Do I really need a mixer?

[ianplegg]

Hello,

I'm currently trying to create a living room setup to record both piano and vocals to PC and write to CD with the CDRW.

However, I don't know what is the best route to go, either analogue or digital, whether I just need mic preamps or whether I need a mixer, if I should get everything on a PC card or just a basic two channel soundcard!!! )

I'd like to achieve CD quality, hence good S/N but it is only a living room setup and I don't want to spend a great deal of money.

Therefore, can anyone recommend appropriate equipment in the UK, suggest whether to go analogue or digital or both! I'd like to be able to do multitrack recording but this seems very expensive, not only for a mixer with outs but for such a soundcard!

If anyone knows of any FAQs or websites that are relevant, please email them to me? :-)

Thanks in advance :-)

Kind regards,

Ian Legg

[dobro]

Go into the computer recording forum here and start doing searches on soundcards - look at brands like delta, aardvark, maybe lynx. Check out the longer recent threads there on soundcards as well - some of them are informative if you study them a bit.

The reason I'm suggesting this is that newer soundcards often have preamps, mixers and headphone facilities built in, which means you don't have to buy a mixer, especially if you're only ever going to record one or two tracks. I think mixers are for the pros. Homers can do without quite easily.

I'd go digital, for two reasons. First, everything in the field is moving in that direction. Second, certain plugins can do as well as outboard gear these days, and more quietly, and for no more money - maybe less.

[sjoko2]

You want to record on a PC - so you don't have a choice between analogue and digital... you're going digital!
Look at something like Digidesign's 001 http://www.digidesign.com You'll have to learn to use the software, but it will get you tracking