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Post subject: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2018 11:57 am
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Well folks, I've finally been able to move into an area with few neighbors, no shared walls, and enough room in my house as to have a studio in it. I've been interested in putting together a home studio for quite some time, and of course, this will be a budget set up. I'll have a desk, a lunchbox guitar head (or a few of them) with an emulated input on my desk next to my computer, connected to a cab several feet away. I'll have a couch, an electronic drum set, a Zoom R16 Interface, wall hangars for my guitars/basses, some acoustic treatment, and I'll probably purchase Apple's Logic DAW.

I'm pretty confident that I can do very well with the set-up that I am planning. However, I know that many of you have more experience in the studio than I do, and I want to maximize the potential of what I can do. OF COURSE, I do not want to spend much money, but if you have any space saving, budget conscious, tone-maximizing, or efficiency-minded gear plugs or tips, please let me know about them.

Thanks for any tips!

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2018 8:59 pm
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Hi, mac67.

Sounds like you’re on a roll in the right direction.

Without going too far into brand specifics one of my first priorities is to have a good pair of neutral headphones. That extra bass or high end won’t help. You probably know that already. One of my biggest peeves is running over or catching my headset cable. I recommend headphones with detachable cables so replacement is available. Also, replaceable cushions will save you in the future. Why is this headphone issue of interest? Well, savings is one thing; but, not just out of pocket, but it might save the project if you damage your preferred phones and want to continue in the same fashion. The alternative is to have a backup set. Either method works. Also, in some cases short and long cables are available so that’s an extra advantage if possible. There are lots of choices which I’m sure you will find to your liking, unless you have that solved already.

As for software, there obviously is a lot of free and costly plugins. A lot of it is redundant in different ways. A kazillion EQs for example. Sometimes audio is over produced with things made simply because they can be. So much effort is given to pre-production and post production. Often little is given to the thought of mastering and I’ve been guilty of it coming from a tape world originally where sound on sound and sound with sound was a different process unless you could afford the uber expensive hardware emulated by today’s software.

That said, you’ll have plenty available and on hand software and hardware to do your initial recording. I’m sure others will chime in on software too. Adding plugins will be ongoing. It will all need to be mastered so you’ll want to think about this early on IMHO (unless you have the moola to hire a pro studio). :lol: You might want to grab some decent mastering software tools to wrap up all those good compositions and to fix some not so good ones with pizazz and quality. Take a look at Nugen and Softube and see if anything is of interest. Sometimes, you’ll find lesser expensive (Lite) versions of software that will do you fine and then you can add to it or go full blown later. Right now I use a plugin called Stereoizer Elements which spreads the stage of a mono recording (such as the guitar). There are various ways to do this, but this little tool is fantastic in how it performs, and it has become a favourite of mine that I would miss.

I’ll sign off on this for now and I’m not endorsing any of those companies except to say that there is quality software and the others. Both have their pluses and minuses. In the long run a few good choices will trump a lot of bad or useless ones, and you’ll find that cost is relative with sales and freebies all over the place. :D

Good luck with the studio project, mac67.

FSB

The two best tools in audio production are the brain and the soul. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 1:28 pm
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Fender Strat Brat wrote:
Hi, mac67.

Sounds like you’re on a roll in the right direction.

Without going too far into brand specifics one of my first priorities is to have a good pair of neutral headphones. That extra bass or high end won’t help. You probably know that already. One of my biggest peeves is running over or catching my headset cable. I recommend headphones with detachable cables so replacement is available. Also, replaceable cushions will save you in the future. Why is this headphone issue of interest? Well, savings is one thing; but, not just out of pocket, but it might save the project if you damage your preferred phones and want to continue in the same fashion. The alternative is to have a backup set. Either method works. Also, in some cases short and long cables are available so that’s an extra advantage if possible. There are lots of choices which I’m sure you will find to your liking, unless you have that solved already.

As for software, there obviously is a lot of free and costly plugins. A lot of it is redundant in different ways. A kazillion EQs for example. Sometimes audio is over produced with things made simply because they can be. So much effort is given to pre-production and post production. Often little is given to the thought of mastering and I’ve been guilty of it coming from a tape world originally where sound on sound and sound with sound was a different process unless you could afford the uber expensive hardware emulated by today’s software.

That said, you’ll have plenty available and on hand software and hardware to do your initial recording. I’m sure others will chime in on software too. Adding plugins will be ongoing. It will all need to be mastered so you’ll want to think about this early on IMHO (unless you have the moola to hire a pro studio). :lol: You might want to grab some decent mastering software tools to wrap up all those good compositions and to fix some not so good ones with pizazz and quality. Take a look at Nugen and Softube and see if anything is of interest. Sometimes, you’ll find lesser expensive (Lite) versions of software that will do you fine and then you can add to it or go full blown later. Right now I use a plugin called Stereoizer Elements which spreads the stage of a mono recording (such as the guitar). There are various ways to do this, but this little tool is fantastic in how it performs, and it has become a favourite of mine that I would miss.

I’ll sign off on this for now and I’m not endorsing any of those companies except to say that there is quality software and the others. Both have their pluses and minuses. In the long run a few good choices will trump a lot of bad or useless ones, and you’ll find that cost is relative with sales and freebies all over the place. :D

Good luck with the studio project, mac67.

FSB

The two best tools in audio production are the brain and the soul. :wink:



Thanks for the tip on the headphones. I hadn't thought about getting ones with detachable cords, but it is a good idea, as I have definitely experienced the head jerk of non-detachable cords. I have a set of monitors already, but if I remember right, one of them died (I haven't had them properly set up for two years now :( .)

I don't mind you telling me what your favorite brands are! I'll certainly look into any products you suggest, and make my decisions from there.

It's interesting that you bring up mastering tools. I have only a little Garageband experience so far, having made several (halfway decent by my own standards) songs with it. I don't think I completely understand what mastering is, and why I should need plug-ins/software tools for it. In the past I just assumed it was making sure everything is EQ'd right, and that everything is tweaked just right, like track volumes in the mix, etc. Can you (or anyone) tell me what I'm missing here? This is going to be an adventure for myself, and I definitely know I'll be learning a lot.

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cost it what it will
for he who hides the wrong he did
did the wrong thing still."
-Miss Uel


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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 4:14 pm
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Mastering is, think of it this way, taking many and all recorded and mixed sounds of a composition, and tweaking the lot as one end product so that it plays nice with yours and/or another’s playback gear. It also helps to give uniformity to volume across a number of songs. That’s the simplification of it, but it’s a learned process that can use little or many tools of a variety available, and the very best mastering engineers make big bucks. You’ll find a lot of videos and articles on the Net that go into it further. It doesn’t have to be complicated and you’ll soon see what works for you. :wink:
One man’s introduction:



This is a very good simple explanation of Mastering as it applies to Garageband. It is not a complete tutorial (more is available which you can find on YouTube and elsewhere). It’ll give you some idea though. It can be easy or specialized according your desire, ability, and budget.



As for headphones I’ll point you to YouTube for the latest currently available. I will tell you that AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, Sony, and Shure are very often the choice of studio professionals. I can’t speak for Audio Technica which makes some very good audio gear, but Bose (not a favorite of mine, although I was gifted their expensive noise cancelling model) and many others are not generally mixing phones. They, like some very good high end boutique headsets, are more HiFi. and even Beats are seen with vocalists. Vocalist headsets do not have to be as critical as mixing headsets since most of the voice is mid range and mixing is not a concern.

There is a difference between marketing, promotion, a company’s deal upon purchase, and sometimes you’ll see equipment that is used based on a parent company. Like NBC and RCA (past), Sony and Columbia. The first cans (headphones) I mentioned are workhorses of the industry, and they have a history. You’ll want to check them out as mentioned. Better still, if you can try them on that will help with the fit. Checkout what the future holds for those earpads. You’ll be wearing them for some time.

I’ve worn dozens of brands professionally in studios, in control rooms, and in the field, and I’ve often found open back have a comfort zone for me, but you’ll want a quiet studio atmosphere as, generally speaking, close backs are for recording tracks and open backs are for mixing.

I tend to like AKG (Tip look at the affordable semi-open AKG 240 versions - good for mixing and recording. We used similar, and this style has been popular for years), but, the others are perfectly fine with me too.

I hope this info is helpful.

Mixing and mastering is an art as well as a technique, but don’t get too technical with it at first. You’ll learn with mistakes and improve with them too.

FSB

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 4:46 am
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Fender Strat Brat wrote:
Mastering is, think of it this way, taking many and all recorded and mixed sounds of a composition, and tweaking the lot as one end product so that it plays nice with yours and/or another’s playback gear. It also helps to give uniformity to volume across a number of songs. That’s the simplification of it, but it’s a learned process that can use little or many tools of a variety available, and the very best mastering engineers make big bucks. You’ll find a lot of videos and articles on the Net that go into it further. It doesn’t have to be complicated and you’ll soon see what works for you. :wink:
One man’s introduction:



This is a very good simple explanation of Mastering as it applies to Garageband. It is not a complete tutorial (more is available which you can find on YouTube and elsewhere). It’ll give you some idea though. It can be easy or specialized according your desire, ability, and budget.



As for headphones I’ll point you to YouTube for the latest currently available. I will tell you that AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, Sony, and Shure are very often the choice of studio professionals. I can’t speak for Audio Technica which makes some very good audio gear, but Bose (not a favorite of mine, although I was gifted their expensive noise cancelling model) and many others are not generally mixing phones. They, like some very good high end boutique headsets, are more HiFi. and even Beats are seen with vocalists. Vocalist headsets do not have to be as critical as mixing headsets since most of the voice is mid range and mixing is not a concern.

There is a difference between marketing, promotion, a company’s deal upon purchase, and sometimes you’ll see equipment that is used based on a parent company. Like NBC and RCA (past), Sony and Columbia. The first cans (headphones) I mentioned are workhorses of the industry, and they have a history. You’ll want to check them out as mentioned. Better still, if you can try them on that will help with the fit. Checkout what the future holds for those earpads. You’ll be wearing them for some time.

I’ve worn dozens of brands professionally in studios, in control rooms, and in the field, and I’ve often found open back have a comfort zone for me, but you’ll want a quiet studio atmosphere as, generally speaking, close backs are for recording tracks and open backs are for mixing.

I tend to like AKG (Tip look at the affordable semi-open AKG 240 versions - good for mixing and recording. We used similar, and this style has been popular for years), but, the others are perfectly fine with me too.

I hope this info is helpful.

Mixing and mastering is an art as well as a technique, but don’t get too technical with it at first. You’ll learn with mistakes and improve with them too.

FSB



I think those videos really helped explain it to me, thanks. I'm glad I asked, and I appreciate your answer. I'll definitely be researching it more as I get some more songs to completion.

I didn't know the difference between open and closed back headphones, so thanks. I know I like a guitar cab that's open back, and I think I understand why you would want open back headphones for mixing/mastering. I had been looking at some AKG headphones months ago before I knew I was going to be moving into this space. I'll have to look into them again. Plus, I was definitely wondering about Beats, Bose too sorta. I knew that they were marketed as studio headphones, but it didn't seem like any producer except MAYBE Dr. Dre used them.

So I have a final question (or maybe I'll ask more questions as they come up, who knows). What are your (FSB or anyone else's) favorite multi-purpose microphones and why? I have a Samson C0-1 condenser and a Shure SM57, and I am willing to recruit anything that's budget conscious and helpful for my own uses.

_________________
"Speak the truth, and speak it ever,
cost it what it will
for he who hides the wrong he did
did the wrong thing still."
-Miss Uel


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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 3:19 pm
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Glad to see that the videos helped.

Mics for recording. Well, I wish I could say that’s an easy question. I’ll try to give you some idea, because it would take up a great part of the Forum to be specific.

First know that there are poor, good, better, best, Newer mics are not always better than older models. In fact cherished classics still hold and actually increase in value. Price does not always dictate quality because there are mics that cost less and perform better, although not very often. The truly amazing mics like Neumann do not come cheap, but are worth every penny only if you get a return for your satisfaction, IMHO. Two of my go to favorites were expensive RCA ribbon classics (44 BX and a 77 boom mike on a parambulator). When considering price versus models you’ll find a more expensive mic may not be your best choice for the job at hand. My drum mic kit includes Samson C02s (Could I do better? Absolutely, but they compare well for the price and I’ve used better and equal in the studios. Your C01 is better than mine for example.) for overhead, but not for toms, kick, or snare. A highly sensitive mic would not be as good as a low sensitive mic where high sound pressure is the concern. That brings us to the workhorse Shure SM 57. Overall, you will find these in a majority of studios. Are they better than the popular ice cream cone SM 58? Well, that depends. There are celebs that use both and either/or. There are personal preferences, different characteristics and, aside from the rock star look, the SM 58 may have more vocalist following, but the SM 57 can hold it’s own and it is more versatile with excellent instrument recording. The SM 57 Beta has been tweaked for even more vocal response, but the original might be matched, but with it’s history of hit recordings it is overall hard to beat. I use a 57 Beta. I would be happy to have an SM 58, but you can do better for studio work. There are definitely better vocal mics and instrument mics, but compared to the 57 combined is questionable. For example, the 57 is a dynamite snare mic. YMMV

Generally speaking, sticking with proven over time brands and mics will do you well. You might have a great deal though that will tweak your interest. In my case, I use a TC-Helicon MP-75 dynamic super cardiod microphone that can, but doesn’t have to, control the VoiceLive Play GTX stomp box for voice and guitar. It is great since it was designed for and by a professional company that is built around vocal effects. Are there better mics? Again, yes. But, this is one nice mic. You’ll have to eat the mic like some others though. Some mics are meant for a distance and others close up, still others can feed back easier and then others have frequency gain or loss sometimes with noise. Too much info to go into here, but those details are usually available with the mic and studio recording gives you options not available live. The Net is also helpful.

What makes a good stage mic is not necessarily the right choice for recording and vice versa. A particular dynamic mic could sound better than a particular condenser. On the flip side, a light weight membrane condenser mic can often survive an impact more than a heavier dynamic moving-coil type.

I’ll wrap it up here with a few notations. Studios often buy high end to increase their market image when lesser mics will do just fine. They’ll still use them of course. Used? I generally am leary of that unless I know and trust the history. Maintenance is crucial here. There is a minor health risk with spit, hair, and gremmies amongst other issues. Sometimes, the risk is worth the cleanup. Use a sock and/or a wind screen when feasible. Several socks can give you options, and they also keep your mics dust free when not in use. Otherwise, clean your mics accordingly. Always buy xlr versions. Matched pairs are always better than unmatched pairs. On/off switches on a mic is looking for trouble in most cases. Inline with the cord is better, but still less than perfect. Use cables instead of wireless for serious recording.

As for ideal patterns that can be found in the Net and respective manufacturers’ sites.

Specific preferential mics for the job can be found on YouTube. While we all love the warm sensitive ribbon mics on vocals, your best bet is trusting your ears.

Some of the affordable preferential studio mics come from *Shure (SM 7 Metallica, Michael Jackson), *Sennheiser (very popular today, although mostly known for live and wireless), Rode (Adele), Sony (Mariah), *Neumann (high end available under a grand though), Audio Technica, EV (I used many in the past), *AKG, and Heil (Stevie Wonder uses these), Telefunken (Sinatra/Springsteen).

FSB

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:23 am
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mac67 wrote:
Well folks, I've finally been able to move into an area with few neighbors, no shared walls, and enough room in my house as to have a studio in it. I've been interested in putting together a home studio for quite some time, and of course, this will be a budget set up. I'll have a desk, a lunchbox guitar head (or a few of them) with an emulated input on my desk next to my computer, connected to a cab several feet away. I'll have a couch, an electronic drum set, a Zoom R16 Interface, wall hangars for my guitars/basses, some acoustic treatment, and I'll probably purchase Apple's Logic DAW.

I'm pretty confident that I can do very well with the set-up that I am planning. However, I know that many of you have more experience in the studio than I do, and I want to maximize the potential of what I can do. OF COURSE, I do not want to spend much money, but if you have any space saving, budget conscious, tone-maximizing, or efficiency-minded gear plugs or tips, please let me know about them.

Thanks for any tips!


Logic Pro is the right way to go, in my humble opinion. Add a set of decent studio monitors (Rokits are cool),
some good microphones, a decent Audio interface, headphones and you should be good to go. Some people make the mistake of adding everything they want before they start recording. I'm of the group that started with Audacity, cheap headphones and determination to record. Have fun!

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 6:02 pm
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Miami Mike wrote:
mac67 wrote:
Well folks, I've finally been able to move into an area with few neighbors, no shared walls, and enough room in my house as to have a studio in it. I've been interested in putting together a home studio for quite some time, and of course, this will be a budget set up. I'll have a desk, a lunchbox guitar head (or a few of them) with an emulated input on my desk next to my computer, connected to a cab several feet away. I'll have a couch, an electronic drum set, a Zoom R16 Interface, wall hangars for my guitars/basses, some acoustic treatment, and I'll probably purchase Apple's Logic DAW.

I'm pretty confident that I can do very well with the set-up that I am planning. However, I know that many of you have more experience in the studio than I do, and I want to maximize the potential of what I can do. OF COURSE, I do not want to spend much money, but if you have any space saving, budget conscious, tone-maximizing, or efficiency-minded gear plugs or tips, please let me know about them.

Thanks for any tips!


Logic Pro is the right way to go, in my humble opinion. Add a set of decent studio monitors (Rokits are cool), some good microphones, a decent Audio interface, headphones and you should be good to go. Some people make the mistake of adding everything they want before they start recording. I'm of the group that started with Audacity, cheap headphones and determination to record. Have fun!
Sound advice, Mike. Even with drums, (although electronic drums will likely apply in mac67’s case) I have 7 mic’s going into a mixer, but I have miked a kit successfully with a one, two, or three mic setup. In fact, less is preferred by some pro studios to reduce a variety of issues. Even without a mixer, some interfaces would suffice with required inputs. Sometimes, one can think outside the box with mics. An example: We used to use Sony’s first lavalier Sony ECM-50 to mike a grand piano. We just stumbled on it by experimenting with the new mic. Blown away by how good it responded, I knew a few of our associates in other studios that later adopted the practice in time of need. In short, try things out even if it breaks the rules. Also, you can follow the rules for mic placement, but those are approximates in most cases as hardware and acoustics have variables; so, experiment with that too using tried and true placement as a guideline. YouTube can help you learn this too. Ya just never know. All this might save you money or your project and, like Mike said, it might buy you time. But, of course, if you have better options use that. :wink:
As for speakers and/or headphones, I agree that you don’t have to break the bank to get started, but buying headsets and/or monitors will be a good investment, especially should you want to remix a composition down the road since you won’t, in most cases, be able to undo what you couldn’t hear earlier. Not always a problem, but it could be. My 2 decades old Altecs and sub are still supporting me and they don’t owe me anything. I could do better, but I don’t have the need as much as the desire. Again good, better, best still applies. :wink:
Two ways to look at it:

My dad used to say, “You can’t get champagne on a beer budget.”

True. But, I always say, “A fine tasting medium price wine is better than a bitter tasting high end champagne.” If you can get that for less - bonus!
YMMV :D
FSB

Old Chinese version:
“A first rate soup is better than a second rate painting.”

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 2:00 pm
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Exactly, FSB! He could start soundproofing his space and making it "tone sensitive" with
special treatments, but if only looking to do some home recording, just a little will go a
long way.

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:16 pm
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You just reminded me, Mike of a time when it was trendy to collect cardboard egg cartons that would be mounted to the wall (usually covering it). Some guys would spray paint them. Did they work? Yup! Well . . . sorta. They looked kinda funky too.:P
FSB

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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:13 am
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Thank you for the incredible advice, guys! I'll keep this post in my back pocket so that when it comes time to work on the studio, I can remind myself of what you guys said. Thanks again FSB and MM!

Of course, anybody else is welcome to share if they have more to input!

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cost it what it will
for he who hides the wrong he did
did the wrong thing still."
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Post subject: Re: Home Studio. Advice?
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:21 am
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You are very welcome, mac67. Good luck on your musical journey.

FSB

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