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Setting up a "Poor Man's" Studio!!!

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5/26/1999 1:00 PM

Setting up a "Poor Man's" Studio!!!

Hello,

I thought I would offer some links for anyone looking into recording with the PC but with limited financial Re$ources. I'm doing this for a friend so I hope this generates a lot of other software/hardware suggestions that I'm not aware of.

For a nice little multi-track audio
recording package check out n-studio at http://fasoft.com/
Cost: only $35

Features Direct-X support, unlimited tracks(limited by your PC and hardware),support for 16 and 24 bit.
Rivals some of the mega buck audio
packages such as Cakewalk and Cubase.

For tweaking you audio I suggest Cool
Edit. at http://www.syntrillium.com/cooledit/index.html
For only $50!
Although I'm not sure if handles 24-bit
audio. Cool edit Pro does, but is much
more expensive.

For $85 dollars, I don't think you can get any better, but maybe I'm wrong. Suggestions?

What about DX plug-ins?

Suggestions for mixers, soundcards, and mics?

5/27/1999 11:52 AM

This is the set up I've been playing around with actually.. I'm getting by with a low end Yamaha soundcard while I figure out how much audio card I need/want/can justify..
If you're on a budget and somewhat handy, a no-frills mixer is not that hard to build. I'm planning on building my own Jensen transformer & tube mic pre-amp (see Jensen's site for a schematic!) and a DIY LA-2 is in the works as well.
For budget mixers, I'd look at Mackie.. Mics - get the best you can afford. An SM57 for guitars & bass, some kind of condensor for acoustics & vocals.. and go from there.

5/28/1999 4:12 AM

Mr. Racer,

Do you have the schematic for the LA-2? I got one that was made by some guy who worked at Urie and would sneak parts home at night and build 'em in his garage. The problem is that the output is completely distorted.

I found a schmatic on http://w3.one.net/~robgrow/circuits/la-2a/la-2a.html but this is the schematic for an older one from the early Teletronix days. Do you have a more current schem?

Its pretty close, just a few minor differences. I'm pretty new at electronics, so I may be totally off, but I think the output transformer is the culprit. Everything seems normal: The meter acts like it should, voltages are within tolerance of the schem I have and there are no obvious signs of damage.

I'm guessing that the OT is wired wrong but I can't tell which wire is which. Is there a way to measure with a meter and find out?

Last time I rented one I opened it up and compared the two but i never got as far as the output section. I would love to get the thing up and running. I think the LA-2A is one the best pieces of outboard gear around, but the 3 grand they want for a clean one is a bit steep. Otherwise I may have to put 1/4" jacks on it and use it as a fuzz box. What a sweet distortion...

I hope I'm making sense, I just got home after 14 hours of banjo overdubs and mixing bluegrass. Reminds me of that joke about how you get two fiddler's to play in tune:

Shoot one of 'em.

Warren

5/28/1999 3:25 PM
SpeedRacer	I just have the older schematic (it's from the Audiocyclopedia btw). The trannies are available, as is the photo unit. Distorted output sounds like a tube-thing to me, or a bad imp mismatch that's causing you to run the levels into clipping. Have you checked all the voltages?

6/1/1999 10:12 AM
Gus	SpeedRacer I have 1)sm57 and 1)sm58, what low priced (< $500)large area condenesor do you like for female vocals? I few friends of mine want me to build them a tube mic preamp from the Jensen site. Gus

5/28/1999 8:10 AM

For inexpensive soundcards I would recommend:
<$100: Turtle Beach Maui or Montego - I have used both of these cards and have been VERY satisfied with the results. Both cards have a >90dB S/N ratio which is critical for recording. Both also costs less than $40 via BuyComp (just use www.pricewatch.com to check prices).

As a real life example: The Maui is used for collecting EKG data in our lab; we originally started out with a SB16 card that came in the computer and quickly discovered it was incredibly noisy (noise in an EKG is very noticeable). By comparison the Maui produces a perfect signal.

<$300: The best choice hear IMO is the GadgetLabs Wave/4. It has 4 ins and 4 outs and has gotten lots of good reviews. It also doesn't have nearly the compatibility problems of more expensive cards. I've never used the wave/4, but I own a 8/24 which I've been very satisfied with.

Other recommendations:
For tracking vocals on a digital recorder I find a compressor is invaluable since it's really hard to get good levels without pegging the meters (at least for this novice :O). The RNC 1773 Compressor by FMR Audio is the unit to buy IMHO (and a lot of others agree; just do a check on RPA). For under $200 it sounds fabulous.

For mics: An SM-57 is a good choice. They can be had for under $80 via Full Compass.

For a mic preamp: A mixer is probably the best choice but a decent mixer is kind of pricey (my opinion here is to buy the best mixer you can afford, even if you have to wait on buying it), so if you're on a budget I guess I'd go with just a mic preamp and the ART tube MP is probably one of the better cheap preamps. Not great (it's certainly not transparent) but a good choice for someone with less than $100 to spend.

MJ

5/28/1999 10:33 PM

Hi MJ,

At $499 the Wave 8/24 looks very nice. I'm saving up for one. What kinda of SNR are you getting. Using my generic Yamaha soundcard I measure about -70dB with Cool Edit. Gadget labs claim around -90dB for the Wave/4 using Cool Edit also. They only mention a SNR from the converters they use on the 8/24, not actual. If you have cool edit, could test and see what kinda of spec you're getting. Is this kinda of test accurate (recording silence,no input)?

Also, Is there anything you don't like about the 824? Obviously I'm not talking about a "Poor Man's Studio" anymore, but something more professional, but around a $1000. I've been considering 3 options: Roland's VS-880 $$$, Event's Layla + mixer, or Gadget Labs 824 + mixer. The 824 seems to be the way to go.

As far as mixers go I thought I had it down to the Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro (12 channels) ~$300 or maybe the 1402 VLZ Pro (14 ch.) ~$400.

Until I ran across the SM162 by Carvin for $298 at there website www.carvin.com, a 16 channel mixer offering 8 "studio" mic pre-amps, 4 more than the 1202 and 2 more than the 1402. Luckily, I'm still saving up for all of it, so I have time to make the right choice.

Brian

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