I want to put a little home studio together...

[Lewguitar]

...so I can record my new acoustic songs.

Thinking of Focusrite.

I have some great mics but no studio quality reverb, delay, compression, etc.

I do have a TC Hall of Fame Reverb, Strymon Timeline and Wampler compressor pedal.

Can I use them with the Focusrite stuff?

Gotta keep it simple.

I'm not talking about making a CD.

Just demos of my songs.

Partially so I don't forget them!

 

[Lewguitar]

Wrong place to post this and now I can't delete it.

 

[dmatthews]

I don't have a Focusrite, but I'm sure it'll do the trick as long as it has enough inputs to take care of whatever you want to record live.
Regarding effects, you may find that plugins in your DAW are all you need.
Usually best to add effects after recording.

 

[Lewguitar]

I don't have a Focusrite, but I'm sure it'll do the trick as long as it has enough inputs to take care of whatever you want to record live.
Regarding effects, you may find that plugins in your DAW are all you need.
Usually best to add effects after recording.

I'd like to be able to record my acoustic guitar, then add a vocal track over it.

It would be nice to get some of my lady friends who sing to add some harmony too.

Can you do those kinds of overdubs with the Focusrite?

I used to do a lot of recording at home with a Teac 3340.

It was easy!

Now everything is so damned complicated for us old farts to grasp.

 

[markd21]

Mac or PC?

If PC, you should have Audacity on there. It has very simple plugins (eq, reverb, compression, noise reduction, etc) and will work with pretty much any interface.

If you want a nice, quality 1 or two channel interface there are a ton out there. I use Focusrite, but I'm using the 8 channel interfaces. If I were going simpme, I'd get one of the Universal Audio Volt interfaces.

You can use anything in front of your interface, you just have to gain syage properly- which means you might have to dicker with knob settings, outputs and interface input gain. No big deal.

There are better DAWs, of course. Reaper is popular. There are others, but my only experience is with Audacity, Reaper and Protools. I've used protools the longest, that's were I cut my teeth. However, I use Reaper for mobile recording of 8-16 tracks of live drums with my laptop. I use Audacity for quick voice-over stuff when I need to get something down fast. I'll edit in Protools.

Anyway, others will have suggestions, too. Look at all your options and decide based on real needs and expandability. Trust me, it becomes another rabbit hole...

 

[dmatthews]

I'd like to be able to record my acoustic guitar, then record a vocal track over it.

It would be nice to get some of my lady friend who sing to add some harmony too.

Can you do overdubs with the Focusrite?

I used to do a lot of recoding at home with a Teac 3340.

It was easy!

Now everything is so damned complicated for us old farts to grasp.

Sounds like you'd want a minimum of two inputs. Which model Focusrite are you looking at?
Typically the recordings are being tracked/stored in the PC DAW software (Reaper, Cubase, Ableton etc.). Then you can overdub in that PC/DAW environment.
Another option is something like a Zoom L-12 or similar like I have where you can either record to a built-in SD card, or to the PC/DAW software. The Zoom has some built-in basic effects as well.

 

[markd21]

I'd like to be able to record my acoustic guitar, then add a vocal track over it.

It would be nice to get some of my lady friends who sing to add some harmony too.

Can you do those kinds of overdubs with the Focusrite?

I used to do a lot of recording at home with a Teac 3340.

It was easy!

Now everything is so damned complicated for us old farts to grasp.

Yes, you can overdub using a Focusrite. You can overdub as many audio tracks as your DAW will allow. Some are limited, so look for that when picking one out.

Your only limitation on the number of live overdubs happening at the same time is based on the number of inputs your interface has.

Example - you have 2 inputs, both XLR-1/4" combo jacks. You can overdub 2 things at a time to separate tracks.

 

[Prina]

Trust me, it becomes another rabbit hole...

Keeping that caveat in mind, I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen) that's been superseded by a UA rackmount interface. PM me if you'd like me to send it over to try out.

And digital audio is a series of rabbit holes.

 

[Lewguitar]

I've owned two Zooms. One from when they frst came out and one that was new and improved.

Keeping that caveat in mind, I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen) that's been superseded by a UA rackmount interface. PM me if you'd like me to send it over to try out.

And digital audio is a series of rabbit holes.

Very kind of you. I'd like to at least talk to you about it. Get some tips on what it can do and can't do and what else I'll need to get one up and running. I don't see myself recording a band. Maybe some percussion and I might want to do that at the same time so it has a live feel. I love the sound of musicians playing together live and getting off on each other. I have a terrific percussionist who wants to help. Kind of flattering actually as he's the best drummer and percussionist in the area. An in demand guy.

 

[andy474x]

You’ve got the right idea. I’d recommend a 2 channel interface - I have a Focusrite and it works very well, but at this point there are many companies making good entry level interfaces, you can’t really go wrong.

Where you want to do some thinking is your DAW program. If you have a Mac, Logic is a no-brainer. Good quality starter plugins and lots of ‘em, seamless integration in the Apple ecosystem, and no subscription fees. PC, I’m not an expert on, but I know some programs do run on subscription, and I think it’s bogus.

 

[Moondog Wily]

If you like the sound of musicians playing together, I would highly recommend that you get an interface with at least 4 inputs. A percussionist alone could take 2 easily. Guitar and vocal, that is two more. Boom, you are at wanting 4 inputs. Keep in mind that there are some small mixers that will work as interfaces as well, and give you much more control over each channel. Considering you are not looking for "studio quaility" recordings, I think many of those mixers (4 channel, 8 channel) would suit you well. I did my first two albums in 2015 using a Mackie Onyx III Blackjack which has two inputs. I like using my Tascam Model 12 mix board as my interface, and it can also record directly to an SD card which I have played with and had acceptable results. For the past two months, I have for the first time been using my Axe FXIII modeler as my interface (running guitar, vocals and cajon feeds through it) and it has excellent quality IMO, but it does have some frustrating limits.

 

[Lewguitar]

Yes, you can overdub using a Focusrite. You can overdub as many audio tracks as your DAW will allow. Some are limited, so look for that when picking one out.

Your only limitation on the number of live overdubs happening at the same time is based on the number of inputs your interface has.

Example - you have 2 inputs, both XLR-1/4" combo jacks. You can overdub 2 things at a time to separate tracks.

Boy...I don't even know what a DAW is. Pathetic. I should enlist the help of some high school mugician.

I used to know this guy named Ali who would come to our gigs and listen to our rehearsals sometimes.

He'd always say: "I'm gonna get me a flute and be a MUGICIAN!"

Kind of a cross between musician and magician I guess.

 

[markd21]

A DAW is the "mixer and tape deck" in your computer. It's the program that is your "studio".

My DAW is Protools.

I have my interface that has the "inputs to my mixer". My interface has 16 input channels - an 8 input interface connected to the computer/studio via USB. The other 8 channels come from another rack unit that contains 8 preamps. That stacks with my main preamp through optical/ADAT.

I am limited to recording 16 inputs "live". However, I'm pretty much using one input to do almost ALL my recordings/overdubs.

 

[markd21]

Once you select a DAW/studio software and an interface you're ready to go. You will need a way to monitor your work. These days I do everything with AKG K240 headphones. It has resulted in decent sounding recordings.

The following track was recorded, mixed, and mastered on the headphones;

That's one of my band's tunes, all self-produced in my home studio.

Mixing on the headphones eliminates the sound of the room. It is not necessarily a "best practice" but it works for me.

 

[markd21]

I do have monitors. I use JBL LSR305s. I like them a lot and they are tunes pretty close to my headphones.

Regarding plugins for effects, channel strips, compressors, etc, I have a Plugin Alliance Mega Bundle subscription. It's $14.99 a month and I have more to choose from than I need. I also have almost every Waves plugin- I used those exclusively before I upgraded my system.

I prefer the Plugin Alliance stuff, but a lot of the Waves stuff is among my favorites. My "go-to" compressor is their SSL Bus Compressor. It's often $29.99 and works great on EVERYTHING.

Don't ignore any ugins that come with your DAW software. I use many of the stock Avid ( they make Protools) plugins - especially the EQs.

 

[Lewguitar]

Guys, you are ALL the best!

So Prina is going to loan me his Focusrite for a month or so and I'll start gathering up everything else I'll need.

If it works out I might buy it from him.

The DAW he recommends are Logic, Audacity and Reaper.

Then I'll make some recordings and show 'em to you.

Unfortunately I don't own any PRS acoustic guitars so you'll be hearing my made in Oregon Breedloves.

Thank you all so much!

 

[markd21]

Very good! Have fun. It's a blast to hear your ideas fleshed out.

 

[JasonE]

If you are on Windows, download Cakewalk. It is a fully functional DAW that is FREE. You can also get Audacity (Windows or Mac) free but it is more limited. If you don't mind putting a small amount of money into the software look at Reaper. You can get that for Windows or Mac. Logic is goof for Mac. However, it is Mac only and it will run you a couple hundred to get it. That is the most expensive of the ones I mentioned. It also does the most.

The Focusrite stuff will probably do what you want. It is really about ins and outs. You may need more than you think. It really depends on how many things you want to track/record at the same time.

 

[Lewguitar]

If you are on Windows, download Cakewalk. It is a fully functional DAW that is FREE. You can also get Audacity (Windows or Mac) free but it is more limited. If you don't mind putting a small amount of money into the software look at Reaper. You can get that for Windows or Mac. Logic is goof for Mac. However, it is Mac only and it will run you a couple hundred to get it. That is the most expensive of the ones I mentioned. It also does the most.

The Focusrite stuff will probably do what you want. It is really about ins and outs. You may need more than you think. It really depends on how many things you want to track/record at the same time.

Windoes 11 on my Lenovo, so I'll check out Cakewalk too! Thanks!

 

[Moondog Wily]

Windoes 11 on my Lenovo, so I'll check out Cakewalk too! Thanks!

Considering how new you are to this, you may want to ask Prina to show you the basic workflow in his DAW if that is an option when you pick up the interface. It will jump start you getting things hooked up and begin recording!