Acoustic recording

[McDuff]

So I have saved up some $800 now at my minimum wage and am contemplating what to get with it. I bought a new guitar a few months ago (a lovely little seagull) so I have more or less settled on getting some recording equipment so I can hear how terrible I am and hopefully improve some. The problem with this plan ofcourse is that I am rather unfarmiliar with recording equipment and what would be best for acoustic recording.

 

I know I would probably want a condenser mic and a little computer interface. At the moment I'm considering a couple different starter packages and am honestly rather lost. I am hoping that some one here has some quick insight to this as looking at google comes up with an overwhelming amount of info. What do you folks use for straightforward recording to improve? Am I better off using some kind of pick up that I can plug into the comp or just using a mic? I know there is a recording section here but it seems that section is a tad lack luster and I am interested in specifically recording tracks that will be just me and a guitar (and a harmonica here or there).

[drathbun]

Well of course, there are all kinds of answers to you question and a lot depends on the variables of your budget, your type of computer, whether you'll be recording vocals and guitar or just guitar etc.

 

I built my recording system over a number of years of adding and upgrading. I would say that your best investments now would be to get a good audio card for your computer and a good condenser microphone. My preference for audio cards is with M-Audio. They have a range of cards including USB and Firewire if you are on a laptop. I have an M-Audio Delta Audiophile. As for a condenser mic, I have an Apex 435 large diaphram condenser. It isn't the best one out there, but reasonably priced and sounds great. Behringer makes some nice affordable large diaphram condensers.

 

The other thing I might suggest as a start, especially if you are just interested in hearing your progress, would be to buy something like the Zoom H4 Digital Recorder. For about $300 you get a compact recording system that has pretty good stereo mics and SD card digital storage to transfer easily to your computer. Something to consider.

 

[nodehopper]

+1 to Doug's suggestion on the Zoom. I have an H2 and it has a "line in" that you can use a mic or two into a small mixer --> then mixer line out into the Zoom which can produce CD quality recordings. Then you also have the ability to just set the Zoom next to you and use its microphones to record for the "progress/practice recordings" to quickly record and get almost instant feedback.

 

Computer recording has a steep learning curve and requires a pretty robust and powerful computer. If you have an older computer it can make recording a drag.

 

Again if you are not producing recordings for anything other than yourself for learning and to share with friends .....the Zoom is a very attractive and easy option.

 

Zoom $300 + small mixer $99 to $120 + $50 to $100 on cables/accesorries and then as much as you want to spend on microphones....

 

(mixer is to allow use of XLR connections and maybe Phantom powering of mics - may not be necessary)

 

Good luck and don't be shy about posting your efforts!

[Guth]

The current crop of flash-based field recorders are capable of producing fantastic results for the acoustic guitarist. I own a Sony PCM-D50. I've been extremely happy with it and have found it to be very easy to use. Since the purchase of the PCM-D50, Sony has released the PCM-M10 (available from B&H Photo/Video for $229). The PCM-M10 allows you to record directly in .MP3 format as an option (the PCM-D50 records .WAV files which can then be converted to .MP3 format) and provides incredible battery life. I highly recommend the Sony flash-based field recorders. If these fall within your budget, they are certainly worth a look.

 

Check out wingfieldaudio.com for more info on a number of different field recorders.

 

Good luck!

Guth

[pschaafs]

+1 on the H2 - Its probably all you need to get started recording. I think it does a great job and it is relatively cheap - $150 or so

[McDuff]

Alright so it looks like I'm going with the zoom. I'll order that and then probably look into getting an additional mic for it and start building aup recording equipment gradually I suppose. You can expect me to upload one of my songs on here as soon as I can.. I'll ask right now though that people be gentle ;p

[Danner]

You best bet is probably a condenser mic with a USB interface, plugged into you computer, and with some shareware recording software.

 

This forum is not a good place to explore and learn.

 

www.gearslutz.com go to the low end theory forum and ask. THey will recommend you do some searching in their archives, which are ripe with advice and experience.

[petew]

Alright so it looks like I'm going with the zoom. I'll order that and then probably look into getting an additional mic for it and start building aup recording equipment gradually I suppose. You can expect me to upload one of my songs on here as soon as I can.. I'll ask right now though that people be gentle ;p

 

If i may, i am a student at Bucks Uni in England. I've worked on a lot of tracks and had to do a lot of research into microphone techniques on acoustic instruments and in my opinion and from what i have picked up in the last 2 years of recording, is there is nothing better than a stereo pair of condenser miks. The obvious choice are AKG 414's but at nearly £800 each they will prob be out of most peoples price range. Rode are an exceptional choice of mik at great prices. Rode NT5's are around £230 for the pair and are really fantastic in my opinion. If you buy software that gives you the capability of recording more than one mik at a time, a long with the ability to pan left and right, i think you are on to a real winner.

Good luck with your songs :)

Pete

[Guth]

Alright so it looks like I'm going with the zoom. I'll order that and then probably look into getting an additional mic for it and start building aup recording equipment gradually I suppose. You can expect me to upload one of my songs on here as soon as I can.. I'll ask right now though that people be gentle ;p

 

One of the great things about the field recorders is the convenience factor. Even if you do decide to move up the chain in the world of recording gear, there will probably always be a place for a convenient piece of gear to capture creative thoughts, practice sessions, etc..

 

In addition to my field recorder, I have a 1st generation Digidesign Mbox (it has some decent mic preamps built-in and came with ProTools LE) along with a couple of Audio Technica condenser mics. I don't have a dedicated space to record in and it took some doing to set up the computer, Mbox and mics. The Sony is just so much more convenient by comparison, and to be honest, I feel like I achieve better results with it. Now to keep things in perspective, I'm only interested in recording my solo acoustic pieces — so my needs are really basic. I need two-channel audio and simply want to capture the sound of my playing with no effects. If you aspire to do more, then your mileage might vary.

 

I look forward to hearing your playing.

 

All the best,

Guth