Home Studio

[monroerules]

Hello all,
I am in the process of building a home studio in my basement. Close to completing floors, desk, etc. I am now looking for suggestions for software, interfaces and microphone. I am a fiddle/mandolin player looking to capture the authentic acoustical properties of the instrument. Please provide suggestions to the type of equipment you have had success using. This will be a windows based environment and some degree of a smaller budget.

Regards,

Michael Smartt

[Folkmusician.com]

I like the Scarlett interfaces (I have one). Just about all interfaces come bundled with lite versions of software which is fine to start with.

As for a mic... this gets more difficult. If only getting one, I would choose a nice condenser. Likely a small diaphragm.

[Mike Martin]

Will you be recording just yourself, or a whole band at once? And how much can you spend? You don't have to spend a lot to be able to make good recordings, but it sure is fun.


For a DAW I recommend Reaper. Fully functional free 30-day trial, paid license is $60. Very CPU and RAM efficient, and very stable. Despite the price, Reaper is a full-featured professional DAW on par with Pro Tools, Logic, or anything else.

Interface- I have a Scarlett 18i20 which has been good to me for 3+ years. I’ve heard of problems with the 2i2, it uses cheaper preamps and connectors I think. Probably most any brand these days is ok, I just wouldn't go bargain basement.

Mics are a rabbit hole, again I wouldn't go bargain basement but there's a lot of good value out there. If you are only getting one mic to start, hard to go wrong with an AT4033, you can find them for $150-250 used. Oktava mk319 is another good inexpensive-ish option. If you have a bright fiddle, you should consider a ribbon mic, they can smooth out the top end (but I wouldn't get one as your only mic). If you are willing/able to spend a little more, a multi-pattern large diaphragm condenser (LDC) like the AT4050 or AKG 414 is a good idea - having the option to record in Omni, figure 8, or cardioid gives you a lot of flexibility. If you have a sub-$100 mic budget, I'd go for an SM57 over any condenser in that price range - in general cheap condensers have a reputation for being overly bright/brittle though certainly there are exceptions.

[treidm]

More midrangy, older ones are a little darker = Neuman U 87
Heavier on bottom end, Very flat and accurate = AKG C414 B-ULS
AKG very versatile with 5 different polar patterns
Cheaper but still very good dynamic mic for both instrument and vocal = Shure 7M7B

Reid

[Mark Wilson]

Experiment with what ever you end up using. I found on acoustic intruments, the large condensor mics I have needed more eq afterwards than 2 small condensor mics in XY or AB settup. I like close mic and adding reverb if any after I record using impulse files of great rooms

Move the mic around in the room until you like the sound best in good headphones. Its nice to record and not need eq when you mix

[monroerules]

Thanks for all the input. I am thinking on the Scarlett 18i20 as the interface and will give Reaper a trial. Well aware the microphone is one of the major components. Budget wise, I would like to stay in the $ 300.00 range on the microphone.

Thanks again for the input!

Michael

[monroerules]

In response to the question of recording a complete band, most of the recordings will be stacked tracks. I don't really have the room for accurate separation for a full band.

Michael

[Don Grieser]

Most cheap condensers will have a peaky high end. The AT Pro 37R is a good small diaphram condenser and used it's usually $100 or less. It does have a high frequency rise, but not like the cheap Chinese condensers. The AT 3035 is no longer made but it had a pretty flat response and it's a bargain mic. The AT 4033 is a medium diaphram condenser and would work on both instruments and vocals. You can find them used for a little over $200. The 4033 was used by lots of bluegrass bands who did the one mic thing. It's a mic you will find a use for after even after you buy higher priced/better mics.

Edit: AT is Audio Technica. The Billyhawks recording in my signature was recorded with a Scarlett 18i20.

[Mike Martin]

https://reverb.com/item/12049945-stu...m_medium=share

$252 shipped. This is a fantastic mic, and not just a "good for the money" mic. I have one, and used it on vocals, ac guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and upright bass - works great on everything. I didn't mention it above because it’s out of production and I haven’t seen too many for sale. NFI.

$300 gives you plenty of options new or used for a good mic or mics - in addition to the usual suspects, Lauten, 3U, Warm Audio, Miktek, and Aston are a few other companies that seem to have good reputations for making quality “value” mics (no personal experience, just read about them). Research a little, read reviews and opinions, but my advice is not to get too hung up on finding the perfect mic, because there is no such thing for all people in all situations. At $200-$300 you're getting a good mic and the differences in sound quality are subjective and (mostly) subtle - the player, instrument, room, and micing technique will have much more impact on the quality of your recording than whether Mic X has a "smooth" top end, or is "warm," or "dark," or any other ambiguous quality. Get something good enough, and get recording!

[Br1ck]

I really like MOTU products. Their software is Mac based, but their interfaces work well with anything. I use a Track 16. Almost all the heavyweights, Pro Tools, etc. have a light version which should work fine.

I have a Rode NT2 that works well, and I have two Sure SM 81s. These are both just up the food chain a bit.

[Jim Nollman]

I'll offer one tip that I learned the hard way. My suggestion only applies if you plan to base your system on a computer, rather than a dedicated recorder. If that's true, whether its a mac or Windows, once you get all the software you like installed on it, and once you get up to speed about recording, mixing and mastering::: don't upgrade the OS. Every time you do upgrade the operating system, there's a good chance the recording software that worked fine before the upgrade, won't work anymore unless you also buy an "upgrade" of that software as well. That usually includes upgrading certain plugins and other associated music software.

It becomes a vicious circle. At some point you're going to realize that the software companies could easily tweak their current offerings to work just fine on any new OS. But they don't do it because they prefer to demand that we customers buy a new version, almost always with built-in "improvements' that none of us home studio folks will ever use. So if the system you have now, works OK for you, don't get seduced by a company's new offering of bells and whistles.

I don't have the operating budget of a pro studio.So what I eventually had to do to combat this continuing expensive process, was to install a second hard drive, onto which I installed an older 2014 version of the Mac OS. These days when I want to record, which is not every day any more, I simply reboot into the older OS, and then have total access to the 2014 version of Protools, plus a few thousand dollars of other older software which would otherwise be defunct. It works great, and I already know how to do everything that Protools offered at the time.

[Mike Martin]

...don't upgrade the OS. Every time you do upgrade the operating system, there's a good chance the recording software that worked fine before the upgrade, won't work anymore unless you also buy an "upgrade" of that software as well. That usually includes upgrading certain plugins and other associated music software.

It becomes a vicious circle. At some point you're going to realize that the software companies could easily tweak their current offerings to work just fine on any new OS. But they don't do it because they prefer to demand that we customers buy a new version, almost always with built-in "improvements' that none of us home studio folks will ever use. So if the system you have now, works OK for you, don't get seduced by a company's new offering of bells and whistles.

I don't have the operating budget of a pro studio.So what I eventually had to do to combat this continuing expensive process, was to install a second hard drive, onto which I installed an older 2014 version of the Mac OS. These days when I want to record, which is not every day any more, I simply reboot into the older OS, and then have total access to the 2014 version of Protools, plus a few thousand dollars of other older software which would otherwise be defunct. It works great, and I already know how to do everything that Protools offered at the time.

At the risk of sounding fanboy-ish, Reaper does not have these problems. It runs on Win XP as well as it does on Win 10. My experience is with Windows only, but pretty certain this holds true for Mac OS as well. [edit: supports Mac OS 10.5-10.13] it also works with Linux if you are so inclined. The $60 license ($200 for professional use, exact same software) is good for two version upgrades, i.e. v.5.0-6.999. Version 5.0 came out in August 2015, and v6 is still likely a year off, so for one price you get years of unlimited and free updates. Free trial is 60 days.

The download file is 11MB (not GB) for Windows 64 bit, 17MB for Mac OS. While it comes with standard plugins/VSTs like compressors, eq, reverb, etc., there is no bloatware or unnecessary bells and whistles. The company was started by Justin Frankel, who created and sold WinAmp for a bazillion dollars, and is all of two people who are focused on developing effective and efficient audio recording and siting software. There's an excellent manual, a ton of free how-to videos, and a very helpful community in the forums (not unlike the Cafe). It is extremely customizable and you can make it as complicated/sophisticated as you need, but it is also very easy to use if all you want to do are simple recording and editing tasks.

I probably sound like I'm evangelizing, and maybe I am. I just want people to be aware of it as it’s not on a lot of people's radar. They don't advertise or have a booth at NAMM (one reason why it’s so inexpensive). It's not for everybody, and if you are already familiar with another DAW there may be no reason to switch. But for someone like the OP who is just starting out, or if you are tired of having to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into Pro Tools on a regular basis just to keep it running on the latest OS, it is worth checking out.

[monroerules]

Thanks all for the awesome input. Mike, I am reviewing the Reaper introduction videos now. Think I will give Reaper a shot to start with and invest more in a mic or two!

Thanks to all!

Michael

[gtani7]

Audio Technica and Akg make good value mikes for under $250 used, as well as smaller companies SE electronics, CAD, Studio Project, just make sure you can get a refund if it's defective/dirty.

I would start with a book like Home Recording for Dummies or H.R. books by Dave Hunter or Rod Gervais (there's a bunch, amazon can suggest more). They'll go over the whole chain of mike > preamp > A/D converter/interface > DAW and also room treatment, which is critical.

[Pete Martin]

+1 Reaper.

If you use Mac, MOTU stuff is fine. If you use PC, it can be a nightmare... Personal experience.

Buy good mics, but you wont need many if you record one at a time. I LOVE ribbon mics for acoustic instruments!

[Jim Nollman]

The advice to stay away from Pro Tools in favor of Reaper (or other choices) makes sense for a small home studio with one notable caveat. Any collaborative recording with another studio, or producing sound for film or video, or even merging tracks with other musicians who, like you, record their own tracks in their own home studio may lead to a problem of bringing all those individual tracks together prior to mixing. Bouncing individual tracks into someone else's professional studio has never been an issue for me because I record like most of them, with Protools. I guess it depends on how far you plan to take it.

[DaveGinNJ]

Sorry to jump on this thread, but I found it interesting and I have some questions as well. I am a newbie but I have some interest in recording myslef for critique and sharing. Could I get away with just a mic and freeware like Audacity or is a preamp required? How do folks mic their instruments (distance from instrument, orientation, mounting etc)?

[Folkmusician.com]

If you get a USB mic, you can run direct to the computer.... Otherwise, you will want a preamp (actually an interface), of some sort.

[Folkmusician.com]

The advice to stay away from Pro Tools in favor of Reaper (or other choices) makes sense for a small home studio with one notable caveat. Any collaborative recording with another studio, or producing sound for film or video, or even merging tracks with other musicians who, like you, record their own tracks in their own home studio may lead to a problem of bringing all those individual tracks together prior to mixing. Bouncing individual tracks into someone else's professional studio has never been an issue for me because I record like most of them, with Protools. I guess it depends on how far you plan to take it.

Agreed here.. I have Protools and Logic (on Mac). Protools is actually really nice, but If I could only have one and wasn't buyign a bunch of plugins, synths, etc... I would just stick to Logic. That said, Protools is the industry standard.

[monroerules]

Agree and point well taken on the standardization of Pro Tools. I will keep in mind should this become a serious endeavor 😊! From what I am reviewing I think I will start with Reaper initially for budgetary purposes.