help a beginner

[OohWoahOohWoah]

Hi, I'm new and I have a very general question. I don't have much recording experience. I've recorded a bit on a four track. I recorded at a studio before but I really have very little knowledge on the subject. I'm looking for a reasonably priced ($300-$400 dollar) piece of recording equipment. I was thinking digital because I would like to be able to transfer the recordings to a CD format easily. Any recommendations on something that would be good for someone who doesn't have much experience with it? Also any recommendations for a relatively inexpensive multi-purpose microphone? Thanks,
Will
willharris58@hotmail.com

[VTgreen81]

Welcome aboard Will, before we can help, we'll need more info. What are you going to record? How many tracks will you need? Do you have a PC you can dedicate to recording?

[OohWoahOohWoah]

Id be recording multiple guitar tracks ( electric and acoustic) drums, bass, vocals , maybe handclaps and other odd instruments here and there , so probably an 8 track or something. I have an iBook G4 i could use for recording purposes if thats possible.

[GABritton]

Check this out. Get a small mixer and run a stereo out from the mixer into this.....http://www.americanmusical.com/item-...-AP2496.html#M Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI Audio Interface Card (Macintosh and Windows) and then edit however you like.

[seryozha]

Shure Sm57 is a great all around microphone...as most here will agree(most...not all).

[AdrianFly]

Originally Posted by seryozha

Shure Sm57 is a great all around microphone...as most here will agree(most...not all).

I agree with ya. The cool part is that he will always have a use for the 57 and it won't end up in the closet only to be taken out for those "special occasions". 57's are the ultimate workhorse.

[chris-from-ky]

From my experiences, I'd reccomend that you get a used ADAT XT20 (off ebay) and for a preamp, get a 2 or 4 channel Behringer Mixer. The SM57 is a good mic. I've got one - wish I had 15 more.

Honestly, getting into recording on a budget as low as $400 is a tough thing if you expect to be proud of the quality you're getting. Good luck though.

Chris