Total Newbie

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EllieW

New member
Hello to All.....

I hope I am in the right place! I would like to record classes that I give - and then put them on a cd - and I have no idea how to do this -- I just know it can be done!

Classes are approximately 15 people - I need to record me and then later in the class I need to record the questions that the participants have -- then my response.

So -- I need software - I need microphones -

I don't know what else I would need -- and I don't know the most efficient and not too expensive software and mics to use.

I have a Dell Lattitude D600 Laptop - Win XP Pro - 1024 Ram - Sound Devices SigmaTel C-Major Audio ----
Will this computer be able to do this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated -- I am willing to learn -- just don't know where to go to learn!! :confused:

Thanks for your help,
Ellie
 
Depends on how much money you have to spend and if you don't mind finding used. First, you'll need an audio interface to get the signal from the microphone into the computer. A couple inexpensive items to look at are the Tascam US122 ($200) or the M-Audio MobilePre ($150). Those are boxes that the microphone connects to and then continue on through USB to the computer.
Next you'll need microphones with long enough cables to stretch to your computer. If you're not too interested in quality of sound, you can definitely find a ton of mics out there perfect for you. Some to start off on might be the AKG D8000S pak. I think musiciansfriend.com is selling 2 for $50. Or you can buy their other mic package which includes the D8000S mics plus two stands and two cables for 80 bucks (not sure if they come with mic clips though...might need to look into that too). Of course you could always go with Radio Shack mics....eeek.
I'm suggesting two microphones so that you can be in one place near a mic and the students can be by another one. Of course if like the M-Audio interface you'll also need to get an XLR to 1/4" TRS cable so that you can utilize the different ports on there.

You think that'd be enough to worry about so far....but we still need to get you some software. If you decide one microphone is plenty enough for you....you could probably just use the Windows Voice Recorder that comes with windows (I think XP Pro has it). People will tell you to stay away from it, but if you don't care about it being amazing quality, it should work just fine. If you decide on two mics, you can probably find some freeware recording programs online. Try shareware.com or search on this forum for some starting ideas. Funny thing is, I'm not that familiar with any of the good FREE programs. Trial and error I guess.

And that all should be the basics to get you started. Just plug it all together. That should be good enough to get everything into your computer. Then you just have to learn the software and have fun! Let us know if you have any more questions. Good luck!
 
Also....if you want to save money and just get rid of the audio interface idea...you could just get a XLR to 1/8" cable and plug it into the microphone port on your soundcard (assuming you have a mic spot for it). Yeah, i know everyone on this form is going to disagree with that idea...but if you're looking for an inexpensive way and don't care about the quality of sound you could easily do this. You'll only be able to connect one mic, though. :)
 
No reason not to use RS, we aren't recording Britney's next hit album here.

Get this mic for the students:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.a..._name=CTLG_007_002_007_001&product_id=33-3022

and a lapel mic for you, like this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.a..._name=CTLG_007_002_007_001&product_id=33-3013

Put the student mic on a table (that isn't going to get bumped) in the middle front of the class. It should pick up your students without anybody worried about talking into mics--but they'll need to speak loudly like they are on a conference call. This is the same type of mic that's built into conference room phones.

Go into the store and tell them you want to connect two mics to your PC and you're looking for a little preamp for this. If they aren't totally useless, they should be able to help. I know they have stuff like that but I can't find it on their website. I think you can do all this for $100 or so.
 
the rock bottom price to do this would be a behringer ub802 mixer which has 2 mic inputs. its about 50 bucks. i think zzounds.com have them or check around on the net. there are lots of cheap dynamic mics around.
you will need 2 microphone cables. there is a trick to cleaning up any noise or hiss using inexpensive recording products like the preceeding (i think nady or samson have a mic pack for 50 bucks).......
download cool edit 96 from the net and it has a noise reduction algorithm
built in which will let you reduce noise on audio from say your built in sound card. also it will let you record audio.
or as an alternative as you say you record later class questions etc you might consider a piece of multitrack software so that you record ME (as you said) on one track. then on a seperate track(s) the later questions/responses. thus you have a central reference point.
hitsquad.com has a lot of demoes of stereo recording software and multitrack recording software.
peace and hope this helps. if you want something cheap for 29 bucks i u love powertracks from pgmusic.com (48 digital audio tracks) but its probably way more than you need ......
 
For my money - it all depends on whether the laptop has a line-in or not. A microphone connection will NOT do, because there is gonna be a tonne of background hiss in this kinda recording anyway so to enhance it by using the mic-in would be to potentially make the recordings useless.

I'd probably fetch one of those little Behringers and some cheap mics - Behringer, Samson, Nady and Radio Shack are all very cheap and should do what you want. There may be a question over whether you should get condensers - thoughts, people?
 
Thank You all so much!!

While I certainly don't need the quality that you folks need for your music and songs --- I do need a decent quality as all participants will be receiving a copy of each class.....

I think I will go the rs route as mshilarious suggests and see how that works for me.

Thanks again to you all for sharing your knowledge!! :)

Ellie
 
Keep in mind that some portable mp3 players, such as (I think) the iRiver can record audio which you can then transfer to the PC and burn. You'd just need that and a cheapo Radio Shack mic.
 
kevinb9n said:
Keep in mind that some portable mp3 players, such as (I think) the iRiver can record audio which you can then transfer to the PC and burn. You'd just need that and a cheapo Radio Shack mic.
Click to expand...

Well.....I never even thought of using a mp3 and someone also suggested recording with a mini disc. Now I am even more confused than before -
if that is actually possible? :p

I need to eventually get these recording onto cd's as they will be marketed as a series..... So I am looking for a good quality..... if I could do that without dragging my computer with me 2-3 times a week -- that would make life a bit easier....

I have never actually heard any recording from any of these mediums.....

Are mp3's and mini disc good quality recorders?
And would I be able to use a mixer for 2 mics?

Thanks again for all advice and for your patience! :o

Ellie
 
I don't know about a classroom situation but I have a therapist friend who has a minidisc recorder and a pair of mini Sony mics he bought with it and he gets very passable recordings of his clients. There is quite a bit of hiss though.

You would be able to use a mixer for two mics - but unless you can record in 'stereo' (i.e. two separate channels) you won't be able to balance the levels after recording. If you're confident one isn't stupidly louder than the other you should be fine.
 
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