What items are recommended for home studio recording if I have a MXL 3000 Microphone? Phantom Power? Software?
Posted: July 29, 2011 – 10:55 pmI want to start my own recording studio at home and I have a MXL 3000 Microphone and I need to know what else I need to start recording. Need some suggestions on what I need and some good price ranges.
You have the mic. Now you need a mic pre-amp (with phantom power, as yours is a condenser). After that you have 2 choices… 1.) record direct to computer or 2.) get a stand-alone workstation.
For the first, you’ll need some sort of software (Protools, Cakewalk, Audacity which is free, etc…) and a Direct Input/interface that’s compatible (usually you can buy these in packages). You’ll also need a really fast computer. Depending on how you run it, you might also need a MIDI compatible mixing board.
For the second, you’ll need a workstation, preferably 24 bits (better sound, more headroom when recording). Tascam 2488 Neo 24 and Zoom R16 and Zoom R24 are all good options (the R16 is the cheapest at $400). The Tascam has the advantage of being able to do quick/temporary mixes with up to 24 tracks at a time (ie: you press record on 1 track and can record up to 24 different parts/have them available to listen to as you record). The Zoom workstations have fewer tracks available to listen to/record on at once, but as cheaper and can be battery powered (ie: they’re portable). It’s up to you/how many tracks you need. Once you’ve recorded your parts, you simply connect the machine via USB to the computer and transfer them (to ProTools, Audacity, etc…). Note: once you transfer the files into the software, you can then record… but the Tascam will allow you to have more on the machine at once/listen to them all while recording another track on top.
After that, it’s a matter of keeping frequencies in the room good… hang cheap area rugs in the corner of the room and other overly resonant places in the recording room (exposed walls, etc…). This keeps noise down and the sound clear.
You’ll also need something to monitor (and eventually mix) the music. Headphones are the cheapest and easiest. You can get a pair of Sennheiser HD280 (very transparent sound – doesn’t color it headphones for listening to music, which color the sound to make it nice, you hear exactly what’s there… good for recording) or similar for around $100.
As for my personal recommendations…
* Using a workstation and transferring files to a computer later is better than direct to computer, imo. It’s more intuitive… you press record and play. It allows you record quickly and easily (all you do is plug it in… it’s a mixer and recording console in one/don’t have to connect a million things) and worry about all computer issues later. It’s also cheaper than buying a new computer.
* The Tascam is a little more expensive, but I’d recommend it. Having those extra tracks to use at once will help more than you probably realize/think you’ll need.
* Is ProTools better than Audacity? Yes. But I still recommend Audacity. It’s free, easy to use, and has everything you need (you can get an Autotune-like plugin with it, etc…) if your sound going in is good.
* For a mic pre-amp, I highly recommend the Golden Age Pre 73. It’s designed to sound like an old Neve 1073 (the MOST classic analog pre-amp) and is only $300 (in a world where preamps easily get up to $1000+). There are a few cheaper pre amps, but they don’t sound half as good. http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Golden-Age-Project-Pre73-Preamp?sku=580975
* More microphones! The one you have is decent, but there are far better mics out there. The ADK Vienna and Hamburg are $250-350 (depending on model), which is still fairly cheap for mics, and sounds 10 times better than the MXL (especially for vocals).
A couple sites with great recording tips…
http://tweakheadz.com/index.html
http://www.behindthemixer.com/ (ignore the religious stuff)
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