SE Electronics X1S Vocal Pack

The SE Electronics X1S Vocal Pack is a complete recording set aimed at recording vocals. The set includes a large-diaphragm condenser microphone, a shockmount with a pop filter and a microphone cable.

The SE Electronics X1S Microphone

The X1S is the microphone included with the SE Electronics X1 Vocal Pack. This is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone that is versatile for use in the studio. It is therefore suitable for recording voices but also acoustic instruments such as guitar or percussion. However, the microphone combined with this package is specifically designed for vocals. The X1S is a fantastic-sounding and impressive microphone capable of recording every detail. The microphone features a low AF filter and a -10db attenuator. It is manufactured entirely by hand and to SE Electronics' strict quality standards.

Shockmount

The package comes complete with a shockmount. A shockmount is a clamp that can be attached to a microphone stand and into which the microphone can then be rotated. The microphone can also be mounted on a stand without a shockmount, but the shockmount has an added value, as it prevents contact sounds from being recorded.

A professional pop filter is integrated into the shockmount. This pop filter prevents signal peaks caused by words with the powerful P's and B's. This filter ensures that these signals are filtered out.

Cable

The microphone package comes with a 3-metre XLR cable.

The UR816C

The UR816C is a great interface from Steinberg. Steinberg is a German company that produces high-quality audio products. They are mostly known for their DAW: Cubase. However, they also produce high-quality interfaces. The UR816C is a versatile and handy interface. The device has eight microphone inputs and eight instrument inputs. However, the eight microphone inputs share the inputs with the instrument inputs, meaning you can only use eight inputs at the same time. All inputs have their own separate volume knob. The interface also has a stereo output and a MIDI-in and -out. Moreover, the device also has four stereo line outputs. You can also listen to your audio with headphones, the device has two headphone inputs. The UR816C has separate volume knobs for the headphones and the stereo output. Furthermore, you can connect the UR816C to your computer with the included USB cable. Additionally, Cubase AI and Cubasis LE are included with your purchase. Cubase AI is a scaled-back version of the famous Cubase Pro, and Cubasis LE is specifically designed for recording and mixing on your iPhone or iPad. Moreover, dspMixFX and FX Basic Suite are also included. The UR816C produces high-quality audio, with 32-bit/192 kHz resolution, and is versatile in its use. As such, you can record music, but it’s also suitable as an audio interface for visual media. This makes the interface also popular for content creators and podcasters.

Cubase Pro

Cubase

Cubase is one of the best recording programs in the industry. Cubase is thus increasingly used by professionals. This is because Cubase is a versatile program that works very intuitively. There are technically three different versions of Cubase: Elements, Artist, and Pro. These three versions have different prices and consequently also different functions and plug-ins. Elements is the most affordable version and has thus the least functions and plug-ins, whilst Pro has all the functions and plug-ins. The Artist version falls exactly in between the two. These three versions make Cubase a lot more accessible for beginners because you can already do a lot with just Elements without having to pay hundreds of euros. Do you want to upgrade? No problem, you don’t have to pay the full price of the next program but only the upgrade price.

Pro

Pro is, although quite an investment, the best version of Cubase. You can record different instruments and vocals with so little latency it won’t even be noticeable. Furthermore, all the bars are separated in handy boxes which makes synchronising, cutting, pasting, and dragging a lot easier. The system also has a built-in metronome so you can record your parts whilst staying on beat. Do you dislike the sound of the metronome? No problem, you can choose between different sounds and pitches. Recorded audio is also easy to edit with the added tools (like fades and EQ), effects, and plug-ins. Consequently, you can make the recording as beautiful as possible. Additionally, Steinberg made sure that there are sounds, effects, and plug-ins for every single genre possible. Pro also gives you access to VariAudio 3, which makes it possible to alter the pitch of individual notes of monophonic audio. You can also quantize multiple tracks at the same time and with ARA support editing the audio becomes even easier. With the Project Browser, Track Archives, and Project Import navigating the program will be a lot easier. Pro also gives you access to Audio Alignment, which automatically synchronizes your audio perfectly. This is especially nice if you struggle with latency. Furthermore, you can edit multiple tracks simultaneously with Group Editing. The program can be used with MIDI devices or through an interface.

The differences

One of the most important differences is that Elements has a limited amount of tracks, whilst Artist and Pro have an unlimited amount of tracks. With Elements you are also limited to 16 groups whereas Artist has a limit of 32 and Pro has a limit of 256. Pro has the most effects, sounds, and plug-ins of the three versions. This version is thus the most ‘complete’ and is predominantly used by professional sound engineers. The extra functions mainly make mixing and mastering easier and faster, whilst Elements and Artist are still whole programs with which you can make high-quality music. You can always expand the program further with third-party plug-ins, instruments, and effects.