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Post by BradPaisleyFan (Pat) on Jun 29, 2020 10:26:45 GMT -7
Hey guys,
I'm jumping in and want to start recording from home. What do I need?
im looking at suggestions for
- Imac computer - Interface - good quality headphones - mics - monitors
do i start learning garageband or skip that all together and learn logic?
Any direction and suggestions appreciated
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Post by fallingstarsusa on Jun 29, 2020 11:25:48 GMT -7
I have been using Garageband for as long as there has been a Garageband and have never felt the need to upgrade to Logic. The interface is easy to use, the mic and amp simulations are surprisingly solid, and the basic mixing tools are reasonably robust. The caveat is that I've never used it to record anything more complicated than bass-drums-guitar pop songs. So if the "jump to recording from home" means you're used to doing complicated recordings and mixes on tape in a "real" studio with lots of cool pre-amps and compressors, you may quickly bump into limitations I haven't encountered yet.
As far as the rest of the gear goes--I've always had the best luck just talking to a customer service rep at Sweetwater. It's been a while since I upgraded any of my stuff, so some of these models are old, but I'm currently using: Condenser Mic: Bluebird by Blue Microphones (this is one place to splurge, though, so if you have the scratch, the AKG C414 is a pretty nice mic, especially for vocals) Interface: Apogee Duet (this is where talking to a Sweetwater rep will come in handy. The basic question is what in your budget has the best mic preamps and necessary inputs) Headphones: Sony Professional MDR-7508 Monitors: M-Audio BX5s (Another good thing to talk to a rep about.)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2020 11:46:23 GMT -7
Ok, here are the obligatory questions before the answers.
Are you going to be recording yourself or others? More than one person at a time?
Have you used a mac before?
Do you have any friends who do computer recording? This is an important question because it could steer you towards one kind of DAW vs another. It's easier than ever to share stuff 'cross platform' but you may want to have a "buddy" who can answer your questions.
As to the questions.. - Imac computer ****iMac is a really great computer for recording. If you get one, get the larger 27" screen. Recording on a computer is very visual and the larger screen helps. You need at least 16Mg of RAM to run any of the modern recording software. You can add cheaper aftermarket RAM to all the iMacs from 2017 on. OWC has great deals on RAM and also has videos of how to do it. A post 2017 iMac will have Thunderbolt 3 ports on it. This is a very fast connection and it will help if your interface runs on Thunderbolt 3 also. You are going to need an outboard hard drive to record to. These are not expensive and again, it will help you in the long run to get a drive that is Thunderbolt 3. You need a hard drive that spins at 7200 RPM for recording. 5400 is ok for backup.
- Interface *****There's a lot of good stuff out there. Very good is the Focusrite line. You'll want to know how many things you need to record at once to figure out how many analog inputs with mic pre-amps you need. Also, even if you are working at home alone most the time, try to find an interface with 2 headphone outputs incase you have a friend over. This way you won't have to buy a separate headphone amp. Focusrite interfaces come bundled with Pro Tools First, which is their free introductory DAW.
Better is the stuff from UA. Their interfaces are more expensive but they come with built in processors that run their plugins there off of your computer and allow you to use plugins while recording. They have deals all the time on their plugins and you get some free ones with your purchase. UA also recently introduced their own full fledged DAW which you can download for free if you have one of their Thunderbolt 3 interfaces. It's called LUNA
- good quality headphones ****You need closed back headphones if you are going to be doing anything with a microphone. The AT40x headphones are a great place to start for about $90. They sound great and fit great. They come with 2 detachable cables.
- mics ****Depends on what you are gonna be recording but you can't go wrong with a Dynamic mic, a small diaphragm condenser and a large diaphragm condenser. A ribbon would come later.
- monitors ****Entry level powered monitors have really taken a quality leap in the last 5 years. I recommend the ADAM Audio T Series. Great speakers. Pick the woofer size for your room.
do i start learning garageband or skip that all together and learn logic? ****Like I said above, this really depends on if you have a buddy who's on one system already. If you do, you might want to go that way. Garageband works but for me it's excruciatingly difficult in the "So Easy It's Hard" column. Logic comes with a whole lot of stuff. Software instruments, Drum programs, Plugins. ProTools is the most popular. They offer subscription models. You can also start with their Free version ProTools First. I use ProTools the most. UA's Luna has a whole lot going for it if you decide to go for the UA interface. UA is a very good company.
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Post by fallingstarsusa on Jun 29, 2020 12:01:08 GMT -7
Roscoe makes a very good point (actually, all his points are good points) about choosing a recording platform that your friends and bandmates are using. One of the things that makes Garagaband work for me is that it's also the platform the other guys in my band and my closest non-bandmate friend use. We bounce files back and forth on DropBox all the time.
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Post by T-R☼CK ♫ on Jun 29, 2020 13:29:33 GMT -7
I did a HELLA lot of "Home recording" the past 4 decades.
The absolute, VERY first, and probably the ONLY valuable piece of sagely advice I can give you on this thread...
WhatEVER Eric (roscoenyc) tells you... DO IT!
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Post by GuitarZ on Jun 29, 2020 13:50:04 GMT -7
I'll agree with all above. If you decide to ease on in, I'd minimize cost, but don't be cheap on yourself. If you find you will be serious and want to keep doing it, you can then start to upgrade.
I was about to say, if you're serious now, maybe spend a little more. My interface is 12+ years old, my monitors at least 8, and, surprisingly, my sonar software is 11 years old. When thinking through this, most of the gear was my 2nd round. So, the first round gear had a short life. My 2nd round gear is still kicking.
I thought I was in for a major upgrade once Windows 10 hit, but everything's still working, and I have what I need in terms of processing, etc. Have fun!
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Post by BradPaisleyFan (Pat) on Jul 2, 2020 11:44:19 GMT -7
Ok, here are the obligatory questions before the answers. Are you going to be recording yourself or others? More than one person at a time? Have you used a mac before? Do you have any friends who do computer recording? This is an important question because it could steer you towards one kind of DAW vs another. It's easier than ever to share stuff 'cross platform' but you may want to have a "buddy" who can answer your questions. As to the questions.. - Imac computer ****iMac is a really great computer for recording. If you get one, get the larger 27" screen. Recording on a computer is very visual and the larger screen helps. You need at least 16Mg of RAM to run any of the modern recording software. You can add cheaper aftermarket RAM to all the iMacs from 2017 on. OWC has great deals on RAM and also has videos of how to do it. A post 2017 iMac will have Thunderbolt 3 ports on it. This is a very fast connection and it will help if your interface runs on Thunderbolt 3 also. You are going to need an outboard hard drive to record to. These are not expensive and again, it will help you in the long run to get a drive that is Thunderbolt 3. You need a hard drive that spins at 7200 RPM for recording. 5400 is ok for backup. - Interface *****There's a lot of good stuff out there. Very good is the Focusrite line. You'll want to know how many things you need to record at once to figure out how many analog inputs with mic pre-amps you need. Also, even if you are working at home alone most the time, try to find an interface with 2 headphone outputs incase you have a friend over. This way you won't have to buy a separate headphone amp. Focusrite interfaces come bundled with Pro Tools First, which is their free introductory DAW. Better is the stuff from UA. Their interfaces are more expensive but they come with built in processors that run their plugins there off of your computer and allow you to use plugins while recording. They have deals all the time on their plugins and you get some free ones with your purchase. UA also recently introduced their own full fledged DAW which you can download for free if you have one of their Thunderbolt 3 interfaces. It's called LUNA - good quality headphones ****You need closed back headphones if you are going to be doing anything with a microphone. The AT40x headphones are a great place to start for about $90. They sound great and fit great. They come with 2 detachable cables. - mics ****Depends on what you are gonna be recording but you can't go wrong with a Dynamic mic, a small diaphragm condenser and a large diaphragm condenser. A ribbon would come later. - monitors ****Entry level powered monitors have really taken a quality leap in the last 5 years. I recommend the ADAM Audio T Series. Great speakers. Pick the woofer size for your room. do i start learning garageband or skip that all together and learn logic? ****Like I said above, this really depends on if you have a buddy who's on one system already. If you do, you might want to go that way. Garageband works but for me it's excruciatingly difficult in the "So Easy It's Hard" column. Logic comes with a whole lot of stuff. Software instruments, Drum programs, Plugins. ProTools is the most popular. They offer subscription models. You can also start with their Free version ProTools First. I use ProTools the most. UA's Luna has a whole lot going for it if you decide to go for the UA interface. UA is a very good company. Huge thanks to you Eric for taking the time to answer me with so much great info!!! I do have a friend who does a bunch of recording, however this is why i am wanting to do it myself. He cant seem to separate the "time is money" mantality and i get it...its fine but he charges 100 an hour to do anything so I am looking to just tinker around at home with recording. He does use protools however. Mostly will just be recording myself...acoustic, electric, vocals and ill figure everything else out. I have 0 experience using an Imac...Ipad is the closest to a mac ive ever used. Im not looking to making grammy award winning recordings...but something i can toss on a CD and maybe have friends and family listen to it...likely recording vocals, acoustic guitar at once...so only a couple inputs needed im guessing? would using a room mic be useful? so maybe 3 inputs all together? As for the IMac, I am eying up the top of the line 27" imac with everything upgraded minus the ram (i have seen the backdoor hatch with adding ram and saving BIG money opposed doing the upgradew with apple). I have also eyed up the focusrite interface...read alot of great things about it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2020 15:01:47 GMT -7
BradPaisleyFan (Pat), Top of the line regular iMac 27" would be a great rig but don't spring for the iMac Pro. That's extra thousands that you wouldn't feel unless you were programing intense graphics or editing a movie..
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Post by KeithA on Jul 2, 2020 16:13:08 GMT -7
BradPaisleyFan (Pat) , Top of the line regular iMac 27" would be a great rig but don't spring for the iMac Pro. That's extra thousands that you wouldn't feel unless you were programing intense graphics or editing a movie.. Pat, I concur with roscoenyc. Max out the base model iMac. I'd have done that already this year except a minor upgrade to my Son's gaming PC turned into $2,400 in upgrades! I'm getting a new iMac next month. Maxxed out base model...not the iMac Pro. Everything roscoenyc you can take as Gospel The only think I will mention is that since we likely both drawing from mostly the same retailer here in Canada (L&M), I'd toss out a couple more monitors. I, too, was going to get the Adams as roscoenyc recommends. However, when I went to L&M, of all of the monitors I tried, I liked the Neumann HP80s the best. After that I liked the iLoud MTM a lot too. Now, the main reason I liked those over others, assuming the sound differences were negligible, was that the Neumann's & iLouds had a small footprint. So, I now run the iLoud MTMs on my iMac and I run the Neumann's with my Kemper (in conjunction with a great, high-powered sub). If you can get to a L&M with these in stock I'd give a listen. www.long-mcquade.com/143788/Pro-Audio---Recording/Studio-Monitors/IK-Multimedia/iLoud-MTM-High-resolution-DSP-Compact-Studio-Monitor-w-ARC-Measurement-Mic.htmwww.long-mcquade.com/81516/Pro-Audio---Recording/Studio-Monitors/Neumann/KH-80-DSP-4---Active-Studio-Monitor.htmIf I had to pick one set...the Neumann's...but the iLouds are fantastic for a small monitor (if space is an issue).
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2020 10:02:37 GMT -7
Funny this comes up. The Dr Z instagram page had featured a couple home studio set ups on there page the other day. The one set up had an imac with Adam monitors, a bunch of Z amps, Neuman mics and some Nord keyboard. If I wasn't a fiscally prudent adult with a wife and two kids, I would love to have something like that at my house.
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sco77
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Post by sco77 on Jul 4, 2020 6:31:54 GMT -7
This recording thread is timely for yours truly.
I just pulled out the old Mackie 1604 (pre VLZ model) and the Alesis ADAT XT (which needs some work). I'm trying to get a recording rig set up to have fun with. It looks like there is no upgrade path from the old stuff other than to scrap it and go computer based. That's a rather dramatic shift for me to make in one leap. Plus, it sounds expensive. I'm not a Mac person, so any computer system I get would be Windows. I put together the my last computer, so I'm sure I could cobble together a decent machine. However, it's all these "interfaces" and connections (Thunderbolt vs USB, etc.) that have confused me. That and the software choices. If Protools is anywhere near as convoluted as Photoshop, I'd like to steer clear of it. Getting sound on tape makes sense to me. I don't see just how that works with computers.
Any suggestions on how I can make it into the 21st century would be welcome.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2020 8:26:43 GMT -7
Most of the recording platforms do Mac & PC
Logic and Garageband are Mac Specific.
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Post by The Bad Poodle Experience on Jul 6, 2020 13:03:02 GMT -7
i have gotten a lot of mileage out of a 24-track, all-in-one unit from Tascam but I have run up against many of it's limitations and will be moving to a PC-based DAW system as soon as my house remodel is finished. The Tascam cost me all of about $400 and was very easy for me to learn.
to add to what has been said already, and as a cautionary tale, the bassist in my band built himself a very nice Mac-based ProTools DAW system with a lot of money invested in mics and high-end interfaces only to find himself nearly paralyzed with fear every time he has to consider using the system. We recorded some demos 4 years ago and started laying down album tracks but we hired an engineer who knew Pro-tools to do the recording for us and now that he has moved away, we can't access the tracks we worked on without hiring someone who knows Pro-tools. So... get a system you are comfortable if you don't think you can handle a big technical learning curve OR build out a nice system and hire an engineer for $35/hr to run it for you. Also, the current slate of all-in-one systems are not too shabby and they are way easier to learn and way less expensive as well. So, maybe that's the way to go. Interoperability of the tracks with other systems is there with the all-in-one as well, if a bit more cumbersome to transfer them.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2020 13:10:59 GMT -7
There's a whole series of Ignite! books for guys of our generation that I recommend to many of my clients. www.amazon.com/Recording-Sound-Ignite-Music/s?rh=n%3A4538%2Cp_lbr_books_series_browse-bin%3AIgnite%21The worst thing you can do is get a new rig and start recording an album on it. There are a whole lot of easier ways to learn Pro Tools or any DAW for that matter. The easiest being learning how to import a stereo track and do a single mono overdub. That's the place to start. It really doesn't have to be that hard.
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Post by detuned on Jul 7, 2020 6:28:48 GMT -7
Another voice in the chorus for Roscoe's advice - solid as usual!
I learned Garageband when I was hired last-second to record a bunch of short backing tracks for a major retailer many years ago. Sink or swim, baby! Garageband is a great platform for n00bs, believe me! And it'll handle a lot more than a couple of acoustic tracks. In fact, the only reason I felt compelled to upgrade to Logic was when I needed to record a whole band at once, and Garageband's 8 tracks at a time limit just wasn't cutting it. I'm no expert, but you can do a ton with Garageband.
Get an interface with decent pre's - I started with a Presonus FireStudio (that's how long ago that was!), and although it had only two mic pre's, both were decent Focusrite modules. There are lots fo good options these days. Decent headphones are a must.
Get the best mics you can fit in your budget too. No need to buy a studio-full all at once, start with a couple and add to the pile over time. A Shure SM57 is a good "starter" mic - they're guitar classics for a reason. Do some research and find the best bang for your buck mics for the type of music you intend to record.
Most of all, take it slow, try not to get frustrated when Sgt. Pepper doesn't emerge from your tracks the first time out, and HAVE FUN!
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Post by steiner on Jul 7, 2020 8:58:55 GMT -7
If you're just going to record electric guitar, I'd recommend the UA OX. It comes with great effects and multiple mics and cable$ which solves that cost. The preloaded "Rigs" are quite tasty. Augmenting them is really intuitive - GUI is the controls you'd get on the real effects unit. The difference between listening through a cab and through headphones from the OX is a magnitude of difference. FINALLY the guitar sounds like the recordings I've heard all my life!
I'm not a recording guy so I haven't gone any further that playing live with it. The only software I have for mixing came with the Adobe collection; I haven't used it.
Best part, the unit sells for 90+% of MSRP so, if you're not making it work, you can recoup most of the price.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2020 14:35:09 GMT -7
If you're just going to record electric guitar, I'd recommend the UA OX. It comes with great effects and multiple mics and cable$ which solves that cost. The preloaded "Rigs" are quite tasty. Augmenting them is really intuitive - GUI is the controls you'd get on the real effects unit. The difference between listening through a cab and through headphones from the OX is a magnitude of difference. FINALLY the guitar sounds like the recordings I've heard all my life! I'm not a recording guy so I haven't gone any further that playing live with it. The only software I have for mixing came with the Adobe collection; I haven't used it. Best part, the unit sells for 90+% of MSRP so, if you're not making it work, you can recoup most of the price. The UA OX is a truly tremendous piece of gear (I have one at home and one at the studio) but you still need an interface to get the audio from the OX into your computer and you need a DAW program of some sort to record that audio.
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Post by Sean on Jul 7, 2020 15:00:06 GMT -7
I must come clean - the only recording I do lately is direct to iMac from USB and Fractal Axe-FX or FM3. BUt I do use the Dr. Z models a lot!! :)
IF I had my own room/space/preferences I would mic up amps and have a blast...but just not possible these days in Miami with all the kids at home... :)
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Post by steiner on Jul 7, 2020 17:39:54 GMT -7
If you're just going to record electric guitar, I'd recommend the UA OX. It comes with great effects and multiple mics and cable$ which solves that cost. The preloaded "Rigs" are quite tasty. Augmenting them is really intuitive - GUI is the controls you'd get on the real effects unit. The difference between listening through a cab and through headphones from the OX is a magnitude of difference. FINALLY the guitar sounds like the recordings I've heard all my life! I'm not a recording guy so I haven't gone any further that playing live with it. The only software I have for mixing came with the Adobe collection; I haven't used it. Best part, the unit sells for 90+% of MSRP so, if you're not making it work, you can recoup most of the price. The UA OX is a truly tremendous piece of gear (I have one at home and one at the studio) but you still need an interface to get the audio from the OX into your computer and you need a DAW program of some sort to record that audio. I go from the OX line out (TRS) to the Boss POS recorder. E-Z-P-Z
I also have 2 Fryette Power Stations on order. I'll run the OX line out to L&R PSs to speaker cabs. Seems like a good way to get the OX with effects into speakers. It's just another tricky day...
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Post by John E. on Jul 9, 2020 6:44:14 GMT -7
I'll share my setup and then add a few points to consider.
Computer: 2019 iMac 27"
Interface: Universal Audio Apollo Twin Quad MkII. Has great preamps, input and output controls, "Console" software to control everything from your desktop, talkback mic, and the power supply is interchangeable with every type of plug in the world (hence the name "Universal" Audio).
Headphones: I don't usually use headphones since I live alone, but I do own a pair of Sennheiser headphones, not sure on the model.
Mics I'll split into two categories: Amp Mics: Shure SM57 & Sennheiser e609 Vocal Mics: AKG C214 & Shure SM7B (AKG for singing vocals, SM7B for streaming)
Monitors: Yamaha HS7's (The HS7's have been great for me since I only do tracking in my studio, but for mixing, they're severely lacking in the low end frequencies so my mixes always come out WAY too bass heavy since I can't hear the bass while mixing)
I use Logic Pro X, and had it pre-installed on my Mac when I bought it. I used Garageband for about 6 years before that, so I had some familiarity with the basics before hopping into Logic. But to be honest, the user interface in Logic is so easy to navigate and understand that even my friends who have never used any DAW in their life figured out the basics in less than an hour. But it's so feature-rich that I still haven't discovered/used even half of all the features in the year and a half I've used it, and I've easily put 10,000 hours into it. So Logic's learning curve is DRASTICALLY lower than something like ProTools (I spent about 5 hours with ProTools and didn't understand a single thing)
Hard Drive: LaCie Rugged 4TB USB-C
Now here's a few things to consider.
How often will you be using it? If it's a hobby studio for tracking your song ideas and you don't plan on ever recording a full band, a 2 input interface will be fine. But, if you ever plan on recording a drum kit or multiple instruments at once, you'll want AT LEAST 4 inputs, preferably 6-8.
How big is the room? If it's a smaller room, like mine, monitors with a 5"-7" will be the size for you. If it's a larger room, Yamaha HS8's could be the better option. And the larger the room the more important high quality acoustic treatment becomes!
Will you be doing your own mixing/mastering? If so, you might want to invest in monitors with a wider frequency response, and you'll DEFINITELY want to invest in high quality acoustic treatment.
Will you be transferring project files between band mates often? If you are, then DAW choice becomes a bigger consideration. As Roscoe pointed out, cross platforming has become easier but it's by no means easy. I had a bandmate who used Ableton and to transfer the project, i'd have to bounce all the MIDI tracks to audio files, bounce any tracks with effects or processing again, and then export each track separately. If I just sent him the audio files it wouldn't include any compression, reverb, delay, etc. if he didn't own the same plugins I did. It was a pain.
Preamps Preamps Preamps. Since it sounds like you'll be using mic's for everything, you'll wanna figure out what you want to do as far as preamps. The UA Apollo interfaces have a cool software called "console" which lets you control your input and output levels, and you can put UA's plugins on the channel strip within the Apollo, which takes a lot of the DSP load off of your computer. You can save sessions to recall later, but just like recording with a real console, if you put a preamp/compressor/effect on the console channel strip and record a track, you can't change it after the fact. But the UA preamps are REALLY good, saving you thousands of dollars you would spend buying hardware preamps/channel strips or other plugins since several come free with the Apollo.
Last, but DEFINITELY not least, you'll need a way to power all of this. I have an APC Back-UPS Pro 1000 which is a battery backup and surge protector all in one. I also have two Furman M-8x2's that I have mounted in my desk, one powers the Apollo and monitors, the other powers my Axe FX. The APC gives me battery backup in case a storm knocks the power out (which in Oklahoma is a common occurrence) and surge protection, and the Furmans give me power switches right at my fingertips as well as accessibility so I don't have to crawl behind my desk to unplug anything ever, all I do to move my studio is unplug the APC from the wall and roll the desk wherever I need it. But power supply is one of the most important pieces, preferably with a battery backup.
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Post by BradPaisleyFan (Pat) on Jul 10, 2020 18:13:58 GMT -7
I'll share my setup and then add a few points to consider. Computer: 2019 iMac 27" Interface: Universal Audio Apollo Twin Quad MkII. Has great preamps, input and output controls, "Console" software to control everything from your desktop, talkback mic, and the power supply is interchangeable with every type of plug in the world (hence the name "Universal" Audio). Headphones: I don't usually use headphones since I live alone, but I do own a pair of Sennheiser headphones, not sure on the model. Mics I'll split into two categories: Amp Mics: Shure SM57 & Sennheiser e609 Vocal Mics: AKG C214 & Shure SM7B (AKG for singing vocals, SM7B for streaming) Monitors: Yamaha HS7's (The HS7's have been great for me since I only do tracking in my studio, but for mixing, they're severely lacking in the low end frequencies so my mixes always come out WAY too bass heavy since I can't hear the bass while mixing) I use Logic Pro X, and had it pre-installed on my Mac when I bought it. I used Garageband for about 6 years before that, so I had some familiarity with the basics before hopping into Logic. But to be honest, the user interface in Logic is so easy to navigate and understand that even my friends who have never used any DAW in their life figured out the basics in less than an hour. But it's so feature-rich that I still haven't discovered/used even half of all the features in the year and a half I've used it, and I've easily put 10,000 hours into it. So Logic's learning curve is DRASTICALLY lower than something like ProTools (I spent about 5 hours with ProTools and didn't understand a single thing) Hard Drive: LaCie Rugged 4TB USB-C Now here's a few things to consider. How often will you be using it? If it's a hobby studio for tracking your song ideas and you don't plan on ever recording a full band, a 2 input interface will be fine. But, if you ever plan on recording a drum kit or multiple instruments at once, you'll want AT LEAST 4 inputs, preferably 6-8. How big is the room? If it's a smaller room, like mine, monitors with a 5"-7" will be the size for you. If it's a larger room, Yamaha HS8's could be the better option. And the larger the room the more important high quality acoustic treatment becomes! Will you be doing your own mixing/mastering? If so, you might want to invest in monitors with a wider frequency response, and you'll DEFINITELY want to invest in high quality acoustic treatment. Will you be transferring project files between band mates often? If you are, then DAW choice becomes a bigger consideration. As Roscoe pointed out, cross platforming has become easier but it's by no means easy. I had a bandmate who used Ableton and to transfer the project, i'd have to bounce all the MIDI tracks to audio files, bounce any tracks with effects or processing again, and then export each track separately. If I just sent him the audio files it wouldn't include any compression, reverb, delay, etc. if he didn't own the same plugins I did. It was a pain. Preamps Preamps Preamps. Since it sounds like you'll be using mic's for everything, you'll wanna figure out what you want to do as far as preamps. The UA Apollo interfaces have a cool software called "console" which lets you control your input and output levels, and you can put UA's plugins on the channel strip within the Apollo, which takes a lot of the DSP load off of your computer. You can save sessions to recall later, but just like recording with a real console, if you put a preamp/compressor/effect on the console channel strip and record a track, you can't change it after the fact. But the UA preamps are REALLY good, saving you thousands of dollars you would spend buying hardware preamps/channel strips or other plugins since several come free with the Apollo. Last, but DEFINITELY not least, you'll need a way to power all of this. I have an APC Back-UPS Pro 1000 which is a battery backup and surge protector all in one. I also have two Furman M-8x2's that I have mounted in my desk, one powers the Apollo and monitors, the other powers my Axe FX. The APC gives me battery backup in case a storm knocks the power out (which in Oklahoma is a common occurrence) and surge protection, and the Furmans give me power switches right at my fingertips as well as accessibility so I don't have to crawl behind my desk to unplug anything ever, all I do to move my studio is unplug the APC from the wall and roll the desk wherever I need it. But power supply is one of the most important pieces, preferably with a battery backup. and how does that 2019 Imac hang in there? im debating if I should buy a "out of the box" 27" unit from best buy or order a "custom unit" from the apple website...Thats number 1. Should I get a best buy unit now, or wait until september-ish to see if they release an updated version...that rumor has been circulating. Also thinking about the imac and editing videos...but music is number 1 over video editing.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2020 19:18:24 GMT -7
As I said in my first post 27” iMac is a great rig. Even Best Buy will have options. 1TB SS drive would be very good I suggest upgrading the RAM yourself from somewhere like OWC. You will save hundreds. For running a contemporary DAW and plugins you need a minimum of 16 Meg of RAM. 32 would keep you going longer.
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Post by detuned on Jul 11, 2020 8:12:53 GMT -7
As I said in my first post 27” iMac is a great rig. Even Best Buy will have options. 1TB SS drive would be very good I suggest upgrading the RAM yourself from somewhere like OWC. You will save hundreds. For running a contemporary DAW and plugins you need a minimum of 16 Meg of RAM. 32 would keep you going longer. Other World = a Mac owner's best friend. True fact.
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Post by KeithA on Aug 6, 2020 6:25:13 GMT -7
As I said in my first post 27” iMac is a great rig. Even Best Buy will have options. 1TB SS drive would be very good I suggest upgrading the RAM yourself from somewhere like OWC. You will save hundreds. For running a contemporary DAW and plugins you need a minimum of 16 Meg of RAM. 32 would keep you going longer. I see that Apple released the new iMac 27" on Tuesday past. Good news is that the SSD HD is now standard (& upgradeable) plus some other upgrades. I was waiting to pull the trigger based on rumours about a pending release. Looks like I'll be upgrading soon. You can go to the 10th gen. i9 processor as well. The pricing seems to be still in line with the prior machine. Good news, looks like the RAM is still "User Serviceable" This is no doubt a bridge model until Apple comes out with a new version with its own chip, etc., but this is all I'll need in the next decade.
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Post by John E. on Aug 10, 2020 14:48:13 GMT -7
I'll share my setup and then add a few points to consider. Computer: 2019 iMac 27" Interface: Universal Audio Apollo Twin Quad MkII. Has great preamps, input and output controls, "Console" software to control everything from your desktop, talkback mic, and the power supply is interchangeable with every type of plug in the world (hence the name "Universal" Audio). Headphones: I don't usually use headphones since I live alone, but I do own a pair of Sennheiser headphones, not sure on the model. Mics I'll split into two categories: Amp Mics: Shure SM57 & Sennheiser e609 Vocal Mics: AKG C214 & Shure SM7B (AKG for singing vocals, SM7B for streaming) Monitors: Yamaha HS7's (The HS7's have been great for me since I only do tracking in my studio, but for mixing, they're severely lacking in the low end frequencies so my mixes always come out WAY too bass heavy since I can't hear the bass while mixing) I use Logic Pro X, and had it pre-installed on my Mac when I bought it. I used Garageband for about 6 years before that, so I had some familiarity with the basics before hopping into Logic. But to be honest, the user interface in Logic is so easy to navigate and understand that even my friends who have never used any DAW in their life figured out the basics in less than an hour. But it's so feature-rich that I still haven't discovered/used even half of all the features in the year and a half I've used it, and I've easily put 10,000 hours into it. So Logic's learning curve is DRASTICALLY lower than something like ProTools (I spent about 5 hours with ProTools and didn't understand a single thing) Hard Drive: LaCie Rugged 4TB USB-C Now here's a few things to consider. How often will you be using it? If it's a hobby studio for tracking your song ideas and you don't plan on ever recording a full band, a 2 input interface will be fine. But, if you ever plan on recording a drum kit or multiple instruments at once, you'll want AT LEAST 4 inputs, preferably 6-8. How big is the room? If it's a smaller room, like mine, monitors with a 5"-7" will be the size for you. If it's a larger room, Yamaha HS8's could be the better option. And the larger the room the more important high quality acoustic treatment becomes! Will you be doing your own mixing/mastering? If so, you might want to invest in monitors with a wider frequency response, and you'll DEFINITELY want to invest in high quality acoustic treatment. Will you be transferring project files between band mates often? If you are, then DAW choice becomes a bigger consideration. As Roscoe pointed out, cross platforming has become easier but it's by no means easy. I had a bandmate who used Ableton and to transfer the project, i'd have to bounce all the MIDI tracks to audio files, bounce any tracks with effects or processing again, and then export each track separately. If I just sent him the audio files it wouldn't include any compression, reverb, delay, etc. if he didn't own the same plugins I did. It was a pain. Preamps Preamps Preamps. Since it sounds like you'll be using mic's for everything, you'll wanna figure out what you want to do as far as preamps. The UA Apollo interfaces have a cool software called "console" which lets you control your input and output levels, and you can put UA's plugins on the channel strip within the Apollo, which takes a lot of the DSP load off of your computer. You can save sessions to recall later, but just like recording with a real console, if you put a preamp/compressor/effect on the console channel strip and record a track, you can't change it after the fact. But the UA preamps are REALLY good, saving you thousands of dollars you would spend buying hardware preamps/channel strips or other plugins since several come free with the Apollo. Last, but DEFINITELY not least, you'll need a way to power all of this. I have an APC Back-UPS Pro 1000 which is a battery backup and surge protector all in one. I also have two Furman M-8x2's that I have mounted in my desk, one powers the Apollo and monitors, the other powers my Axe FX. The APC gives me battery backup in case a storm knocks the power out (which in Oklahoma is a common occurrence) and surge protection, and the Furmans give me power switches right at my fingertips as well as accessibility so I don't have to crawl behind my desk to unplug anything ever, all I do to move my studio is unplug the APC from the wall and roll the desk wherever I need it. But power supply is one of the most important pieces, preferably with a battery backup. and how does that 2019 Imac hang in there? im debating if I should buy a "out of the box" 27" unit from best buy or order a "custom unit" from the apple website...Thats number 1. Should I get a best buy unit now, or wait until september-ish to see if they release an updated version...that rumor has been circulating. Also thinking about the imac and editing videos...but music is number 1 over video editing. Sorry for the late reply, I don't get on here much anymore. The only "upgrades" I got with mine was that they pre-installed Logic on it for me. As far as waiting for the new one, that's up to you. The 2019 model will be cheaper and as Keith said, it'll be a bridge model. but the 2019 Mac hangs just fine, no issues that I've ever run into, other than sometimes if i'm using TONS (20+) of midi instruments it can overload, but that's not common for me at all.
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Post by BradPaisleyFan (Pat) on Sept 6, 2020 10:41:57 GMT -7
As I said in my first post 27” iMac is a great rig. Even Best Buy will have options. 1TB SS drive would be very good I suggest upgrading the RAM yourself from somewhere like OWC. You will save hundreds. For running a contemporary DAW and plugins you need a minimum of 16 Meg of RAM. 32 would keep you going longer. I see that Apple released the new iMac 27" on Tuesday past. Good news is that the SSD HD is now standard (& upgradeable) plus some other upgrades. I was waiting to pull the trigger based on rumours about a pending release. Looks like I'll be upgrading soon. You can go to the 10th gen. i9 processor as well. The pricing seems to be still in line with the prior machine. Good news, looks like the RAM is still "User Serviceable" This is no doubt a bridge model until Apple comes out with a new version with its own chip, etc., but this is all I'll need in the next decade. I did in fact order one of these units Keith. Should be here in 3 weeks.
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Post by KeithA on Sept 6, 2020 11:12:47 GMT -7
I see that Apple released the new iMac 27" on Tuesday past. Good news is that the SSD HD is now standard (& upgradeable) plus some other upgrades. I was waiting to pull the trigger based on rumours about a pending release. Looks like I'll be upgrading soon. You can go to the 10th gen. i9 processor as well. The pricing seems to be still in line with the prior machine. Good news, looks like the RAM is still "User Serviceable" This is no doubt a bridge model until Apple comes out with a new version with its own chip, etc., but this is all I'll need in the next decade. I did in fact order one of these units Keith. Should be here in 3 weeks. I’m going to order one this month as well!
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