Comments for performance lab

Comment on How would I make a home recording studio? by enokw8

enokw8 — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:42:41 +0000

There are a couple different ways to approach this.
1) You buy an “all-in-one” system like the Roland VS stations. They cost about $2,500 on up for anything decent. The advantage is that they have everything you need to go from a mic to making a CD. The drawback is that they are not as flexible and difficult to upgrade (as in they are the only ones who offer upgrades and you may not like what they offer).
2) You buy a computer system. This offers you the most flexibility, but can be more confusing. For a computer system you need a) A computer that can handle audio recording (Pentium IV or higher with 1G of ram or higher and lots of hard drive space, preferably two hard drives) b) An audio interface in which many come with the software to record. Some suggestions are Digidesign’s Mbox2 (ProTools) or Presonus Fire series. You can really go cheap with some interfaces, but it is up to you. c) You need a mic to get sound in and speakers to get sound out.

With a computer system you can spend anywhere from $1000 on up. It depends on how many inputs you need and what software you want to run. If you want separate software the is meant to be really easy to use, I suggest Mackie’s Tracktion software. They also sell audio interfaces.

Those are the basics, you may want to consider these other items:
- Pop filter
- Studio monitors
- External hard drive (firewire preferred)
- Auralex foam for a vocal booth (or just record in your tub!)

Most of all – have fun!

Comment on What home recording systems for Vinyl records did people have in the 1960s? by Magilla

Magilla — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:17:34 +0000

actually most people didn’t do much in the way of home recording. If we needed to record something it was on reel to reel tape. You had to go into a professional recording studio to have a record recorded.

Comment on How do I insure my home recording studio? by Nickelthrower

Nickelthrower — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:24:41 +0000

Greetings,

I was able to get State Farm to insure my studio. They had a difficult time understanding the whole thing at first and sent underwriters out twice to check the place out.

At first, my payments were about $230 a month for a million dollar policy but it has now dropped to about $140 a month. It falls 10 -20 dollars a year – lucky me.

I originally had Zurich but they dropped my policy because they, too, just didn’t understand what they were insuring. Again, I’ve been happy with state farm now for about 5 years and I think they could provide you with what you need. Oh yeah, I have a 5K deductable which was the minimum I could get at the time. If you studio isn’t worth much more than that then that could be a problem.

Good Luck,

Comment on Does the advance of home recording software mean the death of the recording studio? by B W

B W — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:09:43 +0000

There will always be professional studios. It is the smaller “project” studios that are suffering and will disappear. There is just no way a big, custom designed and built room matched with amazing microphones and processing gear will just go away. Plate reverb, echo chambers, 2 inch tape machines, headphone systems… No home studio can compare.

Comment on Does the advance of home recording software mean the death of the recording studio? by KDecka

KDecka — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:09:20 +0000

They wont ever die. They’ll get scarcer but I just don’t see them ever going away. There is still a major difference between a home/project studio recording and a label backed record done in a multi-million dollar studio. The major studios are still only able to be afforded by rock and pop stars and the labels will still shell out for it. I think that project studios are going to be hurt by the home recording studios because the software and hardware are so much cheaper now and you don’t need a small business loan to buy an interface and some microphones anymore.

For news look up EMI. They’re about to go bankrupt and they’re one of the last 4 major labels. They lost almost 2 billion GBP last year and either had to or almost had to sell Abbey Road. Like THE Abbey Road.

Hope this gave at least a little insight,
KDecka

Comment on home recording? by Corey Maddern

Corey Maddern — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:00:01 +0000

Well if you do have a bit of money it could be roughly a couple of hundred, What you need is a half decent mic that will plug straight into a computer you can do the basic sound record on there just with that…

If you want a semi professional recording however you will need to get a program called Sony Soundforge. Soundforge 9 costs $499.00 AUS. It has a clearly marked record function and you can add effects to your voice and even change the pitch if u make a slight tonal mistake and dont absolutly need to record again.

Getting backing tracks (before the lyrics are added to the music these are the raw music) you can have them made by a studio or make them yourself, using your new mic you may be able to record some of your own. There is also another program by Sony called ACID which takes samples and small inserts of music and lets you piece them together at specific times to make a whole song.

Then to put these together just save the backing track and load it up in you music editing program (ex. soundforge) and mix them, you can also adjust the volume of the voice and music.

Comment on home recording? by RENThead

RENThead — Sun, 01 May 2011 15:55:51 +0000

Well, I know that mac computers have this program called Garage Band..I think it might actually come with the computer. You sing/play into the microphone on the computer and then you can play it back and edit it, etc. I think you’re looking for a more advanced kind of recording than that, in which case I can’t help. But garage band seems pretty cool, my friend has it and you can do a lot with it.

Comment on How much would it cost to open a home recording studio? by Lorette Huna

Lorette Huna — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:43:15 +0000

It depends on your budget. You’ll be able to build a home studio in a $500 budget or in $5000…

Comment on How much would it cost to open a home recording studio? by Lorette Huna

Lorette Huna — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:43:15 +0000

It depends on your budget. You’ll be able to build a home studio in a $500 budget or in $5000…

Comment on How much would it cost to open a home recording studio? by Lorette Huna

Lorette Huna — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:43:15 +0000

It depends on your budget. You’ll be able to build a home studio in a $500 budget or in $5000…