Basic Recording Question...

[kravinski]

I finally figured out the Mbox latency trick (thanks to all who helped!)and now I am ready to lay some stuff down! For now all I have is the basics - Shure SM57, efx processor, and my trusty Les Paul. I need monitors and a DI box (will this reduce the hiss I hear??). Can someone explain the basics of how these hook up to the mbox and maybe give me some suggestions on what to look for for my tiny studio space???

Thanks!!

[albee1952]

Well, you do need some monitors but for now, headphones can at least get you recording. As to your hiss, maybe you just aren't keeping your gains set right. Plug your 57 into an XLR jack and create a track to record on. Set the recording level(gain knob on the Mbox) so the meter on the track averages about 2/3rds of the way up and you should be okay. Do your recordings at 24 bit as it gives better headroom without using a lot more disk space. You will need to dither when it comes time to make a file for burning an audio CD but you have a lot of ground to cover before you get there. Consider one of the aftermarket books to help you learn. David Franz has written a couple and the ProTools Ignite is okay too. For now, I would park the FX unit on a shelf unless you get your guitar tones with it(like a POD). You have a learning curve ahead but it will get rewarding before you know it. If you're going to do vocals with the 57, buy a nice popper stopper screen(you will want it for any vocal mic).

[kravinski]

Nice! Thanks for the info albee! I always want to just jump ahead and get my songs laid down but pro tools is an intricate beast! I just took a recording engineering class, too so now I am hyper sensitive to any kind of ambient noise. We used DI boxes in class for guitar and bass so I just assumed it would be a good investment to reduce hum and hiss. Do you think so??

I definitely need to invest in a book to get me going!!

Thanks again!

[madcow]

This book really is good...

http://www.berkleepress.com/catalog/...&category_id=6

It is perfect to a newbie.


-mark

[kravinski]

Sweeeeet! Thanks for the link!!