Setup recommendations

Z

Zorn

New member
I have a 5 year old IBM Aptiva 2172-71B computer with Pentium 3, 550MHz, and 128MB RAM. I have been creating music on it using Acid Pro and have all the music completed. Now what I want to do is record my vocals over each song. I've been told that I should invest in a condenser microphone for best vocal results which I intend to do. Then I did more research and it appears I will also need a mixer as well as possibly upgrading my sound card and parts of my computer. Just wondering if anyone had any recommendations as to any of the above that won't break the bank. Bearing in mind that I only want to get a great recording of my vocals - no instruments. Here are some recommendations I've had:

Mic: BEHRINGER C1, BEHRINGER B-2 PRO, and the RØDE NT1A
Mixers, etc: UB802, UB1202, VX2496, MIC100, etc

Someone also recommended that I upgrade the RAM to 512MB and that I get the Audiophile 2496 sound card and that should be enough to handle it all. Another person said I need a new computer altogether which I'm hoping is not the case? If anyone has any advice or recommendations, I'd LOVE to hear it!
 
Zorn said:
I have a 5 year old IBM Aptiva 2172-71B computer with Pentium 3, 550MHz, and 128MB RAM. I have been creating music on it using Acid Pro and have all the music completed. Now what I want to do is record my vocals over each song. I've been told that I should invest in a condenser microphone for best vocal results which I intend to do. Then I did more research and it appears I will also need a mixer as well as possibly upgrading my sound card and parts of my computer. Just wondering if anyone had any recommendations as to any of the above that won't break the bank. Bearing in mind that I only want to get a great recording of my vocals - no instruments. Here are some recommendations I've had:

Mic: BEHRINGER C1, BEHRINGER B-2 PRO, and the RØDE NT1A
Mixers, etc: UB802, UB1202, VX2496, MIC100, etc

Someone also recommended that I upgrade the RAM to 512MB and that I get the Audiophile 2496 sound card and that should be enough to handle it all. Another person said I need a new computer altogether which I'm hoping is not the case? If anyone has any advice or recommendations, I'd LOVE to hear it!
Click to expand...
RAM is a good upgrade if you want to keep this computer. The more the better. If you use a condensor mic, you will need phantom power, and a preamp. I'm not sure, but maybe the mixers suggested have those qualifications. I use a condensor, with a pre that has phantom, then go into a Delta44. This workd for me, and was fairly inexpensive. Read up on the mixers, and see if they have what you want. Might work just fine. Good luck.
Ed
 
a mixer is not necessary.

i would get the RAM upgrade, an external soundcard with phantom power (perhaps the tascam us-122) and an audio technica concenser mic ( i use th 3035 and have gotten satisfying results).
 
That external soundcard idea sounds great as it would save having to get both a mixer AND a soundcard for the computer. However, my computer's soundcard is 5 years old and I would be recording this into the computer so I wonder if this will affect the quality? Or will my computer's one need an upgrade too? Oh and if my computer currently has 128MB RAM, is there a limit as to how high I can go or can I easily get an upgrade to whatever I want?
 
Stop posting what is basically the same question all over the board!

That's called 'crossposting' and it's just plain not a good thing to do.

Pick the most appropriate forum and post once, then do something else while you wait for an answer. Just like you can't reserve a spot at every checkstand in the supermarket you can't take up our time by posting in every forum.
 
That external soundcard idea sounds great as it would save having to get both a mixer AND a soundcard for the computer. However, my computer's soundcard is 5 years old and I would be recording this into the computer so I wonder if this will affect the quality? Or will my computer's one need an upgrade too? Oh and if my computer currently has 128MB RAM, is there a limit as to how high I can go or can I easily get an upgrade to whatever I want?
 
here's an easy solution

do you have any contacts anywhere near you that record?
how about spending maybe a quarter of the potential upgrade cost, and just taking your instrumentals to someone else's place, putting your vocals down, taking the vocal tracks back to your house, and mixing it to your liking?

That's my advice, unless you really think more equipment will serve your recording needs better.
 
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