Jordan
I have a laptop and I found a vocal mic, but what other things are needed to make your own home recording studio work?
Answer With the right equipment and a surprisingly small amount of money you can build a professional quality recording studio in your own home.
Here are the five basic tools that every home studio needs:
1. A recording device
For a perfectly good digital recording device, look no further than your computer. Your built-in sound card will probably work fine, but if you're serious about home recording, you should consider investing in a sound card made exclusively for that purpose, with a high-quality digital audio converter (DAC), microphone pre-amps and MIDI input/output.
To record
music on your computer, you'll also need sequencing software. This is software that records either analog audio from a microphone or MIDI data from electronic instruments. Sequencing software allows you to easily edit and mix multiple tracks, add effects, export audio files to CD. The industry standard for professional audio sequencing is Pro Tools (comes with its own sound card), but there are options for every budget.
Computers are such versatile and powerful home recording devices that almost everybody chooses this option. However, if you're a firm believer that computers and music don't mix, you can buy a multi-track digital recording device that records onto a compact Flash card or even burns directly to a CD.
2. A good microphone
Don't skimp on your microphone. Even with all of the magic of digital editing and effects, you can't do much with a bad source recording. The best kind of microphone for recording solo acoustic instruments and vocals is a condenser microphone. For vocals, you'll also want a pop filter, an inexpensive piece of material that protects the mic from hard "p" and sharp "s" sounds.
To record a full rock band, you'll need to mic all of the instruments separately using smaller dynamic mics. You should be able to find good condenser mics for under $200 and dynamic mics for under $100.
3. Monitor speakers and headphones
Monitor speakers are different than normal stereo speakers. They're important in a recording studio environment because they broadcast the audio exactly as it's being recorded, without "coloring" or "sweetening" the sound [source: BBC]. This is the best way to ensure that your recording will sound exactly how it did when you were playing it.
It's common to record songs in a multi-track format, recording each track one by one (drums first, bass second, keyboards third, et cetera). The best way to do this is to use a pair of headphones to listen to the previously recorded tracks as you lay down a new one. Good headphones keep the sound in, so the only thing that's recorded is the new track.
4. A MIDI controller or synthesizer
A synthesizer is typically an electronic keyboard that can be programmed to play many different kinds of sounds. But synthesizers come in many different shapes and sizes, such as guitar synths, wind instrument synths and drum machines.
A MIDI controller is like a synthesizer, but doesn't actually produce any sounds by itself. The instrument is literally a controller, like a joystick for a computer game. A MIDI controller produces MIDI data which can be used to play other synthesizers, whether hardware- or software-based. For example, you can use a MIDI controller to play an electronic keyboard plug-in like ProTools. Or use a single MIDI controller to play a whole network of interconnected synthesizers and drum machines.
5. An audio interface
An audio interface is like an external sound card. Instead of plugging microphones and digital instruments directly into your computer, you plug them into this external box that connects to your computer with a single cord, either USB or Firewire. The interface handles the analog-to-digital conversion, taking pressure off your computer's processing power. This is especially useful for laptops, which don't have space for extra internal PCI cards and generally have slower processors.
Audio interfaces, also known as breakout boxes, come with a certain number of microphone pre-amps (anywhere from two to a dozen) and knobs to control the recording level of each microphone. Generally, each instrument and vocal needs its own microphone (drums need at least 3 separate mics), so look for an interface with enough pre-amps to cover your needs.
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What do I need for a complete home recording studio?
oli
I'm about to buy a recording set online, but I've never had one, so I don't really know all the things I need. I don't want something professional and expensive though, just a little set so I can work on my music.
Answer
Here are the five basic tools that
every home studio needs:
1. A recording device
For a perfectly good digital
recording device, look no further
than your computer. Your built-in
sound card will probably work fine,
but if you're serious about home
recording, you should consider
investing in a sound card made
exclusively for that purpose, with a
high-quality digital audio
converter (DAC), microphone pre-
amps and MIDI input/output.
To record music on your computer,
you'll also need sequencing
software. This is software that
records either analog audio from a
microphone or MIDI data from
electronic instruments. Sequencing
software allows you to easily edit
and mix multiple tracks, add
effects, export audio files to CD. The
industry standard for professional
audio sequencing is Pro Tools
(comes with its own sound card),
but there are options for every
budget.
Computers are such versatile and
powerful home recording devices
that almost everybody chooses
this option. However, if you're a
firm believer that computers and
music don't mix, you can buy a
multi-track digital recording device
that records onto a compact Flash
card or even burns directly to a CD.
2. A good microphone
Don't skimp on your microphone.
Even with all of the magic of digital
editing and effects, you can't do
much with a bad source recording.
The best kind of microphone for
recording solo acoustic instruments
and vocals is a condenser
microphone. For vocals, you'll also
want a pop filter, an inexpensive
piece of material that protects the
mic from hard "p" and sharp "s"
sounds.
To record a full rock band, you'll
need to mic all of the instruments
separately using smaller dynamic
mics. You should be able to find
good condenser mics for under
$200 and dynamic mics for under
$100.
3. Monitor speakers and
headphones
Monitor speakers are different than
normal stereo speakers. They're
important in a recording studio
environment because they
broadcast the audio exactly as it's
being recorded, without "coloring"
or "sweetening" the sound [source:
BBC]. This is the best way to ensure
that your recording will sound
exactly how it did when you were
playing it.
It's common to record songs in a
multi-track format, recording each
track one by one (drums first, bass
second, keyboards third, et cetera).
The best way to do this is to use a
pair of headphones to listen to the
previously recorded tracks as you
lay down a new one. Good
headphones keep the sound in, so
the only thing that's recorded is the
new track.
4. A MIDI controller or
synthesizer
A synthesizer is typically an
electronic keyboard that can be
programmed to play many
different kinds of sounds. But
synthesizers come in many
different shapes and sizes, such as
guitar synths, wind instrument
synths and drum machines.
A MIDI controller is like a
synthesizer, but doesn't actually
produce any sounds by itself. The
instrument is literally a controller,
like a joystick for a computer
game. A MIDI controller produces
MIDI data which can be used to
play other synthesizers, whether
hardware- or software-based. For
example, you can use a MIDI
controller to play an electronic
keyboard plug-in like ProTools. Or
use a single MIDI controller to play
a whole network of interconnected
synthesizers and drum machines.
5. An audio interface
An audio interface is like an
external sound card. Instead of
plugging microphones and digital
instruments directly into your
computer, you plug them into this
external box that connects to your
computer with a single cord, either
USB or Firewire. The interface
handles the analog-to-digital
conversion, taking pressure off
your computer's processing power.
This is especially useful for laptops,
which don't have space for extra
internal PCI cards and generally
have slower processors.
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