The Jam Corner

Recording Equipment Options

This is a supplemental topic for the Digital Recording series.
There are various possibilities for creating a home studio setup. The basic possibilities and their relative price ranges vary depending on the complexity of your recording needs. For example, you may want to record your whole band simultaneously, and you have six people + drums, that takes a much different studio setup than for a solo artist recording on a four-channel audio interface. My primary focus is on the actual recording equipment, but some basics you'll need besides it may include some of these:

• Dynamic microphones - these are most typically used for instrument amps and drums. They're not too expensive, and most are general-purpose so you can reuse them. Budget $50-150 per mic (usually around $80-90).
• Condenser microphones - best for vocals, acoustic instruments such as classical guitars and pianos, and area/room sounds (perhaps a room mic when recording a guitar amp, or overhead mics for drumkit). These vary in price greatly, but you can get a decent large-diaphragm condenser for under $300.
• Cables - all manners of cables come in handy. My strategy is go for high-quality, high-durability stuff - 90% of my cables are Monsters (for some recording I have Mogami, which are comparable in quality). Exactly how many of which cable you need varies depending on your input interface, but generally you'll want XLR-XLR, XLR-TRS (gender in both directions), TRS-TRS, and TS-TS. Another good idea is to have a few RCA 1/4" to RCA 1/8" for monitor speakers. If you have ADAT optical type interfaces, you'll need special digital cables (TOS link). High-quality cables cost a lot of money, usually between $20-$60 per cable depending on length and connector type. While it may seem cost-effective to buy longer cables, the optimal scenario is having all cables of exactly the right length - no longer or shorter than they need to be. So strive for that.
• Connectors - you'll want to have all kinds of adapters: 1/4" to 1/8", splitters TRS to TS (again, of all gender combinations), and so forth. Sometimes you end up needing things you never thought you'd use! The only thing to keep in mind is that signal integrity is best preserved using an appropriate cable without any adapter - any adapter is a potential source of unwanted noise (refer to the recording article for more info). So while there's no problem with using a 1/8" headphone via a 1/4" adapter for monitoring, recording this way is undesirable. Go to a local music store or a radio shack - these usually have generous selections for all manners of adapters ranging $2-$8 per unit.
• Direct Boxes - usually you'll want to have at least two of these. The passive sort are fine, just be sure if you're using two of them for a single stereo audio source that they produce identical output levels. Generic passive DI boxes cost around $30-$60. In the higher price range, they can run as high as $200-300 - not exactly an entry-level investment.

Computer Recording Interfaces

Nowadays, the market is flooded with all manners of USB and FireWire recording equipment. If you have a GNX4 or GNX3000, you don't need a $200 four-channel interface - that capability is already available on the GNX unit. However, you may consider getting something upscale - perhaps an 8-channel FireWire or USB 2.0 interface - to allow simultaneous recording of multiple parts. At least one of two features is required for efficient use of this type of interface: (1) direct monitoring capability (zero-latency is the thing to look for), or (2) on-board processor that allows for zero-latency recording without a direct monitor output.

Your choice of interface will depend on the types of connections you need and types of cables you have available. In the $800-1200 price range, you can get an interface with 8 "combo jacks" - each of these allows either a 1/4" or an XLR input. This is optimal, because it will allow you to plug in 8 microphones via XLR. Usually this class of audio interface also features aux send/return for patching effects. Some things to look out for are the number of phantom power switches on the interface (compare to the number of condenser mics you have - if just one, then with a GNX4 you don't require any), Hi-Z/Lo-Z switch, and the number of routing possibilities using the aux sends.

Depending on your studio setup, you'll also want to consider how many "stereo master" outputs the interface has. More likely than not, this grade of interface will be used as your primary sound device (and the hardware for Audio Engine in Cakewalk and other software) - so consider how many different mixes you'll want to be able to output simultaneously.

Finally, consider the quality of the signal processing. Usually if you're paying around $1,000 for an interface, you can expect 24-bit resolution and 96kHz sampling rate at the least. Be sure that all 8 inputs are available at this resolution and sampling rate.

If an 8-input interface is not in your budget, there are many lower-cost solutions available, starting as low as $80 going up through $500-600 range. These come at the price of lower sampling rates (or you might not be able , fewer inputs and sends/returns, fewer phantom-powered inputs, and similar limitations. Be careful in your selection, read online/print reviews, and check out the user manuals before you make your investment decision.

Standalone Recorders

This type of recording solution provides a dedicated processor and hard disk for your recording, generally resulting in unconditional zero-latency recording and playback. I mentioned, in Recording articles elsewhere on this site, that I use a Korg D1600. This unit goes for around $1,000. Because the processor is generally slower than a PC, you may not have as high a sampling rate (D1600 is limited to 44.1kHz) or bit rate. While I can record up to 8 mono tracks at 16-bit, only 4 are available for recording in 24-bit. Likewise, only 8 can be played back in a 24-bit project, compared to 16 simultaneously at 16-bit. The number of maximum available tracks per project is also limited by the bit rate, with 64 virtual tracks in a 24-bit project and 128 of them in a 16-bit one.

Standalone recorders, like computer interfaces, are limited in the number of inputs. Some are expansible, others are not. Standalone recorders also feature fewer external patching options, but usually have on-board effects to compensate. Be sure to read through the detailed specifications and know exactly what your prospective recorder can do for you, and what it can't.

For me, the primary advantage of a standalone recorder is the fact that it's standalone. I can go to a band rehearsal, quickly set it up, record everything (auto-punch feature is great, very easy to setup), create a rough mix and burn a CD for all interested parties. For production mixing, however, I will export standalone's tracks as WAVs and load them up in a software editor - these are usually much more user-friendly. To get graphical effects interfaces on a standalone recorder, you're looking for as much as $3000-8000 - another one of those "not-quite-entry-level" options.

GNX3/4 on-board recorder

OK, we know that GNX4 and GNX3000 easily double for your recording interface/soundcard needs at your sessions. But, if you're a GNX user and have a memory card (SmartMedia for GNX3 or CompactFlash for GNX4), you can track a full-length demo right on your workstation without any computer! They're pretty easy to use. Because this site is dedicated primarily to these units, it seems like a separate article should be devoted to using the on-board recorders; I'll leave that avenue open for now. However, the basic idea is the same as with a standalone recorder. This type of recording is also a prime candidate for mixing on a PC afterwards.

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