herringscales
New member
Hello…I’m new to the world of recording. But, I need to buy some equipment and begin recording very soon. I‘m hoping someone could help me out because I’m lost !!.
THE MUSIC: mostly acoustic (guitar, piano, cello, vocals, etc…)
THE BUDGET: kind of tight (under $1000).
PERSONAL RECORDING EXPERIENCE: Not much...borrowed friends’ 4 tracks here and there.
NECESSITIES: For now, I could pull it off with a 4 track. I’d like to be able to record at least 2 tracks at once (at least 4 mic tracks available overall before I have to start bouncing tracks), get a good overall sound, and not loose too much when mixing down. I don’t know whether to go with digital or analog. Assuming I have decent instruments and mics, can I get an analog 4 track (or 8 track for that matter) that will give me a nice warm full sound? Do any of the analog 4 tracks have decent mixers in them? If yes to these questions, can I transfer from cassette 4 track to CD during mix down somehow without all sorts of hiss as often is the case whenever I’ve transfered to another cassette? What about mastering? Is it unheard of to walk into a studio with a tape from a 4 track and have professionals master it?
On the Digital side, I do have a good computer with lots of hard drive space available. I’ve been looking at the Echo Gina and Darla cards. I’m not sure what the difference is between them. What one has a better sound, etc…? When I look at specs…I’m lost. Any other cards I should check out? What else would I need to turn my PC into a digital recorder? Do I need a mixing board? Any recommendations on those? Price range? Anything else? Software? It’s probably better to have my stuff on a digital format which I could then take to a studio to get mixed and mastered, but I wonder if it’s out of my budget…Uuuurrrrgggghhh!! Help me!! Any/All help would be appreciated..Thanks!
Scott
THE MUSIC: mostly acoustic (guitar, piano, cello, vocals, etc…)
THE BUDGET: kind of tight (under $1000).
PERSONAL RECORDING EXPERIENCE: Not much...borrowed friends’ 4 tracks here and there.
NECESSITIES: For now, I could pull it off with a 4 track. I’d like to be able to record at least 2 tracks at once (at least 4 mic tracks available overall before I have to start bouncing tracks), get a good overall sound, and not loose too much when mixing down. I don’t know whether to go with digital or analog. Assuming I have decent instruments and mics, can I get an analog 4 track (or 8 track for that matter) that will give me a nice warm full sound? Do any of the analog 4 tracks have decent mixers in them? If yes to these questions, can I transfer from cassette 4 track to CD during mix down somehow without all sorts of hiss as often is the case whenever I’ve transfered to another cassette? What about mastering? Is it unheard of to walk into a studio with a tape from a 4 track and have professionals master it?
On the Digital side, I do have a good computer with lots of hard drive space available. I’ve been looking at the Echo Gina and Darla cards. I’m not sure what the difference is between them. What one has a better sound, etc…? When I look at specs…I’m lost. Any other cards I should check out? What else would I need to turn my PC into a digital recorder? Do I need a mixing board? Any recommendations on those? Price range? Anything else? Software? It’s probably better to have my stuff on a digital format which I could then take to a studio to get mixed and mastered, but I wonder if it’s out of my budget…Uuuurrrrgggghhh!! Help me!! Any/All help would be appreciated..Thanks!
Scott