advice needed on all-rounder mic (and recording software)

davidclayton

hey all,

i've been thinking about getting into writing and recording some songs. i have no experience with recording software, so what would you recommend for a beginner for PC? a quick google search has revealed that mixcraft might be the easiest to use, but i've never seen it.

also, if i wanted to get an all-rounder mic for recording using the above software, could you recommend one? would have to be suitable for vocals, acoustic guitar, and other random instruments like a cajon.

all advice appreciated
dave

Captain Iggy

Hi Dave

I am currently using Reaper http://www.reaper.fm/. This works especially well if you are using a Windows OS as it is nice and easy on the resources. You can try it for free for 30days and if you like it, the price works at €47. Also, there is an extensive user guide on the site. I reccomend it highly, once you get used to all it can do you'll wonder how you ever used anything else.

Regarding microphones, I've trawled the net and this forum and the mics that keep coming up as being tried, trusted, reliable and inexpensive are:
Shure SM57 - Dynamic
http://www.thomann.de/ie/shure_sm57_lc.htm
which is good for recording amps, snares - a general all rounder

and

SE 2200 - Large diaphragm condenser
http://www.thomann.de/ie/se_electronics_se_2200a_limited_edition.htm
which is good for vocals, acoustic guitar etc.

I haven't used either of them yet, but I personally have decided to get those two as I am currently setting up a bedroom studio.
I have a thread started in the main music production thread regarding preamping these, hopefully I'll get some advice and that might benefit you too.

davidclayton

thanks for the advice. i bought a mic the other day in peats, it's a USB one, as i'll only be using it with a laptop. called a blue microphones yeti. i had a voucher so it was handy for me. we'll see how it works out.

i'll look into reaper....

Chris.Buckley

I wouldnt recommend an sm57 for what he needs. I have 3 of them and they're brilliant but not for direct input.also, I'm assuming you don't want to spend €120 on a mic that's not versatile or user friendly (levels are a bit tricky on them). He would need to spend another 100 on a preamp for an sm57 to work. the the yeti is good, but it depends what you need it for. it's made for vloggers so its very sensitive and most suited to recording voice. be careful with it's settings, you can end up with alot of feedback easily with them. Also on the software side, I would reccomend audacity over reaper. It's far more user friendly and completely free. it's the best free one out there. you can get it here http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ . Hope this helps.

davidclayton

Thanks for the recommendation, but audacity is not suitable. I want to record instruments and voice one track at a time, not podcasts. Will give mixcraft a try first and see how I get on.

Chris.Buckley

i'm not sure what you've heard about audacity, but it works brilliantly well in that capacity. i do all my multi track instrumental stuff in it.

madtheory

The Blue Yeti is a great mic actually.

IMO Audacity is unreliable and feature poor compared to Reaper, which for many things can out perform Logic and Pro Tools.

Chris.Buckley

i never said the yeti wasnt a good mic, just to be careful with it. it's primary purpose is for podcasts and vloggers, so naturally its very sensitive.