So yeah, I just graduated, And in doing so received way more graduation money than anticipated. It has been my dream to record my own music, which I have been in several bands and we recorded on one of my mates audio interfaces, but he's moved away and is attended college. Anyways, i want to buy some of the equipment necessary to do so. I want to make Indie/Synthpop sounding music like Mac Demarco and Homeshake. I need a synthesizer still, but heres what i consider purchasing:
-Novation mininova
-Lexicon Alpha
-Casio privia px-160
-Yeti Snowball mic
I already own amps and a Mac with Fl Studio on it so i wont have to worry about any of that equipment. Any suggestions/tips? I thought about not buying the mic and just using the mic that comes with the MN but im not sure how the quality of the stock mic is. Note that i also don't want to break the bank right off the bat
>>65486070
>I want to make Indie/Synthpop sounding music like Mac Demarco
>>65486099
To each his own I guess
>>65486070
don't get the snowball, there are better options
>>65486213
Such as?
>>65486213
disregard what I just said. I thought you meant the blue snowball. the yeti should be fine
>Yeti Snowball mic
>I thought about not buying the mic and just using the mic from the MN
No. These are both terrible options for vocals. Get a Shure SM57. It sounds great, it's cheap, and can be used to mic any instrument. You'll need an interface or some sort of powered USB connector though. If you're planning on recording a lot of music on your computer, you should get an interface anyway. That Lexicon Alpha seems... acceptable but really just get a Presonus Firebox or a Scarlett 2i2.
>Mac with FL Studio
I highly recommend ditching FL Studio and pirating Logic or Pro Tools. FL Studio is incredibly electronic-oriented and I wouldn't recommend it for indie rock.
As for the synths, the fact is most good ones are expensive and out of your price range. You can get some stupid ironic cheap Yamaha from a thrift store like Mac did. Or you can get a big MIDI controller keyboard, pirate Native Instruments, and have access to wonderful sounding synths and pianos. I recommend going that route as it is the best bang for your buck.
>>65486254
sorry i meant presonus audiobox, not firebox
>>65486254
>I highly recommend ditching FL Studio and pirating Logic or Pro Tools
I actually used logic for a bit before and I hated it. I've just always used FL. I've used FL to make Metalcore so I dont think it would be that bad
>>65486070
the privia keyboard is nice, love the weight and the feel but you might wanna get a midi controller, unless you're all about the weight and the feel of the keys.
the recommended usb interface these days is the scarlett 2i2 (or 2i4 if you need midi ports) but anything decent will do, i was short on cash and got an old 16 bit m audio "mobilepre" for $20 off ebay which I'm still using with no problems.
the mic you're buying is not very good for music. It's USB, which means it has a shitty built in preamp and you won't be able to use it with your interface... if your interface has decent pres, that will help get nice recordings from your mic.
I've seen pic related (Audiotechnica AT2020) recommended in various places as an entry level large diaphragm condenser mic for vocals and instruments (make sure your interface has phantom power before buying a condenser mic). I recommend you look into it and similar mics. Also a handy multi-purpose mic you can use for instruments (most people use them for guitar amps and snare drums) is the Shure SM57, which you can get for ~$100. It's not great for vocals though (still decent).
>>65486070
buy an arturia microbrute or a Korg Ms-20 mini
>>65486604
I've made up my mind on the synthesizer. And besides the Microbrute would be way too hard to manage. It only has like 2 octaves
>>65486070
>>65486590
Oh yeah and I forgot, be sure to invest in a monitoring system. I would recommend a decent pair of headphones (AKG k240, Sennheiser HD280, Sony V6/7506) + monitor speakers (KRK Rokit 5, Yamaha HS5; if your room is large and treated go for the 8 inch cone versions).
Good luck, and here's a video where Mac de Marco shows his home studio; you might wanna check out his setup if you like his style https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JStLz_vkEm8
Since you already decided on a mininova (good choice btw), just get a sp-404sx, a shure sm57/58, ableton live and a decent audio interface
The fx on the sp404 and/or Live should be good enough. Dont buy meme gear like a snowball mic
>>65487048
okay cool, this sounds good
>>65487048
Why not a korg Kp3 instead of an sp404sx? it has a nice interface to it
>>65486516
FL is a garbage software. Logic gets a bad rep because it's simple but it's great for recording and you can make some interesting shit with it
>>65488164
I honestly think that when t comes down to DAWs its just preference. Its not like one software is going to prevent a certian type of sound from sounding as good as another software. That would be stupid on the companies part. I'm just used to using FL. I've used it all my life practically
Don't get a presonus audiobox. I have one and it pops and buzzes. Maybe a scarlett instead, I've heard good things about them.
>>65487909
Yeah, the kp3 is cool for editing/chopping samples on the go, but sounds like shit. I realized this when I got an sp404 after using a kp3 for years, night and day
The kaossilator pro is ok I guess if you need beats/basslines, but its basically a preset machine
>>65486070
Don't know much about Synthpop production but for synths, if you could afford one, I would go with something older, sadly I only have a DX7, though it's internal synth does encompass a lot of 80's vibe that I think might work for synthpop. If a hardware synth is out of budget a midi controller keyboard will work fine with most of the pre-installed plugins on FL. Install free VSTs, for a retro sound I recommend plugin synths like Leto, Feldspar, Pterosaur, and famisynth (all free).
For Mics, I haven't had much experience and I currently own a Rode NT-1, it sounds crisp and clean.
For DAWs, you should be fine with FL no matter what these faggots say. If you feel that you must, you can get Ableton or Protools, they have good record-in abilities.
>>65489009
Can recommend a Scarlett 6i6 or any Scarlett really.
It will sometimes buzz and pop if you are behind on drivers or have a laggy computer. Works shitty on Windows 8, 7 and 10 are great though. Don't know about other OSs.
