Want a Home studio on a budget...

I have never ending GAS... I have a guitar collection I'm happy with, I have an amp that I'm happy with, started on a pedal board... and so on...

I am wanting to focus that energy in something else that doesnt involve draining the checking account. I want to set up a small home studio (has to be very small because my music room is tiny maybe 6'x6'). The problem is I know absolutely nothing about home recording and I dont want to spend a lot on it.

What I am really wanting to do, is be able to just plug my amp into to a laptop (PC User) and record... and use whatever software to edit, layer tracks, and so on. I cant sing so It would just be guitar, bass, and some sort of a electronic drum machine line.

~ Is this basically what I want?
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Avid-Pro-Tools-9---Mbox-Mini-106547714-i1879364.gc

~ This seems to do the same thing as the link above and its a fraction of the price...
http://www.guitarcenter.com/M-Audio-Fast-Track-Pro-Mobile-USB-Interface-with-Pro-Tools-SE-H76482-i2015198.gc#customer-reviews

Right now I am just looking to screw around and having fun, I may upgrade later if its something I enjoy so Im not looking for top of the line right now.

"Right now I am just looking to screw around and having fun" That's just what I said in 2007. "I may upgrade later" You will upgrade sooner than later. IMO the package deals are the best starting place, which one no real answer lot of good stuff. As for PT9 that's what I use (I started with 7) I like it but it's the only recording program I've used.

There are so many ways to do this it's hard to start, but if you are on a PC, and willing to learn ProTools, nobody's going to say that's the wrong choice. You can go even cheaper:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Avid-Pro-Tools-MP---MobilePre-106699200-i1826131.gc

Make sure your PC meets the minimum requirements, and like all software, assume you should probably have 2X what they say, if you want glitch-free performance. An external USB 2.0 (or 3.0, if your PC supports it) hard drive is good, so you avoid contention with the system drive (doing everything else) for the audio tracks being written/read.

That version includes effects for your guitar, so you won't even use your amp. Just plug in.

Oh, you'll want some decent headphones and monitor speakers, so this is only the tip of the iceberg, trust me.

There are so many ways to do this it's hard to start, but if you are on a PC, and willing to learn ProTools, nobody's going to say that's the wrong choice. You can go even cheaper:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Avid-Pro-Tools-MP---MobilePre-106699200-i1826131.gc

Make sure your PC meets the minimum requirements, and like all software, assume you should probably have 2X what they say, if you want glitch-free performance. An external USB 2.0 (or 3.0, if your PC supports it) hard drive is good, so you avoid contention with the system drive (doing everything else) for the audio tracks being written/read.

That version includes effects for your guitar, so you won't even use your amp. Just plug in.

Oh, you'll want some decent headphones and monitor speakers, so this is only the tip of the iceberg, trust me.

"Make sure your PC meets the minimum requirements, and like all software" Great advice I learned that the hard way.

ProTools has a pretty steep learning curve, but the SE version may be simpler. Look at Audacity, it's free.

I have that MAudio box and it works as advertised.

The entry-level PT packages are indeed attractive if you've got the time and energy to spend on learning this powerful but complex software. It helps to have a good book handy to use as a reference (I liked The Musician's Guide to Pro Tools and Pro Tools Ignite.

For the recording program, I'd try audacity. It's free, and may be all you need. Reaper is $60 or thereabouts. I haven't used it personally, but I know it has a pro feature set on the recording and editing end. (I think where it may lack is in loops, and sample instruments - possibly things like guitar amp simulators as well, if you want that. I believe they have a free trial for a month kinda deal (they did at one point)). As you can tell, I'm not familiar with it, but I've heard good things, and subject to some limitations that are not on the recording/ editing end of things from my understanding, it would be a relatively inexpensive way to go. If you go that route, probably worth your while to pick up the Kenny Gioia lessons. I've heard also that it is very flexible in how it can be set up - which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending.

Ok, unless you're doing all direct in and using amp sims, if you want to record your guitar amp, you'll need a mic. A Shure Sm57 , Sennheiser 609 or a similar Audix (can't recall the model offhand) will all be fine. Around $100.

You'll want a decent set of headphones.

For canned drums, something like EZdrummer, BFD Eco etc. will be worth looking into. There are several other similar things on the market as well. They tend to go on sale fairly often, so look around/ wait etc. They can be ram or system hogs - so make sure your system can handle them.

Hope that helps.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Geoff

You also might want to try presonus's studio one. I've found it to be very intuitive.

They have a number of different price points from free-$300. It's definitely worth downloading and giving it a test drive!

kc

While Audacity is free it has just enough rough edges to take a little of the fun away. And the support forum is rather more aimed at voice and radio work rather than music recording.

My recommendation would be REAPER along with an inexpensive USB interface. REAPER is a very full-function DAW (digital audio workstation) with a complete suite of excellent effects, good documentation, many on-line and DVD tutorials, and a very active and music oriented user community forum. You can download a completely functional evaluation copy for free. The purchase price is $60. The functionality is in no way related to the cost. It's one of those wonderful things where you get a _lot more_ than you pay for.

Fran

I built a high end gaming rig last winter, i laugh at requirements :). If i have to use it instead of my lptp no problemo. Good info here ty.

Another fan of Audacity; especially the new release. I found having a USB mixer tallows so much flexibility for mic'ng and recording over the smaller 2 & 4 channel stuff and I believe at the price ratio 5:1, you get so much more capability with a mixer. My reference is an Maudio USB Pro vs. an Alesis 16 channel USB Mixer ~$100 vs. ~$500. Headphones or monitors is a price choice. I find headphones with the little Focusrite VRM is a great mixing aid. Several on here have them. Shure sm57, maybe a cheap stereo condenser pair and a vocal mic (I have Carvin and MXL cheapies). With a little research you can find lots of VST plugins for Audacity. Reaper always seems a popular choice as well. Whatever you get you will soon want more. Good luck and have fun.

I just bought a focusrite Scarlett 2i2 -- I think it's a great deal for $150. the abelton lite daw that comes with it is easy to use -- I'm sticking with it for now.

Okay Dokay...

I downloaded Audacity, I have used it in the past so I am half way familiar with it.

I have a Blue Microphones Yeti coming from Amazon - It has good reviews plus its USB already so I dont have to worry about cables. I also went ahead and picked up a desktop mic stand and a pop screen.

I have EZ Drummer coming from Amazon as well - I have read some horror stories about getting it to work with Audacity though. I downloaded the VST Enabler, is there any other trick or secret that I have to do for it to work properly or is that good enough?

I have a "Meh" set of headphones already, maybe I will upgrade at a later time but I am guessing at this time, with what I am using there wont be a whole lot of advantage to upgrading at this time.

Thanks for the help and I welcome more suggestions or tips...

For the recording program, I'd try audacity. It's free, and may be all you need. Reaper is $60 or thereabouts. I haven't used it personally, but I know it has a pro feature set on the recording and editing end. (I think where it may lack is in loops, and sample instruments - possibly things like guitar amp simulators as well, if you want that. I believe they have a free trial for a month kinda deal (they did at one point)). As you can tell, I'm not familiar with it, but I've heard good things, and subject to some limitations that are not on the recording/ editing end of things from my understanding, it would be a relatively inexpensive way to go. If you go that route, probably worth your while to pick up the Kenny Gioia lessons. I've heard also that it is very flexible in how it can be set up - which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending.

Ok, unless you're doing all direct in and using amp sims, if you want to record your guitar amp, you'll need a mic. A Shure Sm57 , Sennheiser 609 or a similar Audix (can't recall the model offhand) will all be fine. Around $100.

You'll want a decent set of headphones.

For canned drums, something like EZdrummer, BFD Eco etc. will be worth looking into. There are several other similar things on the market as well. They tend to go on sale fairly often, so look around/ wait etc. They can be ram or system hogs - so make sure your system can handle them.

Hope that helps.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Geoff

^^^^^^^
This. It's the cheapest route to get you where you want to go. However, I would agree with Fran that Reaper is the better choice. No absolutely free, but well worth the small price.
I would also add that you can buy a small mixer for between $50 and $75, which you can plug into your PC or laptop's mic input. If you get one with phantom power, you can use a good condensor mic for recording things like acoustic guitar. And I think there's a lot more flexibility that way as well. Not studio quality, but more than adequate for your needs. The cheapest made to order interface for your computer will be in the $150 range, and probably without phantom power.

Okay Dokay...

I downloaded Audacity, I have used it in the past so I am half way familiar with it.

I have a Blue Microphones Yeti coming from Amazon - It has good reviews plus its USB already so I dont have to worry about cables. I also went ahead and picked up a desktop mic stand and a pop screen.

I have EZ Drummer coming from Amazon as well - I have read some horror stories about getting it to work with Audacity though. I downloaded the VST Enabler, is there any other trick or secret that I have to do for it to work properly or is that good enough?

I have a "Meh" set of headphones already, maybe I will upgrade at a later time but I am guessing at this time, with what I am using there wont be a whole lot of advantage to upgrading at this time.

Thanks for the help and I welcome more suggestions or tips...

Got my room set-up but I have realized real quickly that the room just is not big enough to go the mic method. Plus even with everything turned off in the house its too noisy. Between the pets and the Cicadas there is zero chance for a good clean sound.

So since I dont have it in the budget to build a sound proof edition on the house :eek:... I guess I need to go a different route:neutral:.

If you want something decent download the trial of Reaper no time limit and no crippling of the features just a small countdown at the start.

If you want something decent download the trial of Reaper no time limit and no crippling of the features just a small countdown at the start.

I downloaded that and have been playing with it:mrgreen: Although, I did not know that I could still use it after the 30 days. I plan on purchasing it though, its so dang cheap so might as well contribute.

One thing I noticed is that the ambient sounds were not an issue when I was actually playing but everything is horribly distorted. After doing some reading, I guess that USB mics are the last thing you want to use while recording. I wish these threads would of popped up before I bought the mic:lol:.

So I am going to give it another go with another Mic, think I'll try the SM57 that Geoff kindly suggested. Should of listened to him in the first place but oooohhh nooooo gotta do my own thing:lol:.

BTW, I plan on updating this thread as I go for no other reason then maybe someone that is in my shoes can learn from my experiences and save a few bucks:mrgreen:

If you want something decent download the trial of Reaper no time limit and no crippling of the features just a small countdown at the start.

I downloaded that and have been playing with it:mrgreen: Although, I did not know that I could still use it after the 30 days. I plan on purchasing it though, its so dang cheap so might as well contribute.

Yes..if you like it and want to keep using it, pay for it.

Got my room set-up but I have realized real quickly that the room just is not big enough to go the mic method.

You can use a microphone in any size room you want; you just might get some weird bounces and comb filtering. Of course having a bigger room is usually better, but realistically most of us home recorders have to deal with what we have. I think if you're pointing a dynamic mic 2" from a guitar speaker then room size isn't going to be a major issue, right? I'm still kind of learning myself though so please tell me if I'm wrong.

Also is that a ribbon mic in your picture or is it an LDC? (It looks nice whatever it is, but I wouldn't expect a condenser mic there.) Why the pop screen? I thought those were for vocalists...

Like I said though I'm still quite a novice myself so maybe you have good reasons for that setup.