Recording gear recommendations

[demoncore1031]

My son and I are turning our garage into a recording studio and will eventually get some nice recording gear. But for now we are on a bit of a tight budget and looking for something to record our music with. I have played in garage and basement bands for a long time and have recorded some awful demos, so sound quality isn't THAT important to me. I like to get a raw 'live' sound anyways, opposed to studio quality. I think 'ghetto' recordings capture my sound a lot better, which most people will probably find odd, but one of our bands is hardcore/punk so good quality recordings don't matter much. We will be using guitar, bass, drums and vocals for this band. The other band will have the same instruments as well as keyboards and synthesizer, and possibly other instruments, with a lot of different layers of guitars and vocals, so it will be a bit harder to record.

Anyways, just looking for some suggestions on cheap recording equipment. Maybe an old-school 4-track cassette recorder?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[BCClone]

I think you figured out the repeat part of recording

 

[demoncore1031]

I think you figured out the repeat part of recording

Well that was goofy. CF has been acting up on my work computer lately. When I hit the button to create the post, it didn't do anything. So I just closed out the interwebs, thinking this didn't even post. Very weird.

 

[demoncore1031]

I think you figured out the repeat part of recording

Well that was goofy. CF has been acting up on my work computer lately. When I hit the button to create the post, it didn't do anything. So I just closed out the interwebs, thinking this didn't even post. Very weird.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Which thread do you want to leave active?

 

[clone4life82]

My son and I are turning our garage into a recording studio and will eventually get some nice recording gear. But for now we are on a bit of a tight budget and looking for something to record our music with. I have played in garage and basement bands for a long time and have recorded some awful demos, so sound quality isn't THAT important to me. I like to get a raw 'live' sound anyways, opposed to studio quality. I think 'ghetto' recordings capture my sound a lot better, which most people will probably find odd, but one of our bands is hardcore/punk so good quality recordings don't matter much. We will be using guitar, bass, drums and vocals for this band. The other band will have the same instruments as well as keyboards and synthesizer, and possibly other instruments, with a lot of different layers of guitars and vocals, so it will be a bit harder to record.

Anyways, just looking for some suggestions on cheap recording equipment. Maybe an old-school 4-track cassette recorder?

Thanks in advance for any help.

You live in central Iowa? If so, you mind if I come over and lay down some of my own tracks???

in all honesty, I had (still might) an m audio Midi interface that I could take maybe three inputs into and then bought a recording software package from a music shop. It worked but I had no clue of what I was doing. From everything I heard garage band may be your best (easiest) bet but you still might need the interface. It was always something that I wanted to get into but never had the time.

 

[3GenClone]

I bought my wife a 4-channel Alesis Mixer from Guitar Center so she could record vocals and guitar. The mixer has a USB output so we could hook it up to a cheap laptop for finetuning/recording. They make an 8-channel for $150 which you would need if you want record drums.

You should also consider a condenser microphone for your vocals. I got this one for $100.

If you want the hardcore punk sound then get a ton of SM58 mics. Knowing your line of work you may be able to find a church that has moved from a wired to wireless mic setup. SM58s are everywhere.

 

[clone4life82]

I bought my wife a 4-channel Alesis Mixer from Guitar Center so she could record vocals and guitar. The mixer has a USB output so we could hook it up to a cheap laptop for finetuning/recording. They make an 8-channel for $150 which you would need if you want record drums.

You should also consider a condenser microphone for your vocals. I got this one for $100.

If you want the hardcore punk sound then get a ton of SM58 mics. Knowing your line of work you may be able to find a church that has moved from a wired to wireless mic setup. SM58s are everywhere.

I’ve had an sm58 for 20 years now and still love it. What condenser mics would you recommend for vocals?

 

[3GenClone]

I’ve had an sm58 for 20 years now and still love it. What condenser mics would you recommend for vocals?

I linked to it in the post: I have an MXL 990 which is $99 at Guitar Center. It's not "elite" but it comes with the mic, shock mount, and travel case that make it a good and affordable roving option. Condenser microphones are a good option for isolating vocals in a recording and aren't really ideal for a live performance. In a pinch you could use it for group vocals because of the pickup pattern.