Questions From A True Beginner

T

TeenChristian

New member
Hey there, my names Matthew! This is my fist post on these forums and I'm exited to see what I'll be learning here. I'm here for a few reasons... an interest in audio recording has been with me for a while, and now I think it's time to act on it, even thought it would be in a relatively small way. What I'm looking to do is construct a very basic home studio, and I had some questions surrounding that topic. As the title of this post suggests I'm truly a beginner so these questions may come off as very "Newbie" like, but hey that's why I'm posting in these parts of the forums :)

OK here we go:

1. First off I was wondering about audio interfaces and preamps. I've been looking at various different kinds of each and the question came up. I know it's possible to record with just an audio interface, but could I go without an audio interface and go with just a preamp and use that for recording? Do I need an audio interface to use a preamp for recording?

2. Secondly, as I would want my humble recordings to have some level of decent quality to them I was wondering about soundcards. Right now I would be recording to a "HP Pavilion Entertainment PC" and I'm not very confident in its audio recording quality. I was wondering if having you needed a great sound card to record good quality, or if the audio interface or preamp just recorded for you, establishing the audio quality, and then send that to the PC. Simple put, will an audio interface/preamp give you good quality even if your sound card is bad, or do you need both a good sound card and decent audio interface/preamp?

Just two questions to start that have really been stumping me lately. Huge thanks to anyone who is willing to answer these questions!

God Bless,
-Matt
 
to put it in about as laymen terms as i can think of..
look at your sound card, and an audio interface, as both bieng units/devices, that send a signal to your computor..

typical built in sound cards, are only a couple bucks worth of parts...very basic, and weak so to speak..
a regular external audio interface, will no doubt be better then a typical built in sound card..
also an external interface, will NOT go through the computors built in sound card, but rather by pass it so to speak..
so reguardless whether you had an absolute total crap sound card, it would not effect the quality of sound delivered to your comp via an external audio interface...

hope that explination was understandable.

that said..considering that there are free options when it comes to DAW`s (to get started with)..I think your best bet, and first move, should probley be to get ahold of a decent audio interface..
of course your gonna need mics etc....
but there`s no sence in putting the horse before the cariage as they say..
 
That explains it perfectly! I have been looking at various different audio interfaces lately and I was wondering if anyone had an suggestions as to which one would best suit my needs.

1. Yamaha Audiogram 6 (4-Ch USB Interface w/Comp)

2. Alesis IO4 4-Channel 24 Bit USB Audio Recording Interface

3. And I just found this on sale at amazon for only $100 (says actual price is $250 and list price is 360) :
Tascam US-800 8 Input USB 2.0 Computer Audio Interface

I'm really leaning towards the tascam US-800 mostly because the review wean't bad and considering I'm on a very tight budget, this seems like it's giving me much more than the other two and for a much better price. Any suggestions are appreciated!
 
I have recommended, and will continue to recommend the US-800, as long as it is available. It most likely is being discontinued soon, and is why the price is so low. I have the US-1641, that was replaced by the 1800. I have absolutely no problems with it, and have not heard any substantial claims with driver issues of any of the Tascam US series. I recommend getting it now.
 
TeenChristian said:
That explains it perfectly! I have been looking at various different audio interfaces lately and I was wondering if anyone had an suggestions as to which one would best suit my needs.

1. Yamaha Audiogram 6 (4-Ch USB Interface w/Comp)

2. Alesis IO4 4-Channel 24 Bit USB Audio Recording Interface

3. And I just found this on sale at amazon for only $100 (says actual price is $250 and list price is 360) :
Tascam US-800 8 Input USB 2.0 Computer Audio Interface

I'm really leaning towards the tascam US-800 mostly because the review wean't bad and considering I'm on a very tight budget, this seems like it's giving me much more than the other two and for a much better price. Any suggestions are appreciated!
Click to expand...

I know absolutly nothing about option 1 or 2..
but I just picked up option 3 (the tuscam us-800) myself recently, and so far, I`ve found it more fun then a barrel full of monkeys..LOL..I could`nt resist when they dropped the price recently..plus it comes with cubebase 5le, which is FAR better then the free Audacity for example..not that I have jack for experiance with cubebase 5le, but from what I`ve read, heard etc..it`s defiatly a big step up..at the very least, it can actually record more then one/two simultanious tracks..LOL..so that in it`s self is a huge improvement..LOL

P.S..I`m aware that it`s listed as comming with Cubebase 4LE, but mine came with cubebase 5LE...so I`m thinking all the latest packages probley do also..
 
You both are very convincing. After reading both of your posts as well as a few reviews that seems to be what I'm going with. Audio Interface down, a couple things to go...

About mics. I've been looking at the SM57 lately, mostly because of its "versatility", and price, and that seems to be the direction in which I'm leaning. I was wondering if any of you have had any experiences with the SM57. If you can testify to it's quality in any way. Or is there a mic that you believe would be better for me coming in around that price range?
 
TeenChristian said:
You both are very convincing. After reading both of your posts as well as a few reviews that seems to be what I'm going with. Audio Interface down, a couple things to go...

About mics. I've been looking at the SM57 lately, mostly because of its "versatility", and price, and that seems to be the direction in which I'm leaning. I was wondering if any of you have had any experiences with the SM57. If you can testify to it's quality in any way. Or is there a mic that you believe would be better for me coming in around that price range?
Click to expand...

Ah, yes. The SM57. It's a mic that a majority of people have in their locker. It's an industry standard due to the fact that it can be applied to tons of stuff. Vocals, acoustic guitars, guitar amps, snare drums, hi hats, toms.

It was my first mic. And it is definitely a work horse.
 
TeenChristian said:
You both are very convincing. After reading both of your posts as well as a few reviews that seems to be what I'm going with. Audio Interface down, a couple things to go...

About mics. I've been looking at the SM57 lately, mostly because of its "versatility", and price, and that seems to be the direction in which I'm leaning. I was wondering if any of you have had any experiences with the SM57. If you can testify to it's quality in any way. Or is there a mic that you believe would be better for me coming in around that price range?
Click to expand...

I don`t think anyone would argue against the fact that SHURE`s SM57 is one of the all time best mics around...for certain things..but without knowing exactly what you plan on using it for, it`d be hard to answer this one..

what are you wanting to record? guitar, drums, singing or?
or are you just wanting to start building up a stash of equiptment to slowly get most of what ya might need to record a band per se?
 
Sup man! :) I actually record on an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC as well. I've got the DV6! So yeah, it gets the job done so don't worry!

I use a tascam 1641, and I've heard wonderful things about the Tascam 800, so I'd recommend one of those! Especially for only $100! That's crazy good :D
 
my newb question...with the US-800 can you have all the channels recording separately in your daw?

can it run alongside another soundcard or would you have to choose it as the main soundcard?


Im just buying an R8M drum rack and was gonna stick it through a line mixer but thats so inflexible Id prolly not use it much
 
Really right now all I would be looking to record is some guitar (both electric and acoustic) and maybe some cajon (a box-drum like instrument that is based in base and snare sounds). As far as my first mic goes, that's all I would be using it for.
 
kcearl said:
my newb question...with the US-800 can you have all the channels recording separately in your daw?

can it run alongside another soundcard or would you have to choose it as the main soundcard?


Im just buying an R8M drum rack and was gonna stick it through a line mixer but thats so inflexible Id prolly not use it much
Click to expand...

Yes, 8 simultaneous tracks recorded to DAW with the 800. Cubase LE5 that comes with it, will only allow one ASIO driver, so no, as far as I know, it cannot be shared with another soundcard. Not at the same time anyway.
 
And +1 to the SM 57. A great choice for recording most everything. Not the best for anything always, but a great all around performer.
 
Ok, that definitely helps. Real quick though... As I was looking through the forums I noticed someone who was using a SM57 was having quality issues when recording an acoustic guitar. I know you can't know for sure, but do you think this may be because of the SM57 or because of his audio interface or mic placement?
 
TeenChristian said:
Ok, that definitely helps. Real quick though... As I was looking through the forums I noticed someone who was using a SM57 was having quality issues when recording an acoustic guitar. I know you can't know for sure, but do you think this may be because of the SM57 or because of his audio interface or mic placement?
Click to expand...

Or his guitar, or his playing, or his setup....... No one person's comments on a public forum can ever be considered correct. Don't forget, most people are idiots. Some of us claim not to be, but who is to judge. A 57 is obviously not the ideal choice always. Hell, it may be the perfect one for some situations. Maybe not. You are looking for an 'all around' mic that will perform decent in all situations. This is probably the most recommended mic for all around use when other mics are not affordable. When you desire to go further with specialized mics, on different situations, then go for them.
 
I've never used a 57 !

The {modified} saying that beauty is in the ear of the beholder {the bee holder receives many stings but plenty of honey} is so true. The guy who is having hassles recording his acoustic guitar with a '57 has his opinion but none of us has his ears. I'm of the opinion that any mic can do any job ~ if that's what your ears allow. Now, that needs to be taken in context. There are quite simply some mics that do some jobs better than others, in the same way that all cars will get you where you need to go but some are better to drive. But the reasons we have are personal and our preferences are just that ~ preferences. They are not carved in stone.
Also, bear in mind that in this recording journey, there are many miles and inevitably many changes and progressions. What you might think is a grand mic now may seem limited and lame with several years experience.
So Jimmy is right in a sense ~ not that we're all idiots {more like vidiots !! }, but that every statement you read here should be chewed over, pondered on and other balancing, often contrary views sought.
But above all, have fun, be productive and love patience.
 
grimtraveller said:
The guy who is having hassles recording his acoustic guitar with a '57 has his opinion but none of us has his ears. .
Click to expand...

in all fairness..even though it seams some have had sucess using the 57 on an acustic, and others say it`s defiantly the wrong mic for the job..if everyone is reffering to the same thread I`m thinking of, the guy did`nt know how, or where to place the mic, and had it 6 feet away...
so surely that had ALOT to do with his results..
 
Hey Jimmy and Grim. I think you've definitely solidified my choice in the SM57 as my first mic, and yes that was the thread I was referring too AL P. So far on my list of gear to get is the "Tascam US-800 8 Input USB 2.0 Computer Audio Interface", and the SM57... for my simple purposes (basic electric and acoustic guitar recording) do you guys think that would be a good way to start my little basement studio? It's seems simple enough to get the basics done and as time goes on I can slowly add to my gear.

In the future what would be some suggestions as to additions to my current list above? Would you recommend upgrades to what I already would have, like a more mics or a new Audio Interface, or something new, like a mic preamp or mixer... I'm curious to see what kind of nick-knacks one can add to their collection.


PS. KidCage, that's interusting. How was the quality, if you remember?
 
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