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The Beginning

Ive been checking out these forums for a couple of hours and i see that you guys help each other out alot.

I have to build my own studio for $10,000 or less

Requirements :

Must be abelt to record at least 8 instruments at one time.
Must be able to record a drum set
Must be able to record a master a CD for production
Must be conforatble environment

Im doing a project for my Intro to electronic music class so basically i wanted to gather up some of ideas on where to start..

what would you do with $10,000 ?

thanks. hv

Re: The Beginning

quote:

Originally posted by henryv Ive been checking out these forums for a couple of hours and i see that you guys help each other out alot. I have to build my own studio for $10,000 or less Requirements : Must be abelt to record at least 8 instruments at one time. Must be able to record a drum set Must be able to record a master a CD for production Must be conforatble environment Im doing a project for my Intro to electronic music class so basically i wanted to gather up some of ideas on where to start.. what would you do with $10,000 ? thanks. hv

Well, it depends on how deep you want to get, if you're talking general instrument, without the actual studio investment, it's one thing but if you need everything from start to finish, including the acoustic insulation (etc) then it's completely different ball park.

Also, are we counting the cost of labor or that is assumed you're doing everyting yourself and your labor costs are = $0?

Well, if you want to do computer-only setup, you can easily do away with 10k. Here's what you need to get started:

1. Computer that will be used as a DAW - 3.8Ghz HT or better or equivalent with at least 2GB RAM - about $2500 with dual LCD screens. It would have to have CD burner and possibly a firewire port. I'd also recommend dual LCDs for easier operation in DAW, which requires a dual-LCD capable video card (can be ordered with a system). Check Dell prices and specs for better estimate.I would stay away from Macs, as they are expensive

2. Acoustic foam insulation (non-fireproof) and not AURALEX! about $600

3. Desk (depends if you want professional desk or regular Ikea desk will do) - anywhere between $50 - $1500

4. Microphones for drums (depending how you're going to mic the drums) or if you can do away with software drums. Mics go from $50 and up - depending on many factors. Professional Mics are expensive, costing as much as $3000 or more for EACH! You'll also want a mic pre-amp for decent sound quality or use built-in preamp in the hardware mixer or DAW interface. OK quality, can be compensated by VST plug ins but keep in mind that Mic modeling is a tricky business best left for hardware. Those bastards are NOT CHEAP EITHER!!!

5. Chair for engineer (you) - again, you can get a dinky one for about $50 or get something like Herman Miller Aeron for about $600

6. Studio monitors - again, range is varriable - without the sub, for Mackie HR824 about $1200 new for a pair, with the sub - add another $800

Now, we're talking mixerless setup, using software mixer here - that will be included with your choice of DAW software, which brings me to:

7. Cubase SX - $550 or so... unless you get a pirated version (illegal and unethical) or Sonar 5 - same price

8. Cabling - anyone's guess. varries on brand and length. I'd venture to guess about $200 - $400 for cables if you will have many mics.

9. HD recording interface for capturing your sounds. I'd recommend something like MOTU 828 MK2 or MOTU Traveler - about $800 and has 2 mic pre's. If you need more, consider getting a separate mic pre strip. That would be about $800 for Presonus.

10. Monitor stands - about $150, microphone stands or mounts - again, anywhere from $25 - $300

11. Surge suppresor with line conditioning/filtering - about $200-$300

It all depens on what kind of quality you want.

regular PC will be able to act as an all in one studio but you'll need to consider other factors such as furniture needs, insulation, power, etc.

your description can benefit from more guidelines.

have fun.

Go to tweakheadz.com and check out the different studio setups.

Here is what I would do:

Decent quiet 3.0+ HT 2gb ram XP computer ~800
Mackie 400F firewire audio interface. ~600
Mackie mixer ~400
Decent self powered monitors ~1000
A few decent mics (Shure SM58's work well for drums) ~400
A couple of Avalon preamps ~2000
Sonar 5 ~400
A keyboard ~1000

The money left over you can get cables, nice chair, some acoustic treament, plug-ins.

I hate to say it but 10,000 bucks isnt going to get you much considering what you want. 3 pairs of neumanns alone can top half of your entire budget. Not including preamps, converters, audio interfaces, DAWs etc. And thats still not enough to record 8 separate instruments live. You will never be able to adequately record 8 instruments including a drum kit simultaneously on that budget.

A typical drum kit alone will require:

Close cardiod mics on the bass drum, hi hat, toms, snare + 2 omnidirectional/cardiod overhead mics. 6 mics total just for an average kit. You need at least 6 preamps that do justice to the mics, otherwise you are just wasting your money. Then you need an audio interface with enough inputs + a few more in case you need them.

If you wish to record in surround you will probably need more ambient mics to the front and rear of the kit - you can mix them into the surround L and R channels in your DAW.

Then there is soundproofing, sound insulation and bass trapping to consider and you may even want to get some kind of consultation with this because if you mess it up, it will do more harm than good.

I would also not advise buying a tonne of equipment in one go because you *will* encounter problems. Something. Wont. Work.

And it will be a nightmare to find out what it is when you arent familiar with your the signal chain and the quirks of the equipment you are running together. Building a studio can take years of slowly adding gear and testing everything works with everything else. There is also no point in buying decent mics, if you are going to run them through crap pres and converters. You need to run a balanced rig. If you are using long cable runs and connecting a tonne of equipment. The benefits are immediately noticeable in terms of the hotter signals and you will never get a ground loop. It can get pretty expensive if you are micing alot of sources.

You will either spend a large fortune or a small fortune, depending on what you expect to get out of it.

Dont even bother with a protools rig. 2 or 3 times your budget just for a complete 192 HD system.

Since you plan on recording many instruments, including live ones, room acoustics are extremely important. It doesnt matter how good your mics and converters are, if you are recording in a box thats bouncing sound all over the place and discolouring your recordings. Therefore, I would consider putting room acoustic treatment and comfort as the number 1 priority. Get that right and even if you just have a barebones recording setup, at least it will be highly functional and fun to record in.

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