10 pm

Hi. I may have a idea. First you need some sort of interface... but I'm sure you already know that. But some mic... it really doesn't matter... if you know how to use a mic you can put them on anything. The other day I saw John Mayer's Engineer put a Beta58 on a ride. Buy an SM58 ($99)... or buy a Beta58 ($120)... they are MUCH better... you can even use a Beta 57 for vocals as well. Or if you want a good condensor mic... buy a Beta 87(250)... they are good for studio and live. If you want a good studio mic... I like shures... amd Neumans... If you have 300-600 dollars to spend... if you have 800-1800 dollars to spend buy a Nueman. Shure's are industry standard... if not a little above the bar. When you are recording your guitar... please use a Direct Box. It's Low Z and balanced... I hate when people use 1/4 unbalanced... u get WAY better signal and a MUCH lower impediance when you use a D.I. or run it balanced. If you didn't understand some of the stuff I just said... just let me know!! Have a GREAT DAy!

allfalldown · Unread post by **allfalldown** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 10:31 am

alright, after doing a little more reseach, I have a few more questions...

I've been looking at M-Audio Delta series and Omni Studio as well - they see nice, but even on eBay, they're a little pricey. To make matters more confusing, I like the look of the Tascam US-122, but I've recently read complaints about latency with USB interfaces and that I'd be happier with something else. Also, I'd go with Firewire, but it's too expensive.

For my set-up, I'd like to spend $100 or less for a single mic, and then get away with an interface for $200-250 I suppose. With that $200-250 figure in mind, I am speaking of a soundcard and breakout box (or the complete plug and play USB interface).

The other option I'm considering after another evening of research, is going with the M-Audio 2496 card, and then getting a simple mic preamp with XLR and phantom power (as opposed to the more expensive Omni Studio set-up). Is this a good option? Better than the USB interface?

That raises yet another question about pre-amps -
Would it be better to get a tube preamp with only 1 or 2 ins/outs, like the PreSonus Tubepre or BlueTube, or go with a "normal" non-tube preamp with multiple ins/outs? They are both easily found on eBay for 30% or more off musician's friend pricing. To add insult to injury, I've also see a preamp with a built in compressor - would this be something good to have?

Your thoughts appreciated on all fronts.

allfalldown · Unread post by **allfalldown** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 11:34 am

allfalldown · Unread post by **allfalldown** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 7:05 pm

anyone? Damn I'm impatient...lol

DMBTabs.com

recording equipment - new member

recording equipment - new member

Who is online