Sound Card / Interface help please!!!

Z

Zorlee

New member
Hey!
I want to build up a little home studio, and I've figured that I could start with a good interface on my computer. I was thinking of a interface with about 8 mic inputs (does this sound ok?) so I can play with my drumset on it and I would have appresiated if there were any jack inputs for my bass and guitar player. My budget for this interface is about 500-550 (MAXIMUM 600, but NO more)...
Please help me!

And another question: Is it possible (just a temporary thing) to put the mic cables from the drums directly into my interface on my computer without letting it go through a mixer? I was thinking about mixing the recordings on my computer, in the beginning at least, with a studioprogram. Can I get good quality sound without letting the mic's go through a mixer before getting into the interface? Help me on this one, I REALLY NEED ANSWERS!

So, my final question is, is it possible to get good quality recordings with drums and drums with other instruments with:

- 2,8 Prossesor, 512 MB DD-ram (Pc requirements)
- A good interface with 8 mic inputs and some jack inputs (or more inputs, I don't mind, just it fits to my budget)
- Studio Program
- Drum Mic's with cables etc.

Later on I'll get a mixer...

Thank you so much for your answers in the future!


PS: I want to be able to mix the sounds of the drumset, so I f.ex. can take down the volume on the snare, and more volume to the kick etc.
 
I think 8 separate in's is going to be more than plenty for mic'ing drums. Lots of people do it with 4 - kick, snare, and 2 overheads. I'm just going from what I've read/heard - I have VERY limited experience with mic'ing drums.

Are you looking to spend up to $600 on just the recording interface (pre-amps and inputs - i.e. sound card?) If so, you've got a few options. One option would be to get a card that has built in pre-amps. I think the Aardvark Direct Pro Q10 would be an all-in-one solution for you - it's got 8 XLR inputs (built in mic pre-amps), and it lists on musiciansfriend for $700 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/703010/, which means you could almost definately find it used via ebay or something for under 6 bills. Your other option is to go with a card that has 8 or 10 inputs and outboard pre-amps (either stand-alone preamps or a mixer). You could go with something like an M-Audio Delta 1010 or 1010/lt, which has 10 ins (8 could be from mic pre-amps) and a mixer. You could get a berry mixer, which would be the cheapest route (what I did), but in the end you'd end up buying something better quality (also what I did). I hear the Yamaha mixers are better in quality. You could also get outboard pre's (not in a mixer). I have the M-Audio DMP-3 and I love it, but it's 2 channels for about $150, and you'd need 4 of those to get 8 separate channels. . .see where I'm going? The second option is more versatile, but a bit more costly. There is lots of other gear out there that I didn't mention that fits one of those 2 options, some cheaper, some waaaayyy waaaayyyy more expensive.

Also, your drum sound (and everything else, for that matter) is going to vary greatly depending on what mic's you've got (which is another freakin expensive aspect).

Hopefully that was clearer than mud, and happy hunting! Let me know if you've got any questions. There is a lot of knowledge on this board, I'm sure some will suggest better options that I don't know about, but this might get you started.
 
i dont know that you are gonna find a 8 input soundcard that has preamps for that price.....and if you do, will it be any good.....

id get a Delta 1010lt ($219) and a Yamaha MG 12/4 mixer ($196)......
 
Second that. I have a Delta 1010lt it´s good for the price. I use just 4 ins to record drums, another two for bass and guitar, monitoring everything with cans. Pretty decent results.
 
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Thanks for your answers!

Well... How many in's is it on the Delta 1010lt? I want many so I won't regret it later on. I don't care if I don't use all of my in's, so I can have some for other things.

Well... If you do the Soundcard and mixer combinnatoin, don't you need mic cables from the mics into the mixer and then you have to have stereo (or whatever) cables from every mic into the computer again? That will cost me much!
Well well... Ceep on posting! :D
 
Yeah....cables are a bitch but they are VERY important!

You will need to budget AT LEAST $300 on cables for your modest studio. Motion carried on the delta 1010 and mixer recomend, great stuff.

You can record drums with just 2 mics (kick, ovh) but wont get much dynamic control of each instrument. It all depends on how much you can absolutley afford.

I had a delta 44 for years and loved it...now i have the Q10 and it knocks the delta right out of the water...kablammo!!!!!

Mics are expensive as hell too. I think you should start considering selling one of your kidneys (or is it livers?) to pay for all this shtit.

If all you have is 600 bucks...uh....you're gonna have to comprimise on stuff.
 
No... the 600 bucks wasen't for the whole studio - just for the soundcard ;)

But what do I need then? Is this correct?:

- Soundcard (like Delta 1010lt)
- Cables from mic's to mixer and then cables from the direct out of the mixer to the soundcard (this is the thing I'm not really sure about)
- Mics (offcourse)
- Studio Program

This is just starters if you know what I meen...

What would you guys think was the smartest thing to buy first? I have a studio program (not sure what it's called, but it's a good one), so I'm not sure what to invest in... Hmm...
Help me out! Here in Norway I've founf out that the Delta 1010lt costs 417 bucks (2895,- NOK). So... Should I get a mixer to? I know about a mixer that's good (a Behringer 16 channel mixer with 8 mic inputs) and I get it half price, and the price I will pay is 1750 NOK (about 250 bucks)... I think I can afford both, but juuuuust that. I won't have a single penny for mic's and cables, but wouldn't this give me a good start?
Will I have enough inputs for a band recording (I'm not thinking about recording everything at the same time though, but f.ex. bass and drums together, and then I could record the guitar and keyboard and then the vocal...) Would this selection of gear give me a nice little start for my recording studio?? Fast answers are REALLY appresiated!
AMD WOULD THIS GIVE ME GOOD QUALITY? If you wouldn't mind, could someone post a recording done with a Delta1010lt?
PLEASE HELP *newb alert*
 
I've got a behringer mixer, and like I said. . . .I use different pre-amps now. The berry is a good starter, but you seem to be interested in buying something now that you won't want to upgrade right away. I would say that if you absolutely have to, get the berry (it's going to be about the cheapest mixer option for you), but if you can, save up a bit and go for something a bit higher quality. I've also heard that the newer behringer mixers have better quality pre-amps. I think the new ones are the UB-series mixers. Mine is an old MX series mixer.

The berry was great for me starting out, though. I had lots of fun and learned a lot about recording - and it didn't cost too much.
 
One more thing. . .If you want to hear the quality you can expect from a behringer mixer and an M-Audio soundcard (which is what the 1010lt is), click at the link at the bottom of my posts. I use an M-audio Delta 44, and I can't imagine the sound quality is much different at all between the 44 and the 1010, the 1010 just has more inputs. I could be wrong about that, though. All the songs but "The Way It Has To Be" and the live songs were recorded with the berry mixer and an assortment of cheap-ass mic's. I think for most I recorded the guitar straight in along with a mic line from an sm57, and the vocals are all recorded with a superlux ld condenser. I think I explain how I recorded most of the songs on the song pages. You could get some idea of the sound quality from those recordings. I never recorded any drums with my old set-up, though.
 
Yeah, I'll think I'll try the berry first, and when I really start to get the hang of it, I'll try something else. But will the other things (like the Delta 1010lt) last a while for me? Something I won't change after a half year or so. Will I be happy with the gear list I wrote above? Please answer - I'm a terrible newb at this studio thing :)
 
Zorlee said:
But will the other things (like the Delta 1010lt) last a while for me?
Click to expand...

I think the 1010 will last you quite a while. I've been recording with my 44 for about 5 years, and it has never given me a problem. The delta cards have a great rep - I don't think you'll be dissapointed. Having that many inputs will probably be enough for a home recorder indefinately.

What mic's are you planning on using? It's too bad you don't live in the U.S., i've got some stuff (like that berry mixer and that LD condenser mic) that I'd sell to you for a good price. I have no idea what shipping would be like to Norway on that kind of stuff.
 
Yeah, it's really bad! It's so much cheaper over there to!
But, BJW, thank you SOOO much for your help so far!!! :D

So I will be able to record in good quality myself and with my band/other musicians?
The mics? I don't know yet... Thinking about Shure SM57 on the snare (heard lot's of good things about it) and maybe an Audix D series on the bass... Or a Sure beta 57 or whatever... I haven't thought that much yet, hehe!
But will I be able to mix individual drums? In that case (I want to be able to mix individual drums, so if not, I won't buy the card) how will I link the mic's to the pc?
Will I link them like this?

*DRUM MIC* ---- *MIXER* ---- *DELTA 1010LT* ---- that will lead into studio prog. Correct?

What cables will I need for the direct outs from the mixer and to the pc? jack's or steareo or what? I don't know the name of the cables, so please tell me :D
And fill me in with all info I can possibly get :D
 
And by the way!
What is Phantom power?
Do I need that on the Delta 1010lt!? Or is the problem solved with the mixer? PLease only post if you're REALLY sure about this, because I'm buying really soon!
 
You're going to need the 1010lt and the mixer. Here's your signal chain: Source -> Mic -> mixer -> 1010lt -> computer/whatever program you're running. You'll do this with 8 different channels, so you'll have 8 separate tracks in your program, which you can tweek independently of each other. You can't go from the mixer to the computer and have all 8 channels discretely. Your mixer will have phantom power, which you will need for your mic's.
 
To go from the mic to the mixer, you are going to need XLR cables (mic cables). To go from the mixer to the 1010lt, you need balanced line cables (instrument cables). So for 8 different channels, that's 8 mic cables and 8 line cables. You're also going to need more instrument cables for monitoring. With the 1010, you've got 10 ins, but you've also got 10 outs. So you can use outs 1 and 2 for your monitors (which you should have) and lines 3 and 4 to go back into your mixer and then you can monitor by headphones. You will want to do this when you've laid down say the drums and you are wanting to play guitar over them. You can have the drum track in your headhpones and play your guitar or sing to it, or whatever instrument you're doing. Go to the M-audio site and read about the 1010lt (http://www.midiman.net/products/en_us/Delta1010LT-main.html). You can download the manual there. Read the manual before you buy it, it will give you a feel for what you can do with it, plus it probably has typical set-up diagrams (I can't say for sure. . .i've never looked at it). Also read the manual for whatver you behringer mixer you are looking at. . .I know my behringer mixer has set-up diagrams with it. Manuals can be downloaded form the manufacturer websites. It will take a few hours, but it will definately be worth it. . .better than buying it and realizing that you can't do what you want after you've paid the big bucks.

I'm, familiar with the 1010 (not the 1010lt), so maybe my advice is not the best, but I think it will do what you're wanting.
 
Thank you very much!
If you're familiar with the 1010, then I'll probably be happy with the 1010lt. The thing is about the manuals and stuff is that I'm a newb to everything studio related, so all the specs don't meen a thing to me (some parts does, but some parts doesn't at all)... So, I need people to rely on, not me own evaluation...
So, if you guys think I'll be happy with the 1010lt, then post :)
 
The 1010 and the 1010lt are 2 different things, and I'm not terribly familiar with the 1010lt. Go to the site and read the manual. . . .there's more in there than just specs. Trust me. Also try doing a search for "1010lt" on this site. Make sure you put the "lt" in it. You'll find lots of reading from other people who know it better than I do.
 
you don't need an analog mixer!!
everything you mentioned is all you need. once you go into your computer through your interface you are in digital. If you need to mix, mix on your software’s mixer. if you need to use bus channels you can use those from your software and send them back through your interface for monitoring. if you need to add effects, a good software should have plenty to choose from. If you want to clean up your audio and
maximize you volume, you can buy NATIVE POWER PACK @ www.sweetwater.com. for $300. The only hardware you need is a headphone distributor, so that you and your band can hear every one else.

this will get you a pretty good c.d.
maybe one you can sell, depending on your skills:

* your computer is fine
* a full duplex card interface i.e., aardvark q-10, firepod....most come with
recording software. ($550-$650)
* a good set of drum mic’s “SHURE” you can also use these mics for
instruments. A condenser mic for vocals.
* mastering plugins NATIVE POWER PACK (you can get this last, it's just the final polish)
* good monitoring speakers, you could also get by with a nice set of headphones “not the cheap one’s”

buying the wrong gear could cost you!!
for more information call 1-800-222-4700 ext 1262 ask for Rich and tell
him Mike Ulloa sent you. This guy helped me out, and saved me from buying stuff that i thought i needed. -----goood luck-----
 
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