Today marks the beginning of my series on how to record an entire album yourself... for under $1000. But that's not all... it'll sound good too, as long as you're good, and your instruments are good, and the room you're in happens to sound good. Ok so it's not gonna be easy, but I really will let you in on lots of juicy studio secrets.
Here's what you'll need: the B-Rig...
- Microphones:
- 2 x Marshall MXL 990
- 1 x Shure SM57
- 1 x Nady cm-88
- Microphone Accessories
- 4 x Mic stands w/boom
- 4 x XLR Microphone cables
- 2 x Mic Preamps (Fast Track Pro has 2 preamps for a total of 4)
- Listening Hardware
- 1 x M-Audio StudioPro 3 Desktop Audio Monitors
- 1 x Stereo RCA cable (for the StudioPro 3's)
- 1 x AKG M 80 Studio Headphones
- 1 x Headphone extension cable
- Audio Interface
- 1 x M-Audio Fast Track Pro
- 1 x Steinberg Cubase
For the next few weeks I'm going to assume you have this set of hardware... I made a musician's friend wishlist of this stuff so you can verify the prices.
edit: One commenter mentioned using e-bay to get gear cheaper than musicians friend. It's true, you can get lots of this stuff cheaper on eBay. I'll admit it- I love ebay. The reason I don't reccomend ebay as the place to buy these items is there's no garuntee you'll be able to get them (or that you'll be able to get a given price). However you should try to snag better deals on eBay whenever possible. Just don't forget to check the seller ratings, I hate to see you guys get ripped off.
7 comments:
This assumes you already have a computer... LOL.
Under $1000
Here is a much better set up for less money:
- Microphones:
1 x Marshall MXL 990\991 (with or without preamp) package - $100
1 x Shure SM57 - $100
1 x Shure PG52 - $120 [For recording kick drums, bass cabs, and sounds great on guitar cabs as well. Extremely versatile. I got mine new on eBay for about $70 with shipping.]
- Microphone Accessories
4 x Mic stands w/ book - $80
4 x XLR Microphone cables - $40
-Listening Hardware
1 x Alesis 320USB Monitors - $100
1 x AKG M 80 Studio Headphones - $40
- Audio Interface\Computer Hardware
1 x Presonus Refurb Firepod - $370 [8 inputs, all with preamps. Can be found used on eBay for nearly half of Musician's Friend's price.]
1 x Reaper - Free [Or whatever software you prefer that may be found on BitTorrent.]
This all adds up to $950 and will cost less if you buy used or on eBay. This set up has served me extremely well and is much more versatile than the one you've described (which wouldn't even be able to effectively record drums).
I'd also like to recommend something that would push the collective price tag up to $1015, but it would be a smart thing to buy:
1 x Fantom Drives Titanium USB 2.0 60GB\7200 RPM External Hard Drive - $65 [Or one of higher capacity on newegg.com]
Your blog sucks.
jeff,
your comment 'sucks'. You get what you pay for.
the Alesis 320USB monitors suck ass and are not suitable for mid to high end amateur mixdown work.
@anonymous
I think it's fair to assume you have a computer if you're reading my blog. If you don't have a computer then sorry it's gonna cost quite a bit more, but look at the bright side, computers are useful for lots more than just recording audio!
@jeff
I'm not really sure your list is really any different than mine in terms of quality. Everyone has their own brand preference.
In any case, I'm perfectly willing to accept that there are lots of ways to spend $1000 and get a decent recording rig.
As for recording drums, I disagree. I specifically chose these microphones with drum miking in mind. (mxl 990's as stereo overheads, cm88 on snare, sm 57 for bass drum. Yes... an sm 57 does pick up those low frequencies)
I agree that an external hard drive would be a very useful add on though.
Yup.. Good choice dude.
is there a reason besides price that you chose USB over firewire? I've been looking at the Presonus Firebox, which seems to be more highly reviewed than the M-audio. Just curious.
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