To use a PC, or not to use a PC

S

satchmo

New member
Alright, brand spanking new to recording. Have no equipment (at least none that warrants the title 'equipment')

I've decided that I want to take up some home recording as a hobby, maybe develop it into something later. The only thing I've noticed is that my computer has next to no RAM (189 mb) and is not upgradeable because it's a laptop. There's a lot of lag, when using any of the recording software (I've tried Acid, Nuendo)

So here's the question.

I'm on a limited budget, and it would take a while to develop a good PC based system to record. So, is it any cheaper to go the used hardware route? What equipment would be necessary (recorder, mixer, compressor, etc.)

I would like to do some multiple track work (no more than 8). So what are your recommendations?

Satch
 
satchmo said:
I'm on a limited budget, and it would take a while to develop a good PC based system to record. So, is it any cheaper to go the used hardware route?
Click to expand...

If dedicated hardware were cheaper do you think *ANYONE* would use it? Very doubtful. The great thing about software is that it is cheap (or free if you use cracks--beware of reliability issues though) and allows good results in the right hands for modest amounts of money.

You will still need some hardware though... to convert the analog signals to digital and vise-versa.

Honestly, you can drop 400 bucks on a new Dell, drop 200 on some halfway decent monitors, drop 200 bucks on software like Cubase and a few plugins and maybe 400 on mics (2 SM57's, 2 AKG C2000's), maybe 300 on a decent soundcard or AD/DA box, 250 bucks on a Mackie CR1604 mixer and end up with a decent recording. Granted, when tracking a full drum kit I'd highly recommend renting a few more mics.

Some people do it for less than all that!
 
search under my name and youll find i covered this many times.
even though you have that low a ram saome music programs WILL WORK.
i have a friend doing 18 tracks on an old p1 laptop.
try the demoes of magix music studio, ntrack, powertracks, and some others.
i'm sure youll find one that will run and give you more than 8 tracks.
in my friends case the first we tried magix music studio did the job.
 
Hey Satchmo,
I will probably be the lone voice chiming in with this opinion, but I say NOT PC. Unless your main focus is doing electronica or something like that I think you are better off staying away from the computer for now. I am not a zealot about this, I have been using computers for music for almost 20 years myself but for many people jumping into a computer is a mistake.

You mentioned that you are just getting into this and you wanted the ability to record no more than 8 tracks. As a guy that has seen tons of people take the plunge into home recording (and a guy that now runs a business to help those folks) the guys that get the simple set up are almost always the ones that end up doing the most recording and get the most done in their studios. The guys that dive right into the computer set up are the ones that spend a lot of time trying to figure out software, computer crashes and tweaking things. There are exceptions to this, but for the most part people with simple tools do better work.

Also another big part of my living is mixing records that other producers have done and the large majority of the time the tracks that were done by the new guy with an ADAT are usually better than the new guy with the computer.

I always encourage beginers to start with simple tools. A small analog mixer, a stand alone recorder (ADAT, DA-88, or 1/2 inch analog 8track) speakers and a couple good mics. I would even suggest that if you are jsut starting out that you get a cheap 4 track cassette and play around with that for 6 months to get your feet wet. without knowing more about your music I can not be really be very specific.

I know that others on this board will chime in that you really need to get into a computer set up and their opnion is as valid as mine. But if I was a betting man, I would bet that if you get a simple dedicated set up instead of a computer, one year from now you will have recorded a lot more music and you will be a much better engineer.
 
Ronan said:
Hey Satchmo,
I will probably be the lone voice chiming in with this opinion, but I say NOT PC.
Click to expand...

No I agree that a dedicated hard disk unit with a small mixer is the better way to go, but nine times out of ten the noob doesn't want to spend that kind of money. They want to be able to "record" for about 400 bucks and expect CD quality... because they're noobs and don't know any better.

If they were smart they'd just get a Mackie CR1604 and a HD24, some cabling and a few mics. Do any sticky editing on the PC... which is way less dicey than recording to it.
 
which is way less dicey than recording to it said cloneboy.
my answer....
there are millions of people recording to pc everyday clone boy and getting work done.
dicey only occurs because people either load down their pc's with lots of junk or they dont take the time or are too lazy to set up a proper pc confign.
many were brought up in the gameboy instant gratification era and dont want to learn the art of audio production. frankly ive come across many like this who dont want to learn ANYTHING. they expect to turn on something and load a few sounds in and have a hit song within the day without doing WORK. life just ionsnt like that. songs are gut wrenching hard work.
do you have any issues with your pc cloneboy ?
if you do - be happy to try and help you through them.
because you obviously dont like pc's for a reason.
i would be curious what those reasons are.
i dont claim the architecture is perfect. nothing ever is.
but its put more power into more poor musicians hands than ever before.
and that is a good thing imho.
 
Thanks for the help guys, you've given me some stuff to think about. I'll largely just be recording guitar/bass/vocals. Perhaps drums when I'm ready. Alternative rock and/or blues.

Essentially I'm trying to better understand the recording process, techniques, etc, and I'm starting from scratch.

I'm leaning towards the dedicated hardware -- mixer, DA-88 (seems to be the better tape based solution), monitors-- as I know my personality, and I know that I would get bogged down in whatever software I'm using.

Appreciate all the help.

Satch
 
Why didn't anyone suggest a stand-alone digital recorder? If you're trying to keep things simple and cheap, it's a valid option. Some of them aren't going to have the greatest quality, but they'll still be better than a cassette recorder and you could pick up an 8 track unit from Zoom or Boss used for very little money I would suspect. I'll bet some of the 16 track units from Korg or Roland probably are pretty reasonable as well. Do some research and check out e-bay.

Ted
 
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