Building a home recording studio for <$1000

[Gildwulf]

Hey all,

I'm looking into starting a home recording studio, mostly to lay down vocal tracks and possibly some piano and acoustic guitar. I don't want to spend a lot of money since I can just go to a studio for the day to record a demo, but I want to be able to lay down vocal tracks and play with them a bit on my computer.

I talked to a few of my friends in the music business and they say I need something like:
a) a large condenser vocal mic hooked up to
b)a preamp with phantom power with
c) a soundcard and
d) some kind of software like Protools


I looked into some options and some possibilities are:
mbox2: this looks like a good all-in-one solution with a preamp and Protools LE. It's around $450 and I would have to buy a mic on top of that.

maudio mobilepre -looks pretty cheap and a similar idea to an mbox, but no recording software which can cost $300+

some possible mics:

mxl990
studioprojects b1 -got good reviews

here's a preamp that good reviews in my price range:
studio projects vtb

I'm also supposed to get a soundcard (I think)??

I ideally would like a setup where I can plug some [censored] into my laptop (or desktop), load up software and sing into a decent condenser mike. Does anyone with more technical knowledge know anything or can someone provide more input? Or maybe I should take this to an audophile website...

gw

[d-baggery]

Software-wise, Cakewalk should do the trick and is easy to use.

[swings100]

don't get an MBOX.

get a digi 002, or even a digi 002 rack.

i've built a recording studio for my son and included in it is a pro tools HD system, triton keyboard, recording booth and a couple of Apple g5 pro tools based systems. realistically, you need atleast a few grand, you can mix vocals really well on software these days and a decent mic/mixer but if you want to get to that next level you're gonna need to make a larger investment.

also, an AKG condenser microphone is top of the line for recording.

[HCR]

I tried this and at the time it wasn't possible for that amount of money. I mean you can get all the equipment fine but basement/home studios suck for sound. You would have to get some sound deadening foam http://www.controlnoise.com/ and build a room that is soundproof to get anything half decent. Also you need a mega computer in order to do good work fast. I found my computer lagging behind when I went to do some of this stuff.

I don't know about the mic stuff but if you get this its an all in one kinda deal, soundcard and protools to boot. This way you treat your computer as the soundboard and can do compression and all that crap on the computer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Digidesign-Digi001-P...1QQcmdZViewItem

It gets real expensive real fast...trust me I know.

[nolanfan34]

I have the MBox2 for work, and use ProTools as well. I am NOT an audiophile, but it is simple enough for me to figure out and use. ProTools has an amazing range of possibilities, none of which I'll even end up using since I'm only recording basic audio for an audio program I produce and host.

It connects to my laptop via USB. Can't get much easier than that. They do recommend a dedicated hard drive for recording the tracks onto. I would also say you need a fairly powerful PC to run the software on as well.

Can't speak to the rest (I just picked up a Sennheiser e935, but it's more of a speaking/interview mic), but the MBox has been a good all-in-one solution for me.

[swings100]

the Mbox doesnt even have that many outputs and its USB based. you can hook up atleast 6 instruments on a digi 002 and it serves as your mixer/recording tool with software, price about $2300.

[Gildwulf]

my buddy says the akg c2000b is a great mic for vocal stuff

also thanks for your input swings

[Gildwulf]

The thing is, I am not at a point in my life where I want to set up a serious home studio with padding, etc...I can go to a studio and record a demo for a day for $100 easily. I just need something to fool around with vocal tracks and help me write songs using vocal layering and recording that sounds good. I don't plan on recording a band in my house in the next 2 months since I'm moving in August anyways.

[swings100]

Most studios have a lot of hardware clunk for show, alot is controlled in the pro tools software - ALOT. if your budget was 1k, spend 1300 on a digi 002 rack, 200 on a decent AKG and you can fool around at home and bring your Pro Tools session into the studio with you to tweak it even more. by the way try not being a jackass in the psychology forum to me.

[HCR]

Well from what I've learned you'll always be dealing with sound problems then especially working with mics. However the Digi001 should do what you need...I don't think much out there will "help you" write songs and stuff...good luck.