newbie here!

[tuggy]

hi,
i'm just inside of this "home recording" stuff.. and want to dig more into it. i've got a yamaha p-250 stage piano, guitars, basses.. etc. i know i need a good soundcard (at least better than my on-board sound card . i decided to but m-audio audiophile 2496. i want to record audio and use some softsynths. is 2496 ok for all these? and what else do i need ? (preamp you may say, but i don't know what preamp does )

[Fieva]

Originally Posted by tuggy

hi,
i'm just inside of this "home recording" stuff.. and want to dig more into it. i've got a yamaha p-250 stage piano, guitars, basses.. etc. i know i need a good soundcard (at least better than my on-board sound card . i decided to but m-audio audiophile 2496. i want to record audio and use some softsynths. is 2496 ok for all these? and what else do i need ? (preamp you may say, but i don't know what preamp does )

A preamp boosts the signal from your mic so that your soundcard or mixer can get the signal and it can be recorded.

[guitarboi89]

okay a preamp basically takes the electrical signal from a microphone or elec guitar and boosts it so it can be recorded

[fraserhutch]

Abuse is just down the hall

Seriously, welcome.

[tuggy]

hmm what happens if i just plug my guitar and try to record audio ?
and what else do i need?
(btw. thanks fraserhutch)

[tuggy]

in fact, what i want to do is pretty simple (not for me, but most of you ). i want to record audio and use softsynths, and sequence them in a program like cubase.

[Fieva]

If you recorded your guitar only (with no amp or preamp), you might get a weak signal or no signal at all. I go from my mic (or in your case mic and instruments) to my preamp, then from the preamp to a hardware compressor, compressor to mixer, mixer to soundcard. For cubase if you use a midi controller or a keyboard with midi capability if you want softsynths or instrument plugins.

[tuggy]

so, i've got a guitar, an amp, a soundcard and a computer running a sequencer program. what else do i need ?

[Fieva]

Originally Posted by tuggy

so, i've got a guitar, an amp, a soundcard and a computer running a sequencer program. what else do i need ?

a midi controller for softsynths, monitors are good too (i need some my damn self...i had to tweak my speakers to make them flat), while your at it go get all the free plugins you can....you never know when one might do the job for you.

[tuggy]

i have a stage piano with speakers, so i'm planning to use them for monitoring. i'll use it for midi controlling, too.. what do you mean by plug ins ?

[Fieva]

a plug in is extra software that can be used in programs such as cubase, n-track, acid, sonar...etc. it's usually in .dll format and has to be placed in the vst folder of whatever software you're going to use. If you want to see some plugins check www.kvr-vst.com for more info and some downloads.

[Kevin Deschwazi]

welcome to the BBS.

Originally Posted by tuggy

hmm what happens if i just plug my guitar and try to record audio ?
and what else do i need?
(btw. thanks fraserhutch)

It sounds horrible!

If you must go direct (micing the amp is the best option, or the instrument if it's an acoustic) then you need a direct injection box. A guitar pickup will output an unbalanced signal at a very low level, the DI will balance the signal and raise it to a useable level.

You can get DI boxes which do nothing but serve this one purpose but it's probably better to get a microphone preamp which also has DI (or 'instrument') input/s. That way you'll be able to use it with mics as well. (As has been said the mic pre will take the weak 'mic level' signal and boost it to 'line level' suitable for recording). If you want a good budget recommendation the M Audio DMP-3 is a good dual channel mic pre with DI inputs.

Or you could use one of those amp modeller/pod things. Like I said nothing beats micing the amp or instrument though. Having said that you can get a decent bass guitar sound by going direct although I'm sure there are some who would disagree with me there.

So how many tracks are you wanting to record at once and what is your budget? The 2496 is a decent entry level card but you will only be able to record two mono sources simultaneously (or one stereo) with that card.

[Fieva]

Originally Posted by Kevin DeSchwazi

welcome to the BBS.


It sounds horrible!

If you must go direct (micing the amp is the best option, or the instrument if it's an acoustic) then you need a direct injection box. A guitar pickup will output an unbalanced signal at a very low level, the DI will balance the signal and raise it to a useable level.

You can get DI boxes which do nothing but serve this one purpose but it's probably better to get a microphone preamp which also has DI (or 'instrument') input/s. That way you'll be able to use it with mics as well. (As has been said the mic pre will take the weak 'mic level' signal and boost it to 'line level' suitable for recording. If you want a good budget recommendation the M Audio DMP-3 is a good dual channel mic pre with DI inputs.

Or you could use one of those amp modeller/pod things. Like I said nothing beats micing the amp or instrument though. Having said that you can get a decent bass guitar sound by going direct although I'm sure there are some who would disagree with me there.

So how many tracks are you wanting to record at once and what is your budget? The 2496 is a decent entry level card but you will only be able to record two mono sources simultaneously (or one stereo) with that card.

I'd listen to Kevin on this one. I know a little about amping and micing guitars to get you in the right direction, but Kevin seems more knowledgable than myself on this part. Hey Kevin, what type of music do you record and what's your setup?

[tuggy]

thanks kevin.
i'm planning to use only one source at once. hmm, i heard about DI boxes before..
my budget allows me to buy only the soundcard now, so it seems like i'll be messing with VST's for a while

[Fieva]

kvr does have quite a bit of freeware plugins to get you started. Which sequencer are you using?

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Originally Posted by Fieva

Hey Kevin, what type of music do you record and what's your setup?

I record all sorts of stuff but mainly acoustic guitar music at the moment because that's what i write and play myself. I'm just a hobbyist so i only really record friends for favours and I seem to be moving in acousticy singer/songwriter circles at the moment.

My set up is very humble, prosumer stuff. TL Audio, DMP-3, VTB-1 and Electro harmonix 12AY7 preamps. Several mics by MXL, Studio projects, Audio technica et al. A M Audio 1010LT soundcard and a P4 windows PC running cubase SE.

My lava lamp is aquamarine

I'll be putting some stuff up on soundclick soon so keep 'em peeled.

[tuggy]

cubase.. i was looking for some freeware plu ins, kvr will help a lot, thanks fieva

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Originally Posted by tuggy

cubase.. i was looking for some freeware plu ins, kvr will help a lot, thanks fieva

kvr is a great site but here are a few of my favourites to get you started:

http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/classic-series.php

http://www.digitalfishphones.com/mai...em=2&subItem=5