im a little lost on where to begin at this recording

[steele1979]

im new at this and the only recording ive done is on a piece of ass tascam 4 track(which is now broken) and njow i am wanting to record to my pc. What are the basic things i will need...mixer??????should i get cakewalk?
with a mixer will i have any trouble with multi-tracking..without it?
whats the best recomended program and does it have a digital mixer so i wont
need a outside mixer.I know i sound a little clueless and I am I've just always,in the past, used the most ghetto rigged analog setups and they worked great but i now i do not have the time for that so please help me ...thank you for your time
jared

[VooDu Valve]

Cakewalk Home Studio is an awesome starting point great program affordale.... upgradable to sonar...... can't go wrong... and the cakewalk forum on this board is incredible.... do it dude and you'll never look back.....
Make sure you have a good sound card MAUDIO 2496 or comparible... and know that like anything else. you need to spend time learning the software. follow the tutorials and it will come to you......
Enjoy
Chris Loernzo

[Ronan]

Originally Posted by steele1979

in the past, used the most ghetto rigged analog setups and they worked great but i now i do not have the time for that so please help me ...thank you for your time
jared

If you do not have time for the "getto rigged" analog set up they you are not even close to having the time for a computer based recording set up.!!!!! Based on your questions I can tell that the learning curve for you to get into computer recording will be very steep. I am not saying you should definately stay away from computer recording but get ready for all your spare time to go into figuring it out and getting comfortable with it. Also get ready to start spending a good chunk of money. If your passion is tweeking recording gear, then you are on the right path, but if you are more interested in performing or writing songs, then I suggest you up date that ghetto set up a bit. Any one that can not get a decent recording out of a (not broken) tascam 4 track does not know how to record. A computer will not teach you how to record.

[Imaduck]

I've found Cakewalk is pretty easy to do the basics on, but it can be a bit tricky when you know what you want it to do, but have no clue how to do it (some of the functions are hidden pretty well). If you're doing this pretty much for fun and not on an important schedule, and really aren't too worried about quality at first, then I'd definitely suggest using Cakewalk or a similar program. Fool around with it for awhile, read up when you can, do some dumb stuff, and then post on the forums whenever you need help with anything. If quality and time are a concern, you're probably better off either buying a multitrack (which is still a pretty big hassle), or buying studio time. If you choose to go with computer recording however, the experience you receive will be great and valuable.


As far as a mixer, you pretty much have 3 options. The first option, and worst, is to basically just plug your mic straight into your sound card. This will only let you use one mic at a time (pretty much impossible if you want to record drums), and will give you very limited control, not to mention leave you with tons of frustrating retakes.

Your second option is to use, as you mentioned, an outside mixer. This will allow you to use more than one mic, and easily control the volumes of tracks, and is a minimum for drum recording. Keep in mind that a "mixer" could be many things, from a multiple input amp with a preamp out to a PA head or simply a conventional mixer. I have both a mixer and a PA head (powered mixer), though I mainly use the PA as it is a lot simpler and more convenient. The downside to this type of recording is that if you are using multiple mics, you will not be able to edit the levels of each mic individually after you record, which can lead to lots of angry rerecords after you discover you recorded your kick way too loud, and it's clogging up your track. Also, with this type of recording, you must record each instrument one at a time.

Your third, and best option (if you have the available funds) is to get a sound card designed for recording. These sound cards will have multiple inputs and allow you to record on separate tracks on your computer. This has many advantages, as you could record multiple instruments at the same time, and also you could edit each line's settings in post. Unfortunately this can be expensive, but most of the time it is a necessity for serious recording.

Hope that helps!

[Imaduck]

I just noticed what you mentioned about time being an issue, and if it is you need to know that NO TYPE of home recording is easy or takes a small amount of time, especially if you're still learning how to do it. If time is your main concern, then you need to get studio time.