i need to get myself a recording setup for about £200 but need help as there are so many different recording devices available, ideally id like something like a portastudio and a microphone and keep it as simple as that, id be using it to piece together ideas into songs and to record my practicing so i dont need anything too complex.

ive noticed the new tascam pocketstudio dp004, would this be a good option? i just dont want to plunge in and find that its **** after spending £200

in regards to a microphone would a simple sm57 do the job well?

all opinions welcome.

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Amp:
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I've had good results with the Line 6 Toneport but you might want to upgrade from the 4-track Ableton software that comes with it. The bass amps aren't good though and you need a drum program to actually make something worth listening. Oh, wait you're that guy who wanted those Alesis drumcomputers right?

As for microphones I can't really speak. I have a Rode NT1-A and an M1 but I've never used any others, so I'm by no means an expert. Besides that they consume the biggest part of your budget. The NT1-A is actually a really good allround mic, I use it for amps, acoustic stuff and saxophones.

Reaper works fine for recording on a pc but you don't want to go digital right?

Does that help at all?

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edirol soundcard are fairly cheap... they have direct ins or you can pick up sm57s on ebay for under £70 easy

honestly, i'd say torrent a major DAW... that's what most people on a budget do

/a

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What will you be recording?
If you're mic'ing a guitar amp than a 57 should definitely be your first port of call. Some people prefer other mics and there a million to choose from but there is a reason 57's are used so often on guitar cabs : because they work!

How do the 57s take vocals? Like, is it at least decent? Or do you need to get all professional and have a dozen mics for every possible application?

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SM58=SM57. They are exactly the same microphone with a different diaphragm housing. Go to the Shure site and discover that the frequency response of the SM58 with a switch is apparently greater to the difference between an SM58 without and an SM57!

Having said that the test Shure used probably doesn't fully account for the proximity effects and 'channelling' that the different housing make. Lemmy from Motorhead uses an SM57 for vocals. Issues of taste aside you can always tell it's Lemmy singing.

As to a small recorder to use as a notepad and rehersal reviewer? Zoom make a number of small recorders that are worth a look. One that may suit your specification is designed around the needs of 'tapers' and has a set of balanced condensor mics in an X configuration or some such and has multi-track capabilites. Should be around 200 pound too.

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So for general use, probably more guitar than vocal, which would you recommend?

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I dig the Sennheiser that I've had. SM57's are alright, but sound better on speakers to me. The Sennheisers I'm using are GREAT for vocals to my ear. Can't remember the specific model, though.

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The Audix I-5 is another option that works great for both. Sennheiser stuff is really good for the cost.

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SM 57 or 58? I'd get an SM 58 as they are a little more robust.

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Not quite, that's a popular misconception. They are similar but by no means the same...

But as to 57's on vocals, I've never been a fan but there are plenty of people out there who swear by them (in both bedroom and big time studios). I'd take a half decent condenser over a 57 for vocals and acoustic guitars any day but that introduces other problems like the need for phantom power (although many cheap multitracks have at least one channel with phantom power these days). The other downside to condensers is that they are more sensitive room acoustics.

Sorry I can't speak of exact budgets because I have no idea about gear prices in the UK, but maybe see if you can get a second hand 57 because they are often dirt cheap second hand and they are practically unbreakable so there shouldn't be a problem... then you could grab a lower end condenser like a Rode NT1 or one of the cheaper AT mics or something.
Just a thought - not sure how that fits into your budget though - sorry if I've sent you on a tangent!

That NT1-A is really sensitive. I could hear myself breathe and the metronome through the earplugs in my ear on acoustic stuff. Whether that's good thing is up to you.

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That's very true - to be honest I don't use mine so much now that I've some much snazzier things but I used an NT1 for years to record everything except guitar cabs : vocals, flute, cello, acoustic guitar, medieval instruments, percussion, as a front mic for drum kits, you name it. Used it on several releases and while it has it's faults it's none too shabby for a cheap mic.

Yeah, you told me that. I guess your idea of cheap is different from mine, lol.

By the way, I got my K&M mic stand in the mail today so I'm going to record with that M1 (dynamic) very soon.

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Well cheap compared with a C414, U87 etc... and let's not even speak of U47's, C12's, 251's etc