1. Acoustic treatment of the room
First of all, you should pay attention to the decoration of the room and the sound insulation of the upper and lower floors. This is directly related to whether you can have a good recording experience. As for acoustic issues such as feedback in the room, you can consider DIYing some "sound insulation panels", which are probably a rectangular keel, wrapped in two layers of expensive bath towels, and filled with sponge or the like in the middle. The effect is better than those on the market. The sales effect must be good. . For specific details, you can Google Acoustic treatment DIY. There are some similar videos, and you can do it yourself when decorating. Carpet is necessary, but a small area without carpet can be left. It is said that the acoustic characteristics of Cajon are different when playing on the floor and on the street. You can make the lighting in the room more beautiful. Only when you are in a good mood can you record well. Yes, install a good air conditioner.
I don’t know much about the price of acoustic decoration in China, but I think this part should account for about half of your total budget. Let me focus here on music production equipment.
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2. Sound card
For professional mixing (mixing), the current popular trends in the United States are two Aspects:
1. All mixing is done through software, using a clean microphone + clean preamp + powerful sound card, and all the effects are completed in the software.
2. Mixing software and hardware combination.
After countless experiments, I personally believe that most of the effects of dynamics (including compression, De-esser, Limiter, Gate) and EQ can be accomplished with software, but the coloring of the sound by microphones and preamplifiers depends on the sound card. The effect is not easy to achieve. So, the first thing you need is a awesome sound card + a set of awesome sound processing plug-ins.
[I personally understand that recording is divided into three steps: tracking, mixing, and mastering. Only mixing (dynamics, EQ, etc.) is completed in the sound card. The sound card effect is weak for tracking and weak for mastering. I think the better recording effect is to use the 500 lunchbox for tracking, the software for mixing, and the 19-inch rack hardware for mastering]
[It is true that some mixing hardware is very good, but don’t get started with the hardware before you play with the software. , too hot, and takes up space. 】
【Mastering has relatively high requirements on equipment and is usually completed with hardware. The effect of these hardware directly determines the sound quality of your final work. Mastering well can also weaken the shortcomings of mixing. Many recording studios in the United States only do mixing, and then send them to studios dedicated to mastering for post-production. 】
Let me first show you a rack made by a friend of mine. It is actually only 6U, but it is very powerful. It is also a typical example of all software mixing.
UAD + 11-pit 500 series rack + PreSonus Central Station Plus + wiring slot.
Of course, you can use the Thunderbolt interface of the UAD card from Universal Audio in the picture. All the effects go through the sound card's processor (without occupying your computer's CPU). It is said to be the most awesome effects in the industry. They are all genuine. This one in the picture is The most awesome model, plus the entire set of plug-ins, cost him $3,000 (buy the sound card plug-in together for a discount). (However, I have compared the effect of Waves, and it can complete most of the work. Waves, specifically Baidu, not taobao, you know. I firmly support the genuine version.)
[By the way, except for the above picture, the following pictures are all It’s a web picture]
I recommend the UAD set above above. Really awesome. The words are put cleanly and the effect is powerful.
However, after all, we don’t rely on sound production to make a living. We still need a more economical solution. Let’s first clarify our current needs: 1. Powerful processing function; 2. Clean microphone preamplifier; 3. Multi-port input.
Then, Slate Digital VRS8 Thunderbolt Audio Interface Bundle, an 8X8 microphone preamp + a large diaphragm condenser microphone + 5 small diaphragm condenser microphones. The whole set costs 3,000 US dollars, about 20,000 RMB, and it’s all done. The large diaphragm is a cardioid transistor microphone, which is completely distortion-free and cost-effective.The great thing about this system is that it uses very clean microphones and preamplifiers, and also has a genuine plug-in set. You can use software to simulate the sound of excellent microphones and sound cards. It is said that you must use their set of things. Just fine. This package + waves plug-in is an excellent combination. The advantage is that it is cost-effective, but the overall price is still a bit expensive. The disadvantage is that after all, new equipment does not necessarily retain its value after buying it. This set of plug-ins can be understood as sound card driver plug-ins. Many companies are now making them. They are directly embedded in the sound card driver. Once installed, they can be adjusted in the sound card driver.
Next, you can take a look at the new PreSonus Quantum 26x32 Thunderbolt 2, which also comes with driver effects. The driver itself is also a mixing console, but it does not have the one above that can simulate various microphone preamps, but overall it is very cool. very powerful. The mic preamp is fairly clean and should be sufficient. With ADAT, it will be easy to expand in the future. Focusrite Clarett 8Pre Both sound cards cost around a thousand dollars.
Actually, the preamp that comes with the cleanest sound card I have ever used is from Audient. The disadvantage is that it has a higher 24-bit/96kHz resolution. Audient mainly recommends iD14 and iD22. The onboard only has 2-channel input, but you can use Optical to connect to their ASP800 or ASP880 to make it a 10-channel input. iD22 has many more output channels than iD14. If you don’t need to combine software and hardware effects for mixing in the future, iD14 will be enough. iD14 is $299 (the price is outrageous), iD22 is $599, ASP800 is $849, and ASP880 is $1,399.
There are many other high-quality sound cards. According to my observation, in terms of sound processing capabilities, at the same price point, the new ones have better processing capabilities than the old ones. As for mic preamps, there are only a few clean ones. There are also some particularly high-end sound cards with dozens or hundreds of input channels, each channel is loaded with several effect plug-ins, and there are many monitoring channels. I feel that you will not use them, so I won’t introduce them now. However, in large-scale projects and large-scale live productions, many sound channels use onboard microphone preamplifiers. People's sound cards are more expensive because of their strong processing power, not because they have much better microphone preamplification.
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3. The sound signal of the microphone preamp
is originally very small, especially the passive one. The output signal of dynamic and crawler microphones is smaller, and the microphone preamp is needed to amplify the sound and turn it into a line signal, so that the sound card can receive and process it. In addition to the microphone preamps that come with the sound card just mentioned, the main functions of other microphone preamplifiers are to increase signal strength and to increase sound color.
Look at my buddy’s 500 series rack. It has 11 pits in total. Except for SSL, which has a three-piece set of mic preamps, Dynamic, and EQ, the others are all mic preamps. Just to add color to the sound. Therefore, I think you need a separate microphone preamplifier, which should be single-channel or dual-channel. You can consider buying a single-channel one first to record vocals and guitars, and then upgrade to dual-channel one later.
[500 series is a hardware module format, used for 500 series rack. Mainly it is compact, convenient and easy to carry, and all modules share the power supply. Those professional producers who do live work are all traveling all over the country, so they can't take the recording studio everywhere. You see my friend, a 6U rack is still possible to move. 】
I first recommend the Avalon AD2022, which I think is cost-effective and completely colorless and can be used for any job. I personally think it is the best mass-produced microphone preamp in the world. (Some people say it is the Neve 1073. I will not discuss this issue in depth. Personally, I think the Neve 1073 is only suitable for vocals and strings. Of course, they are both in the same echelon.) However, the price of $3,000 means that it currently only exists in some large recording studios. I once played it once, and then I couldn't forget it (it seems, this is a bit descriptive...). Avalon’s official description also says that the AD2022 microphone preamp is superior to the Avalon VT-737 that is available in many domestic recording studios. Description, and the description for AD2022 is True Class A, and the description for VT-737 is Class A.(Actually, what I want to ask is, what is the difference between True and True as defined by Avalon? It seems that Class A is not a circuit design method.) By the way, Avalon M5 is the mono version of AD 2022 and costs US$1,665.
BAE1073 is a refurbished version of Neve1073. The original version is no longer produced. The BAE1073 mono channel without other functions is 1150 US dollars, the 1500 with low cut, the 3135 with EQ, the dual channel without other functions is 2100, and the low cut is 2700. If you really want it, brother, that mono channel with nothing else is enough for you. The first echelon of
is expensive, one has a particularly clean sound, and most of them have their own sound characteristics. But most of them still stay in the hands of professionals. API, Manley, Rupert Neve from big manufacturers, Tridient Audio, Chandler Limited, Great River and Drawmer from small manufacturers are all in the same echelon. Well, look at the row of 500 series we have, they are all in the same echelon. It costs about US$1,000-1,500 per channel without any other features. The second echelon of
, I think it should be the tube channel strip. The sound quality is not far from the first echelon, but it is cost-effective. At the price of 1,000 US dollars, it can also have some other functions, such as onboard EQ, compression, etc. , just put 500-800 US dollars. The flagship single-channel microphone preamplifiers recommended at the beginning of the sound card brands should be of this grade, such as UA LA610, Presonuc ADL 700, SSL Xlogic, Joemeek oneQ2, dbx 676, Darking Mic Pre/EQ, Aphex Channel, Chameleon Labs 7602 MKII Wait, they are all of this level. Speaking of sound quality, it's not bad, but it's definitely not as good as the first-tier international standard. However, it's enough and will give you a significant improvement. If we really want to upgrade from the onboard microphone preamplifiers I introduced, we should start here.
[SSL’s flagship product has its own set of standards, check their website for details. Xlogic is a user-friendly channel strip]
[As for products such as ART PRO Voice Channel and PreSonus Studio Channel, if you can change the module, it is still very convenient. It's easy to use, replace the tube and transformer, but it's second-tier. After all, if they sell it cheaply, you can’t blame the original ones for being poorly used. 】
【Oh, by the way, there is also a magical company called Warm Audio, which specializes in reproducing equipment, but the originals used are very high-end, and the effect is good. However, all of them are on-board hardware. Their products are more like effect processors than microphone preamps, so I’ll talk about them later. Oh, by the way, there is also Alctron. 】
【Cloud Lifter CL-1 can add 25 decibels of very clean gain to dynamic microphones and crawler microphones. It is a good news for dynamic microphones and crawler microphones to be directly connected to the sound card. It is currently priced at US$150. Shure SM58 and SM7B are completely two microphones connected. 】
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4. Microphone
microphone is divided into dynamic microphone, condenser microphone and crawler type in terms of structure. Microphone; from the collection range, distraction type ❤, round type O, eight type 8; from the size of the diaphragm, it is divided into small diaphragm and large diaphragm; from the operational amplifier, it is divided into tube and transistor (Dynamic, Condenser, Ribbon; Cardioid, Omni, Figure 8; small diaphragm, large diaphragm; Tube, FET. I'm just showing off my English). First, you need to know your needs. As for microphones, there have been several excellent microphones in history, but they are all very expensive. . Then, all those on the market are excellent replicas. Shenma M251 M149 U87 U47 C12 C414 SM7 SM58 KSM9 KMS105 Yes, there is also Sony C800G. You are recording, and here I am only talking about the microphones used in the recording studio. I suggest using one from a big manufacturer.
Every microphone has its own characteristics, which cannot be measured simply by money. You see, Shure SM57 and SM58 only cost US$100 each, but the effect is very good. For a long time, they were used as performance-specific microphones. The SM57 recording box will also have very good results.
Of course, from the perspective of cost performance and your application scope: cardioid polarity, large diaphragm, capacitor, if it costs more money, buy the tube version, if the electricity cost is tight, buy the transistor version.But, (after countless times of buying and selling, I think we are the same kind of people, brother) it is better to buy the original version from a big manufacturer. After using so many microphones, I feel that there are still many differences between big manufacturers and small manufacturers. , it is said that microphones from major manufacturers must go through a series of complex acoustic tests before leaving the factory. Only when they meet the standards can they be released. After all, you might as well build a more serious recording studio. Get a Shure SM57 first, and then depending on your budget, you can get a Neumann TLM102 or Warm Audio WA-87. . . It depends on your budget. Of course, if you get the Slate Digital set mentioned above, you don't need to spend time studying here. When you get rich in the future, buy a Neumann M149. Everything you record will sound great.
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5. Monitoring
monitoring is definitely necessary. Generally speaking, regular recording studios use headphones when recording and speakers when mixing.
headphones are closed-back, the kind that are worn outside the ears. Sony MDR-7510, , Beyerdynamic are all good. When recording, there is no need to buy too good headphones. Just listen clearly and without rendering. You don’t need a good headphone amp. The key is to use closed-type headphones because you don’t want the microphone to record too much sound from the headphones. Bar.
Again, use headphones when recording, use speakers when mixing, use speakers when mixing, use speakers when mixing. (I think I said it three times...!)
Why? Because the sounds heard by different devices are different, which is why often when you use headphones to listen to sound, the sound is pretty good, but when the speaker is put on, it goes GG~~~ To restore the most authentic sound, of course, use the speaker! The best ones for mixing are the ones that sit on your bookshelf, a pair!
I have also played hifi for a long time, after listening to countless speakers. The conclusion is that with a budget of less than $1,000, buy a pair of active speakers. If you have a bigger budget, buy passive ones. The high-quality ones must be passive, and the cost-effective ones must be active. Of course, if you have money, the most important thing is to be happy, yes. Hifi speakers and monitor speakers are also the same routine. Speakers are actually a bottomless pit, so let’s deal with them with active sources first.
earbuds? Monitoring earplugs are used for live singing monitoring, and are usually connected to a wireless receiver. For the same money, headphones will definitely have better sound than earplugs. This is the conclusion after burning countless recording headphones and hifi headphones. You can discuss which one is better between Shure SE846, Sennheinel IE 800, Audio-Technica M50 and Beyerdynamic DT700 Pro.
Oh, by the way, what the hell is a rehearsal speaker? I heard this word once, can anyone help me learn more about it?
high power speakers? It is said that your room is 16 square meters? 500w for one, 1000w for a pair? Brother, your house must be shaking. . Please wear earplugs to protect your eardrums.
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6. The effector
is what I mentioned earlier. When mixing, the software and hardware are combined. hardware.
Hardware~~~Hardware~~~~Harder than software~~~~~~~~
Hardware must be better than software. How are most software made? It means to record the digital information of each input signal of the hardware corresponding to each output signal, and then make it into a program. It's like writing a table function. As much as you input, the output has a comparison table, one-to-one correspondence.
However, as for software, it can record most of the information about the hardware, and it can simulate and reproduce most hardware reasonably well. But, software is dead, hardware is alive. . . What's more important is the feel~~~When you use your fingers to move around on the hardware, how can it be simulated with software? Just like ~~~*** and watching short movies, they both achieve the same effect of giving people pleasure, but can it be the same? It's a bit expensive, but you can have fun and have a different style. Uh-huh.
This is a bit off topic. I will just talk about a few products. If you are interested, you can check it out for yourself.
Teletronix LA2A on 19-inch rack; UA1176; Pultec EQP-1A Wait. .
500 series A series of products such as API and SSL on rack.
The Warm Audio I just mentioned specializes in making replicas, which are the same as the originals. If you are really interested, you can start here.
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7. Conclusion
I don’t know the specific situation of the Chinese market. I suggest that out of a budget of 50,000, you spend 25,000 on decoration. It is generally not convenient to upgrade later in the decoration process.
Suppose you choose an 8,000 computer (i7+256G ssd+16G memory + onboard graphics card (I know you don’t play games) + 27-inch monitor). If it is a MAC, you can figure it out.
[Of course, if you can assemble it yourself, you can consider using a server chassis to make a very stable window system with low noise. It is said that the NUC of Microsoft is also good. It is said that Microsoft has released i9. . . . . . It is said that the sound effect is good when playing games on this computer. It is said that the sound effects are also good when watching movies. 】
I will assume that you used 17,000 to buy audio equipment (about 2,500 US dollars).
[When buying equipment, buy less, buy better, buy new products, and learn more]
If I were you, my choice would be to follow a few steps. It is said that there is also a market called the second-hand market. It is said that many things can be DIYed.
1. Let’s finish the decoration first. It must be beautiful! And recording studio furniture. By the way, I guess you already have headphones and speakers, so just use them for now.
2. Audient iD14 (USD 300) + Presonus ADL 700 (USD 1,450) + Warm Audio WA-87 (USD 600) + Wire microphone stand and other accessories (USD 150) = Total price (USD 2,500)
[You can not buy it now. Play, the one that comes with the sound card is actually pretty good. Let’s take a look at the effect first. I think it’s enough. 】
【You can consider buying a Shure SM7B. A capacitor and a dynamic coil work well together. 】
【If necessary, expand the sound card to 8 input channels Audient ASP800/ASP880. 】
【According to the effect of the three-piece set + full set of waves above, it is not easy to record track by track in a room that you spent 25,000 yuan to process, and it will not be able to produce the effect of a large recording studio. Of course, it's also possible that the instrument is broken, the voice is hoarse, or maybe I lost the game yesterday. 】
【Actually, the sound card manufacturer's microphone only costs 900 US dollars in total. You can get a set first, find a dark and windy night, and try it out by hiding in the closet alone. 】
【You can also get 500 series microphone preamps. After all, it is the trend of tracking. The effect is good and the playability is better. 】
【What I mean is, spend more energy on decoration. Decoration is the key point. The acoustic treatment of the room has a great impact on recording. Let’s put more thought into the design first. 】
3. If you have money, get a better microphone.
4. Come up with a few more good words.
5. Get another batch of hardware channel strips.
6. I’m getting a 500 lunchbox.
7. hey~! Now I don’t need to buy a few more microphones. How can I match my current front-end equipment?
8. Bro, it’s time to get a professional mixer. The SSL is good and the API is okay.
9.............................I just burn the microphone preamp channel strips and so on. Anyway, I don't know how to learn how to master. . . Then~~~maybe it takes too much time and money. . . . If you are really rich, you can burn speakers and amplifiers. . . No, no, no~~ If you can’t fit the equipment anymore, let’s change the house. ·~~~~
[Brother, this is a hobby, and the prerequisite for everything is to make more money first. . . 】
