ibook home studio for a newbie
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Posted on Mar 14, 2007 03:26 pm
digitalpencil
Member Since: Mar 14, 2007
Hi,
I'm v.new to the world of recording but have been saving up my pennies and am looking for some advice as to what is required for a good-sounding home studio setup on a budget.
I'm looking to record light, acoustic music (2 tracks simultaneously) on my ibook and so figure that I firstly, require a usb break-out box (as my ibook doesn't have an audio input). I've been looking at the edirol ua-5 as this has mac drivers and two xlr/jack inputs (one phantom-powered).
For the mic, I've been looking at the Rode NT1-A.
How's this combination sound? Would I have trouble with background noise coming through the mic? Would a compressor help here to 'gate' the sound? (not really sure what a compressor does)
Also, would I be able to get away with just using the edirol ua-5 or would I need a mixer, amp/preamp, compressor etc. (i'm only going to record two tracks simultaneously).
Other than the obvious (boom, xlrs, pop shield, shock-mount) is there anything else you recommend I look at for the optimum sound-value setup I could get running on my ibook?
Apologies if this doesn't make much sense, i've never done anything like this before but have been eager to do some recording for many years so want to ensure my hard-earned pennies are well-spent.
Any advice/recommendations are much appreciated,
Thanks,
-- digipencil
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pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Mar 14, 2007 08:10 pm Hey there Digipencil, welcome to the HRC.
Also, welcome to the money pit =).
Ha, just kidding, sort of.
Anyway, looking at the ua5, it seems pretty straight-forward, and pretty decent. I don't believe there's midi on it, but you may not need it, so that may not be an issue.
I believe phantom power would be on both xlr preamps, at least it looks like it is. I certainly could be wrong.
Condensor mic will certainly be a good thing for you to do vocals and acoustic. Many like the small diameter condensors for acoustic, but it's all a matter of taste, and being able to record with what you got.
The NT1-A is very well regarded, as a great 200$ range mic. There's tonnes of people who are very happy with theirs. It was on my list of possibles when I was looking, but went with a studio projects C1 instead.
Yes, you will hear background noise. Possibly more than you can hear with your ears. I was micing my drummer with a SP B3 out in front of the kit, and could hear him sniff in the headphones. So be prepared for that. Someone wrote once, welcome to the world of ant farts and bug sneezes, or something like that =).
A compressor will take signal that's higher than the set value (threshold) and bring down the volume some. This way you can turn up the overall level, thereby bringing up the lower parts, but the compressor 'squishes' down the higher signals. This makes the whole track sound louder, or fuller. It's not a requirement for incoming signal, but it's certainly not a bad idea. I'm looking into building one for myself, after I build up a preamp. But overused, they can sound weird, often adding a pumping sound. Plus, it can't be removed once you record a track with too much compressor on it.
Anyway, a gate will only let signal pass through that meets a certain level, whereas compressors bring down some of the higher parts. It's kinda more complex than that, but you get the idea. It can certainly be a good idea, but it won't kill you if you don't have one yet.
Compressors can also be used in digital land, as plug-ins. In this case, the track can have a compressor on it, to fatten up, or thicken a track. This is almost always useful on vocals and bass. Both of those seem to benefit greatly from a well used compressor. This way, in the digi world, you can change your software compressor to fit your needs. Also tweaking around can teach you what it does. Plus, you can adjust a compressor later, when a mix starts coming together with other instruments. What sounds good by itself, may need to be adjusted later, when the whole mix is together. You can't do that with a hardware compressor, as the compression is already in there. I don't think this is an issue for experienced engineers, but I'm not one of them =).
The type of room you're recording in is pretty much as important as the mic. Recording in a reflective room can add flutter, and muddiness. Having things in the room can help, like couches, and curtains, etc. I'm looking at hanging packing blankets to tame some of my slap echo, etc. You may want to think about that, if the room you're using is not sonically decent.
Monitors will be an issue. How will you hear what you've recorded. If on headphones, then there's issues with stereo field accuracy, depth perception, etc. Some like to use cans (headphones), but I only use them to hear for artifacts, mistakes, articulation problems, etc. Very detailed sound issues. For normal mixing, I'll use reference monitors, in a nearfield configuration, which means on a desk, approx 2-3 feet from my head, in a equilateral triangle.
If you're looking into monitors, it can get real spendy, real fast. Computer speakers, or home stereo speakers can work, if you've nothing else, but they don't convey the audio spectrum accurately. They usually accentuate the bass and the treble, making them more desirable to consumers. This is not what you want when mixing, as after you mix on those, making it sound good, when you move to a regular setup, the mix will be way off. So, the more accurate, the better.
I've heard that old radio shack minimus 7 speakers are a good cheap alternative to actual studio monitors.
Home speakers / computer speakers can be used, but you'd have to 'learn' the speakers. This is getting used to the 'issues' with your speakers, and translating that issue to your current mix. Like if the speakers accentuate bass, then you'd have to mix your bass sounds differently, to offset your speakers in-accuracies. This is a learning curve, like all speakers will be, but it's more pronounced on consumer / home speakers.
For now, I think just the ua5, mics, and cables should do for input, while some monitor solution for output. You won't need a mixer, or external preamp, or outboard gear for now. The UA5 should do all your needs for now, until you get more used to things, and start realizing you want to be more creative, more this, more that, better t'other, etc. That's when the $$$ starts flying =).
Have fun =).
Mar 14, 2007 08:20 pm pjk didn't leave a lot of room to add much! ;-) Very good suggestions indeed. If you're using an iBook then I assume you'll be using GarageBand to record(?) They have some built in software compression and limiting/gating features that are by no means professional quality, they can make things sound better. I'd go with an interface and a mic and see if you can get the results you're looking for...then if you're not happy you can dive back into the money pit!
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Mar 14, 2007 08:30 pm eep, yeah, i kinda got long winded on that one. =)
Mar 15, 2007 09:01 am Wow, thanks for the warm welcome.
I'll start with just the UA-5, mic and cables then and start playing with software compression, eq etc and see how that works out. Not too sure what software i'll be using just yet. I've been looking around at what's on offer for osx.. does anyone have any recommendations? I gather garageband isn't the best solution.
Thanks for the tips on monitors, didn't even account for that. I was thinking of just using my acoustic amp and my grados but may have to consider getting a cheap set of monitors. I'll try with just the minimum first and then if required, will have to dive back into 'the money pit'.. lol
In terms of headphones, will my grado sr125s suffice? They're not closed-back so I imagine the sound will leak into the mic. Would there be a way of temporarily closing them off so there's less leakage?
Thanks ever so much for the advice, I feel a lot more confident about my proposed setup now.
Mar 15, 2007 09:11 am I've always heard GarageBand is a great beginning application and can do a lot for even intermediate and advanced users. That said, Mackie has a program called Tracktion that is pretty damn cool.
Mar 15, 2007 09:33 pm I use GarageBand exclusively, but I'm a home recording enthusiast, and not a pro. That said, I'm very pleased with the results that I've been able to achieve with GarageBand. I would encourage you to give it a try, since it came free with your Mac. If you need more professional results, whatever that means, then you can try Logic or Cubase or something else that works on a Mac.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 18, 2007 09:52 pm I will back Jim on getting stellar results using GarageBand.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Mar 21, 2007 09:24 am not to jump on the 'me too' bandwagon but me too!
I've produced a number of commercial works for customers in the last few months using nothing but a Somson usb mic and GarageBand. I still use Cubase on the Mac and PC for some things, but for a nice quick job like recording a voiceover, or making a tone with just a few tracks it cant be beat.
Mar 21, 2007 09:32 am It's a classic issue we've talked about before, too many people overthink things...many here have routinely given simply solutions to issues and been over-riden by somebody with way more complicated and expensive solutions, with both winding up in the same place...
Keep It Simple, Stupid...it's my moto...
I deal with the same thing in programming, some premadonna (spelling?) programmers insist you need multiple tiers of technology to solve problem x, different classes and objects when it's simply not necessary, and makes the code incredibly more difficult to maintain...
It's an all too common thing, people overthink the mundane, trivial and simple things and don't think enough about what really matters in life.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Mar 21, 2007 08:01 pm i use GB like a glorified tape deck - but without the hiss! and it does the job SO WELL. some of the Apple audio effects are better than even the paid-for ones I've bought as VSTis too!
it wouldnt take too much effort to use this to record and complete full tracks, no problems. Mastering it'd probably not be amazing for, but for recording, editing and mixing, no problems.
Can you tell that I love my mac yet?
