Kayla
I'm a beginner but hoping to play professional. So I need a bass guitar for a good price that has awesome sound! Any suggestions? Also I need to know what all I need to begin playing as soon as possible. And where should I look for one? Thanks! :) If you can answer any of these questions I would really apreciate it!
Answer
If you REALLY go on to play professionally, chances are that the instrument that is your main gigging axe as a pro will not be the same one you learn on as a beginner. Don't get ahead of yourself. What you need right now is something to learn on. By the time you're ready to buy a pro-quality instrument, you will know enough not to be asking people on Y! answers what you should get...
Do you have an actual budget? You can learn on anything, it's a matter of what you're willing to spend. Figure out what your budget is, go to a music store, and start trying stuff out. Buy the instrument that feels most comfortable in your hands and that you like the look and feel of. The staff should be willing to let you plug it in and try it out. Do the store the courtesy of actually buying from them, don't use their inventory and then go buy from the internet. If there is literally no music store anywhere near you, there are lots of websites; musician's friend, sweetwater, zzounds, and amazon for that matter.
The absolute cheapest bass you can get that is still worth playing is an SX; they're only sold online at www.rondomusic.com. They are cheapest chinese mass-produced instruments, mostly copies of Fender designs, but they are real wood and real hardware and the two I've had played quite well. You can get one for around $100 + shipping.
If you have around $300 (not counting an amp and accessories), look at a Squier from the Vintage Modified or Classic Vibe series. I wouldn't bother with the other lines of Squier, if you can't afford a VM or CV just get the SX from rondo. A Peavey Millenium or Ibanez SR300 is also worth thinking about, especially if you like very slim necks.
If you have more like $500-600, you can think about a standard Fender, or (my personal recommendation) a Yamaha BB424x. There are lots of other brands in that price range too. If you have more money than that to spend, then there are lots and lots of good instruments and you just need to try them out and see what you like; most beginners don't spend that much on a first instrument unless they're very well-heeled.
The other things you'll need are an amplifier, tuner, strap, cord, and preferably a gig bag and stand. Bass can be played fingerstyle or with a pick, you should plan on learning both. Fingers you already have, picks are very cheap (75 cents apiece or so). For an amp you should just get a cheap practice amp to start; rondo sells some for $50 or so (+ shipping), in a store it's likely to run more like $100. Eventually, when you're playing with a band, you'll need to invest at least $500 or so in an amp that has enough power to be heard over pounding drums and wailing guitars. You can get a tuner for $15 or so, straps start at about $7 (but you can spend $100 on a really nice strap if you want), cheap cords are $5 or something but it's worth spending $20 on a good one, gig bags sometimes come with the instrument but cheap ones are $20 separate, a stand will run you another $15.
Basically, I'd say plan on spending $100 on your amp and another $100 on the accessories. If you go to your local craigslist, you can often find a lot of this stuff used for maybe 30-40% less than you would spend on it new. To tell the truth, all of the basses I currently own except one I bought used - a Yamaha BB415 I got for Christmas (that's the only new one), a custom bass I got used, an acoustic bass I got in trade, and an SX I bought from a guy on craigslist.
If you REALLY go on to play professionally, chances are that the instrument that is your main gigging axe as a pro will not be the same one you learn on as a beginner. Don't get ahead of yourself. What you need right now is something to learn on. By the time you're ready to buy a pro-quality instrument, you will know enough not to be asking people on Y! answers what you should get...
Do you have an actual budget? You can learn on anything, it's a matter of what you're willing to spend. Figure out what your budget is, go to a music store, and start trying stuff out. Buy the instrument that feels most comfortable in your hands and that you like the look and feel of. The staff should be willing to let you plug it in and try it out. Do the store the courtesy of actually buying from them, don't use their inventory and then go buy from the internet. If there is literally no music store anywhere near you, there are lots of websites; musician's friend, sweetwater, zzounds, and amazon for that matter.
The absolute cheapest bass you can get that is still worth playing is an SX; they're only sold online at www.rondomusic.com. They are cheapest chinese mass-produced instruments, mostly copies of Fender designs, but they are real wood and real hardware and the two I've had played quite well. You can get one for around $100 + shipping.
If you have around $300 (not counting an amp and accessories), look at a Squier from the Vintage Modified or Classic Vibe series. I wouldn't bother with the other lines of Squier, if you can't afford a VM or CV just get the SX from rondo. A Peavey Millenium or Ibanez SR300 is also worth thinking about, especially if you like very slim necks.
If you have more like $500-600, you can think about a standard Fender, or (my personal recommendation) a Yamaha BB424x. There are lots of other brands in that price range too. If you have more money than that to spend, then there are lots and lots of good instruments and you just need to try them out and see what you like; most beginners don't spend that much on a first instrument unless they're very well-heeled.
The other things you'll need are an amplifier, tuner, strap, cord, and preferably a gig bag and stand. Bass can be played fingerstyle or with a pick, you should plan on learning both. Fingers you already have, picks are very cheap (75 cents apiece or so). For an amp you should just get a cheap practice amp to start; rondo sells some for $50 or so (+ shipping), in a store it's likely to run more like $100. Eventually, when you're playing with a band, you'll need to invest at least $500 or so in an amp that has enough power to be heard over pounding drums and wailing guitars. You can get a tuner for $15 or so, straps start at about $7 (but you can spend $100 on a really nice strap if you want), cheap cords are $5 or something but it's worth spending $20 on a good one, gig bags sometimes come with the instrument but cheap ones are $20 separate, a stand will run you another $15.
Basically, I'd say plan on spending $100 on your amp and another $100 on the accessories. If you go to your local craigslist, you can often find a lot of this stuff used for maybe 30-40% less than you would spend on it new. To tell the truth, all of the basses I currently own except one I bought used - a Yamaha BB415 I got for Christmas (that's the only new one), a custom bass I got used, an acoustic bass I got in trade, and an SX I bought from a guy on craigslist.
How do you start professionally recording music?
AussiePrid
What tools are best for recording music, rock music, with
x3 Guitar (1 Bass, 2 Treble)
Keyboard
Vocals
Drums
Answer
First decide exactly what you want to do. Let's say you want to produce songs with drums, keyboard, 3 vocals, bass, 2 guitars. You would need a 16 track digital audio workstation (DAW), either a computer-based system if you already have a good enough computer, or a stand-alone DAW, like the ones I linked. Why 16? Because you'll want at least two tracks for drums (maybe 4 or 6), two for stereo keys. Do not get exactly how many tracks you think you want. You will grow out of them, I promise. DAWs typically have CD burners, so you can take your project all the way to CD. Send that in along with your artwork to a duplicating house like dvd-cdinc.com or Discmakers, and you're ready to sell your music.
Very important: Buy a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. Any decent salesperson will know what this is. They are more expensive than dynamic mic's, but this is a very important investment. Small diaphragm is second choice, followed by dynamic. A large-diaphragm mic is what you would use for vocals and acoustic guitars. You can use less-expensive mic's on other instruments.
If you want to record real drums, you'll want to consider mic'ing most of the drums separately. Shure SM57 and SM58 are $100. These have been industry standards for decades, and they take a pounding. They are good for drums, guitar amps, and other instruments. You can buy them in a package with a special bass drum mic (link below). Add to that a pair of small-diaphragm mic's (link) for "overheads" - for cymbals and overall ambience, and you have a great drum mic kit. For a smaller budget you can just get the overhead pair and a bass drum mic.
You'll need to monitor your music (listen while recording and mixing) so you'll need a decent power amp and speakers (monitors) or powered speakers. Good monitors are an important investment, too, because they are your window to the ears of your audience. They need to be accurate, because your music will be heard through ear pods, headphones, computer speakers, in cars, and good stereo speakers. Your best shot at sounding your best in all those formats is to buy decent monitors. You can get budget ones for around $300, but they only really start to get good at $600. Lots of people use headphones to monitor. That's OK if it's all you can afford, but your ears tire out after long sessions. The better the monitors, the longer you can listen without fatigue. You will need a set of headphones for when you're recording acoustic instruments; you can't have speakers on while recording with microphones in the same room.
One very important but overlooked aspect of studio recording is acoustical treatment. It can get very pricey, and there are a lot of expensive and useless products. I've included a link to some excellent advice for room treatment. I recommend Roxul brand rigid fiberglas, called rockboard, insulation board, etc. The article will tell you how to use it.
Once you have a good idea of what you want to accomplish, find a knowledgeable salesperson who will help you fill in the blanks. The type of set-up I've illustrated here is fairly expensive, so have a budget in mind when you talk to them. Try sweetwater.com.
There's nothing wrong with getting an 8-track DAW, a $100 microphone and a set of headphones. Learn the basics. This will prepare you for better-informed decisions when you're ready for the serious gear.
It's a real adventure. Have fun.
First decide exactly what you want to do. Let's say you want to produce songs with drums, keyboard, 3 vocals, bass, 2 guitars. You would need a 16 track digital audio workstation (DAW), either a computer-based system if you already have a good enough computer, or a stand-alone DAW, like the ones I linked. Why 16? Because you'll want at least two tracks for drums (maybe 4 or 6), two for stereo keys. Do not get exactly how many tracks you think you want. You will grow out of them, I promise. DAWs typically have CD burners, so you can take your project all the way to CD. Send that in along with your artwork to a duplicating house like dvd-cdinc.com or Discmakers, and you're ready to sell your music.
Very important: Buy a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. Any decent salesperson will know what this is. They are more expensive than dynamic mic's, but this is a very important investment. Small diaphragm is second choice, followed by dynamic. A large-diaphragm mic is what you would use for vocals and acoustic guitars. You can use less-expensive mic's on other instruments.
If you want to record real drums, you'll want to consider mic'ing most of the drums separately. Shure SM57 and SM58 are $100. These have been industry standards for decades, and they take a pounding. They are good for drums, guitar amps, and other instruments. You can buy them in a package with a special bass drum mic (link below). Add to that a pair of small-diaphragm mic's (link) for "overheads" - for cymbals and overall ambience, and you have a great drum mic kit. For a smaller budget you can just get the overhead pair and a bass drum mic.
You'll need to monitor your music (listen while recording and mixing) so you'll need a decent power amp and speakers (monitors) or powered speakers. Good monitors are an important investment, too, because they are your window to the ears of your audience. They need to be accurate, because your music will be heard through ear pods, headphones, computer speakers, in cars, and good stereo speakers. Your best shot at sounding your best in all those formats is to buy decent monitors. You can get budget ones for around $300, but they only really start to get good at $600. Lots of people use headphones to monitor. That's OK if it's all you can afford, but your ears tire out after long sessions. The better the monitors, the longer you can listen without fatigue. You will need a set of headphones for when you're recording acoustic instruments; you can't have speakers on while recording with microphones in the same room.
One very important but overlooked aspect of studio recording is acoustical treatment. It can get very pricey, and there are a lot of expensive and useless products. I've included a link to some excellent advice for room treatment. I recommend Roxul brand rigid fiberglas, called rockboard, insulation board, etc. The article will tell you how to use it.
Once you have a good idea of what you want to accomplish, find a knowledgeable salesperson who will help you fill in the blanks. The type of set-up I've illustrated here is fairly expensive, so have a budget in mind when you talk to them. Try sweetwater.com.
There's nothing wrong with getting an 8-track DAW, a $100 microphone and a set of headphones. Learn the basics. This will prepare you for better-informed decisions when you're ready for the serious gear.
It's a real adventure. Have fun.
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