A comprehensive Guide for getting into Home Recording

[Gord The Drummer]

There is always going to be a learning curve with any new DAW you pick up. I think the most important thing you can do is understand WHAT you are doing. A DAW is simply a digital console, so if you don't understand the theory behind a physical console, you will be hopelessly lost in any DAW.

[MWRushR40]

I understand that, and I'm ready to take that on. Like I said I have a lot of experience in Garageband, even though it is a beginner level DAW. Having a good understanding of it and lots of practice with it, I feel comfortable making the upgrade.

[lessmeansmore]

1st of all thankyou thismercifulfate for the very detailed thread.

im staring a audio / music recording course in jan (rather excited about it!) and was looking into a little home recording rig

the course is using cubase (not sure what version) and ive managed to find a copy for round £50 (may not be he full version, but enought to record with)

and also been looking at the Chord CCU1 - Condenser Microphone, so can any recommend this ?

my pc and laptop are virtually next to my drum kit, so im asuming a usb mic and some software is all i need to get started (tho i bet im wrong !)

any advice or views on that mic would be great !

[Gord The Drummer]

My advice is to hold off on any purchases until after the course.

[lessmeansmore]

My advice is to hold off on any purchases until after the course.

cheers, any reason behind this ?

tbh what i listed there would only be for recording some drum covers etc, nothing major

ps im a complete novice

[Gord The Drummer]

ps im a complete novice

This is why.

You will spend good money on gear that after the course you will realise is total crap and then you've essentially wasted money. This is the whole 'buy nice or buy twice' thing. Don't invest money into something that you are going to replace soon, and after the course you will want to replace every piece of gear you purchase hastily.

[lessmeansmore]

you know what your totally right, thats how i think !

when i 1st started playing drums i had solar cymbals

few months later i had a HHX crash to replace it.

its gonna be the same with this. ill report back in a few months, tbh this is alot shorter course than the one i really want to attend at a specialised music school were they have all the right gear !

thanks for the advice.

[Guss]

Since You have all the knowledge of home recording, I figured i would come here to ask you questions.

First of all: I have what seems to be three mixing boards in my basement, and access to two stage microphones... So I'm clueless.

Gear wise, For DIRT CHEAP, what would you recommend for drum mics and any thing else that I might not have thought of.

[croomz]

I know presonus offers a 10x10 and 26x26 interfaces. Whats the difference there? Sorry if thats a noob question but i havent seen much description on that.

Just wanted to know.

Thanks

[thismercifulfate]

I know presonus offers a 10x10 and 26x26 interfaces. Whats the difference there? Sorry if thats a noob question but i havent seen much description on that.

Just wanted to know.

Thanks

Anytime you see a description like that, it's describing the maximum number of independent inputs and outputs. So a 10X10 can support up to 10 mic preamps or line inputs and up to 10 outputs (for your main speakers, to send to headphones or outboard gear etc..)

10X10 interfaces usually have 8 built-in preamps/line ins plus 8 balanced outputs, plus two additional ins and outs via S/PDIF. 26X26 usually also have 8 built-in preamps/line ins, as well as two ADAT litepipe connections, which can each support up to 8 ins and outs, plus S/PDIF for another two.

There are lots of 8-channel preamp units which will expand these interfaces via ADAT litepipe TOSLINK cable, like the Presonus Digimax D8, or the M-Audio Octane.

S/PDIF stands for Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format. It's a digital format, so it will send and recieve yp to two channels of digital audio.

[mark w.]

want to thank you guys for helping out us iliterate people.I've read the Mixing Engineer's Hand book Second edition By bobby Owsinski. Now i'm reading the Live sound Reinforcement Best selling edition with the DVD, by Scott Hunter Stark. I've found myself very interested in this material,altho very complicated in some parts but stlll very interesting. Now I 've found this thread which is like a book in a sense.I understand some of the thread and will read the diferent links for the info I don't understand. Yes I read the books in wrong secence lol but I still have a ton of stuff to learn.
I do own a Yamaha 166CX mixer, QSC K-series loud speakers,2-K-12's,2-K-10's,a K-Sub,all self powered. Sounds awsume.
mark w.
Mr. Pearl