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rifran

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So ive been researching for the past week or so and evrey website is telling me like 3 diffrent ways of doing one thing.

but basically what i want to do is record a guitar track then then record a bass track as im listening to the bass track. Then put the guitar and bass track together and record a drum track while listening to the bass and guitair track and etc etc...

my budget is $1000 i can go over if i need to.

but im really unclear of the things i need to do what i want to do. could somebody please help? :(
 
You can record a guitar/bass 2 ways...direct or with a mic. Using a mic/amp is the best way and will give you the best results.

So...you need: A microphone, a preamplifier (preamp), and something to record into. Like a standalone recorder or a computer. A PC is the easiest in my opinion and gives you a lot more options. If you use a PC, you'll also want to get a decent sound card since the ones that come with computers aren't the greatest...

Example:
Microphone: Shure SM57 ($99 new)
Preamp: M-Audio DMP3 ($160 new)
Sound card: M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 ($99 new)
Multi-track software: Reaper (~$40)

That's one example. The quality you get will mostly depend on your guitar and amp. You have a $1000 budget, but with that, I'd get whatever else you need, like monitors, room/acoustic treatment, cables, mic stands, etc.

The DMP3, Shure SM57, sound card, and Reaper will be capable of getting you good recordings. You may want to substitute the mic for something other than an SM57 but it's a good starting mic and you can't really go wrong with it for guitar amps.
 
On top of that if you use a comnputer to record. You may want to look at getting some sort of guitar post processing soft ware Like NativeInstruments Guitar Rig or iZotopes Trash. This way you have multiple options when it comes to recording your guitars. For example having two tracks of the same riff only one recorded through mics, and the other direct in. In my experiance the more opitons you have the better off you are, and with a $1,000 or a little more budget there are a suprising amount of options.
 
Record the drums first. You will pay hell trying to sync it all later if you don't.
 
Oh god yes. I think that is a mistake every one should make once, or just a metronome if you are able to play like that, and stay on time.
 
Yeah, use a drum machine and program it with rhythms that will be similar to the finished song's drums . . . and then prepare for a possible argument with the drummer, and maybe everyone else. It's worth it, though.
 
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