Jam room/recording... rookie questions?

[KCLefty]

Hi... I'm planning on setting up a jam room in my basement and could use some advice on the equipment "I think" I need. My goal is to be able to create music to play along with and eventually record. I want to do this as a "one man band" Just for fun not going for super professional results. I have plenty of good guitars and guitar amps but that's it. I would like to do this without the use of computer. The tracks would be a couple guitars, bass, drums with possibility some vocals. My budget is around $1500 to $2000. I have never played around with digital recorders and drum machines before and have know idea what to expect.

My list so far:

(Used) Small 100 to 300 watt Pa with (2) 12' or 15' speaker cabinets.

New or used multi track digital recorder with a couple of condenser mics.

Drum machine with bass rhythms.

Couple of vocal mics, cables and stands.

I basically want to have a rhythm section to jam to. Then layer some guitar tracks on top as I go along.

I'm not sure how it would all work though. I'm thinking everything would get pumped out through the PA then the mix is recorded. Will I need monitors or can I use the PA for a monitor? Will I need headphones... I would rather hear the mix right from the speakers.

Thanks... Kenny

[woodman]

PA speakers could function as monitors for your instrumental takes but won't give you what you need for accurate mixdown. the board would be useful for patching and tone control on your recorded sounds, but you'd wanna put it into your recorder via line-in to avoid two preamps in your signal chain. you would definitely want headphones for your open-mike vocal tracks unless you want everything else bleeding into your track.

i'm no expert, though — just someone experienced in finding ways to make jackleg rigs work. i'm sure the more savvy folk around here can give you more specific advice.

[GhostofJohnToad]

If you buy something like the Zoom HD8 or HD16 you will have the recorder and drums all in the same unit, plus you can actually add your own drum sounds. I have the HD8 and I love it.

[Skully]

A couple of months back, I bought the Phonic Powerpod 740 Plus / S715 PA System from MusiciansFriend for the music stage in my garage, which is intended primarily for my children to screw around on and build their musical skills. At first, I feared it was going to turn out to be a foolish purchase, but it far exceeded my expectations. I run vocals through it -- no feedback whatsoever -- along with a keyboard and its onboard drum machine. I also like to play bass through it plugged in direct. It sounds great. I've also run my computer (located in my drum isolation room) into it, just in case I want to play along with things I've recorded.

No, it's probably not the best choice to haul it around in a van, playing gigs hither and yon, but if you're looking for something that's going to stay planted in a rehearsal room, it should do the trick. When I bought the package, it was on sale for $50 cheaper, but Phonic has similar PA packages available at a variety of price points.

The cheap Chinese junk that's available these days is just incredible!

[Martin R]

It looks like you want to record live sessions, but if you're the proverbial one man band, there's no need to.

You'll need a computer with software, (GarageBand or Cakewalk, etc.) or a digital workstation. Then an input device like a Fast Track from M-Audio. (You're going to get many suggestions from people here.) At least on decent mic. SM 58's are popular. More if you're micing drums.

Then start recording. A lot of people do a scratch track, i.e. you strumming guitar and singing, then record tracks over it. Lay a bass line, drums, a new rhythm guitar, new vocals...and just build it up.

Hope this gives you an overview of the process.

Martin
E. Christina Herr & Wild Frontier