Please could someone who has the mic that comes with this setup recommend a stand for the mic? Iām really not sure what to go with.
Thank you. 
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Tssss 
Unfortunately I canāt help you, Iāve only read a lot that you should never buy a mic stand that is too cheap, they break quickly,
Greetings
@SgtColon the mic that comes with the 2i2 has a adapter that
screws on to a standard mic stand. It works OK but isnāt the best
holder for a condenser mic. It will pick up vibrations
One of these works better.
https://images.app.goo.gl/eean7eg5fWw3437Q6
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Thanks guys, Iāll have a look and see what I can find, hopefully before the OM. 
Wow, this thread is a goldmine of useful information. Iām also considering to invest in some recording equipment, and the 2i2 and 4i4 really look user-friendly and good quality products.
I checked out the Focusrite website and read the user manual for the 2i2, and there are 2 things that are still not entirely clear to me so Iād appreciate your insights:
- In case I want to record my electric guitar, does this audio interface eliminate the need for the usual guitar amp (incl. built-in effects, delay, reverb, etc) completely?
- If I wanted to record my electric guitar with a pedal, would the guitar - cable - pedal - cable - audio interface route work as with guitar amps?
Also, there has been some discussion above about the microphones, but I donāt know too much about them. Which type would you recommend for recording acoustic guitar? I would probably be able to buy the 2i2 or 4i4 virtually for free, so I could spend the money I save on a mic and a cable.
Also, Iām not at a stage where I could play and āsingā at the same time (probably never will be, when I try it I muck up either the words, the music or both, and my voice is not very good anyway), so if it came to using my vocal cords, overdubbing would be the way to go, ideally with the same mic.
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I really like the Focusrite Scarlet. I donāt use it much with a microphone or acoustic so will leave those parts but on the electric guitar and amp questions then my understanding is:
You would want something to shape the tone of the electric guitar and not just the sound of the strings and pickups. But itās more about shaping the sound or tone than āamplifyingā it.
You donāt need a physical āampā if you are using a software āampā which eg GarageBand and others have built in - so yes you can plug electric guitar straight in (DI) without an amp but then into some software to act as amp instead. This can get complicated to then route to eg zoom / Skype etc but there are threads on that on the forum.
Yes you can plug in to a pedal and then into the audio interface but youād likely only do that with pedals that youād typically put in front of an amp rather than in and fx loop or after. So your Wah pedal, distortion, overdrive would likely be used but less so reverb etc. What it sounds like would depend on how the software amp responds to different sound going in. Youād need to try it out. Some of the software packages may have software pedals also. I decided on a middle ground so I use a pedal āampā which shapes the sound on the pedal board so I donāt need a ārealā amp with speaker etc and I go direct into the audio interface from my pedal board. You will likely then want reasonable speakers then (rather than built in computer ones)ā¦
Iām not sure how much mileage you would get with the packaged software - have a look / listen first if that is what you are thinking of. The easily accessible ones are unlikely to be as good as your Fender Mustang I (V.2) combo amp if thatās what you are using and happy with and I understand that has USB audio interface built in so will likely give better sound capture that way than itās headphone out into the Focusrite or with a microphone in front of it.
I guess the short version is that if you are happy with the sound of your current amp and can plug that straight in via usb to record then the benefit of the audio interface and mic would be more for voice and acoustic guitars.
Sorry for the long post! Hope some of that makes senseā¦?!? 
[Another option for recording acoustic from phone or computer etc is something like the Shure MV88+ which is effectively a usb mic so can be used on computer as well. Iāve not tried it on acoustic guitar yet but I use it with my upright piano as it was simpler and easier than trying to do via audio interfaces and mics etc but improves the quality compared to the phone built in mic (in my view). Iāll record something and upload. It adds up to about the same so might depend if your music stockist sell something like that]
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Thanks @grayal for the detailed answer
Yes, thatās the combo amp Iāve been using. As you mentioned, I can connect it to my laptop via USB, and I downloaded the Fender Fuse software as well which increases the tone options considerably.
The way I can record it at the moment is to use Audacity, but then I always have to apply the Normalize effect to increase the volume of the recording to a listenable level. (Maybe there are some tweaks to overcome this.)
The Shure MV88+ also looks interesting, thanks for the recommendation.
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In terms of your questions @grayal has answered it pretty well. You need something to shape your tone on electric so you either do that with pedals ( you can get amp sim pedals - look at Joyos and others), you can mic an amp or you just record the ādryā guitar signal through the interface and then apply an amp effect in the DAW ( which is probably the most complicated approachā¦ at least to get straight in your head to start withā¦ but quite easy when understood).
However if your amp already has an audio interface you donāt need a separate one ( unless you want to record acoustic and/or vocals). Plugging your amp into your pc/laptop will allow you to record your track in your DAW with amp and fx from the amp ( youāll need to download and install amp drivers from the amp manufacturers website.).
The two mains types of mic are dynamic E.g shure SM57 and condenser mics. Dynamic mics donāt require additional power and really only pick up sound that is close to them. A condenser mic requires phantom power ( usually provided by an audio interface) and will pick sound up from all over the room.
To record acoustic guitar youāll need an audio interface. If itās an electro acoustic you can plug it straight into the interface. If itās just an acoustic you use a microphone. A condenser mic is ideal in this situation. As grayal has suggested you might get a good enough recording from a good quality usb mic
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On the mustangs I believe there is a button and knob combination that will allow you to increase the USB gain which should increase the level of recording and reduce your need to increase the volume.
This wiki here explains it >> USB Gain | Fender Mustang Amps and Fuse Wikia | Fandom
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Thanks for the link. I was about to ask where this option could be found.
I found this after the discussion yesterday and think it gives a pretty fair demo and overview of some of the options: How To Record Guitars For Instagram, TikTok & Youtube - Better Sounding Videos Made Easy! - YouTube
In particular for me I hadnāt appreciated the difference / use of dynamic vs condenser mic so was interesting to see the tips on that.
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An interesting video. Thanks for that Al.
Thank you for this video, is very informative and very useful for recording newbies like myself.
Regarding the Scarlet, I got recently and electric guitar and the Boss Katana Amp, which I just found out can be used to record as well.
Now after seeing this video Iām doubting between getting the scarlet+mic or just a USB mic, since I can record guitar with the amp , maybe getting the scarlet is a bit overkill.
Hope some experienced friend can help me out!
Cheers!
I think it all depends on what your interests and goals are. There are so many good options available depending on your situation.
Iām not an expert and certainly donāt use it for anything serious but Iāve been capturing ideas and progress regularly (once or twice a week) for last 4+ months on piano and now also guitar. I do however really enjoy this side of it as much as the playing and it probably showsā¦
As such I can offer more what Iāve found works for me and why Iāve chosen certain options rather than being able to tell you what route to followā¦ 
I use the usb mic on my phone for āsingle takeā type recordings that I can trim and use straight away. My upright piano is in my kitchen / dining room so it needs to be kid and cat proof which cables and boom mics wouldnāt be. I can prop my phone with mic on a stool, do a recording and my focus is on the playing not the recording. Similar if I am camping and Iām strumming away on an acoustic guitar and want to capture it.
I use the Focusrite in a more permanent setup where I am lucky enough to have taken over a corner of a bedroom and have computer, speakers and guitar all permanently plugged in and ready to pick up and use. Itās in an āalways ready to goā state. I can record straight into a DAW and easily combine several instruments or layers.
A bit like the ākeep your guitar out of its case in a room you useā type advice - think about what would be convenient for how and where you plan to use it.
It also depends where you want to go longer term - if you are likely to change amps to one that doesnāt have usb at some point or want to play with software amps or pedals etc and are interested in setting up and recording into a computer then the audio interface will give you good long term options. Similarly - the audio interface approach gives good options for acoustic guitars and singing. Having a gain dial on the front of the audio interface that lights up when it reaches close to or starts to clip is really helpful and harder to see than when itās done in software. Do you want to just quickly record and share ideas or want to get into recording and editing and playing with the sound and the mix etc?
USB mics are also more expensive than equivalent quality XLR mics as you are paying for the built in audio interface.
As with all gear - I think itās worth exploring and recording and experimenting with whatās to hand until you find itās limits. Itās easy to get pulled into the gear side of itā¦
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Thanks so much for sharing!
My idea is to record acoustic and voice so will have to end up getting a condenser mic probably.
Also the possibility of recording the guitar directly into the Scarlett and playing around with plug-ins and effects seems very interesting.
Iāve seen Focusrite has a sort of Home Studio Pack with headphones and mic, Iāll have to decide between that and getting a mic separately (I read good things about the Rode nt1a).
Thanks again, cheers
I would general avoid USB mics for music production. Yes, they seem convenient and inexpensive, but they tend to be quite limited.
As has already been pointed out, when you buy a USB mic you are also buying an onboard audio interface. Unless you are buying a high-end USB mic, then itās almost certainly going to be poorer quality than buying a separate mic and AI.
With a proper audio interface, you can chose whether to use it with a microphone, or plug in an instrument. And you can get different mics to use with your AI if you want.
Plus a normal mic is handy if you ever want to perform, and an XLR mic lead can run far further than a USB cable if you need it.
Cheers,
Keith
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Thanks Al, this was indeed an interesting video!
Iām also considering this advice I received in my learning log from @DavidP:
And I guess if it comes to miking the amp as shown in the video, it can also be done with the 2i2 / 4i4.
Plus this audio-synching & video editing bit seems interesting. Iāve never really tried it before (didnāt have the equipment and need for it) but I think Iāll give it a try.
One lightbulb moment in the video was when he first switched to the dynamic microphone in front of the amp, and I recognized that cushioned kind of typical radio DJ tone, something that can get on my nerves
If I understand correctly, the condenser mikes are more suitable for moderate volumes and the cardioid pattern reduces the background noise picked up by the mike. Do you think something like this would be suitable for recording acoustic guitar or miking an amp?
Hi @DavidP thats a really helpful explanation about the mics, but I donāt understand how you blend the phone camera recording with a separate audio recording. Do you do that with the Reaper software you mention? Does that remove the audio from the phone so you can overlay the audio recorded through the mic. Sorry if this is a really stupid question!
If itās a stupid question then color me stupid, too! After posting my first recording a few days ago I have started thinking a lot about whether I want to invest in a little equipment to improve the recordings I may do in the future. Iām very intimidated by the whole AI / DAW idea.
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