Advice Please

Dr. Loon

Hi folks,

I'm looking to start recording my band. I have a small space where my drums are setup, and I'd like to get an audio interface with a fairly decent spec, that will allow me to record drums, bass, keys, vocals, guitars - not all at once obviously. I'm assuming if I want to get the kit well mic'd up, I'll want at least 8 channels/inputs, if I were to mic the kick, snare, hats, toms x 3/4 and an overhead for cymbals. I was looking at this on thomann;
http://www.thomann.de/ie/presonus_firestudio_project.htm

I understand, I'll then need to get a half decent set of monitors, and mics. I'm looking for recommendations on these if possible. I'd be looking at the lower end of the price range.

I intend to purchase a decent laptop also, though my current PC is decent enough, I think a more powerful system will serve me well here. My intent would be to lay down the drum tracks to a click, and then have the other members come in and record their parts. Am I going overkill with the interface above? Or do I need better?

Any advice is appreciated. I'm a complete noob, but I am technically minded, and I think I should be able to pick this up fairly quickly with a little guidance from you guys who know what's what.

Thanks in advance.
Loon.

wonski

To be honest - and I did try doing same project on budget - mics are most expensive, right after interface/preamps.
If i were you try to acomodate your PC if it is fairly modern. Pc as you know is easier to upgrade if needed, you can add disc for your audio projects, and instead of spending cash on the laptop spend it on mics. You could try adverts and the likes for mics - if you buy few sm57 second hand you will sell them for the very same money after a year (or 10) if needed.
Will your budget allow you to buy few decent mics?

Never used presonus, but is this one compatible with newer versions of Windows? Description says XP. Make sure to check on their(presonus) website if drivers and software work ok with Vista(if anything works ok with this one;))/7 .
Sure other will have few more ideas, but few good mics are a must really. Then interface that will work without any problems with your system and software, and then you can go into how to record and all the acoustic side of things.

Dr. Loon

Thanks for the reply Wonski. I was thinking of trying to use my existing PC alright as then I could get decent mics I think. I'm running an Intel core 2 with 4gb RAM. Early research suggests the Presonus should be good on Windows 7.
Am I right in thinking the 8 channels would do to record drums, and then the other instruments separately?

wonski

8 channels is exactly what you need I would say. Well you could use them to record more than just drums at once (rehearsals etc)...
There is lot to be said, have a look online on micing techniques - especially on drums and you will see that 2 mics can work too.
You already mentioned your space is limited, so look into that and acoustic treatment as well. It is a serious, but rewarding and pleasant job. Do your homework before spending any money, and I would stick to the pc at this moment, unless you need to be mobile.
Good luck.

ZV Yoda

When it comes to recording acoustic drums in a home studio, you need to be prepared to break your heart & your bank account. I speak from experience. It is almost impossible to get a decent drum sound in a home studio. No matter what you do, they will sound dull, boxy & amateurish.

Have a read through this thread.
www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74062832

Both myself and DaDumTish have (independently) been through what you are trying to do. We spent a lot of time (2-3 years) & money on mics, interfaces, room treatment etc... but we both came to the same conclusion (within a few weeks of each other as it happens). The bottom line is that for home recording, using an electronic kit with good drum software is really the only feasible solution. In the long run, it's a lot less expensive than going the acoustic route.

If you are really set on using your acoustic kit (or your budget won’t stretch to an electronic kit), then this is what I’d do in your position:
1. Buy a cheap set of drum triggers (ideally 2nd hand). Fit these to you kit & cymbals. Effectively, you now have an electronic kit that you can play like a normal kit… but with the advantage of being able to trigger drum/cymbals samples in your recording software. To keep the noise down, you can dampen your kit & cymbals (e.g. throw towels over them).
2. Get a cheap interface. Since you’re using midi for drums, there’s no need to for 8 mics / inputs. At this end of the market, there’s not a significant difference in quality, so just get something that has 1 or 2 mic inputs (for recording vocals, guitars etc) & a midi input (for your drums).
3. Choose your recording software. By all accounts, Reaper is great & only costs €50 or something (I use Pro Tools)
4. Choose your drum software (Superior Drummer is best, but EZ drummer or similar will be fine)
5. You could probably do all of the above for €200-300 with some shopping around
6. Imagine what you’d have to spend if you needed 8 mics / stands / inputs… only to realise your room sounds crap, so then you get into the murky world of audio acoustics. Eugh!

Midi all the way...

wonski

It all depends what is the purpose of recording. I once put drums in my room just to play, and it was a no go, not to mention recording, but for simple demo or for rehearsals/new song to work with you can get away with it.
Quality wise you are not going even near the studio.

Drummer from my band recorded some drums on electronic kit - not sure what the software was but it costed small fortune - and the result was really good.
Know of a few lads who recorded quite good demos using mics only for vocals - rest went through instrument inputs on interface, shortcuts are good, especially when space is limited.
I prefer oldschool style, even if it is frustrating.
As suggested if you are going ahead with this, try second hand gear route so you won't risk much, and learn a lot.
If not - ZV Yoda tried this before, so following his advice will be wiser than following mine anyway.

Dr. Loon

Thanks for the replies folks. I've actually purpose built a studio for practice, a log cabin with double skinned walls, and I've done the acoustic treatment piece, as it's a small space lots of wall panelling and clouds above kit and mix position. I spent a long time researching all that acoustic stuff and I've still to do a proper analysis of the room, but the sound is nice and tight. It's still in progress, but I'm getting a nice clean recorded sound out of the kit on a basic recorder (one of those Zoom jobs), with no tweaking, so I'm quite confident I'll be able to achieve a decent sound with good micing and decent editing software and so on. Well, I'm going to try at least. The journey is often where you learn the most I find!

I was thinking with the Presonus Firestudio I might future proof myself to a degree? It seems to be expandable, plus I figure better to have too much than too little. I recently sold an electronic kit as I despised playing it, but i may look at a higher end kit. In any event, I'll attempt the full acoustic kit. The Presonus kit comes with Presonus Studio Artists software. Has anyone had any experience with this? Is it worth trying a different interface with bundled software, for the sake of different software? If so, what interface would you folks recommend. I understand pro tools is pretty pricey but I feel like I'm almost familiar with it already from watching the engineer when we record in studios. Then surely most audio editing software is much the same?

Appreciate the advice thus far. I'm gonna have a serious think on the acoustic v electric kit.