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My youngest son is turning 13 and LOVES everything music, especially singing and recording. He does not like guns, hunting, fishing, or much about the outdoors. When his older brother turned 13 I got him a Montefeltro, so I like to go big when they become teenagers, but I know zero about this kind of stuff. And when one does not know about something, where else does one turn except here? NRA Life Member "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Teddy Roosevelt | ||
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| No More Mr. Nice Guy |
Well this could get very detailed. So the first questions are: 1) What kind of instrument(s) is would he be recording? 2) Does he own any mics, effects boxes, etc yet? 3) What kind of computer does he have? 4) Does he have an iPad, iPhone, etc? 5) What kind of space does he have available to do the recording in? Basement room, his bedroom, a dedicated music room, a closet, the bathroom? Will this space be dedicated to music/recording? 6) What's your budget? 7) What is his technical expertise with computers, software, electronics used for musical instruments (amps, mixers, effects boxes, stage live sound, etc)? | |||
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| No More Mr. Nice Guy |
So the basics are thus. He will need to convert the music to digital and get that into some kind of computer. A laptop, iPad, or even an up-to-date smart phone can work, though the more capability the device has the better. Best case is a dedicated computer or high performance iPad/tablet. On that computer he will need a program to do the recording and mixing. Generally, a home studio would consist of several microphones, his instruments, a room which can be made quiet, an interface box, a computer, good monitor speakers, good headphones, and some software. The mics depend totally on what he wants to record. I would recommend staying away from mics under $100 if your budget allows a bit more. There are some excellent mics in the $100 to $200 range. Read the reviews carefully whatever you're looking at. The interface device is simply an analog to digital converter. It takes the audio signal (mic or instrument) and turns it into digital. Almost always these days it is a USB device. You're looking at about $75 to $200 to get a pretty good unit. The digital information goes into his computer and the software in his computer is where he does all the work of editing, mixing, adding effects, etc. Which program he uses depends on whether he is windows or Mac. There are some free ones out there (Audacity for Windows, Garageband on Mac) which are actually ok for getting started. If he gets more into it he could look at buying something more extensive. Some mics come with a built in USB converter and are pretty good for the price point. This way he wouldn't need to also buy the USB interface box. This is a budget approach which does have some limitations but will work ok. Alternatively there are some excellent all-in-one kinds of devices which do a very good job at recording and some minor editing perhaps. Something like this Zoom H4n Zoom H4N at Sweetwater.com He would record using the built in mics (good mics) or possibly plugging a guitar or keyboard into the unit. Then he would transfer the digitized audio to his computer or tablet (or even phone but the screens are awfully small to be much use) to mix and edit his songs. | |||
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The Karmanator |
Fly-Sig's post is spot on. The one thing I would add is that the software for editing the sounds together is called a DAW (digital audio workstation). Garageband is the best entry level DAW for Mac. Audacity will kind of get you started but it is more of a audio editor than a DAW. The best bang for your buck DAW for windows is Reaper. DAWs usually run in the 100s of dollars range but Reaper is only 60 - and you can download it for free and it isn't crippled - it will just continue to encourage you to pay for the full edition. You need good audio to do the editing. Headphones make the most sense for a young kid getting started. Studio monitors are the next step up. If he is more into electornic music then a midi controller would be the way to go. The almost always come with a stripped down version of a bigger commercial DAW. Enough to get started. I use Ableton Live personally and many of the controllers come with a intro level version of Live. | |||
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| Member |
Another vote for REAPER. But a caution: Whatever you think is "good", he may have his own opinions. The technology changes super fast in digital recording, so whatever has a good reputation now, there is probably something newer and better; and that will be obsolete in a couple years. ==>Just give him cash and let him build up his own studio. "Crom is strong! If I die, I have to go before him, and he will ask me, 'What is the riddle of steel?' If I don't know it, he will cast me out of Valhalla and laugh at me." | |||
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| Member |
NO expert but used to run soundboards and record sermons and what not as a teenager at my church. Churches often have recording and video equipment to record the services. Might be an avenue for him to check it out. | |||
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Now in Florida |
I was involved in music production for many years. For basic singer/guitar recording, he'll need one or more quality microphones, a preamp, an audio interface (this often includes preamps), a computer and a music production software package. He'll also need a monitoring system, whether its actual studio monitors or headphones. If it's electronic/dance music, the requirements are a little different. Which of each he gets depends a lot on the specifics of what he wants to do, what instruments he wants to record, etc Tons of information at one of my favorite forums for this kind of thing: Studio Central Forum I'll be happy to answer questions and make recommendations as well. | |||
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| No More Mr. Nice Guy |
Also, once he gets going there are some outstanding free classes online. Coursera offers several from Berklee College of Music. I would encourage paying for the Berklee classes (about $49 each iirc) which would give access to additional materials and features. Most of the value of these classes are in the actual doing, not the watching the videos. This class seems to be off the list at Coursera, so here are the videos at least. This is the holy grail of how-to for the beginner to moderately experienced. Berklee's Introduction to Music Production on Youtube Berklee's class on Technology of Music Production This may be the above class just renamed. It is part of a 4 course package by Berklee on Coursera. Coursera.org Search on "Berklee" for all their classes. | |||
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| Oh stewardess, I speak jive.  |
Everyone else has covered most of the bases. I will add: used music gear is often a great deal. I hardly ever buy any of it new. Recently I helped a friend put together a simple setup for their PC laptop, with a used Interface/Pre (Focusrite Scarlett, $80 used), a classic Share SM58 microphone ($70 used), and Reaper, with a mic stand and all cables for just under $200 total. | |||
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| Member |
I think he would mostly record his singing, but plays piano as well. He records himself all the time on his iPhone, but does have a decent, and new MS laptop and would be recording in his room, so we are not talking professional at all here, but I want it to be a nice set up. I will dig into some of the advice here, get confused and come back  NRA Life Member "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Teddy Roosevelt | |||
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Member |
. Hi Poacher, When you say he plays piano, do you mean a real one with hammers that impact the strings? If yes, consider replacing the old piano with a pro-keyboard that has the outputs needed to connect it to the computer. No doubt your son will find YouTube tutorials on just about any software package out there. Let him take the next steps and do the research to find the software package that he wants. I think for most teenagers, getting them involved in the decision making process usually equates to their sticking with the endeavor longer. The comments from 46and2 is correct about used equipment. From Pawn Shops, to online ads, to music equipment companies there is a lot of used gear available. #1 rule is to bring your son and have him try it out first. If they can't turn it on and let you listen to the piece of gear you are thinking about buying ~ walk away as there are no guarantees on used gear. | |||
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| Member |
We had a nice Yamaha keyboard, but gave it to my BIL's family when we got a "real" piano. Think for now I need to stick with one problem at a time! NRA Life Member "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Teddy Roosevelt | |||
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Caribou gorn |
get him a keyboard workstation (Korg/Nord/Roland/Yamaha). these have sequencers for recording, thousands of sample sounds and midi outs, click tracks, etc. You can record everything except vocals with a workstation keyboard. new ones can be close to $4000, but I recently bought one for church on CL. A 10 year old Korg Triton ProX (was top of the line 10 years ago) for $750. or, if he doesn't already have one, a Mac and an interface like an Apogee duet which has XLR inputs and firewire out to the Mac for recording. I'm gonna vote for the funniest frog with the loudest croak on the highest log. | |||
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| Oh stewardess, I speak jive. |
^ 90s era Kurzweil K2000 workstations can be had on the cheap (sub $1000, were nearly $5000 when new, and they are mega powerful, great piano sounds, solid samplers, and major artists such as Pink Floyd have toured the world using them). | |||
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Go Vols! |
I'd start here http://www.tdpri.com/forums/recording-in-progress.32/ http://www.acousticguitarforum...orumdisplay.php?f=43 Oh, and lots get started with something as simple as an iPad app | |||
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| 186,000 miles per second. It's the law. |
If he gets the analog bug, get him a TEAC reel to reel. | |||
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| Member |
I like the thought of the stand alone system, but think you guys are right about getting him into the process since I won't be the one using it. I haven't even seen a reel to reel in decades, but did see a nice turn table on sweet water. NRA Life Member "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Teddy Roosevelt | |||
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Member |
In addition to what has already been posted, I'll just add that for a couple of years the standard for (relatively) inexpensive, high-quality audio interfaces has been the Focusrite Scarlett line. The performance stays pretty much the same across the line, but the price varies based on the number of inputs and outputs the unit has, and most especially the number of microphone preamps the unit has. The least expensive one ($100) is the Solo, which is 2-in/2-out, with only one of the inputs having a microphone preamp. The most expensive one ($450) is the 18i20, which is 18-in/20-out with 8 of the inputs having microphone preamps. | |||
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| Oh stewardess, I speak jive. |
Also, the search feature on Guitar Center's website allows you to search their Used inventory nationwide... and they'll ship items to you or your neighborhood store. It's a ton of equipment, and it changes pretty regularly. If, for example, you search for "used focusrite" it'll show you everything they have at the moment, and when you select a given item it'll show you what store in the country has that particular one. Very handy, fair used prices, lots of choices. | |||
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| Caribou gorn |
I bought a used snare drum from the GC in Knoxville just last week. Shipping was a whopping $11 UPS ground. I'm gonna vote for the funniest frog with the loudest croak on the highest log. | |||
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