questions, questions, questions

[chronicinsomnia]

Hi,

Here goes, I have a computer with a burner a creative soundblaster, and windows 98.

I am contemplating getting into the digital recording domain. I currently have been recording on a Tascom 424 111. I enjoy writing and recording my own music however, the sound quality has always been lacking.

I am thinking about either recording on my existing computer or getting a Boss BR8 or a Zoom mrs1044.

I have experience with portastudios but I am a home based recorder and don't actually travel with my studio.

Bang for the buck which format would most users think is the best?

Any responses would be appreciated

[SPINSTERWUN]

I would steer you towards computer based production.
But, you might want to do a lot of searching on this BBS.



spin

[SPINSTERWUN]

Also,... welcome to this site.

spin

[frank_1]

No doubt, go with Computer recording or DAW recording. DAW recording will give you an easy acsess to plug-ins, which can be extremely helpful. Plus you get a big screen, better edit functions, and up gradable software. I am telling you , DAW is much more powerful then stand alone hard disk recorders.

[tedluk]

Respectfully, I think that's not an entirely accurate assessment.

Yes, a DAW can be very powerful and functional approach to recording, but there are advantages and plusses for all-in-ones as well.

With the computer and sound card he currently has, it's not going to be possible to get good results without spending some money on hardware. The Soundblaster is going to cause you nothing but headaches. This board is rife with people who have had problems with the SB series.

How fast is your computer? How much RAM? What size are your hard drives? Yes, I said driveS. You should have at least 2.

A DAW's strengths are also its weaknesses. While you can purchase an all-in-one and a microphone and little else and get started, with your computer you will be busy upgrading, tweaking, praying, swearing, searching for drivers, loading drivers, running to CompUSA, swearing some more and eventually get it all working and finally recording. Today's applications are quite demanding of the hardware and an underpowered computer is going to be a constant frustration. For all their power, a computer can often become a financial black hole, sucking in every bit of cash that gets within its pull. The software/hardware upgrade cycle is relentless. The very fact that an All-in-one is basically a closed system is the reason why they are sometimes a superior option for people.

Ultimately, a computer based DAW offers a greater amount of flexibility and the most options. The availability of a ridiculous number of plug-ins alone, many of them free, is compelling. I'm just saying that it's frequently a bumpy road getting to sonic bliss with a DAW.

Ted

[manning1]

chronic. srearch under my name . this i have covered many times.
on my pc i can do 100 tracks in a song if i wish.
ideally you want a recent computer with 512 ram and two fast 7200 rpm disc drives. if you post your current computer confign , i will comment as to how many tracks you should get out of it.
i would suggest you look at a delta sound card. for value for money.
heres some intro tutorials you might find interesting....
http://www.garys.web.st/midibasics.htm
http://www.garys.web.st/basicintro.htm

[mshilarious]

Does powertracks work retroactively three years in the past?

[Ingoloid]

The only advice that I would submit is this. A computer thats used for recording should only be used for that alone. The more crap you have installed on it the more headaches your gonna get.

My box that I use only has the OS (WinXP w/ SP2), and Acid Pro. Nothing else.
Also, 3 hard drives, a cd burner, and a sound card. Nothing else.

Turn off all bells and whistles, no screensaver, background pictures, etc.

Look around these sites for other users comments on this to see how other systems are set up.

HTH

[Cosmic]

Hi All,

The only thing I will add, being a DAW-man myself, is: from what I understand, anything below WinXP can be hell on wheels when it comes to pc recording....I am offering this only as a caution based on a lot of posts I have seen on that particular issue, so just something to consider..

Best,

CC