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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 2, 2005 18:18:57 GMT -5
right now i'm compiling a list of equipment for our studio project in chamber ensemble. i'd like some equipment suggestions and stuff.
we know that we have a huge mixer to use... and that's about it right now. we have to do a little more inventory to see what we have.
what i'm thinking we should get:
order a cheap tower from dell with a 2.0 GHz Processor, 1 Gb of RAM, 40-60 Gb hard drive, and a cd-rw drive... possibly upgrade to a dvd-r drive later. we're just going to use one of the many monitors lying around the school as well as a keyboard and mouse from them.
2 sm-57's ~ $180
1 Nady CM 90 - $50.00
2 Behringer C-2 Studio Condenser Microphones - $50.00
Shure PG 4 Piece Drum Microphone Package - $250.00
now i'm gonna need some help with a sound card, an interface/controller, pre-amps, software, headphones, headphone amps, little sound dividers, acoustics foam... and anything i forgot.
i guess i kind of need to know about the whole interface/sound card situation... like how do you get it set up so you record each mic to the computer instead of going through a mixer and end up with only one track to edit. i want this to be a little more professional with each track editable and have simultaneous recording..
tim? andy?
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 2, 2005 18:19:42 GMT -5
i'm not exactly sure how we're going to do it, but lhotka says he can get money for most of it...
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James
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Post by James on Mar 2, 2005 18:44:43 GMT -5
well, audio recording sound cards are usually pretty pricey ($200+) i think what you want is a digital mixer. A setup to record seperate tracks is roughly $500 (I think) If you want, I could probably put together a custom computer better than a dell. I'm not a big fan of nady but good condenser mics can really ruin a budget.
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 2, 2005 19:05:47 GMT -5
i was thinking about a personally built computer myself... if you could help me with one that would be pretty cheap that'd be awesome.
i was gonna tweak the dell anyway.
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cifirrekcuT
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 3, 2005 19:56:01 GMT -5
if you're going pc on it, the only program i know about that kicks some ass is Cool Edit Pro. We used that to mix and master our Rudy's stuff.
aagh... to offer any useful input on the interface et cetera, i think I'd have to see the mixer. specifically, the control area (usually on the right) and just one track's section (one vertical row) to see if you've got bussing capabilities and whatnot if necessary. The fairhaven studio pro tools console cost well above 2 grand parts and labor (about 15 times that) so it's expected to do everything for you. within your budget, you're going to be expected to do some stuff manually. You might not be able to have a mic on each instrument (or part of an instrument) depending on the computer and the interface. A lot of really expensive computers still only allow 8 tracks simulataneous recording (in the 2.5 to 3 grand range) and that's with their firewire and usb ports, which probably need an interface as a middle man because most mics don't have a usb or firewire plug.
is there any way you could get me a picture of the board? and a detail of one track's section? and i guess a detail of the "brain" i hear it referred to as (the right side with the control room stuff). Or a detailed description of each would work too. I've got an imagination
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cifirrekcuT
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 3, 2005 19:59:41 GMT -5
2 sm-57's ~ $180 1 Nady CM 90 - $50.00 2 Behringer C-2 Studio Condenser Microphones - $50.00 Shure PG 4 Piece Drum Microphone Package - $250.00 did you look into any Shure Beta 57s? They're a little bit more expensive and not quite as durable, but if they're out of danger's way, I think it's a much better choice. They look cooler too. All those Shure Beta mics do. Check Guitar Center (online) for some studio condenser mics. They had a ridiculous deal not too long ago for these $600 mics on sale for $80! What's included in the Drum package?
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 3, 2005 20:17:21 GMT -5
i think the mixer is a 16 channel mixer and three of the channels don't work. it's being donated to us. logan and i have to go pick it up some time. i'll get some pictures for it. and i'll look into those mics as well. drum mics: An essential drum kit mic selection. Includes one PG52 kick drum mic and 3 PG56 snare/tom mics. PG microphones are application-specific with the same durability and performance attributes of other Shure microphones at an attractive price. www.music123.com/Shure-PG-4-Piece-Drum-Microphone-Package-i17930.music
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cifirrekcuT
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 3, 2005 23:34:58 GMT -5
so you have thirteen functional tracks. are any of the channels on the mixing board (what brand by the way?) designated as line channels?
the drum mics are good, but you don't have anything for overheads (in the pack)
andy said that any old mixing board can't be set up with a computer. they have to be compatible and made for each other. if there were some way you could record with the mixing board (digitally) to some device (like an ADAT tape machine), you could then export each track into the computer after recording then mix from there. but i'm not up to snuff on the interfaces available other than that i'm pretty sure there are very few affordable computer systems that can record more than 8 tracks at a time. the pro tools board at fairhaven can only do 16 simultaneously, and it cost an awesome amount.
i think you would have to network your mixing board directly to the computer using some sort of interface that could handle up to 13 tracks simultaneous. if that's out of range, you might have to stick with the hick recording session, unless what/whoever you're recording is willing/capable of overdubbing. then that would necessitate a headphone mix/amp
this is a studio you're talking about
edit: in response to v i don't know anything about sound cards
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 3, 2005 23:38:30 GMT -5
yeah...
is there anyway to get like... a sound card that's compatible with a control surface? i think i've seen them, but i'm not sure exactly what i've been looking at.
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cifirrekcuT
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 4, 2005 0:32:59 GMT -5
this is not to say hick recording sessions end up in bad sounds. i mean that marianas song was recorded extremely hickly, but ended up sounding awfully decent (considering)
what do you have for drum overheads? you could get away with micing the kick and stereo overheads, only using three tracks for the drums. Or if you have bussing capabilities, you could mic everything (snare top, snare bottom, rack tom(s), floor tom(s), kick, overhead left, overhead right) and bus the drums down to 4 tracks (kick, snare, drums left, drums right), but that would require a lot of mics for the whole session
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 4, 2005 0:37:16 GMT -5
just those condenser mics for the cymbals and stuff.
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 4, 2005 0:54:41 GMT -5
they're large diaphram condensors, right? big mics? you can use those there, but they're so much nicer than that. i'd use them somewhere else and just use sm57's for the overheads if those are your options
if they're pencil mics, then disregard all that
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 4, 2005 0:58:41 GMT -5
yeah, kind of pencil-ish.
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 4, 2005 1:14:40 GMT -5
great! you have a full drum micing setup!
i am skeptical about using the same mics for the snare and the toms though. the typical set-up we use at fairhaven is sm57 on snare top, Shure Beta 57 on snare bottom, Audix D2 on the rack tom(s), and either the Audix D4 or the Sennheiser 421 on the floor tom(s).
The Audix D-series is meant for specific frequencies found in toms (i read once), where the sm57 has an above average but not terrific rounded frequency response that snare drums happen to call for, unless you want a really snappy or really tommy snare
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 4, 2005 1:22:54 GMT -5
yeah, we'll figure it out. lhotka can't give us a budget yet, so i'm gonna show him what we have so far..
i would still like to know about the soundcard/interface situation and what software would be good, if anybody has that information.
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cifirrekcuT
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 4, 2005 3:27:10 GMT -5
what exactly are you recording?
gimme every detail you have every detail
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 4, 2005 3:44:07 GMT -5
well time for tea will get to use the studio of course (logan and i are the ones putting it together and know more about the stuff than lhotka does) so we'd be recording a basic four piece band...
otherwise the recording studio is for anyone in the school to use. mr. lhotka wants to teach a recording arts/music technology class or something someday and this studio is the first step. he'll probably be recording a lot of singers, pianos, string instruments, drums, and woodwinds i guess. the chamber ensemble and the jazz band will probably be getting more use out of it, and then the occasional lucky band that just so happens to be trustworthy with the equipment.
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 4, 2005 3:47:50 GMT -5
actually, one of andy's ideas was for him and i to go back to kodiak and teach an audio recording class with studio and all after we graduate
are you snaking our idea?! haha
of course, we'd have to persuade some kind of grant for someone to fund all the gear that we'd NEED, but I would love to do that. Give back to my home community in a way that I actually want to do it
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Post by sleepyhead on Mar 4, 2005 3:56:50 GMT -5
no, not snaking. lhotka's the one who wanted it, and i'm the one who wanted an easy class.
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Post by cifirrekcuT on Mar 4, 2005 3:58:22 GMT -5
i left out that we'd be teaching it for the college, not the high school
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