Home Based Recording: Getting Started

In home based recording there are two methods to choose from. One is to record using a standalone recorder and the other is to record to a computer with a sound card (audio interface) and recording software.

Recording using a standalone recorder is done on a machine that records to tape or hard disk. Tape recorders have gone out of fashion as they are extremely limited in capabilities, have high noise ratios, and cost more to keep up. Hard disk recorders are the big tickets now as they can offer almost unlimited capabilities, are reasonably priced and are portable.

Setting up a basic home recording studio

Recording to a computer, which is my preferred method, entails a bit more of an investment in time, money and time talking to tech support. As an entry leveled user, the core pieces of equipment to have in producing a decent recording are:

1. A computer: Either Mac or PC. If a new user is really unsure as to which to buy, they can always get a new Mac that allows for Windows and others to be installed on it. If you buy a PC, however, make sure it has an Intel Chip.
2. Recording Software: There are hundreds of different recording software packages available. I recommend Sony’s Acid or Vegas, Reaper, Steinberg’s Cubasis, or Cakewalk. Of these beginners should use Reaper. It’s free, easy and powerful and is music creation capable.
3. Sound Card: These days you have choices as far as interface; either PCI, USB, or Firewire. For the beginner, use PCI or USB as the Firewire cards are pricier. Do not just use a Sound Blaster. The major thing to look for in an audio interface are WMD, ASIO2, or any other low latency drivers, high signal to noise ratio (generally anything above 98db is acceptable), and a “break-out box”. The reason that you really need the breakout box is because the Analog to Digital Convertors are outside the computer which is a very noisy place both in audible and electronic noise. That noise can end up in your recording so use something by EMU, M Audio, or Echo.

The input stage

Which ever way you go for recording, you must also consider the input stage (aka Front End). This is how you record your work into the recording device. For guitars, purchase a Shure SM57 and set that in front of the guitar rig, hook the mic into the preamp of the mixer or soundcard and get wankin’. Bass guitars can usually be plugged directly into preamps.

Recording live drums requires technique but generally a mic placed over the drum kit, another under the snare, another by the toms, and yet another IN the bass drum will render very nice recordings for beginners. Keyboards can be plugged directly into the recording equipment’s Line Inputs as these need no amplification for recording.

If the band has a screamer for a singer, you can use a Dynamic mic (like the SM57, though I would recommend the AKG D790). Otherwise use a Condenser mic (like the EV/Blue Cardinal). These cost more but will make a huge difference in sound quality.

Once recorded, everything should be run through Compressors, EQ, and other effects. Compression is the most important as it levels out the volumes and prevents those nasty clips from happening (as long as the clipping didn’t occur in the actual recording).

Setting up a semi professional studio

In a real professional studio lots of things get tweaked a bit. You will likely find the old fashioned reel-to-reel- tape decks sitting in a corner somewhere and racks upon racks of audio processing gear. There are usually at least five different types of mic preamps, ten compressors, eq’s galore, and massive mixing consoles that probably cost as much as a new BMW!

A basic setup for a recording studio like this at home would be:

1. Computers: One or more systems, usually Mac, networked together to limit the amount of draw on the CPU and hard disk. There should be an external array of SCSI or Firewire hard drives that are RAID’ed to prevent disk read error. These studios record at 24 bit (or 32 bit floating point) at 192kHz. This is good for a few tracks but ten or more will cause system issues.
2. Hardware/Software: Hardware and software are sold as a package. Refer to the system known as ProTools. It consists of dedicated hardware that has it’s own processors and take the draw off of the main CPU and software that will only work with this hardware. ProTools LE on the other hand will work with any sound card that has ASIO capabilities but is limited to the amount of tracks it can handle. The basic core system starts at roughly $10k.
3. The Front End: Decision making on rack equipment comes down to electronics. The old programming term “Garbage In - Garbage Out” works perfectly. The lower end pieces don’t offer the cleanest signal paths, construction, signal to noise ratios, or peak level. It all boils down to a low end mic pre. In any decent recording studio you should find at least one Avalon mic pre. Gorgeous, yet insanely expensive. From there comes the compressors, dynamic processors, eq’s, mixers and then finally the recording system.

I hope this article will help you in your endeavors of home recording. Drop in again soon for more information.

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