(Part 3) Top products from r/recording

Yes, there are recorders that can record multiple tracks. Like the Tascam DR-40 has XLR inputs. I'm not necessarily endorsing the Tascam. I have the DR-05 and find it acceptable quality. Something like the Zoom H4N has XLR connectors built in, so you could record a mic into those and use the built in condenser mics to record your guitar.

You left out some relevant information: Budget, can your guitar be plugged in or will you mic it? Do you have a pretty sound free workspace?

I think budget is the most important part here. I interpret 'nothing flashy' as being a cheap as it can get without being poor quality.

I'm gonna link to listings on Amazon because it's easiest, but B&H or if you live near a Guitar Center might be a better place to buy.

A possible setup:

• ART Dual USB Preamp - $80 - This will allow you to plug in one mic and your guitar and output the track to your computer via USB. Depending on the software, I believe you can have the tracks separate for editing, but they would separate into left and right channels that you'd then combine into a stereo track after editing.
  
  
  
• Shure SM58 - $100 - A dynamic vocal mic that will play well in a not so perfect recording space. Check out Regina Spektor using one during a concert. This mic is so popular I would make sure to only get it from a reputable dealer i.e. not used on ebay, because there are fakes floating around.
  
  If you need/want to mic your guitar then consider the SM-57. It is nearly identical to the SM58. Here is a guy demonstrating using one to record his guitar.
  
  
• If $100 is insanely out of your budget, then consider the Behringer XM8500 - $20 - Not as high quality as the SM58, but still a decent sound. Here is a guy comparing the SM57 to the XM8500 and is using just one mic for voice and guitar, without using a preamp, so keep that in mind when comparing the audio (I hear some noise in the audio, probably noise from the line to the camera, which I presume has some sort of automatic gain happening).
  
  This guy's video makes me wonder if just an SM57 with a decent preamp (i.e. one with clean gain) might be all you'd need... but that isn't ideal. You could go with two XM8500s, one for guitar and one for vocals ($40). Or one SM58 for vocals and one XM8500 for guitar($120). That all comes down to budget and preferences.
  
  
• You'll need a mic stand, or two. The On-Stage MS7701B is a best seller on Amazon. I own one of these and it isn't going to impress anyone. I've never had it tip over or seem unsteady. If you extend the boom arm too far it can sometimes slowly droop over time (I may be guilty of not tightening it enough due to not wanting to strip the threads) It does the job of holding a mic in place. If you go with two mics, you could get two of them. You could also get a desk stand for the mic that is recording your guitar and find a suitable place to set it, but I think the boom arm of the MS7701B will be useful for keeping the stand out of your way.
  
  
• And you will need cables. I recommend the cables from Monoprice, their Pro Audio series. It is not as user friendly to find the exact cables you'll need as a site like B&H, but I have had several of their cables and only had one die on me. All their cables have a lifetime warranty and the prices are shockingly low.
  
  
• And a windscreen or pop filter for the mics is nice. There is a decent windscreen on Amazon for 3 bucks, sometimes 2 bucks.
  
  Potential Changes & other thoughts -
  
  A more expensive preamp - ART Tube Dual Mic Preamp With USB - $190- this has some compression and a limiter. It's debatable whether in this range it would be better to get a decent mixer, a preamp for your vocals, and let the preamp on the mixer handle the guitar, or if something like this would be better. Like a Behringer mixer - Q802USB ($80) + ART single channel Preamp for vocals ($40/$50) would be less money than the Dual USB preamp.
  
  Or maybe just the Q802USB would suffice for your needs. It has preamps already built in. They are not the best preamps in the world. I mean... after all I wrote above, the more I think about it the more I think you should try a Q802USB and see if the sound is what you're wanting.
  
  Headphones - Add in some headphones to monitor your audio. ATH-M40x ($100) would be my recommendation, but this is where a lot of personal preference comes into the mix, no pun intended.
  
  Different mics - Rode has some mics that compare the the Shure SM57/58 that might be better. And the options for mic are virtually limitless, when you consider not just the mics can vary, but the audio interfaces and processing options. I really think a dynamic mic will be most user friendly for a one off home recording.
  
  I hope I haven't confused more than I helped. I think the essentials are this: good mics, clean gain, easy to use. Whether you get the dual channel ART preamp or the Q802USB, either will be easy to use. I would bet the gain on the ART preamp is cleaner, meaning less background hiss at higher levels, than the Q802USB, but perhaps that is just an unreasonable bias. In either case, the mic is going to be important and where your budget plays a big role. The SM58 and SM57 are superb for vocals and recording guitar. A condenser might be better if the acoustics of your recording space allow for it, but I hope you saw from the video I linked of the guy recording his guitar with the SM57 that a great sound can be achieved with a $100 mic. If that is out of your budget, keep in mind the XM8500, but the sound is not as clear as the Shure mics it tries to emulate.

What you really need is an interface. And interface takes the analog signal of your microphone and digitizes it for the computer to use. This is essentially the same as what your onboard sound card does but for audio is better in basically every way. Quality, flexibility, whatever...

This is the cheapest interface I could even sort of recommend. If you have more to spend, I would recommend doing so, but this should sound ok. You are limited to 1 mic which may or may not become a problem eventually. The 2 mic version is a little more expensive but worth it imo. I recently upgraded to a 4 input interface with the ability to expand.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/behringer-u-phoria-umc22?rNtt=U-phoria%20&index=5

If you can return that mic, do. It will work, but there are better mica for your use for less money. From my limited knowledge, dynamic mice are better for spoken word. They are marginally less crisp but also pick up WAY less background noise. Most broadcasters use nice dynamics like and RE20 or and SM7B. I would buy this instead of your current mic. I have the 57 (instrument version) and it's a solid mic for the money. It's not the end all be all, but it get useable sounds out of anything I point it at.
GLS Audio Vocal Microphone ES-58 & Mic Clip - Professional Series ES58 Dynamic Cardioid Mike Unidirectional (No On/Off Switch) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RKWTPC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OmpBzbCXSWK62

I couldn't agree more with /u/SativaGanesh 's comment below. I'll add that when you start learning to record, your focus should be on signal flow, gain staging, microphone technique, and learning how to edit and mix audio. Until you have a handle on the basics, a tape machine won't be beneficial to you. And when you DO have a handle on the basics, consider getting an internship at an analogue studio. If you're sharp and likeable, you'll probably have an opportunity to learn how to use a tape machine and console.

Here's what I suggest for your home setup. You can get a perfectly usable interface for around $150. That apparently comes with Pro Tools, but Reaper is a full-featured DAW that sounds great and supports most plugin formats out there. It's $60 for a full license. Here is a perfectly adequate microphone made by Rode. (Or if you can spend $600 go for the K2, it's awesome.) These speakers are halfway decent and will get you started on the right foot.

I've never used Audacity but I doubt it's causing any problems with your sound. DAW's generally don't directly impart anything to the sound of the audio. I think it's more likely to be your mic, recording technique or mixing.

It sounds like your vocals are clipping. I've never used a USB mic. Does it have an input gain? How do you control the strength of the signal that it sends to the computer? Are you running any plugins on what we hear in this recording?

I would focus on getting a cleaner recording prior to mixing. That being said, if I had to work with this vocal recording as-is, one of the first things I would address is the sibilance. It's pretty brutal. I would definitely put a de-esser on these vocals. If Audacity doesn't come with one, you can probably find a freeware plugin or you can shell out $30 for one from Waves:

https://www.waves.com/plugins/deesser?gclid=Cj0KCQjwho7rBRDxARIsAJ5nhFqMUAjLTR8WqSPyRmzn0JKgjxp7_oprsVoreHbSUdBXDSwa_xr1tpcaAhdeEALw_wcB#andrew-scheps-on-deessing-guitars-and-cymbals

The vocals also are a bit loud which is making the rest of the instruments sound small. You might get a mixing book and practice some mixing. I recommend this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/1138556378/ref=sr_1_2?crid=ARKCMXORM8IP&keywords=mixing+secrets+for+the+small+studio&qid=1566872451&s=gateway&sprefix=mixing+secrets%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-2

I don't think you should go with a dynamic mic like the SM57 or 58. I think you should look at condenser mics. If you can only get one mic, get a large diaphragm condenser mic. If you can get 2, get a large diaphragm for vocals and a small diaphragm for the guitar. They sell kits that have one of each. http://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT2041-Studio-Microphone-Package/dp/B000AQDSMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421175955&sr=8-1&keywords=at2041sp&pebp=1421175957665&peasin=B000AQDSMQ

You will have much better results with these. FYI, they will need phantom power.

At that budget, I'd recommend a portable recorder, like the Zoom H1: It'll get the job done, and will work just fine for this purpose.

I googled its price, out of curiosity, Amazon is selling one for 109 dollars.

Of course, if quality is really not an issue, then yes, you can always just use your phone; Just don't expect professional-level quality.

Your average computer won't have a sp/dif or TOSlink connection built in. Not without a PCI card at least. What you want is something with a USB connection.

Based on the price of what you linked on Amazon I'm guessing you're not looking to spend a lot and want something bare-bones. This should do the trick:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000KW2YEI/ref=mp_s_a_1_25?qid=1427582228&sr=1-25&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=2+channel+usb+interface

Although I'd recommend getting something with built in mic preamps like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BQ6KSN6/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1427582455&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=usb+audio+interface&dpPl=1&dpID=41Eswt0wwaL&ref=plSrch#

EDIT I have not used either of these items and can't attest to their quality. I simply chose them as examples of something you could use in your situation.

you should get a USB mic then. otherwise you're going to bring your budget up quite a bit between the mic and an interface / preamp.

check out these (searched usb microphone on amazon):
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Yeti-USB-Microphone/dp/B002VA464S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1474038764&sr=8-7&keywords=usb+microphone

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B006DIA77E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1474038764&sr=8-6&keywords=usb+microphone

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Black-iCE/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1474038764&sr=8-16&keywords=usb+microphone

https://www.amazon.com/Floureon-BM-100FX-Professional-Broadcasting-Instruments/dp/B00ZTC0E78/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1474038764&sr=8-17&keywords=usb+microphone

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2500-USB-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B004QJREXM/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1474038803&sr=8-17&keywords=usb+microphone

i'd recommend one of the Blue's, or the last one, the ATr2500.

Drummer here and these are what i use:

https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-K-Isolating-Earphones-MicroDriver/dp/B004PNZFZ8

And this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001423GZO/ref=zg_bs_13880171_12?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=M39MYC31WEF6J42AN8XN

And you might need a 1/4 to 1/8 inch adapter pending on your mixer/interface

Hope this helps!

Got a picture for reference to how much space there is to work with?

Off the bat I’d go with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Proline-MS112-Desktop-Boom-Stand/dp/B000J0N5TY

Yeah, you could get a mixer (like this): Soundcraft Mixer - Unpowered, 8 + 2 channels (EPM8) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TSEFKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Py5hDbSZAG4X7

However, it’s not ideal because your mix becomes permanent

Would you suggest this specific mixer? http://www.amazon.ca/Premium-8-Input-2-Bus-Preamps-British/dp/B000J5XS3C

what exactly does the interface do compared to inputting the guitar directly into the soundcard? the interface takes the guitar signal and converts it digitally before going into the pc? Why so expensive some of them though I seen this cheap one which seems similar to one 10x the price https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Interface/dp/B0023BYDHK/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1543545287&sr=8-9&keywords=guitar+usb+interface

In normal recording circumstances, you are plugging your interface (sortof what your DXA pro is, but not quite) into your computer via usb or directly into the motherboard with a card. You wont get good audio by plugging your DXA pro (which is essentially a direct input device ((DI box)) into the input on your computer. Factory Computer soundcards are shit and generally dont have any preamps, which is what will give you a quality signal into your digital audio workstation (recording program or DAW.)

What you need is a proper interface to get a quality signal to your computer and recorded in real time. You can record onto your camera, and import it, but multi-tracking will be your nightmare.

If you only need one track, it will probably be fine, but if you want to layer the tracks, you are not going to have a good time.

I would reccomend this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FFWZKI/ref=emc_b_5_mob_t