**Help with a Home Studio***
 

I'm setting a home studio in my house(audio) I need to get some help picking out the right equipment.

I need everything! I have a computer but I can get another. Figure the budget is $3000.00 to $4000.00

Your title is very friendly

Just meant to be friendly, I need help Mo-Fo >>> Help Out!!!

Thats a pretty small budget for a studio - figure just the recorder (for a general quality one) is going to be at least half of that - if you have a good idea of what type of stuff you plan to do it would be helpful as it would make a big difference if you do everything midi already - or if you are doing a lot of acoustical playing/singing etc - let us know and Ill try to give you some recommendations on what Ive seen do well and what sucks :)

I'm not going to be producing smash hits from here just taking sound and fucking wth it.

That budget is not that bad - go to radio shack or visit their website first. They can put together "everything you need" - they also have name brands and if you have geek in you, you can build one yourself from their components.

I think you need to raise a couple more gs before you start in business ... this will make a lot of difference ;) 2000 more and that'll be a whole new world

Well it all depends of what you NEED to do too ... ;)

video studio or music studio?

Jim

check out the digidesign 002 pro tools system. you can use most audio software through its' interface. not too expensive either.

For just messing around like you say - I would recommend the Sonar Home Studio software (I think its around $200 now) - its the former Cakewalk software and can mimic just about any mixdown board out there

For actual recording, Ive used a Fostex standalone multitrack digital recorder before, although Tascam and Korg make good ones as well - usually you can get a combo where the mixboard (a workstation) is built in for around $950-2000 over at musiciansfriend website - and burns the cds as well.

For monitoring - Ive used powered speakers and Ive used an amplifier/non-powered speakers - again that has a lot to do with the money you put into it - Mackie and Alesis are good straight sounding monitors.

One thing you might look into is a package - I know musiciansfriend has some well priced packages that include everything you would need except the software (and possibly a midi interface) anywhere from 1200 and up

Sonar, MOTU (any one of their interfaces), Focusrite Octopree for a decent 8 channel preamp set up. Good start. I use sonar 5 with the MOTU 24 io and 3 Octoprees in my portable recording rig. Less than 3 grand would get you a nice set up with that gear. Mics are what cost a shitload of money. Good ones anyway. Rode makes some great lower cost mics as does AudioTechnica. A couple of good direct boxes are necessary for matching. It can get out of hand quickly though. I have over $50,000 bucks into my studio stuff now. By time you add good monitors, headphone distribution, plug ins (MY GOD! Plugins cost money!).........It just goes on and on.................. The truth is that it depends way more on your experience and your ears than it does on your gear. Start with whatever you are comfortable using and it will evolve from there. I started with Cubase and went to pro tools and ended up with Sonar......... Everybody has their reasons for what they use. It all works.

Audio Mostly maybe a little vid but nothing much, I have some software like sony vegas etc.