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a reflection phase grating is a type of diffraction grating or geometric device that will spatially (in space, across a given hemisphere) and temporally (delayed in/over a period of time) disperse sound.

while a flat, planar surface (whose size is large with respect to wavelength) will reflect an incident pressure/sound wave geometrically (angle-of-incidence = angle-of-reflection), a diffusor's intent is to equally disperse energy across a plane regardless of the angle of incidence.

this is accomplished via a constructed geometric device that consists of a series of wells of same width but varying depths. due to the speed of sound being constant, some energy will be reflected and emerge out of the shorter wells prior to that of the longer (deeper) wells. this path length differences results in phase changes for a given frequency (wavelength). as a result of huygens principle and diffraction, an interference pattern emerges when the phase-shifted signals from all of the wells are superposed (combined).

the claim to fame of RPG's was via that of Dr Manfred Schroeder who posed quadratic residue number theory (n^2 mod P) to dictate the depth sequence of the wells - which subequently yield equal energy diffraction lobes. that is, the dispersion/scattering of the reflections from the diffuser would be equal in gain at the diffusion frequency and multiples there-of.

quadratic residue diffusers (QRDs) are one form of RPGs - but do have their own limitations and inherent "distortion" and frequencies that are not correctly "diffused" (thus, "flat plate"). primitive root number theory (PRDs) is another psuedo-random number sequence used to construct RPGs that offer slightly different polar response (more flat power response vs individual diffraction lobes).

you can explore superposition/summation of multiple-spaced signals (which yield polar lobes and nulls) via a 2d wavetank model: http://www.falstad.com/ripple/

a good friend took the time to construct QRDs in the wavetank to illustrate the development of the equal-energy diffraction lobes via that of a 3x N7 QRD array: https://vimeo.com/7507997

notice too how there is less scattering/diffusion at the lower frequencies (longer wavelengths), where the depth of the well is not deep enough to cause significant phase shift and thus "steering" of energy - while the higher frequency waves (shorter wavelengths) form a distinct interference pattern with the "lobes" being dispersed across the given plane/hemisphere.

another wavetank example he constructed was a QRD vs a flat wall (planar surface): https://vimeo.com/6461707

you can clearly see the flat wall yields a reflection in the "geometric/optical" direction - much like that of a pool/billiards ball bouncing around the table. this is the "specular" nature of indirect energy where wavelength is small with respect to boundary. now compare to the QRD where regardless of angle of incidence, energy is dispersed in all directions on that plane.

QRDude is a software based GUI QRD calculator: http://www.subwoofer-builder.com/qrdude.htm

the author also formed a concise tech guide that should be easily digestible for the novice: http://www.subwoofer-builder.com/qrd.htm

much of the information was taken from the authoritative source on the subject: Acoustic Absorbers & Diffusers (Peter D'Antonio of RPG Inc, and Trevor Cox): https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Absorbers-Diffusers-Theory-Application/dp/0415471745/

pdf can be found here for you to explore: https://www.sendspace.com/file/pqgxx8

there is also a nicely written presentation by D'Antonio regarding the subject at conception and his collaboration with Schroeder: https://www.sendspace.com/file/acgjeh

a higher order "N" panel (prime number root) will yield more varied depths of wells, thus more phase shifts, thus more "complex" diffused returns. a deeper diffuser will yield a max depth = 180* phase shift for a lower frequency (longer wavelength), lowering the effective diffusive frequency bandwidth. nested or "diffractal" diffusers can be constructed to increase the overall bandwidth of the array. there are numerous design flaws of QRDs and subsequent mitigations that can be used to optimally design a device for a given application.

it helps best if you think of a 1D or 2D reflection phase grating as a phased array just like a loudspeaker/PA line array (or AESA/PESA radar array). in the case of the line array, the individual drivers all produce the same signal, but are delayed from each other physically (ie, curved or "J" array) and/or electrically (phase delay from the controller), which results in constructive interference to "beam steer" the signal (ie, towards the rear of the crowed), and destructive interference to that where sound is not wanted to radiate.

a good illustration of beam steering via that of phase shifts can be found here: http://www.radartutorial.eu/06.antennas/pic/if3.big.gif

plenty of videos available on youtube that illustrate huygen's principle - which should shore up a lot of the basics.

a RPG converts a single "sparse" reflection into many "signals" (reflections) who have a phase shift dictated by the depths of the wells - and subsequently "beam steer" in multiple directions of equal energy to "diffuse" or scatter the sound. it should help to imagine a small loudspeaker/driver at the bottom of each well, all of which radiate the same signal, but due to the varying depths, some wells emit out away from the diffuser before others. when all of these signals from the individual wells are layered on top of each other, constructive interference form the diffraction lobes to manifest the spatial dispersion.

bit brief and overly high-level but i hope that helps. their design, optimization, application, and the "why" they are needed are further topics of discussion.

I don't have much experience with Garage Band, but also do not frequently hear much about its use amongst solid engineers. My first suggestion is to download another DAW before you put too much time into learning ones ins and outs, keyboard shortcuts, etc.

A solid option if you are of humble beginnings is to go with Reaper. They give you an unrestricted demo version on their website. When you inevitably love it and get the hang of it and get your paycheck do go back and pay them for their hard work making it.

Next I'd say learn to download plug-ins. There are many free options online that sound fantastic compared to even paid ones just a few years back. Browse this sub and others, and by all means I always advocate Sound on Sound because man have they got the slew of articles.

Just use the googs. Find some sites you like and learn, learn, learn. Finally when you're speaking of "prepping for release" I would say don't try to learn mixing purely on your own.

Go find someone who is willing to talk about their mixing theory and talk to them about how they go about it. Even if it's just someone from Reddit in a Skype session there are people who have done it and who do it and they're usually willing to talk. That way your questions can get some answers and you get better faster. However, if you're taking their advice make sure you hear their stuff and know you like how it sounds.

Finally, if you're pretty sure you've got the mix and want to release a few songs in an EP or good gracious even a CD (ahh!) then have a mastering engineer get their hands on it. That's how it goes. They don't have to be the $2000 a day kind of guy but someone who identifies as a mastering engineer who you research and read good things about will be helpful. Always always always listen to someone's work before having them do a service you're signed up to pay for. If they do it and you don't like it you still owe them money.

In the way of direct answers:
Q: What is the common practice to EQ'ing everything?
A: Start with subtractive EQ (cuts instead of boosts) and cut out spots that overlap on two instruments so that one shines bright and the other shimmers in the background. You want to cut out all of the sounds with EQ so they fit together like a nice little puzzle. When two instruments are competing too closely maybe shift the octave on one. (Yes, when you're the artist it pays to be thinking of EQ blends as early as the songwriting and even brainstorming process.)

Q: What sort of compression should be looked at for all the instruments?
A: It shouldn't. If you don't understand compression you will not make it sound good by flipping on compressors on everything. Tweak tweak and tweak anything and everything and go online once again and learn the compression. In the meantime put your vocals in a 2.5:1 ratio with a fast attack and medium release and barely use the compression as need and leave the rest alone. Let that mixing engineer we talked about do the compression, and ask again what their theory or ideas when setting compression are.

Q: other general 'effects' and alterations that should be made
A: Use those plug-ins we talked about. Also in the way of phasing it sounds like you don't understand phasing. I'll let you dig up the articles this time. You should have some sites you like now. Phasing is about how time and space affects the way sound waves line up with one another and also flipping the phase can do things. You'll figure that out. But in the mean time you can also play with plugins that do interesting stereo effects.

I don't really know why I chose this to respond to, but if you do these things you'll be off to a good start. If you have Half Price Books (or the Internet and a finger that can click these links) go find yourself a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook and become a master. Or Modern Recording Techniques. Or even a Dummies book. as there are good ideas everywhere. You find them by hearing things and deciding what you like and what you don't. Information is a buffet! Take what you need and leave the rest.

I'm going to disagree with a few people here. Getting an education to get a job in audio engineering is most definitely a bad idea in my opinion. Is this education worthless? No...but it's usually not worth what they're asking.

Audio engineering is a hard career to be successful in. I should know, as I've been doing it for quite some time. I've finally gotten to the point where as a free-lancer I can afford a car and house note, which is good. But there were plenty of sacrifices along the way. None of which I regret, of course. But I wouldn't have wanted to tack on extra debt going to school to get a job in a field that does not require a degree.

In all my time doing this, probably around 15 years professionally, nobody has ever asked me how to prove I know how to do this stuff. My resume speaks for itself. I've worked in studios in LA, Hawaii, Az, and now I'm a production sound mixer in Louisiana. I run sound for bands in venues around my city when I'm not on a movie. I own a recording studio for music and for foley and ADR for films. Currently, I'm on a shoot in Florida where I've been for 3 weeks. I got to shoot foley with one of the worlds greatest foley artists (Ellen Heuer). it's a great life!

My advise is do what most of my peers did. Get an internship at a studio. Or if your interested in movie work, assist a sound editor or a production sound mixer. Offer to be a sound utility for free. Or approach a local sound venue and offer to assist the live sound guy, wrapping cables and plugging in mics. Or call a local sound company that does festivals and other events, and offer to clean the snake at the end of the night.

Even if you do decide to get an education, the school will always be there, waiting for you if that's the route you decide to go. But a healthy amount of time in this field not paying for that education will both help you do better in school if you decide to go, and help guide you into a program that's right for both you and the specific set of skills you want to garnish. Or, you might find you don't need it.

The point is that yeah, just "looking things up on the internet" is not a good way to educate yourself. It's a good supplemental thing to do, to be curious and read. But hands on experience is much more valuable than any education I've ever come across in this field, and worlds ahead of just reading a book.

Now, not going to school isn't an excuse to not work. You simply have to take responsibility for your own education. Read books, talk to people who are doing the things you want to do. Learn from them. Help them, and make yourself invaluable to them. Make them wonder how they every got along without you there.

There are far too many opportunities to learn from within the industry than on the outside of it in a classroom or technical college. My career has been quite all over the map, ranging from music production to movie work. Here is a list of books that are about those various fields that I recommend.

The Daily Adventures of Mixerman - A great look at a recording session, and honestly one of the funniest books I've ever read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Daily-Adventures-Mixerman/dp/0879309458

Zen and the Art of Mixing - mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Mixing-Mixerman-ebook/dp/B004CYE7OU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397229955&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+mixing

Zen and the art of Producing - Mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Producing-Mixerman/dp/1458402886/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397229992&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+producing

Behind the Glass vol 1 and 2 - Howard Massey - Great interviews with producers and engineers. DEF check this one out. one of the best books i've ever read about recording.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Behind%20the%20glass

The Recording Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owniski - General information about gear, mic placement techniques, fundmentals of sound, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/1285442016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230109&sr=1-1&keywords=recording+engineering+handbook

The Sound Reinforcment Handbook - Live sound techniques

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230178&sr=1-1&keywords=Yamaha+Live+sound+manual

The Location Sound Bible - Ric Viers - Great entry into sound for TV, Film, ENG, and EPP. Pretty much covers the bases of recording on location

http://www.amazon.com/Location-Sound-Bible-Record-Professional/dp/1615931201/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230229&sr=1-1&keywords=Location+Sound+bible

That should get you started. Whatever route you choose, good luck!

Mics- 414s are fantastic mics no doubt. But there are many,many other more affordable options out there that are competitive in quality. I'd suggest checking out some higher end MXLs, they are super versatile and pretty too.

don't worry about thunderbolt. people were recording low latency drums and etc....long before thunderbolt came out.

monitors...well, the NS10s are pretty standard. if you can make a mix sound good on those it will sound good on anything.every major studio but one (studio a in dearborn) I've been in has them. If you are really burning for something new I'd suggest some genelic 1030a there the older model but they were used on pretty much every hit song in the early 2000s. Everybodys got them. I know the speakers and trust thier response. and they're affordable.

preamp- This is where I personally invest the most money... there are as many preamps as snowflakes. I like the Focusrites ISAs, Rupert Neve designs, go high end... but honestly I have been fooled by the stock original MBOX pres. You're not a true engineer till you have fiddled with a non functioning micpre and thought "that sounds better" lol.

compressers- plug in compressors are great. which is why i suggest spending the money on the preamp. however it never hurts to have a hardware tube compressor/limiter handy. I recommend the ART VLA II.

plugins- trident EQ, fairchild 660, old timer, PSP vintage warmer, 1176, LA2A, smack!, MC77, there are a TON of good plug ins to choose from.

headphone monitoring? Not to sure about that one, Headphones are for performing only. I have the 80 dollar sonys for clients. ,they come with a nice bag to store them in. I don't mix with headphones( thats a whole can of worms dealing with psychoacoustics)

drum mics- shure makes good durable kits, I see them in use all over the place. CAD aren't to bad either. don't go cheap..but don't go overboard either. Approach it like preamps, go with a trusted brand name, they're selling a set of mics specifically for drums, kinda hard to fuck that up right? (IMO its more important to have a good room.)
this kind of reminds me of a joke.

how many drummers does it take to change a lightbulb?
none. they have machines for that now. just throwing it out there.

computer and software- I say go protools. but thats all i know, i was certified in 2002 and havent had a need for anything else. I have never been in a studio that wasnt using it, there are a couple in nashvile that use sonar...well, that was a few years ago.

I am not here to shit on mac. but i have used both in the industry throuought the years and they both perform fine. The last studio I was at used a quadcore w 4 gigs on XP with PT8 and never had so much as a hiccup, recording 24 tracks at once @ 24/96. I take the policy of if it isnt broken, don't fix it. I also have a person issue with avid, I refuse to upgrade to 9 or 10 because they allow any interface to be used...except there older ones. bullshit.

Trust me on this one...the client isnt going to give a shit what OS you are using until it your computer crashes. if you load up your computer with tons of cracked plugins and have poor organization and maintenance, its gonna take a shit on you.

further reading- this is probably the most important advice i can give you. read a little bit and get a total understanding on what everything does, because there is a lot of bullshit in this field.

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Audio-Series/dp/0872887235

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=pd_sim_b_10

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348852030&sr=1-1&keywords=room+acoustic+music

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149/ref=pd_sim_b_24

good luck

I'm going to assume you're talking about electric guitar, and you want to record on to your computer.

We'll go with the simplest/cheapest way (Note, you won't want to run an electric guitar directly into a computer, it'll generally sound like crap)

First off, you'll need a microphone. The Shure SM57 is an industry standard for recording many things, from guitar cabs to snare drums, and more. It's only $100, too! There's a knockoff of that mic, for half the price, that's supposed to be just as good (some people even prefer the sound), the GLS-57. Both of these mics are "dynamic" mics, and either of these mics will work.

You'll need to get a mic stand to place the mic in the proper position on the amp, which is a separate lesson in and of itself.

Next, you need a way to get the mic signal into your computer. The quickest, cheapest, but least featured way to do so would be something like the Blue Icicle. You would plug it into your computer, plug an XLR cable into it, and plug the mic into that cable.

For software, the most basic, and free software is Audacity. It really is pretty basic, but you can plug your stuff in, hit record, and it'll record. If you want something more powerful, check out Reaper. It's really good, and pretty cheap (and has a more or less unlimited trial period if you're that kind of person). It is somewhat complex though, and it'll take a decent amount of time to get comfortable with. If you have a Mac, Garage Band is just peachy.

inally, the last important part is hearing what you're recording. At the low-end, you're probably better off with headphones. I recommend either the Sennheiser HD280s or the less expensive Sony MDR-V6s (mostly identical to their professional MDR-7506s). If you want to get some actual monitors, check out the Behringer MS16s.

Unsurprisingly, you can spend a hell of a lot more money on any of these things. Feel free to ask any questions!

Bonus advice! If you want to record an acoustic guitar, instead of the SM57, you'd want to get a small diaphragm condenser (SDC) mic, like the MXL 603S.

I'd recommend working your way up to 7 mics. If you try to buy all seven at once, you'll end up getting cheap ones, and it'll sound worse than buying four good ones. Monoprice has a decent matched pair of condensors for $100. For the snare, you can go with an SM57. They're $100 new, but you can get them more cheaply used, and they last forever. I have the same ones I used in highschool, and they still work just as well as the day I got them. You can use it on your guitar cab, as well (or just buy two for live tracking). I also use a Beta 52 for the kick drum. That runs for a bit under $200.

As for stands, if you're not using them live, Guitar Centre sells a 10 pack for about $90. They aren't perfect, but they'll work.

So, for good equipment, you're looking at almost $600 in mics alone. You can get cheaper kits, but the sound quality won't be as good and they'll break more easily. You get what you pay for.

For bass, I just DI. You can buy a proper DI box or just plug into the interface. But, for $40, having a few DI boxes around comes in handy, especially if you want to record live. You can also mic the bass cab with something like the aforementioned Beta 52.

As I said before, you'll want an SM57 for the guitar cab. It gets the job done, and is pretty much the industry standard. You can spend more on fancier mics, but that money is best spent elsewhere.

As for vocals, you can buy a decent condenser mic from Monoprice, but to start off, just use the same 57 you've used for the guitar and drums, and just put a $14 pop filter on it.

Finally, you'll need an interface. If you really want to track seven drum mics, I'd go with a Tascam 1800 or a Focusrite 18i20. The latter is better quality, but also double the price.

Sadly, there is no good cheap method of doing things. But here in the digital age, things are a whole lot easier than going through to a 4-track cassette Portastudio when I was your age. If I was in your place, and had $1,000 to spend, I'd buy the following:

Tascam US-1800 ($250)
Two Behringer DI-100s ($80)
The Monoprice Small-Dia Matched Condensers ($100)
Shure Beta 52 ($200)
Two SM57s (or 58s) ($200)
The Guitar Centre 10 Mic Stand pack ($90)

And spend the rest on XLR and 1/4" cables from Monoprice.

After working on recording and mixing for a while, see if you want to expand your drum tracking, or if you want to invest in additional gear as needed. Nothing sucks more than blowing your budget, never using a certain thing, but having to do without something you discover you need.

And most importantly of all, have fun with it. It's a great experience.

If you're clueless about equipment and programs, would it be fair to say you are also clueless to such extremely vital fundamentals as Signal Processing?

If so, this YouTube channel is very good at explaining even the more difficult concepts very simply. His series on Compressors is especially good, which is great since it's important to know.

To get a super basic setup going for a home studio, start off by getting yourself a nice cheap DAW, such as GarageBand, Reaper, or Audacity. DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation, which is the primary program you will be doing all your audio editing with. Also important to have are a decent set of stereo speakers (known as Studio Monitors in the industry) and/or headphones. Try to get a pair with as wide, and perhaps more importantly neutral, of a Frequency Response as possible.

If money isn't tight, get yourself a good audio interface such as the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, along with a decent microphone setup such as this AT-2020 Bundle on Amazon.

As you get more advanced, you can work on getting better gear, nicer plugins, and a more efficient DAW (Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, Adobe Audition, etc) and also soundproofing your studio with acoustic foam. NEVER stop learning. Find and watch YouTube videos, read articles and forums, and master your DAW (hotkeys and all).

I personally am more of a Post-Production for Film/TV/Games kind of guy, so I can't go too much more in-depth about the music side of things. But if you also want to do Post-Production, here are some great resources to get you started!

• This video series by FilmmakerIQ, found on SoundWorks Collection. Explore this site after watching these videos, it's really great.
  
  
• FilmSound
  
  
• The Foley Grail, a must-read book for any sound effects enthusiast.
  
  
  

Great that you're putting together ideas for acoustic treatment, as it really does make a huge difference in your listening enviroment.

• 1. Roxul is pretty popular and will do well just as long as you have the right amount. (a minimum of 4inches deep is needed for bass frequency reduction.)
     2. Rockwool works well in most cases and when you throw panels up you can usually control a fair amount of the bass. Though some situations require "bass-traps" in wall corners. Usually work pretty well just as the foam, though getting ones made of rockwool is preferable in most cases.
     3. Yes, simply put.
     

• • • 
      Now the difficult part.
      Acoustic treatment varies from room to room, as a common saying in the industry "In the beginning sound was perfect, and then man created rooms". This is because every setup is a little different, and every centimeter makes a whole new world of reverberations possible.
      First I would suggest doing a bit more research on the subject as it is a science all in itself, learning a bit more will definitely help you make the best use of your space.
      From personal experience I've found that a combination of live 'Diffusers' in couple with 'isolation' and 'absorption' creates pleasing results, but that's my room and my purpose as a recording studio.
      Look into some wooden diffusers as they will help balance the high end, isolation keeps the sound in and the cops from being called ;P and absorption pads (rockwool gobos) help take out some of the built-up frequencies.
      Here is a great book on the subject.
      Hope that helps a bit ;D
      Cheers!~
      Check out speaker risers as well!
      

Try designing some sounds for an open source game (like minecraft or something). Some games will be easier to edit than others but it's probably in your best interest to learn a bit of programming with the way that indie gaming is developing (people tend to wear more than one hat) - but I know that for minecraft you can simply replace an ogg file with a new ogg and that's that.

Here's a really cool book about mixing audio. It focuses on mixing live instruments but it comprehensively covers the fundamental ways in which every VST works and how best to use it. It's a good read and taught me a lot about sound design.

Also, you cannot go wrong with a decent pair of monitors and a decent preamp. 500 bucks is probably the minimum that I'd recommend spending on these items but having a truly honest pair of speakers goes a very, very long way.

This could get expensive, just warning you haha.

First you'll need mics. Now, you can either buy these all seperate, or get a drum mic pack, which is what I did when I first got into recording, and still use quite a bit.

Here's a link to a really cheap drum mic pack that sounds pretty good for what it costs.
http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PDKM7-Microphone-Mounting-Accesories/dp/B003FW0IHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388658490&sr=8-1&keywords=pyle+pro+drum+mic

Now, the mics go into an audio interface via XLR cables. The mics go into the inputs of an interface which in turn give you seperate tracks on your daw that can mix individually.

The interface I use is the Tascam US-1800. I would recommend it, but honestly I would get a Focusrite interface instead.
http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Interface-Microphone-Preamplifiers/dp/B00AZLA9VY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1388658715&sr=8-10&keywords=focusrite

Now you'll need a DAW on your computer so you can mix everything. Audacity is free but it kinda sucks, so I would get Reaper or something. It has a free trial that never ends. I have Logic Pro 9 and love it (even more so than Logic Pro X).

Then research monitors and headphones so you can mix with them. I would recommend Yamaha HS-8's for monitors and Audio Technica m50s for headphones, I have them and love them to death.

Signal Flow:
Drums -> Mics -> Cables -> Inputs on Interface -> DAW -- Mixdown on Monitors or headphones

But please, please listen carefully to me on this: you can buy like the most expensive gear in the world and it won't do any good at all if you suck at mixing. So PLEASE do yourself a favor and IMMERSE yourself in online articles about drum mixing, mixing in general, and audio in general. research everything heavily, It will pay off I swear.

Attempting to build a system that will allow us to have in ear monitors for when we go live, as well as in our "studio", however I'm not sure if this will work together or not and I don't want to invest in something that won't work, or is garbage.

Can someone let me know if this will do what I expect, and won't suck? :)

Currently I have a 4 channel mixer plugged into some PA speakers and a Scarlett 2i2 to plug things into my PC.

What that really means is, I have two mics plugged into the PA speakers as well as going to the Scarlett with the rest of everything going through amps and just the drums themselves.

We are a 4 piece band with drums, guitar, bass, and vocals.

Currently with our setup, we can record everything through a mic I have setup in the practice space but it's less than ideal to set levels and actually have any sort of decent sound.

If we want to record things separately then I can just plug whatever we want to record (aside from drums) into the Scarlett and call it good.

However we'd like to have everything go through a central source, and be able to hear that central source play back to us through some IEMs while we play. We would also all like to have our own mixes, and have the mixes be stereo

I'd love suggestions/feedback on my proposed setup and would like to know if what I'm thinking of would even be feasible.

The proposed setup - Cables aren't necessarily a specific brand but the length/type:

1x Behringer XR18 Mixer

1x P16-M

4x Galaxy Audio AS-1100

1x Pyle Pro Drum Mic Kit or some other simple drum mic kit

1x Kick Drum Mic Stand

2x Overhead Mic Stand

6x Short(ish) XLR Cables

2x XLR to 1/4 Cables

How I'm seeing everything plug together is:
Into XR18

• Vocal mics
  
• Guitar amp output
  
• Bass amp output
  
• Drum mic kit
  
  Out of XR18
  
  
• Channels 1-2 -> Galaxy Audio
  
• Channels 3-4 -> Galaxy Audio
  
• Channels 5-6 -> Galaxy Audio
  
• Main L/R -> PA Speakers
  
• Ethernet Port -> P16-M -> Galaxy Audio
  
• USB Port -> PC -> Recording
  
  To me this seems like it SHOULD all work, but I'd like some other opinions on if it will work as I expect or not, or if I need/don't need components.
  
  Is anyone able to see anything that just looks inherintely BAD with the list of components I'm wanting to get? I know the wireless systems aren't great, but we don't want to spend a ton of money (at least right now) on some quality systems.
  
  For now this will all be free-standing but eventually I hope to build a case to house everything. Will all of the above be able to fit inside a case, or will I face any issues?
  
  What are some good cable brands I should go for or avoid?

I'm relatively new to the mixing game, started a few years ago in college and started back up now that I have a house and room to mix again, and those two resources were my favorites especially when I started learning.

First, you might not need all the info, but I highly recommend Mike Seniors book "Mixing secrets for the small studio". It's around $20, but totally worth it:

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/0240815807

The most important parts are:

A. he helps you get started on getting a good sounding room and speakers, which you need at least some of or you won't know what sounds good.

B. he goes through a mix step by step. Pros probably don't need that rigid of a format for going through a mix, but as a beginner, it's a great way to know what you should be listening for. It also keeps you from spending hours just messing around with no idea where you're headed, which is what I wasted too much time on early on.

One other resources helpful for beginners, if you wanna watch a lot of videos, is the Recording Revolution youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/user/recordingrevolution Most of his content is aimed towards new mixers, and he routinely does new series where he'll go through a mix step by step and show you how he does it, often using just stock plugins. While you might not follow everything he does (Sometimes he gets a little mix bus heavy, which I don't think is the best way to start for beginners) but his explanations on how plugins work is usually sound.

Anyway, lots of other great tips on this already, just thought I'd add my 2 cents.

Best piece of advice Ive ever heard is this: Buy used, buy smart, buy once.
$1000 will go almost twice as far if you follow this advice.

In terms of new equipment, I'd by two GLS ES-57's and the Karma K-micro double pack. Thats two very respectable 57 knockoff's and two awesome SDC omnis for a total of about $110, where as just one brand new sm57 would cost you about $100. In terms of used mics, I would search on craigslist for a decent prosumer-lever LDC. I am fond of the AKG perception line when it comes to this. The Perception 420 has dual one-inch diaphragms and three selectable polar patterns. Super versatile, and you can probably find one for around $120. At $330, that is a pretty useable mic list.

The PreSonus Firestudio is great, and I bet you could find one for under 300 lightly used. Great thing about the Firestudio is that you won't need to buy a DI box to record bass direct in. The Firestudio has two hi Z instrument inputs, so you can just plug right in.

This potentially leaves you with about $370 left. I don't know too much about monitors honestly, but I'd stay away from the KRK Rokit monitors, personally. Friend of mine has some KRK's and there's just no control on the bottom end, and really not much in terms of high end. They can make any mix sound like crap, and for that reason, I wouldn't use them for my main monitors. I know you could find something better for 300 bucks, and still have about 70 left over for stands and cables. However, as someone has already said, make your own cables, and you will save a ton of money, as well as learn an incredibly valuable skill. You will need to by the tools to make the cables though.

Hey guys, I hope this is the right place to ask this.

To make a long story short, I'm looking to buy a mic to use for Skype/TS/VoIP type stuff, mostly while gaming. I'm also looking to try something nicer than the low grade desk mics that I've used in the past. I was previously planning to just buy something like the Audio Technica AT2020 USB, but I'd like to try to find a solution that will allow me to reduce the level of sound that my mic picks up from other sources, primarily my mechanical keyboard, which is loud as hell.

To this end, I was thinking about picking up a fairly cheap shotgun mic and hooking it into a USB mixer that I could plug into my computer. I think the shotgun mic's directional nature would be an improvement on the mics I've been using (and that my friends have been complaining about) and would have less sound picked up from my keyboard (although I know it won't go away entirely).

Keeping in mind that I'm on a college student budget, and that this isn't for any kind of recording/voice over work for music or anything, here's what I had planned:

Audio-Technica ATR-6550 as the mic. It's low-cost and has reasonably good reviews. I've owned a few different pairs of AT headphones before and never had any complaints about their build quality or performance, so this seems like a good pickup at my price point. If this setup works, I could consider picking up a nicer mic later on in time.

Behringer Xenyx 302USB as the mixer. Again, low cost and obviously not stellar in performance or options, but I don't need it to do very much.

My understanding of it is that I can hook the mixer into my computer via USB, and it will register it as a recording/playback device. Then I can hook the shotgun mic (with a 1/4in adaptor on it) into the XLR/TRS mic input and that will serve as the new mic. I also should be able to plug my headphones into the headphones jack and my speakers into the output of the mixer, so that all of the recording and playback devices are handled by the mixer.

Ultimately, however, I don't actually know anything about audio equipment, including the mic and mixers. So if anyone has any advice to offer or suggestions to make, that'd be greatly appreciated. Also, if I'm completely wrong about how the inputs/outputs or something like that on the mixer works, then it'd be awesome if someone could help explain it to me.

You've got everything you need really; I've made demos with far less in the past.

The Macbook Pro is all good, no question. And, it almost certainly has a firewire port, so even better. If I remember correctly, an Mbox Mini is a 2 channel in/out, with one of your inputs also being a mic preamp. I'd upgrade that to a firewire interface, if you're serious about recording with this rig and plan to stick with this; student discounts on audio gear are awweeesssooooommmmeee, so take advantage if you can. I don't have any complaints about the new Mbox Pro, but I'm also a Pro Tools guy.

Being stuck with only 2 (I assume dynamic) mics and 1 condenser, you are definitely limited, but you may be able to get an okay sound out of using all three when recording your drums. Play around with different placement options; Use the condenser as a room mic, making sure to keep it a distance from the actual kit, the input low, etc. Try placing your two dynamic mics in different locations, as overheads, etc. Adjust the levels between the three, try panning one dynamic hard left and the other hard right, etc. Experiment, that's the name of the game. No matter what, it's simply not going to sound as well as it can with a decent number of mics in the usual locations, but you'll have drums that you can hear, which is enough to develop your songs and/or put out a low quality demo to show what you guys can come up with. If /when you do make the move to get a set of mics for the drums, there are packages out there that give you price options. For example, this is $100 http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PDKM7-Microphone-Mounting-Accesories/dp/B003FW0IHA and this is $400 http://www.amazon.com/Shure-DMK57-52-Drum-Microphone-Kit/dp/B0002E51C6

Recording the bass amp direct out, all good there.

Recording the guitar, I'd use one (or both) of your dynamics to mic the cab, but you should definitely use the condenser for any acoustic guitar.

And yea, condenser for vocals, obviously all good there.

Also, do you know about http://tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

The guy's website isn't the greatest looking thing, but there's a ton of great info there. Check it out.


edit
And before I forget, since you are using a laptop, you want to invest in an external hard drive. Whenever you create a session in Audition or whatever DAW you are using, you want the session and all the audio files to reside on that external hard drive. This is important. I really only use firewire for these drives, as USB just doesn't cut it for me. At that, I really only use drives made by LaCie or Glyph, which can get expensive. You do have the option of buying an external hard drive case (one with firewire!), and then popping in a 7200 rpm drive, which can save you some cash. If you go that route, check out newegg.com for the case and the drive.

You might want to look into spending a tiny bit more for the AT2020 mic. I don't know much about the MXL 770 but after a quick google search, it looks like the AT2020 is a bit more versatile. I'm planning on getting the AT2020 soon because it seemed like the best condenser mic for that price range. The AT2020 doesn't come with a shockmount like the MXL 770 but it looks like you can get a set with a shockmount and a pop filter for the mic for relatively cheap:

https://www.amazon.de/PEMOTech-Metallene-Maschenweite-Schaum-Schicht-isolierung/dp/B07413982B/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1549327444&sr=1-2&keywords=at2020+shock+mount

If you still want to get the MXL 770, then getting a pop filter separately isn't a bad idea.

When you say to start recording your songs, what are you going to be recording? Vocals? Guitar?

For a cable, you'll want an XLR cable. As for the stand, you might want to look into getting one of these types of stands instead of the kind that clamps onto the table because you'll have more control over placement and you can use the mic if you're somewhere where you aren't able to attach the stand to a desk.

Do you have any sort of audio interface? You'll need one that is able to supply 48v phantom power to the microphone. If you don't have one, I'd recommend the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 if you don't have one yet. The Scarlett Solo should work fine too but if you're able to, I would recommend the 2i2 over it.

IF you arent trying to spend too much money on it, I'd recommend just heading to a local studio and renting some time to record what you need. That is, unless you are trying to make this a regular thing.

I'll go ahead and throw some links up on what I list as good, low-budget options to get you going.

I'd recommend getting a cardioid condenser mic (AKG AT2020 ~$100), an audio interface with at least one mic preamp and phantom power (Scarlett Solo ~$100), and a pop filter (Audio 2000s AWS4071 ~$10). You'd also need a DAW to edit the tracks, such as cutting out long pauses and words you didn't intend to make into the final cut, and adding a bit of compression and EQ changes. Most likely the audio interface will come with an intro DAW that'll do just enough for what you want to do. For better results you can also pick up an acoustic shield (Monoprice 602650 ~$65) to help isolate the sound, which doesn't seem important just getting into it but once you hear the difference you'll see why its important. Oh, and you'll need to get an XLR cable (~$8) to plug the mic in, but you may or may not want one that's a bit longer than the one I linked.

Something I want to throw in there as well is you'll also probably want to learn how to get on de-essing. In a vocal take, often times an "s" sound will come out very harshly if left unedited. A method to avoid this is to not talk directly into the mic, but slightly off center. Alternatively, you can buy a VST or program that can do it automatically for you. Also, a good thing to do is to reduce noise either through careful automated eq cuts or by using a program such as reafir which can be downloaded for free from the developers here.

If you do get involved with all this craziness, and I know its all pretty intimidating, I'd be happy to help you get on your way to making some great recordings. Just send me a message any time.

> You are wildly incorrect. Never before has a compression plugin been too fast for the sampling rate. A compressor would have to have an attack time of 0.00002267573 seconds for this to even make sense.

Compressors multiply the incoming signal by a time-varying gain signal; the total bandwidth of the ideal output signal is approximately the sum of the two. So if you have an input signal at 10kHz, any compression gain signal with a bandwidth over 12.05kHz will alias without additional oversampling in the compressor plugin, which not all plugin manufacturers implement. For any attack time below 1 millisecond, a 12.05kHz-bandlimited approximation of the compressor gain signal will look pretty terrible, but without bandlimiting of the gain signal, you'll get aliasing. Hence, the need for oversampling.

> Furthermore, there is plenty anti-aliasing filters built into DAWs and converters to prevent just the type of distortion you describe.

Anti-aliasing filters are used to prevent aliasing when you start from a higher sampling rate, whether that's infinity (analog) or for an oversampled signal. I don't see how building them into the DAW or an ADC/DAC do anything for the aliasing that occurs inside a plugin.

> You get no advantage bouncing at a higher sampling rate if your plugins over-sample.

And I heartily agree with you on this as can be seen in my original reply. Unfortunately, not all plugins over-sample.

> You have a very incorrect view of how digital audio functions. I highly recommend this book:
> https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-Science-Bob-Katz/dp/0240808371
> It goes into great detail about just how this sort of things work.

Thanks for the recommendation, but for the basics of digital audio, I instead recommend Oppenheim and Schafer's Discrete-Time Signal Processing for the mathematical theory as well as JOS's series of digital audio processing online books for more application-oriented concepts.

I've had a pair of CR3s for about a year now. They're pretty good nearfields for the price. I was surprised at the detail that came through in the mids. But things can get a little weird in the sub 100Hz range. They have reflex ports on the back, and the response felt a little loose at certain frequencies down there. I plugged them with a pair of rolled up socks, and now the bass is a little tighter and better controlled. Maybe not the best for mixing, but they're great if you're composing or doing some listening. Use the isolators that they come with, set them up in your room correctly (away from walls, 60º rule, etc.), and you're good to go.

EDIT: sorry I didn't read your post all the way through before I answered. I recommend not really using your beats headphones. Some of them have 40dB boosts in bass, which will really mess with monitoring. Something like this is going to definitely help you gain an accurate idea of how things should really sound.

Im looking to upgrade my audio into a xlr setup from a usb mic. I broadcast on Twitch (live streaming service) and I have some questions about what equipment would be best for my application.

For my mic, I was going to purchase the Rode NT1
Is a condensor mic best for what I'll be doing? (Disclaimer: I yell a lot)

I was going to purchase the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Is it worth it to purchase this two channel audio interface, or should I buy the single input version for a cheaper price? I'm only going to be using a single mic, but I read that the quality of the 2i2 build is a bit better.

My final question is on whether or not I should purchase a Compressor/Gate to reduce clipping when I yell, or is it possible or to compress my audio with a software program? Trying to see if dropping the money on the compressor would be worth it. This is the compressor/gate I was looking at: DBX 266xs

Thanks ahead of time! I really do appreciate your help! :)

I can't vouch for the quality, but this seems to tic all the boxes, eg. USB, <$200, multi-pattern (ie. the direction it picks up sound from) - cardioid (front), figure 8 bi-directional (front and back), omni (all directions) - you would just need to place it in between yourself and whomever you're recording (note, room acoustics and ambient noise will need to be addressed).

There are definitely better ways to record a podcast, but they're all much more expensive. But, it can definitely sound passable if you learn how to mix audio for podcasts (EQ, stacking multiple compressors, using multiband compressors, limiting, setting final loudness levels to broadcast standards). Or, reach out to the local or online community of people who are looking for experience in audio. Pay them money, or exchange services, give them credits on the show, ask them for more specific advice on how to improve the quality, as they will know best since they are tasked with optimizing your recordings.

Hello, first time poster...

I have a DR-40 that I use the internal mics and the external mic jacks to record our podcast. when I edit the audio in Audacity the audio from my recording looks different than the audio from the external mics, example shown: http://imgur.com/a/A7gNd (mine is the top 2 bars, I record in stereo, and convert to mono for both later on.


Why do they look so different in Audacity? I know things like what my macbooks audio was set at when I captured the audio, as well as the recording level on the dr-40, but the audio levels from both sound fine. My audio isn't so much lower than the external audio... People though do tell me that one often sounds lower, and I assume it's because we don't keep proper mic distance and such.

Someone has also mentioned that I need an audio interface, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56EA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497452587&sr=8-1&keywords=2i2+focusrite+scarlet but I'd rather not have to carry around a bunch of stuff just to grab podcast interviews when I'm on travel.

I do know that as a podcast, having good audio is key, and it's the only product, so it needs to be the best possible. Any help is appreciated. I won't pimp out my podcast, but if you know reddit, you'll know how to find it. We've been using this setup for about 6 months now, the previous setup was awful...

Thank you.

Read the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881889008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NBtDDbV6TBG8X

It has all the fundamentals you need to work with live sound.

You’ll do well to find someone who already knows how things work and shadow them on some gigs, preferably in different venues, indoor and out. Church sound can be a good place to start, but remember that any installed system has already been set up and configured so things go pretty easy.

If you play an instrument, get out there and play as much as you can, so you understand how it feels on stage and can relate to the musicians you’re running sound for.

Good luck!

Modern Recording Techniques for actual audio. Professor was a wealth of information, so we used a lot of handouts, but he did give us a recommended reading list:

Assistant Engineer's Handbook

Mastering Audio

Master Handbook of Acoustics

personally, i found having a copy of Practical Electronics for Inventors laying around super useful, as it explains circuits and what different diagram symbols mean and how to build basic circuits - awesome if for some reason you need to troubleshoot a piece of gear or you're just curious about what's going on under the hood

First off, don't worry about not being able to get into a post high-school audio program. If you're serious about doing it and can pay the tuition, you're in. I'd recommend checking local community colleges first, as they generally teach all or most of the same things as audio trade schools at a fraction of the price, and many offer degree programs - That said, very few people in this industry care about degrees or certifications if you can do the job (and are hard-working and easy to get along with), but a formal education is still a good idea. With any school, you will get out of it what you put into it.

A lot also depends on what you eventually want to do as a career (freelance, work in larger studio, mastering, post, etc.) but the best thing you can do is start getting hands-on experience and work to familiarize yourself with basic audio knowledge and recording techniques. This is not a career for people who sit around and wait for things to happen, so dig in, and best of luck!

Hi, I have a Pyle Pro PDMIC58, a Shure SM-58 Knockoff. It's really fulfilled the purpose I wanted it too when I bought it, a cheap and surprisingly clear form of voice.


I do YouTube videos with my friends using gameplay recordings, and I used to have a lot of static with my mic. It is worth noting that I record my videos using Shadowplay, which means that the audio cannot be ' cleaned up ' afterwards, as Gameplay audio is there as well, and it leaves the sound a bit mushy.


I connect my microphone to a small USB Soundcard, from my old Logitech G430. This cleaned up immense static, and that sample can be heard here.


I then decided that I was done with static, and am using Adobe Audition's Adaptive Noise Reduction feature to clean audio piped in, and output it through Line 1 using Virtual Audio Cable. The end result is extremely satisfying static free music... but with a couple of caveats. Here's a sample of the post-processed audio.


There are 2 caveats. 1) The post processing takes up a small amount of CPU, usually negligible, except for when I'm playing taxing games. 2) The audio coming out of Adobe Audition will occasionally be extremely distorted and buzzing. I believe this is due to the CPU being over taxed when playing the aforementioned games. ( Sorry for the lack of context and dumb Prequel Meme! ) Sample here.

Vocaroo doesn't have the absolute best quality sound, and I can assure you there's far more distinct crackling, like my words are being distorted but not at the same time. It's odd. Also of note, the audio glitch and distortion is only in recordings, which is the only thing that uses Line 1. Teamspeak, the program I use for my VOIP, is using my mic before post processing. So the distortion is obviously occurring in Adobe Audition somewhere.

The question I seek to ask, is I want to make my microphone have the quality of the Adobe Audition post-processing, without having to actually run the software. I'm not sure, but I think a pre-amp / USB audio interface would help me greatly here? Would this be an adequate product for my needs, or am I in the complete wrong area?


It's worth noting my Pyle Pro is an unbalanced mic, and that pre-amp provides 24/7 phantom power. There are other pre-amps where I can toggle that off, however. Please advise, thanks. My brother in law is also proficient with a soldering iron, and from what I've seen on YouTube, balancing this mic is extremely easy, moving one cable and removing the solder connection on pins 3 and 1.

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I'm looking for a low-end solution for recording vocals, connected to a PC.

I have absolutely no experience whatsoever with audio hardware. My wife loves to sing - and though I am of course biased, I think she's pretty good at it - and so I want to get her a gift of some recording equipment.

I'm not looking for anything high-end; I'd like for it to be "decent", but it doesn't have to be professional level hardware. I'd like to be able to get everything for somewhere between $300-400 if possible. So, specifically, I'm looking for...

1. A microphone for vocals (with a stand, or stand separate)
   
   
2. A way to hook everything up to the PC (for use with something like FL Studio or Audacity)
   
   I assume there might need to be an amp in there somewhere? I don't know, I don't know anything about this stuff.
   
   Would anyone please be willing to give me some recommendations on parts, and what specifically I will need? Thank you.
   
   Edit: Okay, what about this?
   
   AT-2020 Mic
   
   Scarlett Solo USB Interface
   
   Mic Stand
   
   Pop Filter
   
   XLR Cable
   
   Seinnheser HD280 Headphones

Not sure if this post/question will go unseen or not since im a few days late but I am currently working on a small home set up. I bought the Scarlett 2i4, which I love and am running through Logic. I also bought an MXL770 and a SM57. I have been running them both for music and a podcast (just doing 1:1 test interviews right now). I am considering expanding so that I can have 4 mics set up for the podcast. So here is my question: I need to upgrade my Scarlett 2i4 to something with 4 inputs, I am looking at the Scarlett 18i8 (which I know I’ll like because I’m familiar with it) but I could save some money with the Tascam US-4x4. Does anyone here have any advice about these or other recommendations?


Second Question: I am now exploring new mics for the podcast. I like the MXL770 but I am now looking at the AudioTechnica AT2020. Does anyone have any advice about which I should go with?


Thank you!

Mixing Secrety by Mike Senior did a great job for me. It covers neaery every topic, goes into depth without getting too technical and it's amusingly written.

I also like Bob Katz's book, but I was honestly only able to understand what he was talking about after I had some basics covered. If you've got no clue whatsoever I'd spare it for later.

Dave Pensado's Into the lair helped me to become more creative and act more freely.

I've also watched dozens of YouTube-videos on various topics, since there isn't that one way to do it right, but many roads lead to Rome.

Anyways there is no way around just getting started, after you understood what all the different processors can do for you.

Here is a big library of multitracks compiled by Mike Senior, which you can use to practice.

And never forget the most important component: fun. ;)

Copy/paste of a budget setup I've been putting together lately:

• 1 x Pile Pro PDMIC78 for snare
  
• 1 x CAD KBM412 for kick
  
• 2 LDCM's for overheads, AT 2020 is a classic, but you can certainly go cheaper with some no-name condensers.
  
• Behringer UMC404HD for an interface. It has 4 mic preamps, which will work much better for drums than the 2-in AudioBox or the Scarlet 2i4 that always comes up on these threads.
  
• 4 x mic cables
  
• 1 x low profile boom stand for the kick mic
  
• 1 x mic clip for the snare mic
  
• 2 x Boom stands for overheads
  
• Download Reaper, use the free trial
  
  I think all told that runs you about $400, but you can use that to set up a solid Glyn Johns set up. If you want to multitrack the rest of a band, the Pyle will work well on guitar cabs, you can DI the bass and use the kick mic on the cab, and condenser mics will do pretty much anything else. I have a better setup for doing final takes, but this is more or less my current setup for demos.
  
  Also, if you're really strapped for cash, you can start with just the interface and one condenser mic, although it won't be great. From there, get the kick and snare mics, then a second OH when you have the money.

Being an IT professional sometimes this sub's acronyms confuse the hell out of me. That said, has he looked into a Scarlett solo? It's what I use at home. It's technically an interface, but is powered over USB and is great if you only have 1-2 inputs. It's also pretty small and could easily fit into a backpack or messenger bag (really anything with pockets). May not be exactly what he's looking for, but it sounds like it might fit the bill.

https://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-solo

https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1483738306&sr=1-1&keywords=scarlett+solo+second+gen

What is going to be the best way to connect to a 1/4" headphone jack?

I'm new to the DAW scene and I'm in the market for a pre-amp/mixer for guitar/bass and I've pretty much settled on the Focusrite Scarlett-2i2 Gen2. Big selling points are that there are 2 line-ins so I can have 2 guitars (Git/Bass or Lead/Rhythm) connected at the same time and mixed properly, and it also has a seperate volume knob for headphones - unlike the base-model solo.

I noticed that the headphone output is a standard 1/4" jack instead of the consumer-standard 1/8" or 3.5mm jack. I will eventually look into a studio headset but for now I am extremely happy with my HyperX Clouds.

What is going to be the most "lossless" way to connect my regular headset to this box? Would something like this be fine or would it cause any feedback or crackling? There is an RCA jack in the back also, would an RCA to 3.5mm wishbone cable be more or less effective than the standard 1/4->1/8 adapter?

Hey guys! I've recently decided to invest in a solid condenser mic and an audio interface. I would be recording keyboard, acoustic guitar, (maybe electric, but not a priority) and vocals. I am on a pretty low budget as I am also attending university, but would love some feedback on the options I have narrowed it down to, or suggestions for equipment I should consider instead would be welcome too! For the AI, I thought either the PreSonus http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154KSA2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKXDER
or the Mackie Onyx
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VZG550?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
would suit my needs just fine. For the mic, I have narrowed it down to between the Rode NT1A
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QAUOKS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
and the Audio Technica 2035
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D6RMFG6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A4V0ATM4SIKP4
Once again any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!Thanks again!

> I'm looking to get into mixing my own music to a high level,

Awesome!

> now is the time to upgrade my audio interface. Do you have an recommendations for cheap interfaces around the £100 mark or lower?

So your 'old' interface cost you £250 and you want to upgrade but only want to pay £100!?!? Sorry I can't help you until you come into the realm of reality. Yes you over paid for your first interface which is junk. Unfortunately you are going to have to pay at least 50% of what you paid before to get non junk.

A good intro, beginner interface is the Scarlett 2i2 which is £125: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56EA/

Again this is just a better beginner interface, it's only an 'upgrade' because the one you bought is garbage. Overall it's not really that much of an upgrade - more like a crossgrade to a proper product.

An actual good upgrade would be the MOTU Microbook IIc:

• http://motu.com/products/motuaudio/microbook/body.html
  
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/MOTU-MICROBOOK-II-Audio-Interface/dp/B007LX9NX4/

The first thing you'll need is an audio interface. If you definitely want to do 7 channel recording for the drums, then you'll need an interface with at least that many input channels. I just got a Focusrite Saffire 18i8, which has 8 input channels out of the box. Be aware when shopping for interfaces, they often advertise the maximum possible inputs, which isnt always the number that you get with just the interface itself. The 18i8, for example, is advertised as 18 input channels, but that's only achievable if you buy an another piece of equipment that will transmit extra channels on a digital ADAT connection. There are reasonably priced 7 piece drum mic kits (like this ) that will have all the mic's & most hardware you'd need for the drums. If you don't have any other mics though, you'd probably be better off buying a smaller drum mic kit, maybe a 5 piece, and buying a pair of quality general use mics, like Shure SM57s which you can use for vocals, mic'ing guitar cabs, etc. Keep in mind that you'll also need pre-amps for all the mic's too. Usually interfaces have pre-amps built-in, but not necessarily for all channels. The 18i8, for example only has preamps on 4 channels, so when I use it for recording drums, I need to use the preamps on my mixers for the 4 other channels. Bass can usually be recorded with either DI out from the amp (which most offer) or you can buy an external DI box, which will allow you to take the direct signal, and apply any effects you want in GarageBand. Guitar can be recorded directly if you have a multi-effects board, but usually sounds better if you can put a mic in front of your cabinet and record it live. This can be tough, because you have to deal with outside noises or your family complaining, but it is usually worth the effort.

Sorry if this isn't the right sub for this

Reposting due to formatting issue in previous post.

So I'm currently trying to figure out how to split audio from all of my consoles.

The best setup I can think of at the moment is splitting the audio off of the second output from my HDMI splitter I use for my PS3. I could try to move the HDMI splitter after my capture card, so then I'd still hear all audio from the currently active console.
The above visualized: Current into new

My main issue is finding a cheap stereo mixer that takes single, stereo, 1/4" plugs to the Mini-mixer, as the one I recently got is exactly what I need, except that it's mono only. I've been able to find a few passive mini-mixers, this one being the most likely. The reason I can't go with that, is because it's likely the game's audio will be too quiet for me and I'd to boost it, which requires an active mixer.

Every single other alternative has been the Behringer Xenyx 502, which may work, but I'd need to buy 3.5mm/RCA to L/R 1/4" adapters, which would be an extra $20-$30 plus I want a bit more scalability for future audio inputs.

Lastly, for a bit more info, I use the VST plugins within OBS Studio, so I sadly cant just plug these into my current mixer, a Yamaha MG10XU, or else it'll come out of where my mic is, as well as likely being too loud for viewers when I boost the volume for myself.
The only alternative would be to upgrade to a Yamaha MG12XU for the extra Aux bus's, which would be an extra $130 for only the extra aux bus's I'd be using, since there's nothing else that i feel warrants the extra cost.

So in summary, has anyone found a better way to get console audio to headphones while keeping it separate from the stream audio?

plug the headphones into the interface input and see if one of them works as a dynamic mic. it should. (headphones in reverse = microphone). PS there is a ton of XLR dynamic mics available for ~$20. SM57/58 copies. You might look up GLS microphones. Cost a couple bucks more, goods review, well made. I think the models are ES57 and ES58.

PS Why does your Tonor brand mic have a trs 3.5mm 1/8" connector. What is that about? Why the third wire? That is some pretty questionable looking format, looks like a video camera format. Someone else posted about this format and had to get a specialised adapter cable to split off a working feed.

> I think it should be pretty much plug&play,

Might want to re-think that. Audio world likes XLR for mics and direct box output to mixers, interfaces, etc. Take it up to 4.5 star reviews.

Keep in mind that much goes into that "nice rich radio sound." Broadcast microphones, preamplifiers, etc. are expensive. On that note, I think it would be tough to beat the price/performance ratio that the yeti yields.

You can get nearer to the sound you're after by reading into and experimenting with eq and compression, which can be altered in some video editing software and all audio editing software. There are many examples of the yeti in use, with varying results, likely afforded by different eq and compression use. I have a couple of yetis at work and they can be made to sound good.

Another mic in this category that's worth a look is the Audio Technica AT202.

With these two microphones, your onboard sound card is not used to take in the microphone signal (these particular mics take care of that). So your onboard sound card will have no impact on sound recorded using these microphones. If you use one of these usb mics, there's virtually no need to upgrade your sound card. You might want to, however, if you become more serious about recording music (sound coming out of your speakers would be better and cleaner).

I hope that helps some.

Ok. That is much more manageable!

As far as dry, academic sources go, the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook covers a ton. It covers the physical aspects of making and treating a studio, along with a million other things.

For software, your best bet is just to cover the big ones (protools, logic, cubase, studio one, reaper etc.). Honestly, I wouldn't really spend much time on this besides saying that they can all pretty much do anything you need them to, and it is mainly an issue of user preference.

Pensando's Place and The Recording Revolution have been great sources for me as far as actual production techniques. There are some lectures on youtube by Steve Albini that are pretty awesome, too. Really- recording and producing goes from a science to an art at a certain point, so your paper will likely have two sides to it: the stuff everyone 'agrees' on, and the stuff where an engineer breaks with the conventional wisdom to do something their own way.

Not to belabor the point, but sound engineering is about as broad a term as 'painting' is, and you will find people who do it have as much or as little in common with each other as painters do.

As long as you approach it as a combination of art and science, you should be able to do a decent job. Just look up some lectures by reputable engineers, compare & contrast.

Affordable Condsnser Mics for Outdoor Bluegrass Gigs


I'm looking at buying two cheap condenser mics. I'm hoping for confirmation that, for our purposes, something cheap is adequate. Thanks for feedback.

Here's what I'm looking at, and some context.

MXL Mics 770 Cardioid Condenser Microphone - https://www.amazon.com/MXL-770-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0007NQH98/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=condenser+microphone&qid=1571410670&sr=8-4

Audio-Technica AT 2020 Large Diaphragm Microphone - https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0006H92QK/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=audio-technica+at2050+large+diaphragm+microphone&qid=1571411187&sr=8-4

Our bluegrass band frequently plays at outdoor events like farmer's markets, festivals and such. We are mostly back-ground music, which is fine.

Sometimes we bring a large nice sound system, but I'm looking to round our our stealth (quick set-up and break-down) system. Our mixer has phantom power, BTW.

I want two because we frequently have up to six people, as well as walk-ons. It's always noisy. We are complete amatures, but want to project our amatureish attempts.

Thanks.

I like what the 57 does to the mids on a snare. A flatter mic on a guitar cab is nice, but the 57 will usually work fine for me. If you do want a flatter mic, don't fuck with your good 57, get another flatter mic! Something like the ES-57 works great and it's cheap as hell.

I'm a singer (both lyrical and pop) and I wanna start recording myself at home. I wanna make demos and write songs (since I don't play instruments and only know the most basic music theory, I have to record). I also have a very, very limited budget (I'll get a freeware DAW). I do have a "mic": this beauty, and I wanna improve my situation, because while I'm not starting a pro studio or anything right now, I do want my voice to sound as good and accurate as possible.

My sister is in the States right now on vacation, so I can tell her what to buy me, but I have to do it soon, and I don't know what's best within my budget.

I'm overwhelmed. I don't know if I should get a USB mic (like a Samson C01, Snowball, ATR2500, Yeti, etc...), a cheap XLR mic with an icicle, or a cheap DAW interface like this with a cheap condenser. I'm not even familiar with the brands or anything, so I don't know which is better, and virtually all reviews I've seen are geared towards podcasting or things like that. What would you recommend me?

Maybe try r/Headphones if your question doesn't get answered. From what I've read there people tend to say that it's usually preference and how well you "know" your headphones.

If these are the Sony's you are referring to I'd say it is a pretty solid choice from what I've seen on the subreddit.

Also [these]u(https://www.amazon.com/KRK-KNS8400-Studio-Headphones/dp/B004ARUO2S/ref=sr_1_8?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1503063688&sr=1-8&keywords=krk) KRK headphones may be another option to consider.

Hope I was able to help! :]

Mastering is a mysterious art form that takes practice and a good ear to be able to do well. The only plugins I would recommend for doing this you've already tried so I doubt you're gonna get anything better. A few things you could try though is mixing the track at a higher volume before using ozone or an L2 on the track or make a new session in your DAW import your mixed track on one channel and then a commercial track on another that is at the volume you want your track to be and then tweak the settings on the L2 or Ozone while doing an a/b comparison with the commercial track to try and get it sounding similar.

If you want to learn more about mastering though this is a fantastic book on the subject.

For mixing: The Mixing Engineer's Handbook is my favourite resource for learning the mix engineer's craft. Also many people recommend Mixing With Your Mind, but I can't claim to have read it.

For tracking: The same author of the Mixing Engineer's Handbook has one on tracking which is also quite good. I learned tracking as an apprentice, so I have read very little in the way of published books on this topic, but for guitars specifically some person archived the posts of a person named Slipperman here which I've found to be a valuable resource for information and entertainment(!).

In general: Get yourself a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, and read it cover to cover, twice. It is an absolute building block of audio engineering and probably the best single resource I can suggest for the theory and practice of audio engineering and sound reinforcement.

Hi guys, I'm a little new to recording music professionally, and am looking to just get a little setup to record acoustic guitar and vocals at home. I'm going to be buying a Shure SM57 and an SM58 for guitars and vocals, respectively, and am going to need an audio interface to connect the XLR cables into. For the interface, I want to stay in a reasonable budget, and so have come to look at the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 1st Gen. Has anyone used this for recording, and would you recommend this product? Should I get the 1st gen model or the 2nd? Furthermore, Im just a little confused because the input ports on this look slightly different to the other Focusrite Scarlett I looked at - the thing is I want an interface with at least 2 XLR inputs to record guitar and vocals at the same time. I appreciate the help- thanks so much!

(FYI the amazon link to the interface is here: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-GENERATION-USB-Recording/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_10?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1483084173&sr=1-10&keywords=focusrite+scarlett)

Agreed. I just got a cheap DJ one for my home setup, but it's great having a switch for each device instead of reaching around my desk to turn off the speakers every day. After buying that one I saw another that also has a USB charging port on it, wish I'd gotten that one.

As everyone else is saying there are a ton of choices. If you are sure all you want is two channels for recording I would go with a 2 Channel USB interface such as the Focusrite Scarlet which is only $150. For a live multitrack like you describe that's what I would choose.

However, whenever someone asks me about what interface they should get I always say, "Plan for the future." Sure you only want 2 channels now, but in the future are you going to want more? Are you going to need MIDI or Digital Ins? A 2nd monitoring path for two people recording? Like kim_otcj said, If you buy for the future you'll save money in the long run.

Since you're not going to be recording much, you can get something pretty minimal. You're mostly just going to be using it for monitoring.

Focusrite makes solid gear, and it's pretty cheap:
http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405217219&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+interfaces

and M-Audio has one even cheaper:
http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-M-Track-2-Channel-Portable-Interface/dp/B00BQ6KSN6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1405217219&sr=8-4&keywords=audio+interfaces

Edit - just saw the other responses. Looks like the Focusrite is the way to go. Also I concur with and highly recommend Sennheiser HD 280's for headphones.

I've been reading through Mixing Secrets for the Home Studio by Mike Senior and I love it. Definitely recommend it to anyone looking to improve their mixing chops!

Sorry to be that guy, but you should be relying on your ears, not your eyes, to judge the loudness of a track.

If you need visual aids, you should get a loudness level meter, such as iZotope Insight, Waves Level Meter, or the free MLoudnessAnalyzer. For most music, a target of -16LUFS is standard, however, many pop albums hit -9LUFS.

If you want to read up more on it, the best book, IMO, is Bob Katz's "Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science".
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-Science-Bob-Katz/dp/0240808371

This book is an awesome resource when starting out. I've read through probably 6 times and I still pick up something new every read through. Also, take everything you read on forums like gearslutz with a huge grain of salt. There are many audiophiles out there that don't know any hard sciences, and for some reason try their damnedest to convince people to believe in their myths. Also also, audio is subjective, do what sounds good.

Wouldn't hurt to give producing a shot. Having good studio vibe is important for engineers or anyone who works any job in a studio setting. Producing other people's music is a fast track to learning that. Not to mention building a good network. You could get a crack at mixing the artists track to which is great practice.

If I remember correctly the books that head the most impact for me were:

http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Listening-Skills-Audio-Professionals/dp/1598630237

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-2e-Roey-Izhaki/dp/0240522222

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149

SM57 is good, but you'll probably want a stand to go with it. It's my personal opinion that at $80, the Sony MDR-7506 headphones are the best value for audio gear under $100.

Frequency dependent treatments generally are for situations where a particular room mode is very problematic. Broadband absorbers are most often the best price/performance ratio by far.

As for references, it’s true that few other books cover the topics involved well, and generally they’re very expensive. This work by Cox and D’Antonio is one of the best, albeit not inexpensive. Also, the work of Helmut Fuchs has fundamentally changed room acoustics almost from the ground up. I still hear consultants claim that the 1/4 wave rule is immutable while Fuch destroyed that quite a few years back. His VPN devices are amazing.

I'm looking for a microphone for speech recognition [Dragon NaturallySpeaking].


I am considering the Blue Yeti [cheap] and the Audix OM7 [less ambient sound than the Shume SM-58]. Any other recommendations or criteria would be appreciated.


The OM7 requires an interface. The cheapest on the gear guide is Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. Is there a strong reason to pick another? I'd like to not buy monster cables.


Is buying used problematic?


If it helps pretend I'm looking to do podcasting and want to increase signal to noise

Edit: Bought the Blue Yeti

Hi all,

I have been podcasting for 4 years (57th most popular sports podcast in the world last time i checked!)

One thing that has always hampered me is my sound quality. I have 4 mic set up but it's really basic and I would rather go for one mic with the group sat around it.

I have around £100/$150 to spend, have a mixer and XLR cables, so only need the mic itself. What would you recommend?

These are three I have found

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0002PSCQM/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0JT47SA4NXWCNSZK7A9H&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455344027&pf_rd_i=468294

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002VA464S/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0JT47SA4NXWCNSZK7A9H&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455344027&pf_rd_i=468294

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000JM46FY/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0JT47SA4NXWCNSZK7A9H&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455344027&pf_rd_i=468294

Thanks alot!

Haha, yeah welcome to recording things. You're never done spending money.

I just checked the user manual for your current interface, and yeah, you're not going to be able to use that with a condenser mic.

Something like this will work: http://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B00154KSA2. It's cheap, and probably a little better quality than the Line-6 you're currently using. Presonus makes high quality stuff, and I think for what you're doing, that's about the cheapest you're going to get (feel free to prove me wrong, other people)

Re: your question about phantom power adapters. I don't have any experience with them, but if anyone else does and likes them, it's really up to you.

Pick up a Behringer Xenyx 502. It'll run you roughly $40 and it will do all the jobs that you want done. You'll also want 2 cables like this one.

• Plug the microphone into the XLR slot.
  
• Plug the headphone port of your computer into the 2-Track in
  
• Plug the Line-in/Microphone port of your pc into the 2-Track out
  
• Plug your headphones into the phones port
  
• Make sure that the button to play the 2-Track in the phones is on
  
• Make sure that the button to play the 2-Track in the main mix is off

Get an acoustic shield, it's a very easy and portable way to get good sound from an untreated room. I use this one with my condenser mic in a similar room and it sounds great: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GR9W1MS/

For that price range I would probably go with a Blue Yeti USB mic. Haven't personally used one but from samples I've heard they seem like one of the best USB mics you can get.

Mixing Audio by Roey Izhaki:
https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-2e-Roey-Izhaki/dp/0240522222

It has an excellent description of how a mixer works, and is a great reference for the various types of processors you'll use to mix a track. Highly recommended, I keep coming back to this.

So will you never be upgrading?
This was sent to my blog by a redditor, the drums are recorded by a single AKG 220 into a Focusrite 2i2. They sound better than you'd get with two PG57s, for sure.

If you hunt around and are patient, you could probably get each of those used for less than $200 total.
I highly recommend the 2i2... It has way better preamps than the iO2.

2i2 + MXL bundle from guitarcenter would be my advice. The 2i2 drops to $100 on ebay frequently.

Every interface I can think of has a 48v phantom power... And you wouldn't need to rely on RCA cables (which are unbalanced) to make it in to your DAW (your Digital Audio Workstation, the software you use to record.. i.e. Ableton, Logic, Cubase, Nuendo, Pro Tools, Reaper, etc.). For $100 you could buy a simple two channel interface with better preamps (marginally, but still better) then the Sampson you purchased that would hook directly to your PC/Mac via USB. For an extra $50 you could get something like the Scarlet 2i2 which will give you 2 solid focusrite pre's and a clean signal path into your computer.

I used to have the mxl 990, and it's all right for a beginners mic. Don't know about the 991. That monoprice looks like it has a lot of features for $80. Having said that, if I were you I would try these: Audio Technica at2020 with either the monoprice or this. I have the art pre and it works very well. I used to have a pair of 2020s, and they were great at that price.


EDIT: should add that use asio4all with any interface you get.

Sony ICD PX820 vs Zoom H1N - 9 year old tech vs newer audio recorder, worth the upgrade? Going into the Angolan bush for interviews!

Hi all. I’ve been using the Sony ICD PX820 since 2010 for interviews but haven’t needed to use it for a few years as I got a Blue Yeti for the improved audio quality.

Until now, my interviews have primarily been indoors but I am going on a research trip later this month into the Angolan bush to interview some war veterans and need to pack light. I was thinking of upgrading to the Zoom H1N from my Sony but I’m not sure if it is actually an “upgrade”.

Has quality in this type of technology improved all that much or should I just hang on to the Sony?

Any input will be appreciated!

I've heard good things about this one as well, but the Amundson and McCarthy are great starts.

These two books will get you far:
[The Mixing Engineer's Handbook](The Mixing Engineer's Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/128542087X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_mSDqzbH36PSN0)
Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio

Here's a lengthy video series on mixing by Michael White: Fundamentals of Mixing

I like the way he uses graphical representations to help you visualize various aspects of mixing.

Also check out the UBK Happy Funtime Hour podcast.

Any interface would work. Save money and get this one

https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3

Take the money you saved and put it towards a better mic or something

You need an audio interface. You don't need that phantom power supply. I don't know why they even sell that shit as a bundle. It just confuses people.

GET THIS. It's what everyone here recommends for beginners. It connects to your computer via USB. It has a built in preamp, phantom power, and a headphone jack as well as RCA outputs on the back if you want to hook up speakers. Just plug you mic directly into the mic input on the front, turn on phantom power, adjust the gain with the gain knob and you're good to go.

If you want two mic inputs GET THIS. It's also got balanced outputs on the back if you ever decide to get studio monitors.

The sidebar has allot of great information for beginners.
I'm also fond of Alan Parsons ASSR program, and you can't go wrong with a read through Modern Recording Techniques.

That's why MEs are important, but I would say "master" one, then compare the rest to the first one. That is simplistic, assuming all songs sound the same (all songs are the same exact song)

Psychoacoustics take a more prominent role here, since, for example, you can have a song "mastered" at XYZ, and the following at the same XYZ, but if the intro of the next song is not cohesive (starts with the same magnitude), song B will sound less loud than song A, even thought they have the same "mastering" settings.

"Mastering Audio" is a good investment, if you are going to forgo an ME and have someone else take a look at your tracks.

The golden days of tone. 2" Studers, Neve's, Neumann's, Pultec's, Teletronix and UREI's. Serious dudes using serious gear like scientists. Still going on today minus the tape to a great degree.

You might like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Craft/dp/0879306149

Mixing Secrets for the Home Studio is a pretty great primer aimed at the home user.

You'll need an audio interface with a Hi-Z jack (the Hi-Z jack is a DI that is built into the interface, sometimes labeled as "inst")

The Focusrite 2i2 is a popular interface because it is cheap, capable, and easy to use.

Tips are nice when you know the basics. I found this book very comprehensive and easy enough for a beginner.

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807
http://www.cambridge-mt.com/MixingSecrets.htm

I bought it after it was recommended by his friend when I went to buy a Yamaha synth off him. It's fairly comprehensive, especially for the time it was written, but you'll find everything and more on Youtube now.

You're better off with this:

And especially this.

http://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B00154KSA2

I'd recommend that as it's what I use for fun at home. It comes with the recording software needed as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

It's more of a live audio book but I hear it's one of the best.

Okay, I'm going to pick up the [Scarlett Solo] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Computer-Audio-Interfaces/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Audio-Interface-Tools-First/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485701751&sr=8-2&keywords=scarlett+2i2), thanks for the info :)

I'm confused on how to change my setup to only use the compressor/limiter/gate on channel 1 (or use both channel 1 & 2) of my mixer.

I have a A&H ZED-10FX, dbx 166xs, and a focusrite solo.

Currently I have the mic going into channel 1 XLR of the mixer, the main L & R XLR out going into channel 1 XLR of the dbx 166xs, and channel 1 XLR out to the focusrite XLR in and then out to USB to the computer.

I know this is not the proper way to set this all up but it has worked for a few months okay now.

Now I want to isolate the compressor/limiter/gate so that it only works on channel 1 of the mixer so that I can add in another input to it that isn't affected by the dbx.

I would prefer to only use 1 channel on the dbx if that's possible to avoid.

It looks like the mixer does not have a single insert per channel, but I do see a L & R 1/4" main mix insert. I think I need to somehow utilize that for the dbx and then just output to usb recording on the mixer and ditch the focusrite. I tried reading the manual for the mixer but it went way over my head as I'm pretty green to this kind of audio equipment.

Went ahead and switched my vpn to europe: (in usa)

The scarlet solo is the best for your needs, don't get a cheaper one, its cheaper on the uk amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1541164645&sr=8-2&keywords=focusrite

To start this and this will do you nicely. Just plug the USB into a Mac/PC, use free software such as Audacity to record your voice. It's incredibly simple.

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook would be pretty nice. It lays out a lot of information and you can learn all kinds of stuff.

There has been so many of these threads.

Anyway, the industry standard (every studio has several of these) are:

Sony MDR-V6 Monitor Series Headphones with CCAW Voice Coil by Sony

Or:

Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone


The MDR-V6 is a classic and will work more than perfectly for your classroom needs. Also, both are closed so you won't bother any other students. :D

I meant usb, not auxiliary. Would something like this be okay as well?

You might start with this book

/r/livesound is the subreddit that covers this, mostly professional types. /r/soundsystem caters more to the DIY/hobby side of big sound.

Yes that gear is available to consumers, it's very expensive and there is a lot of knowledge and experience that goes into designing/deploying/tuning that type of rig. It's really quite a lot of material to cover - if you're interested in doing your own events then you can find local companies to hire for sound/lighting. If you're looking to build your own rig then start small or preferably hook up with some local crews who are already doing this sort of thing. Not sure if this helps, might be able to help if you have any more specific questions.

Cool, I'll make a note of these. TBH, the more practical (for me) side of audio is live sound. While I love learning about recording and hope to do a lot more soon, most of my time interacting with audio is as a musician battling with feedback and crappy sound. Do you have any recommendations for books about that? Currently, the ones I've been looking at are

• Live Sound Fundamentals
  
• The Sound Reinforcement Handbook
  
• Professional Microphone Techniques

Sound Reinforcement Handbook

The Mixing Engineers Handbook

Modern Recording Techniques


Those books are probably some of the best resources for a beginner to read. After that it becomes more of an art than a science.

We have threads for this every monday and thursday.

But to answer your question, if you're trying to reduce noise, a better mic won't do much. Read the sidebar to learn about dynamic/condenser/ribbon mics; in a noisy environment, a dynamic mic will pick up the least noise. The e945 will sound a little better, but it won't reduce noise.

There's nothing wrong with your interface. How is it holding you back?

On a budget in an unmodifiable place, if it's just one person, these are handy for noise reduction.

Yes, a mixer is required if you want both. I presumed you wanted to just hear audio from whichever device without re plugging the headphones, which is a common request.

There are tiny mixers that would be suitable to your application.
I'd go for something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-302USB-BEHRINGER-XENYX/dp/B005EHILV4

This lets you take line in from your PC via USB, which will be marginally better than using its line out, and you would plug in your PS4 using a cable that ends in 2x RCA. It also allows you to use your headset with 1/8" cables directly (including the mic!), provided you get a TRRS to dual TRS adaptor.

I was originally going to recommend the Behringer micromix discussed elsewhere in this thread, but it's a 4 to 1 mono mixer, so not what you want.

Yeah, you could get an additional set, but make sure if you do that you get the uhf set so you can change channels on the second set. Also you would likely need an external mixer for any more than one set, which isn’t a bad idea anyway but I don’t know what your budget is. If you want to record through USB this one would be okay but you would need to do a bit of adapter gymnastics to get your full 5 channels:
BEHRINGER XENYX Q1202USB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CTKI45M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0912AbNZ76M19

Or if you don’t need USB this one is a bit better sized:
BEHRINGER XENYX 1002B https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027B41P0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_a912AbVWNHMKZ

Once again I’m assuming a budget of next to nothing so this is pretty much the minimum you’d want to get the job done. Another option would be to use the wired mic that you already have on one person, then wireless on everyone else into a two channel mixer such as this one:
BEHRINGER XENYX 502 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5UEGQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_s812AbEF7EKSG
But the jankiness of that setup scares me a bit.

Oh and here’s a 2 channel mic setup as well.
GTD Audio U-35L UHF Wireless Microphone System with Headset Lavaliere Microphone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013XVR85M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4l22AbVB766XE

The first step in mixing any genre is getting a good static mix. Meaning, get your tracks to sound as good as possible using only volume and panning. No EQ, no compression, no bells and whistles. You take your lead vocal track, find a good place for the volume slider, and then leave it there for good.

The second step in mixing is compression, and you do that for when you can't really find a good place to leave the volume fader. For example - the vocalist was singing softly 1ft away from the mic during the verse, then screaming point blank at the mic during the chorus. Obviously, that's gonna leave you with a pretty sizeable volume difference - you can't decide if you should turn it up during the soft verse, or turn it down during the loud chorus. That's where compression comes in. Compression squashes some of the louder parts down to maintain a more even balance throughout the track.

As for how - youtube some tutorials and/or buy Mike Senior's book which has a whole chapter on it.

I'd also like to mention it's probably helpful to Mike Senior of you purchase his book, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.

He's the one that maintains that resource, also the artists who contribute.

Much of the weight involved in XLR is for shielding from EM interference. If you're going for a clean sound, this will work against it. Also, consumer sound cards do not have the kind of preamp that would work with larger microphones, so you would also need to get a preamp. You're better off just getting a low-cost USB audio interface or mixer.

An example would be the Behringer Xenyx 302USB (http://amzn.com/B005EHILV4). It's good enough to be both functional and portable. Granted, $80 is not exactly pocket change, but it's still two-digit.

Having trouble on deciding between getting the Scarlett Solo or PreSonus AudioBox. I'm currently using a cheap floureon condenser mic straight xlr to 3.5mm so quality sounds garbage. If there's something similarly priced (+/- $50) that's definitely worth the difference in cost, please point that out because I kinda want to just upgrade once and be done for good on audio equipment.

My intent for the setup is to casually record/stream gaming, but having to boost my mic +30db and still barely being heard is getting annoying.

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is fantastic.

As for advice? Just do it. FL is fine to get started. If you feel it's holding you back, there's plenty of DAWs out there, some such as Reaper (if you're tech savvy, also it's free until you want to pay for it), Ableton (leans towards live performance), or Studio One (Free version available to learn on as well). Just... make a lot of shit, then make a lot of semi-ok shit, then make some ok shit and a few awesome things, then make awesome things with some occasional shit. It's the only way. You're already doing it.

there's alot to learn. best place to start is read.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

I also just checked Amazon - I don't know if it's a sale or what, but $68 is a damn good deal.

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook by Yamaha

Other great YouTube is Dave Rat

If you can scrape together about 125 more Euro, I would suggest this Focusrite USB interface. It's a great little unit for the price, and if you're just getting into things, this should keep you busy for a while until you start needing more options.

Hello,

I’m ignorant in audio/gear stuff. I just love to make music use loop pedals.

Lately I’ve been running a sennheiser e835 dynamic microphone and my electric uke (swap cables when switching instruments) through a jamman solo pedal.

Problem is, the mic is terribly quiet compared to the uke.


If i get this mixer, will everything work?

Also, does running a mic->mixer->guitar effect pedal->looper->amp work well?

Thanks!

From what I have gathered from my teachers and people around me, is that headphones usually exaggerate frequencies unless you get some flat response ones I suppose, even then it will probably sound different on speakers and such. Some headphones that was suggested on this thread are the Sony MDR-7506 which look pretty nice, and have a flat frequency response. I can't confirm the quality but if you do get these, you would also need the ear cushions because I hear the quality of the default ones aren't that great.

Edit: Now seeing that mixing on monitors is preference, I would probably mix on monitors myself, the mixing console in school is really awesome so I love being in there. But since I am broke I wil probably be using headphones myself.

You need some sort of interface between the mic and the computer. Most commonly, you would get an audio interface like this. Though I suppose this would work as well. Don't forget to grab an XLR cable.

This is an excellent resource: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

A couple of good books for you to check out are the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook and Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. Together they'll cost you about $50 at Amazon.

There's also this book, linked from /r/audioengineering.

If you're just recording vocals, I recommend one of these guys:

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-602650-Microphone-Isolation-Shield/dp/B00GR9W1MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474015464&sr=8-1&keywords=vocal+isolation

That's the one I use/used in my apartment when recording vocals and worked rather well. There's cheaper ones out there, I just bought this one because I found it on sale on (I think MF).

You can get pretty far without one. I wouldn't buy one until you find a specific reason you need it. Eventually you probably will want to get one if you're doing vocal or live instrument input.

This is the one I started on:

https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-GENERATION-USB-Recording/dp/B005OZE9SA

May as well get a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. I've been tinkering/fixing/modding stuff for years and every time I pick it up I am reminded of something I had forgot or learn something new.

Learn how to solder like a boss.

I used to buy cheap stereos/stereo components at the thrift store just to tear apart and dick around with; I learned a lot by destroying stuff (accidentally).

Also, building guitar effects pedals are a good way to jump in and obtain a grasp of the basics. Plenty of free schematics on Google. As well as how to mod cheap gear. (For instance- an ART Tube MP pre-amp are going for $25 on Amazon, you can find instructions on how to mod it for $20 worth of parts and end up with a decent sounding pre-amp) (Well, 'decent' is subjective, but you get the idea).

Would you say that the Blue Yetti (http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Yeti-USB-Microphone/dp/B002VA464S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462992196&sr=8-2&keywords=omni+microphone+blue) would be a good mic to use?

Would getting something like this: https://www.amazon.com/LyxPro-VRI-30-Portable-Absorbing-Recording/dp/B012OFI98I/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1504526699&sr=8-8&keywords=mic+isolation or this: https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-602650-Microphone-Isolation-Shield/dp/B00GR9W1MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504526699&sr=8-1&keywords=mic+isolation help to reduce echo or do those not do anything and are just placebo effects?

Mastering Audio covers a lot of ground, and is a good read.

The first couple of chapters of Mike Senior's mixing book is on room design http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807

All around a good reference book to have regardless

You could try plugging directly into the computers line in, but the signal from your guitar would not be loud enough. What you want it an audio interface that allows for instrument inputs, like this one. This will allow you to record your guitar directly, or if you own a mic you could mic your amp (or do both for extra credit).

Pick up a good book like this one
http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008
It won't tell you how to use all the plug-ins, but it teaches you the fundamentals that you need to know in order to be even a half-way decent audio engineer

At that budget, I'd suggest a pair of headphones instead.

Something like these: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E

or these: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Headphones/dp/B000065BPB

For a few more bucks get a real mixer like this: https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-502-Premium-5-Input-British/dp/B000J5UEGQ. It takes stereo input from your drums and has pan controls.

Get an audio interface and a DAW.

Choose the most inexpensive or used audio interface and a free DAW to start with.

Youtube will provide you more than enough tutorials to learn from scratch.

Ask and discuss stuff on reddit and gearslutz :D

Read this! There is also a "Recording Secrets" book from the same guy, but I didn't read it as I'm not recording stuff.

Black Book first

Yellow Book Second

Green Book Third

The first two can be found on Half.com quite often for cheap, the third is a new edition and worth the money.

I always recommend [Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior.] (https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1473187120&sr=8-5&keywords=home+studio+book)

Vocoders and formants are kind of specific, not sure if there's a lot of books that cover those in depth. I'd probably google around for some online literature for those. Or once you understand audio fundamentals, reading a plugin's manual will give you all the info you need to know.

I don't think that would work, as it doesn't have a headphone output. Pretty much any small cheap mixer with a headphone out would work though. The Behringer Xenyx 502 is the cheapest I could find with a quick search, but there may be even cheaper options out there.

Books. Start with your local library system and find every book they have on the subject. Scan them all, and read those that seem to speak to you. Ask for book recommendations here. The one that comes up most often for live sound is "Sound Reinforcement Handbook" ( https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32D1J9UME9UQA&keywords=sound+reinforcement+handbook+2nd+edition&qid=1564110323&s=gateway&sprefix=sound+reinfo%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1 )

There are used copies available on Amazon for less. Even though it's from 1989 most of the information is still applicable.

To me it seems you have plenty to record a drum kit. For cheap mics to add to your setup I would look at 12 Gauge Microphones for some SDC's for your hihat or even toms. If you want dirt cheap dynamics you can get ripoff SM57's that don't sound too bad, the ES57.

As for your kick sound perhaps using the AT3035 as a distant mic for the bass drum. Maybe even a drum tunnel.

You really, really need an interface. The built-in soundcard isn't quite up to snuff when it comes to audio input, and as /u/despicable_secret mentioned, condenser mics need 48V of phantom power to function correctly.

The most popular option is the Focusrite Scarlett Solo, but just about any of these will do the trick.

These guys are also shockingly acceptable:

http://www.amazon.com/GLS-Audio-Instrument-Microphone-ES-57/dp/B001W99HE8

Mixing Audio - Roey Izhaki
Really breaks everything down. Also has a DVD full of audio examples.

Amazon link ($45.64)

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Audio-The-Art-Science/dp/0240808371

Mastering Audio By Bob Katz. It's the most informative and accurate book on audio I've ever came upon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0240815807?pc_redir=1413458104&robot_redir=1

Tada

Modern Recording Techniques - David Miles Huber

Ditto on above. Also, https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

The Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook

Must have for live techs, and chock full of electronics and sound basics.
The definitive soundman's bible.

Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook: It's a classic.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008.

Sound reinforcement handbook

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0881889008/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0ry1DbHK6J2GB

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Sound Reinforcement Book

Have you read this?