What this means is…it will be very difficult to record more than one person at a time…. Which is harder to do without certain tools. Is the inevitable addition of your first rack-mounted setup. Of course, the first step in building any rack to buy the case itself.
So check out this article to see which ones I recommend:. The one item common to virtually every rack is a power conditioner. Because rather than having a half-dozen power cables sticking out the back of your rack from each unit….
Now that the rack and the power is taken care of…. Which you will get by adding a multi-channel microphone preamp to your setup. Another common variety of this device is the high-end single-channel mic preamp, which studios often use on vocals or any other particularly important track in a mix. To see which models I recommend for both single and multi-channel preamps, check out this article:. NOTE : Whenever buying a multi-channel preamp, you must also make sure that you audio interface has enough line inputs to accommodate the extra channels.
Once you have plenty of input channels to work with…. Typical headphone amps offer stereo outs for anywhere from sets of headphones. Advanced headphone amps…can send multiple tracks of audio to personal mixers for each musician, allowing them to individually control exactly what they want to hear, without affecting what is heard by everyone else. And in studios that can afford one, this added functionality can make the entire recording process much easier for everyone involved.
Sometimes in advanced studios, engineers need to compare how their mixes sound over a variety of playback devices. To accomplish this task, a tool known as a monitor management system is used…. Which allows engineers to switch back and forth between different speakers with the push of a button. If and when you ever need this in your studio, check out this article to see which ones I recommend:. Which for many of us, is simply not possible. Home recording is expensive enough without having to buy a dozens of instruments as well.
The solution to this common problem is of course… virtual instruments. The biggest problem with virtual instruments is…. Not only is it no-fun …. While virtual instrument drums might be good enough for some…. Today, they can sound almost as good, and in some cases even better than a real acoustic kit. The stereotypical fantasy which initially sucks us into the world of recording is…. Crafting your latest masterpiece on the massive analog mixing board of your million dollar studio.
Because in this reality, mixing is usually done on a computer keyboard and mouse. Which to be honest…kinda sucks. More importantly, it slows down your workflow, and makes it much harder to perform some of the more advanced mixing techniques, such as automation.
The solution to this problem is of course, a control surface , which is essentially a MIDI controller designed to mimic the look and feel of the analog boards from decades-past. To see which ones I recommend, check out this post:. However, the fact is that top engineers will spend thousands of dollars on premium plugins…. Which are somehow better than the free ones. If you do have some skills, they can make a BIG difference. At this stage in the game, with the gear you now own….
Well once you reach this point, the standard solution to turn to is a snake cable like the one shown in the picture. By combining several individual cables into one, snake cables allow you to dramatically clean up the look of your studio, and more importantly…. They keep your cables permanently organized, so never-again will you need to trace-back an entire length of cable through a tangled web just to find out where it leads.
The only problem is…most snakes are designed for much larger rigs than a typical home studio, and it can be difficult for beginners to find the right one for their purpose. Do you know what can happen during a recording session when the power goes out? Which is why anytime a computer holds important data, it makes sense to use an uninturruptible power supply UPS. Essentially functioning as a back-up battery, a UPS gives you several minutes of power to shut down your computer safely in the event of a blackout.
Now unlike every other item on this list, which should be added in sequence…a UPS is one of those items you can add at virtually any time. In the studio, where cables sometimes extend as long as a hundred feet to reach their destinations…. And direct boxes solve this problem by taking an unbalanced instrument level signal , and converting it to a balanced mic level signal …. Which can then be sent for several hundreds of feet if necessary, while gathering virtually no noise at all.
Because of the fact that most audio interfaces and microphone preamps have at least 1 or 2 direct box channels built-in…. At this point with the new additions we just covered, your studio should be good enough to record bands and possibly even charge clients for your services. But since many of you are at least curious about it, I might as well give you a few examples of how pro studios differ from amateur ones.
Hidden within your audio interface , and many other devices in your studio…. Another little-known device hidden within virtually every digital recording device is…. The master clock aka word clock, aka digital clock. In most setups, the audio interface clock defaults as the master , and the others as slaves. Meaning one clock leads, and the others follow. Long before the days when mixing was done with software plugins…. These days many of those units cost several thousand dollars each, and offer only 1 or 2 channels.
Well the answer is… yes you would. Because according to many of the best ears in the business…analog gear still sounds better than any plugin.
Would I recommend it in most cases? Not really. The recording quality is astonishing, and the gear is clearly built to last. It features 2 channel recording, input controls and a mixer on the front of the unit.
To keep recordings clean, everything is captured in industry standard 24 bit, with 96 kHz resolution. They represent the lows beautifully, with almost imperceptible distortion, and thanks to the silk dome tweeters, the high end is smooth and balanced.
Also included, are the HD7 studio monitoring headphones. The bundled microphone is a large diaphragm studio condenser, also made by PreSonus. The large diaphragm ensures a warm and balanced response to a wide range of input sounds, be it acoustic or amplified instruments, and especially vocals.
Verdict: The Presonus AudioBox 96 bundle is a real contender. Everything about this unit is rock solid, the large center knob has a nice weight to it, and the buttons all engage very nicely. The interface also features 48v phantom power to supply your mic without the need for additional power sources, which is very handy if access to outlets is limited. Within the bundle you also get a large diaphragm condenser with a supercardioid pattern to help reject off axis sound.
Another big surprise with this superb value bundle was that it comes with a shock mount and XLR cable for the mic, too. I found them to be comfortable, and the extra long 3m cord provided excellent range of motion. They produce reliable gear at affordable prices, which is part of what makes the TASCAM Trackpack recording interface package so appealing.
In the bundle you get a solid performer of an interface, with 2 recording channels, built in phantom power for microphones, as well as gain and monitor balance control knobs. The built in microphone preamps are especially effective, providing a clarity not often experienced for gear at this price point. Recordings with this interface are crystal clear, especially when set to the maximum 24 bit 96 kHz resolution.
Also in the bundle is. They are fitted with huge 50mm drivers and offer superb fidelity, plus, they do a great job of controlling bleed, keeping unwanted sound away from hot mics. They are padded just about everywhere they can be, too, making them very comfortable for extended periods of use. The included condenser mic is truly outstanding.
The kit also includes a desk stand and shock mount for the mic, which further assists in the prevention of unwanted noise. Verdict: The TASCAM Trackpack package is a superb mid range bundle, ideal for intermediate users looking to either upgrade their existing gear, or even for newcomers who want to spend a bit more and start with better quality equipment.
This kit is simple to set up, and recordings sound genuinely great. This is one of the cooler looking interfaces, standing out from the crowd with its top mounted controls. This model offers straight forward setup and simple controls.
Luckily, you can record stellar vocals with a relatively budget microphone. But you can still record completely professional tracks with a Rode NT1A. If you record a so-so singer in a room that has unwanted resonance and noise, your tracks will sound unprofessional.
If you record a great singer in a room that is free of unwanted noise, resonance, and echo, you will have stellar tracks. You can buy budget materials or even use stuff lying around the house like blankets, mattresses, pillows, etc.
Bookcases with books really help to diffuse the room. When I first started engineering, I had my vocalists record in my walk-in closet. However, the difference in sound quality between the two is practically non-existent! If you plan on recording a stereo source, such as a piano, drum overheads, stereo room, etc. The Rode NT5s are a good budget choice. Anything else you buy will be just embellishing the essentials of a fully operational recording studio.
Outboard analog gear is fun and can add interesting and beautiful colors to your recording and mixing arsenal, but are not completely necessary. Better yet, purchase a few quality plugins and really learn them. The easiest and the best way to achieve this is by hiring professionals. But you can always do it yourself.
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