Noobs in audio recording, this is all you need for now.

Good day steemians. As mentioned before I will start on making a series of tutorials which are based on helping out fresh souls to get started and to advance in capability’s to record some audio the right way. This way I will try to add to bring some knowledge to steemians that will help them raise credibility and get their secret talent out to get noticed by the community’s musicians and music-fanatics in general. Since there is a lot to question about the right way to to record, I will start by providing a basic tutorial about what you need to even get started at all. Since we live in 2018, we have all a pc or laptop that i guess is able to run every software to record with no difficulties. There are however many software to use, but that is a topic for later on. I will keep this one to talk mostly about the hardware.

Make sure to get a condenser mic

Ofcourse the most important thing that’s needed when it comes to audio recording. There are many different types of microphones and they all have different characteristics and uses. But to take the short road and get to the party early it’s basically very simple and clear to state that what you will need for good and clean audio recording, is to use a condenser microphone

A condenser microphone is a microphone which is needed to aim for the most clean and pure sounding recording. The technique that is used to reach this is beyond my knowledge or interests to know so can’t explain why. What I do can explain to you is that a condenser phone needs to get powered to function. This is essential to know since there are 2 options to do so.

Option 1: Regular condenser phone whit XLR (power supply) cable which requires an audio interface for

    its power source 

Option 2: USB Condenser phone that doesn’t require an audio interface

there are in fact lots of different phones but to make it as easy as possible and as black and white.

• Big phones with large head to catch sound are for voice
• Small and thin microphones are used for instruments
• Ribbon microphones: just forget these.
• Broadcast mics like used at the radio stations are maybe the best for multiple uses.

The only thing that is important for recording vocals the right way is to reduce as much noise as possible. These are exactly what XLR cables are made for. These cables have 3 pins that send the frequency waves over the cable to the receiving device which is the computer or interface (depending on if you are using an interface or usb condenser mic). One pin is grounded and the other two send a negative signal and a positive signal which get faded out by the ground and by that reduce the level of noise. So XLR cables are reducing noise.
But also important to note is that XLR cables can appear with one end XLR and the other one a big jack plug.

I recommend to avoid these unless you have no choice. Because XLR cables can send in both ways they can provide energy from the interface to the microphone amp that is used in condensermics. So to make sure use whenever you have an audio interface required condenser mic a end to end XLR female and XLR male.

The picture displayed here shows left the XLR cable that supplies electric energy to the mic from the audio interface. The right cable supplies no power to the mic from the interface.

costs decent condenser microphone inclusive cabling is approximately $50 to $150 dollars up to a lot higher depending on how much gains you made last craze in crypto or so. u are willing to spend depending on what is liked. I use a samson C1 which is doing well for me since 2008 and that’s 10 years now. costs about 80 bucks. Watch some tutorials for it since there are many others available now for the same prices. You may want to have one that is also very suitable for broadcasting then you look at something like

tips here are to look for reviews on the internet about these mics. Use one with a large window to catch the audio and it may be nice to have a function to control db aswel.

Audio Interface:

IF you need an audio interface, which I prefer to use, because you can connect some decent studio monitors to them and have nice sound in hq, is just the external audio card. It’s called interface because it leads the connections external. Audio interfaces are not as cheap as a studio condenser mic may be. If you don’t have the money to buy one, then that’s just spend less money this month on things you really don’t need.. because I believe having a nice audio interface is a nice asset for the longer run and totally gives more ability’s with sound anyways. I have the Focusrite scarlet 2i4. But other brands can do the job aswel, depending on the functionality, brand popularity and what’s all added in software. Say between $150 - $300

Standart

You may like to have a standard to mount the mic on. I prefer this else you need to keep it in your hand and it lays around when you don’t use it. The costs of a standart don’t need to be high. Say you’re done with $25

pop filter

A pop window is actually nothing less and nothing more than a screen which holds some fiber to mute the P sound which may peak when speaking in the mic. Pop filters prevent that peak. You can get one for about $10

Software to record with

This is the part which is completely for preference of the user. For advanced software that is meant for recording and hold a deep package of functionality Adobe Audition is the one to choose since it’s very very precise. But for only recording you don’t need expensive software to be honest. Audacity is a very advanced and FREE recording software that has high credibility and is updated often which shows development is still going on for all these years and it’s getting more advanced each time. There are for this plenty of tutorials available on how to use the software and i recommend when using this, to definitely watch some on youtube. Costs are ranging from free software to overprices like the adobe audition recording suite, however if you have a mac you can ask me to share a free copy of this in the SMA channel and I may help you, unless you have issues with behaving normal.

Apple users have a small advantage in audio recording and production because there is already a standard and free and very advanced software available called garage band because apple is most suitable and aims creative creators to be customers*.

headphones are important when recording audio, and voice in particular.

You don’t want to record music on the background but you want to record only your voice. Whenever you are recording for a song, always use headphones and listen to good headphones to the song while speaking at a distance of about 20 to 40 centimetres from the pop filter and with your mouth in the directions and hight of mouth on the same hight as where the mic is catching voice.

stereo / mono recording

stereo recording means a spreader and deep and wide sound where both speakers have a own audio file coming out of them.. Mono means there is just 1 wave recorded and that sounds both the same on the speakers.. the sound is in the middle.
mono = sound in the middle stereo = left and right.

For headset use I recommend to have a headset with big ear shells like is portrayed in the picture below. I have an AKG 271 but don’t like to use it a lot since I prefer a dj headset during audio production. It has more bass frequency’s and is maybe not as clean in sound, its just that I am so used to the sound of it that it doesn’t matter. The more lower freq. here are to me enjoying and get me pumped faster.. I believe the sound doesn’t matter to be as clean as possible if your ears are not used to it anyway. extremely expensive headsets like the AKG brand, which is made for recording, is not really a must have. What does matter is the spectrum that it portrays to have all Hz included. I would throw away in ears that came with your smartphone anyways and buy a headset for way higher quality for regular music enjoyment anyways.

But for most of all don't forget to have fun with it :D It's maybe a good thing to teach how to record in this way, and bring some more value to you and to steemit aswel :D I am happy to help and hope to add to the innitiatives of the community's around on discord a little bid by providing some tutorial and have talent come from the underground to the surface maybe.

quit the crap quality of video's and use audio to stand out from now on an win every contest like this

What I recommend for those who somehow failed to have funds to spend for the long run or want to use low budget stuff more and have less functionality's that you won't need anyway, I recommend to check for an all in one audio recording package. If you are more serious and aim for higher results and quality for the longer run and are serious about what you’re doing, just spent a little more for the little extra that may not be hearable to some but always is nice t have and comes in handy… You don’t need to spend a lot more for this, just make sure to have the complete package as above and you are good to go. In the end in software editing of the audio will make it even anyways, at least if it's done right i guess.that means if you look for instruments to add or synths to add for the interface have one with different inputs and outputs other than 2 and for mic, make sure it is suitable for different occasions for different instrument recordings and for use on more than one person to record multiple vocals at once.

I hope to help you out in the first steps.. I believe its as obvious as it can get and understandable for everyone even for the someone with a level 70 IQ's if those are around. I don’t know what is the best brand or what mics are the best and have a cheap price range either so I cannot answer questions like what to buy the best and for what price. I just recommend to look some stuff on amazon or so and then check out reviews on youtube to choose the one you like the most.

Thanks for your requests and lets record some audio now and upgrade the quality of this platforms content a little too. Leave the crappy video recordings that are making you possibly less attractive for collaborating on projects because its harder to get something done in hq. fix some easy equipment to record with and then use it to stand out in contests, challenges and where ever good quality audio can be pleasant. Stand out in quality, and add in value:)

Cheers and please let me know what you need to know next in audio recording and music production.. I am willing to do tutorials on requests so let me know what you want to know!

Seveaux.