Note: The below Pro Tools rig no longer exists. For two different options of studios for only $300, check this out.
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Earlier this week in Part 1 of this post, I encouraged musicians looking for the best deal in home recording to pick up an Mbox 2 Mini from Avid. For a mere $295, the Mbox 2 Mini can be the hub of your personal studio allowing you to get high quality audio in and out of your computer. And the best part is, it comes with Pro Tools recording software for FREE, giving you everything you need to write, record, edit, mix, and master your songs right out of the box. Seriously folks this is a great deal.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that when you purchase a Pro Tools LE system (like the Mbox) you get a whole slew of useful software that will help you make great songs in no time. Here is a short list of the most powerful ones you get and how they can help you make great music, now!
Your Virtual Drummer
When you fire up a new Pro Tools session, one of the best things you can do is start off your song with some pro sounding drum tracks. Not a drummer? No problem. Pro Tools ships with a free copy of FXpansion BFD virtual drum program. You get to pick what type of kit you like, what style you need, and then you can trigger pre recorded patterns by real drummers in a real room, with a ton of expensive mics tracking every hit! How sweet is that?
What if you aren’t actually going for that natural acoustic drum sound? What if you need more of a hip hop beat or dance groove? Simply open up Avid’s very own vintage drum machine plugin, Boom! Use one of the thousands of pre programmed patterns, or make your own! Honestly getting drums into your song has never been faster or better sounding.
Vintage Amps Galore
So you’ve laid down some great drum tracks in minutes. And perhaps you’d like to get a great guitar part down to sculpt the song. You could take your mic and throw it on the grill of your guitar amp (you do have one don’t you?), but what if you want to pick form multiple different amp tones? And what if it’s 2:00 in the morning and the people living below you might not like you cranking it up while they’re sleeping? Why not use a virtual amp!
Pro Tools ships with a free version of Eleven, which is a totally realistic (the best I’ve found) amp modeling plugin. Plug in your guitar directly to the Mbox, fire up Eleven, pick an amp, tweak the knobs and press record! If you nail the perfect take but actually needed a different guitar tone, just change the setting on the plugin and keep the recorded track! Simple as that!
Your Singing Just Got Better
When it comes time to lay down your vocals for a song, sometimes you just don’t nail it in one take…or 2 or 3. And even after using Pro Tools’ comping feature to piece together the best out of all your takes, you may need a little help to tighten up a few notes (or all of them). This is where a pitch correction plugin comes into play. The one that started it all, Auto Tune, is probably the most famous (and most abused…think Cher or T-Pain). But the most subtle and helpful program out there in my opinion is Melodyne from Celemony…and you get a free version with your Pro Tools system!
The simple visual display of your recording makes it super easy to grab an off note and drag it to where it “needs” to be. This can be as subtle or as drastic as you want, but either way it is fast, easy, and sounds really good. Trust me when I say that this is a life saver, even on the best of singers!
A World of Possibilities
These are just a few of the most helpful programs that come free with your Pro Tools system. They are powerful, sound great, and are easy to use. But one of the even cooler things that you can do in Pro Tools (or any DAW really) is play their virtual instruments to add more amazing sounds to your sessions.
With the addition of a simple USB powered keyboard controller you can “play” pretty much any instrument imaginable! For example, ever want to lay down a smooth cello line to your ballad, or a fat synth to fuzz up your bass tone, or even add some classic piano parts to your pop rock masterpiece? In just minutes you can add these sounds to your session and begin filling out the tracks so they sound like a more professional arrangement.
Get To It…
So there you have it. A great little studio for $500. Honestly, you don’t need anything else to make great recordings in your home. There is no excuse…save up some dollars, grab the basic gear I’ve suggested, and get to making music!
Comments
[...] To Come… Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post where I’ll talk about how to get the most out of your $500 home studio setup! Filed [...]
[...] is that you can arrange the whole song, not just the primary instrumentation. With the use of virtual instruments, amp modeling, drum loops, and multi-channel vocal recording you can capture the ideas for the whole band, even as you fly [...]
[...] To Come… Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post where I’ll talk about how to get the most out of your $500 home studio setup! [...]
wow……………this is so so interesting……………thanks alot ………am gonna follow your advice….people like you are rear to find…i appreciate everything you have said..and am gonna start mine soon..thanks again.
you did not add the studio monitor…please what monitor will the the job at a very affordable price?
I didn’t add studio monitors but instead studio headphones. That is all you need to get started. As far as good monitors at a good price. Alesis, M-Audio, and Behringer all have great speakers at under $400 a pair
I think it’s worth mentioning that these versions of FXpansion BFD, Eleven and Melodyne are all the lite versions or more or less the demos of each. You’re not going to get the full version of any of those without paying extra for them. You can’t pitch correct in the Melodyne version that comes with Pro Tools. You can only change keys, lengthen notes, ect…
Other than that, I like these blogs. Thanks!
A Law – True these are “lite” versions, but they are not demos. And actually, you CAN pitch correct with the included Melodyne Essential. It works great, that’s why I recommend it. Thanks for commenting though!
Hey Thanks Graham!! Your advise is fantastic.. I just did everything you suggested.. Got the M-Box Mini, B1 condenser, mic stand, all the cables & an external HDD for storage and backup, ect ect ect.. I’m going to use a spare PC I’ve had lying around, I’ll wipe it clean and re-install XP just running PT LE 8.. Cant wait to get into it !! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on your blog for tips and tricks! ….
I’m just a bit worried about the reviews on the B1, many say it’s highly sensitive, and i have a very diverse and powerful vox going on, so i’m a bit worried about that.. Any suggestions?? Oh and also my house has a brilliant 18 foot roof in the lounge room (where i wanted to set up my little studio.. next to the electric/midi baby grand) Do u think it would be a very good idea to record vox in an environment that has a natural echo already??
Hello from Australia !!
Cheers Mate !!
Mike
Mike, thanks for the comment. I think you’ll be really pleased with your new studio setup. The B1 is a great mic so don’t worry. All condensers are pretty sensitive. As far as recording in the big room, it’s a matter of preference. It will give you a natural reverb or echo that you can’t take out of the recording. Many people prefer recording vocals dry (maybe in a closet with a lot of clothes). THen you can add reverb later if need be. Enjoy!
Great, thank you !! I’ll give it a shot.. In the closet lol.. Hey you should have a facility on here that tailors for picture uploads, and maybe even a membership and members area where you can have access to chat rooms.. that would rok !!
I just read your news letter, which answered why there is no forum on here. Your keeping it straight forward with no confusion!! I’ve suggested you to everyone i know, even producers who are up and running and have been for years. They all think your brilliant !!
Mike…thanks so much my friend. It means a lot!
What would you recommend for recording drums? I’m a drummer looking to record my band. But i obviously don’t want to simulate my drums. Any Suggestions? Thanks so much man
Hey Tom…I wrote a post on this a while back:
http://therecordingrevolution.com/2009/10/22/drums-in-the-home-studio/
This can give you a starting point of what you might need to get the job done!
hey man, if i have a usb mic, (but still have the m-box with nothing pluged into it) will protools work?
Protools will open up if you have the mbox plugged in. But up until version 9, pro tools will only accept microphone signals that come THROUGH the mbox. I.E. the usb mic wouldn’t work in Pro Tools.
Hi Graham,
Thanks so much for the post and all your time! It’s been very helpful. If I were to purchase a used Mbox 2 or 3 with an older version of Pro Tools (I.E. Pro Tools 7 LE or PT8) and then bought the upgrade to PT9, would that work? Also, I’m debating between the Mbox Mini and the Mbox Pro.
Thanks again!
Izzy – That can totally work. The upgrade from Pro Tools LE is around $250 US I believe. As far as the mini vs the pro, it really only depends on your connectivity needs. Both have the same sonic quality.
[...] you bought a Pro Tools system in the last 4 years or so (like the one included in the $500 studio I recommend) then you received a free copy of Melodyne called Melodyne Essential. It is a one track version [...]