Can I get some tips on where to begin on my compact studio?

TimPhilly · Post by **TimPhilly** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:45 pm

Hey, I'm a new member here, but I've been working with Mixcraft since 2007. Over the years, as I've progressed at music, I've come to find that I'm always in need of better equipment for my poor excuse of a studio so I can receive the optimal quality I need to be taken seriously. This year, I plan on heavily investing in whatever equipment I need to get the ball rolling on an actual production company, but for right now, I'm just looking into the basics.

I work with many independent artists (because of what they call "my mixing magic". My skills probably don't match up to anyone else's on this board though, lol), and the main problem I face is lugging around all of my equipment for sessions, and I've been thinking of ways to make it so I can carry everything I need in a laptop bag. I planned on getting an HP Mini, a Blu condenser microphone, a retractable mic stand (one that I can put into the laptop case, similar to a tripod, if something like that has even been made-has it?), Mixcraft 5, some sort of interface, a mixer, and somewhere down the line, a Midi controller so I can use Reason to produce music (and I'm also looking into getting a high quality camera to take videos of live performances, but I don't know what model or brand I would need). Of course, I know I may need an enhanced sound card to get superb quality, which I'm sure I won't be able to install into an HP Mini, so if that's not a good choice in laptop, what would be? And can anyone give me any tips or recommendations for everything else I'm aiming for?

Thanks for reading.

TimPhilly · Post by **TimPhilly** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:53 am

I need to ask this also, I have quite a few instrumentals that I've made using Fruity Loops 9, but every time I mix one of my creations, it's really obvious that it's a virtual creation, and I don't want the quality of what I've written to be taken down by inferior instruments. I have a way to convert my instrumentals into midi files track by track, but I don't know of any programs that make it possible for me to import the midi file and apply realistic sounding instruments to it (I've done it at studios before with engineers who use Pro Tools, but I know there must be way to do it without paying them to do it). Are there any programs that can help me do that?

Post by **Acoustica Eric** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:27 pm

I'm not going to be much help on the second question, my way of getting realistic sounding recording is by using musicians

The first question: It depends on what you are recording but I think you'll find that a single microphone and a laptop are just not going to cut it if you are recording bands/live instruments.
For example, in my studio I put up to 13 mics on a drum kit and record them all at once. Thta would be pretty much impossible with a laptop. Also, laptops generally lack in cpu/ram/graphics power and it really shows when trying to record and edit audio or video. Additionally, many laptops have noise/hum/grounding issues when connected to microphones, audio interfaces or other external devices.
A mobile recording studio is pretty difficult to build and not cheap. My solution is making people come to me if they want to be recorded professionally.
I hope this helps.

TimPhilly · Post by **TimPhilly** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:12 pm

Oh believe me, I would if I could. FL is free and gives me the outlet to create when I get the inspiration, so I still find it useful, but I would jump to real instruments in a second.

I mainly record vocals but I've cut demos for a few local bands (with some disastrous results), and I'm looking into making live band recordings possible. And as for a computer, what would be a better choice if not a laptop? I've gotten some good results using my laptop and Mixcraft 4 but if I'm somehow losing quality by using a laptop, I want to fix that.

markcm · Post by **markcm** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:52 pm

HereÃ”Ã‡Ã–s my two cents, and donÃ”Ã‡Ã–t take it for any more than that.

I use EZ drummer and in my opinion it sounds amazing. I can drag samples from EZplayer right to a mixcraft track and then midi edit it there. ThatÃ”Ã‡Ã–s only for percussion; IÃ”Ã‡Ã–ve never heard a good sounding virtual stringed instrument.

There are many, many ways and devices to record audio on to your computer. ItÃ”Ã‡Ã–s almost impossible for any to give you a conclusive answer of Ã”Ã‡Â£you need these devicesÃ”Ã‡Ã˜. You might get some good information from this recent discussion we just had Using a Mixer Thread. With that said, here are some tips.

-First, you must know what your needs are; how many channels of what type instruments
-You must understand the signal path from instrument, to pre-amp, (mixer if desired), INSERT effects, A/D conversion, DAW, and sometime D/A conversion back to the mixer and you live monitor.
-Once you know these two, start browsing equipment or threads that discuss equipment that can meet your needs and be prepared for a million conflicting opinions on all the hardware options.

You can start as simple as recording with your internal sound card. Beyond that, an audio interface with USB or Firewire and 2-8 pre-amps typically cost between $150-500. Most of these have a Graphical mixer softer ware but many are limited to faders and do not have EQ or effects. Here are some examples:

M-audio Fast Track Pro, and Fast Track Ultra
MOTU Ultralight, and 828
Presonus Firestudio Mobile, and Project
Mackie BlackJack and BlackBird (These use the highly respected Onyx Pre-amps, possibly the best pre in this price range)

There are some USB mixers but most only stream the master out (read the thread I linked to above). Some of the Firewire Mixers stream discrete channels. For example, the Mackie Onyx series (cost it going way up now, over $500).

If you want a do-it-all knock out, desktop mixer/control surface/ 16 quality pre-amps/expandable by firewire aggregation/effects rack/recorder all packed in one that you can save your settings for each Ã”Ã‡Â£gigÃ”Ã‡Ã˜ and recall them later; and you donÃ”Ã‡Ã–t expect do do all this for under $100 (by the way, $100 isnÃ”Ã‡Ã–t going to do anything for someone serious about recording) The check out the Presonus StudioLive

Remember, step one is to identify what your requirements are first. I also suggest staying away for the mini notebooks and if youÃ”Ã‡Ã–re going to be recording 10+ channels you may want a desktop rather than a Laptop. I have a 4 year old HP DV6000 laptop with 2gb ram running Win7x64 and it will handle all my firewire devices and record 6 channels without issues. I donÃ”Ã‡Ã–t think a Desktop will sound Ã”Ã‡Â£betterÃ”Ã‡Ã˜ than a Laptop but it will be less likely to have clicks, glitches, less problems with wifi card interference, will have more interfaces, and typically will have faster hard driveÃ”Ã‡Âª

This is just my opinion on your question, I hope it helps.

TimPhilly · Post by **TimPhilly** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 8:08 pm

Well...to be perfectly honest...there were some parts of the post that made me think I was reading a foreign language. Here I am, thinking I'm well versed in engineering, when in reality, I know very little. But it's odd. Knowing that I have so much left to learn is exciting me. Now, I intend on expanding my studio to be capable of live band recordings, but I guess I'll hold that off for a while until I learn more.

So would a laptop be a good choice or not? I felt it would've been, based on these newer models (like Inspiron 14R). I mean, I know how to disable Wifi cards, how does Wifi even interfere with the input? I rarely ever record more than one channel at once, and I had only planned on getting Mixcraft 5 and using equipment for my cpu to make recordings faster and of a higher quality (including a mixer for a midi controller, guitar inputs, mics, etc.).

markcm · Post by **markcm** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:45 am

Regarding a Laptop... Again, there's no definite yeh or neh. As you do "learn" more you will find that every computer out there is just an integrated box of components and drivers made by various suppliers and then there's quality control and compliance concerns. I use a handful of portable USB and firewire audio interfaces with both my laptop and desktop and I frequent a few of the support forums for the devices I use; there are plenty of people who swear the device is garbage or the software, and most commonly people say "this driver sucks and doesn't work, no one should ever buy this brand xyz thing" yet magically, that same driver and hardware works on "most everyone's" computer. My Point is, the computer will be part of your learning curve as well. Knock on wood, I have had very good luck with about 4 computers and probably 5+ different audio interfaces (M-audio, Presonus, Motu, and now Mackie).

I think it's safe to say that a nice powerful laptop should be able to be pretty solid recording multi-tracks; I've had no problems in the under-10 channels category with my not so great laptop. I also think it's safe to say that a Desktop is "less likely" to have problems and "more likely" to handle larger files such as multi-tracking and using VST effects. A desktop almost always has faster hard drives and just seem to be more stable for audio recording. Use that as a guideline.

My solution, I have both laptop and desktop but I'm still under 10 simultaneous channels.

OzRob · Post by **OzRob** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 8:59 am

TimPhilly wrote:I need to ask this also, I have quite a few instrumentals that I've made using Fruity Loops 9, but every time I mix one of my creations, it's really obvious that it's a virtual creation, and I don't want the quality of what I've written to be taken down by inferior instruments. I have a way to convert my instrumentals into midi files track by track, but I don't know of any programs that make it possible for me to import the midi file and apply realistic sounding instruments to it (I've done it at studios before with engineers who use Pro Tools, but I know there must be way to do it without paying them to do it). Are there any programs that can help me do that?

I see the other guys have you covered with respect to interfaces, hardware, etc.

Mixcraft will allow you to import midi files and assign VSTis to them. That's where the 'realistic' sounding instruments come in. But commercial quality VSTis are not cheap. You can easily rack up several thousand dollars acquiring pro-level instruments and for the really good ones you need a very powerful computing setup. Also, you have to learn to use the instruments properly. If you're doing commercial quality instrumentation, it's not quite as simple as importing the midi file and attaching an instrument. There's more to it.

Every real instrument has its own parameters, limitations, articulations, nuances etc. To achieve realistic virtual performances you have to not only know what those unique features are for each real instrument but also how to achieve them with the instrument samples you are using.

If you let me know what instruments you are looking for, I can point you in the right direction. In response to Mark's comment that he's never heard a "good sounding virtual stringed instrument": LA Scoring Strings, Hollywood Strings, EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Platinum. These kind of instruments are used all the time by professional composers.

wildbil · Post by **wildbil** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 8:17 pm

Hi Tim Philly
Contrary to what others say, a desktop with an ALC889 sound chip, four selectable input jacks, and MC5's Exclusive Mode will get you up and recording four tracks simultaneously with 3ms latency while monitoring playback through your computer speakers. Try Intel quad core, 8 gigs RAM and 1Tb HDD. Better yet...Win7 Pro and all the RAM you can afford. This stuff is cheap.... much cheaper than a laptop and it won't require driver downloads.

Make no mistake, like most software, MC5 relies more on your computer's power than on external audio devices.

So, build the computer first. Then, after selling a few tunes and feel the need, buy some of the USB devices that Markcm uses.

Good Luck.
bil

kellog545 · Post by **kellog545** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 2:23 am

IÃ”Ã‡Ã–ve been looking into the same kind of thing for traveling on a motorcycle and camping. Small and light is king. I also have a 10 inch netbook aka single Atom chip with 1 GB. I like it because itÃ”Ã‡Ã–s 3lbs versus 6lbs and it has a six cell battery. It runs Lounge Lizard OK at 15 to 15% usage alone, and even Tassman on some instruments at 15 to 20% alone. I absolutely love the sound from Lounge Lizard. Real sounding orchestral midi instrumentsÃ”Ã‡Âª I have no idea. They all sound funky to me. IÃ”Ã‡Ã–m looking at Mixcraft because it says it will work with a 1 GHz chip. The little AtomÃ”Ã‡Ã–s do things pretty well, but for a mini DAW take a look at the Ã”Ã‡Â£class typeÃ”Ã‡Ã˜ of the 14 inch Samsung Q430 Core i5-460M 2.53GHz with four GB RAM. Something in 12 inch would be nice. I donÃ”Ã‡Ã–t want to push any retailers, but you can find the Samsung for $600 Ã”Ã‡Ã´ not too bad, but you may need an extra battery or power outlet and this one only has two USB ports. Laptops almost always have a slower HD, and you get much better performance with two faster ones, but for a few tracks it shouldnÃ”Ã‡Ã–t be a big issue. I think a Firewire bus would be best, but many (like me) are working with USB. Check out: ART USB Dual Pre Two-Channel Preamplifier/Computer Interface for stereo A/B or single track recording, and it has â”¬â•

kellog545 · Post by **kellog545** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:02 am

Oops Ã”Ã‡Ã´ meant to say X/Y mic mount. IÃ”Ã‡Ã–m a little rusty.

TimPhilly · Post by **TimPhilly** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:16 pm

@ OzRob - Yes, I've heard some very good VSTs, and I know they're pretty pricey. I've tried the instruments in Mixcraft 4, but I can't find anything close to what I'm looking for. I frequently use soundfonts, as they let me toy with the release in a way that makes the instruments sound somewhat convincing. As for what I'm looking for...70% of my music is piano based, but I also need bass, strings, some sort of violin, and some good live drum samples. I've used Pianissimo before, and it sounded pretty good, would that be worth the purchase?

@ wildbil - I don't mind driver downloads, but I'm also willing to go through everything you mentioned to get great sound. Could you give me some sort of starting point, such as links to what products I would need?

@ kellog 545 - That's about as much as I planned on spending for a laptop. And I didn't think I'd be able to find a mic stand that would fit in a laptop case, I only wanted one that was easier to carry (again, similar to a tripod). And you mentioned "phantom power"...I've heard about that before from soneone I know that uses an M-audio interface, but I don't really know what it is. Does it increase the input quality?

Thanks for all the responses, but I'm still in the dark about how wifi messes with the mic signal.

TimPhilly · Post by **TimPhilly** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:10 am

I hate to exhibit my lack of knowledge every time I post, but I really need to ask this as well. A friend of mine told me earlier that he has gotten an interview spot at a local radio station on May 22nd to answer questions and do a short performance, and he invited me to come on with him, so now I need to find a way to get a high quality recording of the audio stream to save for later. Any tips on how I can do that?

kellog545 · Post by **kellog545** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 3:42 am

Well I'm not sure how to advise you there. Get to know people with more/better gear than you have? I've been collecting stuff for so long I can't remember where I got a lot of things. A great thing to do is check out local schools to see if they have classes on analog and digital audio recording. Lots of web searches can pay off, but I'm having a tough time picking out a good USB sound card right now. That Samsung notebook is at Costco - pretty good performance for $600, but I'll have to wait. I recommend a pair of small condenser mics because you can get a lot of mileage from them for many applications. They work great for stereo capture, overhead on drums, and so on. They need power to run, and you can find some that run on one AA battery, or power from the preamp or mixer. Running a preamp with USB power is OK, but I don't know how much they draw. Nothing wrong with standard dynamic mics, but I feel you can get better distant capture with small condensers - if that is ever a need. Anyway, after your computer, I'd recommend putting as much money into mics and preamps as you can for the analog side of things. These guys are on my wish list: http://www.fmraudio.com/index.htm

Post by **Acoustica Eric** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:16 am

Radio stations normally already have the capability to give you a copy of the recorded show. If they have no way of recording then they probably wouldn't know how to give you a line to record from.