Home recording setup

[rdowner]

I only see official posts here, so I hope this is the right place for me to post this question. If not, sorry.

I was impressed by the prodcution quality of AcousticAl's upload of Old Man. It has inspired me to want to do better than my wife's MacBook Pro built in microphone. I will live with the camera .

What are the basic elements of a home recording set-up (not willing to call it a 'studio' at this point)? A digital audio interface? A microphone - directional (on a mic stand - close to your mouth) or a condenser mic - on a nearby table?

Wire the guitar and microphone through an amp and pick them both up with a condenser mic? Or wire them both through a digital interface?

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks!

Ron

[AndyT]

If you look in the Community section, you will find the TG Techies group where much of this has already been discussed.

I would like to add though, that with todays realitively inexpensive electronics, you can put a nice home recording setup together for not much money. A basic 2 channel digital USB interface will allow you to record some very nice audio. Add a fairly nice mic to it and you can still be under $200.

[rdowner]

Super. Thanks. I will check it out!

[AcousticAl]

Hi Ron,

Maybe some members with Macs can let you know what works for them? I've heard GarageBand is good- but know nothing about it myself.

I agree with Andy that you don't have to spend a ton. Mic & interface should be all you need.
I'd avoid condenser mics- too sensitive. Get a dynamic like the Sennheiser e835 ($100-ish)

Let us know if you have specific questions after looking in the Techies Group.

[jcrocket]

Ron -

I was exactly where you are a few months back - my first recordings were done with a MacBook Pro and its onboard camera and mic. I finally decided on an interface by Line6 and a couple of mics, figuring I already owned GarageBand, may as well see how that works before investing in other software. So far I've been pretty happy with this setup. The mics are condensers, and like Al said, they are pretty sensitive - I'm still learning how best to work with them.

I know there's lots of different ways to go with recording equipment - for example, a buddy of mine bought a portable Tascam 4-track recorder, which is about the size of a paperback book but has two built-in mics along with direct inputs. With his recorder, all of the mixing and mastering takes place right on the unit, then you can download the final mp3 file to a computer. His setup is far more portable than mine, but I can do more in terms of effects, etc., with mine. It's all a matter of what type of setup you're looking for.

Good luck,

Jeff