new set-up

[oneup009]

thinking of buying some new equipment... what do you think of this set up? (primarily for recording acoustic guitar and vocals)

mxl 990/991 > art tube V3 preamp > fostex mr8 > computer line in > cool edit pro 2.0

thanks

[reshp1]

I would do something like this instead.

MXL990/991>firepod>computer running cheap DAW program.

If your final product comes out of your computer, why record it through a crappy preamp, into a mediocre standalone recorder, then pipe it all in via the line in of your shitty consumer soundcard? Simplify it down to mic>all in one preamp/ADconvertor/interface>computer, you should get a lot cleaner recordings that way. BTW, I just threw the firepod out there as an example, there are plenty of other good options.

[oneup009]

forgot to mention, im on a pretty tight budget, around 300. the mr8 would be bought used from a friend for about 100, plus the preamp/mics - should be around 300. im also considering spending a bit more and going for the mr-8 HD and running that into cool edit

[reshp1]

Okay, well if you are getting all the stuff used cheap, then I see your reasoning. Just realize that the weak link is still the line in on your computer sound card, it's just not designed for critical audio work. How many channels are you planning on recording at a time? There's pretty good interfaces that can be had for $300-400, preamps included depending on how many channels you need. Here's a few options.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/701385/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/709201/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/242511/

[Adam P]

All of reshp1's suggestions are good ones. He's also correct in saying that the weakest link is still your compuer's soundcard.

For a little less money, you could get theM-Audio 1010LT. It has 2 mic preamps, though I don't know what quality, but I'd suspect that they're not any worse than the ART unit. The only drawback is that it doesn't have any monitoring capabilities the way those other units do. You can save up for a mixer for monitoring though, and it will also give you more preamps to record multiple sources at once.

[Robert D]

Think of it this way - whether you run an old P-III or a Cray super computer, the sound of your recorder (the computer) is the sound of your soundcard, or audio interface. If your interface sucks, everything sucks. I know it's hard to spend limited funds on this, but it's really the foundation of building your DAW recording setup.

-RD

[Tonedrone]

I think you can buy Tascams 424mk3(yes a four track) for about $300. The pres on those guys are'nt half bad

[Robert D]

Dead end. Get a proper interface and the skys the limit.

[arnorhs]

Spend everything on a microphone and a computer interface. M-Audio 2 channel USB interface with Mic inputs (and 48V phantom power) should do the trick very nicely and a Behringer B1 Mic should do the trick very nicely (I have one - I can promise it's very good).

With that setup you'd be on budget and also very well prepared.

[oneup009]

thanks for all the suggestions everyone...

i'm intrigued by the usb preamp/higher-end mic idea... would something like this be compatible with cool edit pro for direct recording?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/701368/

[Adam P]

I could be wrong, but I don't think the M-Audio units work with Cool Edit. Don't quote me on that though. I think that Cool Edit uses WDM drivers, and the MobilePre is compatible with ASIO and MME.

The Tascam US-122 (link) should though, for $50 more.

Both units come with their own software for recording though. The M-Audio with Ableton, I believe, and the Tascam with a version of Cubase.