From what I interpitated what was asked about was recording equipment. What's been shown is different options and things to consider. The first list was high end, the second list was middle of the road. Here's an easy list. 2 Microphones, 2 Mic preamps, Sony Mini-disc recorder, and a computer with recording software.
joe
Joe,
That is the way I interpreted the original request. Since Elvis asked for
opinions on equipment I said what I used. I have spent about $2k on my
recording gear I have, and I get good results and it works good. As with
all free advice you get what you pay for :-).
Rich
Elvis,
I know little to nothing about recording but my 16 year old son is very interested in it and is thinking about pursuing it professionally one day. I am interested in geting him started and have been looking at Digital Audio Recorders with CD. I was looking at a Yamaha system.
I noticed that you do not plan on going this route and I assume you will be using your computer to perform these funtions. I am now wondering if I should be going the same way.
We (including fellow band meembers) currently have Vocal and condensor microphones, a Mackie amp, Behringer mixer and speakers for both monitors and stage sound. I don't know all the models but can find out if it makes a difference.
Can you tell me your thinking behind that decision.
Thanks,
Al
Hi Al,
From my exprience with digital audio stations (mostly with Roland), it can be a pain at the begining. first it takes a while to learn how to opperate it correctly (though once you've got it, it's very comfortable), second it can be relatively expencive gear when for a 16-track* machine while an avarge P4 2GHz with 512kb RAM and a semi-pro audio card can carry much more tracks, and being much more user-friendly.
The adavtage of a DAR would be integeral system - meaning all in one - processors and effects are included** and no (many) cable routing in between, and that's a major factor in a low-noise recordings, and the real perk is it's portability. it's light and you can take it anywhere with electric wire. other then that though, it wouldn't have many pluses for you at the moment, so it depends on your programs. if it's for home overdubs recordings (especially when editing is needed), I would go for a PC + audio card, if it's for live recordings (garage band or live gigs) the better option in my eyes would be a small DAR (or a laptop + audio card).
For your son sound engineering education though, DAR would be a very good lesson on how to messure his steps and think before using one more plug-in on a track. it would teach him to make plans and actually get to the core of the problem instead of using another tool to solve it or walking around it.
* most low/medium price digital audio stations have up to 4 mic-ins.
** though it's not a special feature for DAR only.
I can't tell much by your gear list (not enough info) but I know people who've done it with less (for some degree of quality).
Have a nice day!
Elvis.
So long and thanks for all the fish.
