Karaoke Forums

What kind of recording setups are ya all using? I need some ideas because I would like to record what I sound like so I can improve my singing - and maybe post a few songs here?

I would like some decent recording equipment, but I don't want to go overboard - have to be careful of cost.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

a computer and audacity will do nicely (audacity is free). get a little usb mixer for your mic...make sure the mixer or the preamp has phantom power so as you can upgrade your mic to a condenser when you become addicted...and bingo you are ready to swing

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Thanks MorganLeFey. I actually never thought of using my computer until last night - even though I have the mic sitting right here in front of my face - when I talked to a friend of mine up north who works for Roxio. She is sending me the Roxio Creator Suite 10 and said it would do everything and more that I need it to do. So I am going to give it a shot. At least I will have my own private tech if I mess anything up.

But I am still going to write down your suggestion (and anyone else's) just in case I am not comfortable with or can't do it through my computer.

Morgan,

I never got around to recording my songs back in July.
Just been busy with work @ school, etc.

Are people doing videos online, or are they sending in recordings w. vocal track?

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"Anything worth doing, is worth OVERDOING"... - Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

I think one or two are playing round with videos, but for the main tis just audio
hope to hear something from you soon Marc

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

I use the Line 6 POD Studio UX1 which is a usb recording interface. It's got a mic input and a second input for a musical instrument. It comes with software called GearBox that allows the user a choice of audio equiment and effects emulations. It's a great set-up. Whether you use a Line 6 product or not I recommed a recording interface with software because it gives you a lot of control over your finished product.

For recording I use Cakewalk's Sonor Home Studio 6 software. It's got multi-tracking and just about every bell and whistle you could ask for in a home studio. Unless you are a professional recording engineer there really isn't much that you could ask for that Home Studio 6 doesn't provide.

You also need a good (and I mean good not superlative) sound card for your computer.

With this set-up you can get stunning results at home.

I recently used my equipment to produce and record the music bed, vocal jingle and voice-over for a radio commerical I did for a client of mine. I recorded and mastered the whole thing and sent it to the radio station so they could see what I had. They didn't want to record it in their studio or change the mix or EQ in any way. They were quite happy to put what I gave them on the air.

You can duplicate my set-up for less than $300.

No wonder the recording industry is undergoing such vast changes. Bands are discovering that they can produce their own recordings without chewing up a lot of very expensive studio time. And now they can manage the distribution of their music on the internet. The result is that bands have far more creative control than ever before. There is a potential downside, however. There is no way to tell for certain but would the Beatles have achieved greatness were it not for the genius of their producer George Martin?

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

Hey all glad I saw this post as I'm wanting to start doing some recording.

I saw a small Alesis unit very inexpensive think under $130 or so with some PC software and a usb.

Curious if this is a good company don't know much about recording or mixing.

If you're looking for an external interface I suggest you go in for something that works off firewire. USB's okay if you do only a few tracks, but they have more latency issues than firewire devices.

Your local Guitarcenter store is the best place to go for advice. M-Audio and Focusrite are two brands worth a look. If you do not need portability, try the M-Audio Delta1010LT PCI Soundcard (199$). The only problem with that is that it doesn’t have phantom power to drive a condenser mic.

Good luck!
Ron

I was thinking of taking the next step and doin' video's of me singing but no way am I just gonna sit there & record like I see most do... I'd hafta put On a whole show with flips and all !

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MUSIC+DANCE=LIFE

Andygurl:

Please let us know when you've recorded your first music video. I can't imagine doing " . . . flips and all" let alone trying to sing at the same time.

You could what you are talking about with a video camera. I've seen a few on YouTube. I haven't seen anybody do flips though. They all look kind of weird because the singer usually doesn't have any help. So the singer gets the camera and the music started, and then walks into the frame and sings. It certainly doesn't look like your professionally produced video. I don't know why they don't edit the video and eliminate the walking into the frame part. It would look a lot better.

Anyway, I'll be looking for your video.

Flips and all? What will they think of next.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

I'm a new guy (howdy folks!!:)) and wanted to weigh in on this. I run a recording studio and do a lot of work where I never even see the singer. I'll build the track and email it to them, then they email back the dry vocal file. The internet has truly changed how everything works!

If you wanted a really good sound here's what I would recommend. For a microphone try the Marshall MXL V69 Mogrami Edition. It's one that I use frequently in my setup and it's a brilliant sounding microphone. It runs about $300, but it's a tube mic with a warm, deep sound. To connect it to the computer you'll need an audio interface like the Mackie Onyx Satellite. It runs about $180 and has brilliant preamps and a pretty ingenious package. Here's some links to the products. (i'm not endorsing the retailer, just giving more info)
http://www.zzounds.com/item--MSEMXLV69ME http://www.zzounds.com/item--MACONYXSAT

A good karaoke software (freeware) to capture in sync the vocals with or without reverbs:

http://www.karafun.com/karaokeplayer/

Two good studio software (freeware) to blend both music and vocal track:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows

http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Kristal is closer to the real pro software and will support Asio drivers. It also has a nice tutorial to help you learn...

I frequently use my setup for radio. I do a 2 min diary every week of what is happening at all the establishments that the trust I work for owns...I have created jingles etc as well. Mine sound like they were made in a studio instead of my living room and my clients are happy. Sure the record companies are hurting but my my they had it soooooooo sweet for so long. The NZ army band just paid a guy $10,000 to come and record them...they say its the best cd they have ever done...I still say its a long way from the mark...their lead singer is world class and he sounds freakin ordinary

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

My son is very into recording and was looking at the mackie onyx for the firewire...I ended up buying him a phonic helix 24 channel firewire mixer. If you have any ideas to give me to make the firewire work I would be grateful...it says its recognised but still cant record to seperate channels yet. Aside from that it is a nice desk

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

I wish I could help, but I'm not real familiar with the Phonic line. I know they use the same firewire chip as the Mackie's, but not much else.

I'm using a Tascam DM3200 through firewire. I know when I set it up I had to configure several options in order to get it to send individual channels through the firewire. Maybe there's a setting on the board somewhere?

hey no prob Blue, I like your style thanks for responding and I hope you enjoy being part of our family

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."