What else do I need?

S

smithc

New member
Hi,

Here is what I have:

PC Gateway computer
SoundForge recording software
Acid 4.0 mixing software
Cables
Adapters
Mics
Sound card
Guitar

Do I have to have a mixer? Can I get one for under 100?
What if I buy the M-Audio Audiophile sound card? Can I just plug my mics or guitar directly into the line input on the sound card?

Thanks for all your help for us new people!
 
I guess you don't HAVE TO have a mixer, but you will probably find that it makes life easier. The mixer will have preamps, which you'll need to send your mics through and your guitar too to bring the signals up to line level. Just plugging a mic or guitar into the line in of a soundcard won't cut it. Also, the inputs of the Audiophile soundcard you mention are stereo RCA jacks. You'll find that the mixer makes it easy to connect to the card because it will most likely have stereo RCA outputs, so you can use a typical stereo RCA cable (ya know with the small plugs, usually a red and white on each end). Also, if you have trouble with latency on your computer (although shouldn't be a problem with a good soundcard and fast computer), you may find it hard to monitor what you're recording while listening along to the playback of stuff you've already recorded. So, a mixer can help with that too by allowing you to monitor the signal directly from the mixer and mixing back in the playback output from your soundcard. This will give you zero-latency monitoring. And, yes, there are cheap mixers out there. I can think of a few Behringer, Yamaha, and Samson models.

Good luck!
-Jeff
 
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