what is the best home sound recording set up

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dreeko13
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what is the best home sound recording set up

Post by dreeko13 »

microphone type. sound card, mic technique, recording software

i need some advice anyone got some?

thanks!
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cribble
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Post by cribble »

!!!READ THIS!!!

Here's an update:

Soundcard:

M-Audio FAST TRACK USB - £59
Has a XLR input which is ideal for pluggin a mic in. also has a jack input. Supports recording two inputs at once. Solid bit of kit and i recommend it for vocal recording and minor recording needs like recording guitar... anything that'll require single or two mics.

Software:

Audacity

All you'll need and it's free. i think it multi-tracks too which is handy for sorting out dialouge.


Ha, having read over the audio topic thing, i've noticed a few mistakes... oh how i was young when i made it....
--Scott
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dreeko13
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Post by dreeko13 »

cheers cribble it looks the bees knees!
Bones3D
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Post by Bones3D »

I've actually been researching this for a while. Definitely important is to obtain a high-quality microphone that will capture only sounds near it and not ambient noises along with it.

If you only need to obtain vocals from a single source, you might consider going with a Samson Audio C01U USB condenser microphone. These usually sell for around $80USD and eliminate the need for a pre-amp. Just be sure to get a stand of some sort to go with it, so that the mic is positioned at a constant distance from the voice actor. You may also want to look into a cheap "pop" screen (this prevents the air from a person's breath introducing unnecessary distortion and noise during recording). However, you can avoid most of these issues by placing the mic to the side of the voice actor's mouth, instead of in front of it.

- C01U USB Condenser Microphone

For multiple simultaneous track recordings, you might want to look at something like the Alesis Firewire MultiMix 12 interface, combined with a series of up to four XLR microphones. I have not actually tried one, myself, but have been considering getting one.

- Alesis MultiMix 12 Firewire Interface

Finally, just be sure the location you're using to do your recordings is free of external noise and does not generate an echo when your voice actors are speaking.

Other than that, you should have a pretty decent setup to work with. (Software aside, anyway.)
8==8 Bones 8==8
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Rasheed
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Post by Rasheed »

Soundsoap 2 ($99) from Bias is an useful application to remove background noise, for both Mac and PC.

If you're on a budget and on a Mac, Soundhack is a freeware application to do all kinds of trickery, but for me, noise reduction is one of the most used features (through spectral dynamics). The user manual is gone missing (at least, I couldn't find it anymore), so I have put it on my own webspace for anyone to download. It's the manual for version 0.880 (current version is 0.893), but the contents is still valid.

Download Soundhack 0.880 user's manual (4.0 KB).
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bupaje
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Post by bupaje »

[url=http://burtabreu.animationblogspot.com:2gityfdw]My AnimationBlogSpot[/url:2gityfdw]
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Rasheed
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Post by Rasheed »

With good recording equipment and software you're not there yet, not by a long shot. Here are some suggestions...

You will need a good voice actor (relatively cheap alternatives are: someone from a local acting school or local theater society, or perhaps a local singer). You probably have to pay these people something, be it for their time spent recording. Therefore, always draw a legal form contract, so everything is clear to all parties. If you're not sure about these things, ask a lawyer with experience in such matters to review the form contract, or research the subject more closely. I myself have no experience in these matters, but perhaps others can elaborate on this.

It could also be that you have a good recording voice yourself, or perhaps a good relative or family member. They will probably do it for free and don't need form contracts.

And then there is voice123.com, for professional voice actors.

Free sound effects can used under a Creative Commons license from the Freesound Project (both for commercial and non-commercial use, as long as you don't use it in advertisements, other than for yourself). Of course, there are also companies that sell royalty free sound effect. Anyway, if I were you, I wouldn't be wasting my time on creating digitally recorded sound effects myself. On the Freesound Project you can even ask politely if someone is willing to create a specific sound effect for you.

Don't use some of the sites that don't have clear licensing agreements, because some of the sounds listed there are for personal use only (or sometimes not even that). If you don't have a license to use someone else's sound, you simply can't use it for animation, whatever anyone says or writes. There have been occurrences of animators that animated to a commercial song, and didn't get a license to use the music, so the animation was produced without sound (see here on this forum for an example).
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cribble
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Post by cribble »

Careful with the usb microphones, i've heard some horror stories about them. I've heard they tend to drop out signal due to the variable usb draw - ideally you should buy a proper mixer with phantom power to use those sort of mics. Hence the Alesis Multimix is a brilliant choice (plus you have plenty of room to expand with mic's, simultanious voice actor recording and any other musical and ambient needs you may have).

You may want to do some research out side of this forum though. Try sound on sound forums, they're a helpful bunch there.
--Scott
cribble.net
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ulrik
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Post by ulrik »

Rasheed, I'm very interested in the Soundhack manual, but when I download from your link I'll only get the first side and there is more than that, if you have the complete it would be much appreciated.
ulrik
Bones3D
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Post by Bones3D »

cribble wrote:Careful with the usb microphones, i've heard some horror stories about them. I've heard they tend to drop out signal due to the variable usb draw - ideally you should buy a proper mixer with phantom power to use those sort of mics. Hence the Alesis Multimix is a brilliant choice (plus you have plenty of room to expand with mic's, simultanious voice actor recording and any other musical and ambient needs you may have).

You may want to do some research out side of this forum though. Try sound on sound forums, they're a helpful bunch there.
I actually haven't experienced any of the issues you mention here on the one I have. Perhaps these users damaged the USB cable or were using under-powered USB ports (like a laptop setting) or were trying to use it on a shared bus with an external hub? Having a dedicated port/bus for vital, real-time work is a good idea and, in many cases, is a necessity.
8==8 Bones 8==8
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Rasheed
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Post by Rasheed »

ulrik wrote:Rasheed, I'm very interested in the Soundhack manual, but when I download from your link I'll only get the first side and there is more than that, if you have the complete it would be much appreciated.
I'm sorry, my mistake. There was actually a PDF file with the complete manual.

SoundHack HTML and PDF manual (374 KB)
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ulrik
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Post by ulrik »

Thank you Rasheed! :D
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dreeko13
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Post by dreeko13 »

thanks for all the input....noted and investigating!
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