Hardware Suggestions Needed

[eyeoflayman]

I am interested in setting up a cheap, moveable (I travel a lot) recording studio that would allow me to record vocals over beats I have made on my computer. I have all the necessary software (and I've learned how to use it), now I need the hardware.

If I get a high quality sound card and a high quality condensor microphone, is there anything else I would also need to buy? (keeping in mind I want this to be cheap, but I also want to be able to make music that sounds good).

Is a condensor microphone the way to go? Do you have suggestions on what microphone I should get?

I have a laptop, so I would need to get an external sound card. Do you have any suggestions as to which sound card I should get?

Any information you can provide me with would be very helpful. Thanks!

[Fieva]

I would go Echo external soundcard and a USB preamp. Look at musiciansfriend.com and you'll find quite a few good ones. Also, if you're thinking about adding a mixer, you can get a small one for a hgood price on musiciansfriend as well.

[tourettes5139]

Originally Posted by eyeoflayman

I am interested in setting up a cheap, moveable (I travel a lot) recording studio that would allow me to record vocals over beats I have made on my computer. I have all the necessary software (and I've learned how to use it), now I need the hardware.

If I get a high quality sound card and a high quality condensor microphone, is there anything else I would also need to buy? (keeping in mind I want this to be cheap, but I also want to be able to make music that sounds good).

Is a condensor microphone the way to go? Do you have suggestions on what microphone I should get?

I have a laptop, so I would need to get an external sound card. Do you have any suggestions as to which sound card I should get?

Any information you can provide me with would be very helpful. Thanks!

Besides a mic and an interface, you will need a preamp, unless the interface has one built in. Generally, though, external ones are higher quality than the ones in an interface. Yes, I would go with a condensor mic. Studio Projects B1 is liked a lot around here, but its hard to say. Different mics will fit different people's voices better than other. Soundcard-wise, I would go with something firewire. I can't say much else without knowing what you mean by "cheap." If you could give us an estimate on how much you have to spend, that would help us help you much better.

BTW, its nice to meet a rapper who can type coherent sentances.

I just assumed you were because you said you were doing vocals over some beats that you made.

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by eyeoflayman

I have a laptop, so I would need to get an external sound card. Do you have any suggestions as to which sound card I should get?

Anything FireWire will likely be high-quality hardware. It tends to be a little more expensive, but it's a lot easier on the CPU, which is pretty important when you're working with a laptop.

USB... some are decent hardware, some are utter crap, all take significantly more CPU power than FireWire. For the most part, the prices are close enough that it's worth the extra money to go FireWire, IMHO.

CardBus is moribund technology, so don't go there. Well, buying a CardBus FireWire card if your machine doesn't have FireWire is okay, since those are cheap. Just don't spend a lot of money on buying anything CardBus, since the next laptop you buy will probably have ExpressCard instead.

[eyeoflayman]

Thanks for the replies!
A couple more questions have arisen:

1) What is FireWire? Is it pretty common for external sound cards to have FireWire or is this something I will have to search out? (I ask because I am currently living in Shanghai, China and can get a lot of the mainstream electronics equipment, but may have trouble finding specialty equipment)

2) What is the function of a preamp? What is the cost range for buying one? (bearing in mind I want to spend as little money as possible, but I want to have the ability to record high quality hip-hop music... I don't have a specific limit on what I will spend, because it is important for me to be able to record high quality sounds, but I am also quite poor and am trying to spend as little as possible)

3) Is it possible to buy something that would be a FireWire enabled sound card and a preamp in one?

By the way, I am indeed going to be recording hip-hop flows, here's a little taste of the vibe:

The fast approaching acid rain disintegrates the natural state,
causing the seeds of reason to wither away…
The vision of tomorrow has been forsaken for the view of today…
Those who pursue justice- are disclaimed for retaining unattainable aims,
are cast aside, given a branding, and consigned to oblivion…
Yet, with steadfast steps we climb to the heights of the mind to find
the key that opens the gate to humanities fate of progression…
Brought to the eye of storm, we search to reform the twisted system
with a message of wisdom that affects the tempest’s direction…//

We shall overcome the abyss that the public begets
once we admit to the predicaments existence
and bend our energies to the tasks at hand, for instance:
The days of the slave may officially be finished,
but prejudice still runs rampant and can be found on every side…
Enslavement has been revamped to linger hidden
behind the venomous lies that adapt to the time…
Clandestine plans derived by deceptive kinds hide in clear sight,
it is our duty to open our eyes and strive to reveal solutions that endure
timeless despite the many hurdles in the fine print…

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by eyeoflayman

1) What is FireWire? Is it pretty common for external sound cards to have FireWire or is this something I will have to search out? (I ask because I am currently living in Shanghai, China and can get a lot of the mainstream electronics equipment, but may have trouble finding specialty equipment)

FireWire is an external serial bus, similar to USB. It's far from rare. In fact, pretty much every digital camcorder ever built has a FireWire output. It's not quite as common as USB, but FireWire audio devices should still be relatively easy to obtain.

If your computer doesn't have any FireWire ports, you'll need a FireWire card for the machine. I assume your laptop has at least one CardBus (PCMCIA) slot. If so, something like will give you a FireWire port:

http://www.shopontheweb.net/3port-ie...r-p-14649.html

Originally Posted by eyeoflayman

2) What is the function of a preamp? What is the cost range for buying one? (bearing in mind I want to spend as little money as possible, but I want to have the ability to record high quality hip-hop music... I don't have a specific limit on what I will spend, because it is important for me to be able to record high quality sounds, but I am also quite poor and am trying to spend as little as possible)

A preamp takes a mic level signal and boosts it up to line level. Mics operate at mic level. Everything else you'll ever work with operates at line level (except, of course, the speaker outputs of an amplifier, which are even hotter still).

Originally Posted by eyeoflayman

3) Is it possible to buy something that would be a FireWire enabled sound card and a preamp in one?

Anything that has a mic input contains a preamp. A lot of audio interfaces (it's technically not a sound "card" unless it goes inside your machine, which FireWire and USB don't) have preamps. Very few internal sound cards do, since you can't fit an XLR connector on the back of a PCI card.