a few questions for a semi-newb (audio equipment, recording)

[arrowbend]

hello there.

this is an all-encompassing thread, so please bear with me.

by semi newb i mean, i know enough that plugging the guitar directly to your generic line in won't yield too good results. also i've recorded songs previously.

right now all i have is a guitar, synth, a guitar multieffector/preamp (zoom G1) and a roland 15W guitar amp (oh and some "better" old 2.1 pc speakers). everything except the guitar and synth is lower quality and cheap, i realize that so i'm not expecting pro studio quality.

i decided to get some "better" equipment the next paycheck (oh and i'm a not so well off student...you probably already know what will i buy then, right?) hehe

first...i need better speakers. my idea are the behringer MS40 studio monitor speakers (20W per piece)
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/MS40.aspx

second...i definitely need a proper sound card (now i have the generic sound blaster).
i'm aiming for the EMU 0202 USB or the 0404 version.
or the alternative some M-Audio product. i was hoping to get some input here...i've read only good reviews about the EMU products.
any suggestions?

what low budget equipment would also be recommended? i was thinking about an external mixer, but i'm not sure what will that help me...can't i just use a software one? i have no idea what are the benefits?

as for software...i'm using Adobe Audition 3 and i think it's perfect, so no changes here.


now for some other questions.

-is it me or does the cheap multieffect cause delay if i use alot of effects...would i be better off with using it just as a preamp and add effects trough software (considering that the EMU/Maudio can work in low latency)?

-what is an acceptable latency (in ms) and how do i know it's working as it should? right now what i was doing was manually cutting (the track) one recording so that it is in sync with a previous one.

-what other parameters should i be aware of for quality recording. i heard something about compression/limiting but i have no idea what that is and how do i apply it. but i'll find out.

-and the last one...what audio quality can i expect from those sound cards?
by that i mean...when i compare guitar recorded on PC and live play on my guitar amp the quality difference is really noticeable. recording on PC is really noisy, shallow, wooden. can i expect at least same quality as my amp in live? i really have no idea and i don't know anyone in the vicinity to try it out personally.


i really appreciate any answers, especially for the equipment part. thanks

 

[kcearl]

Hi..welcome to the site


firstly id like to say I too am a fan of cheap gear...nowt wrong with it in my books


but those MS40...while a damn sight better than PC speakers or low end hi fi speakers are not what you want..they have almost no bass response..

I think for a few bucks more you can get a pair of EMUs...though much lower wattage (8w) it doesn't really matter...40ws is loud..and prolly too loud to do a decent mix in an untreated room...50% of you mixing should be done at near inaudible levels..Im just learning that myself

Id invest the cash in a good set of studio headphones and use them for your main mixes...then mix down to mp3s or CDs and play the tracks on domestic audio for reference..

get a decent pair of speakers when you've got the cash...it is about the only thing Id say you wont get away with skimping on, I have..its a nightmare..

I've seen KRK RP8s going $200 on Clist...how much are the Behris anyway $140 or something?

Ill let other chip in about soundcards as I use a toneport

 

[gecko zzed]

i'm aiming for the EMU 0202 USB or the 0404 version.
or the alternative some M-Audio product. i was hoping to get some input here...i've read only good reviews about the EMU products.
any suggestions?

Though obviously there are differences between interfaces, most contemporary ones do reasonable jobs

what low budget equipment would also be recommended? i was thinking about an external mixer, but i'm not sure what will that help me...can't i just use a software one? i have no idea what are the benefits?

Yes, you can use a software mixer. You don't really need an external mixer unless you need to mix several tracks for the interface (for example, if you are using fur mikes to mike up a drumkit, and you need this to go into two channels of an interface).

-is it me or does the cheap multieffect cause delay if i use alot of effects...would i be better off with using it just as a preamp and add effects trough software (considering that the EMU/Maudio can work in low latency)?

If it is a 'cheap multieffect delay', then leave it out of the signal path, and use software FX.

-what is an acceptable latency (in ms) and how do i know it's working as it should? right now what i was doing was manually cutting (the track) one recording so that it is in sync with a previous one.

You should aim for, and be able to achieve, latency of 10ms or less.

-what other parameters should i be aware of for quality recording. i heard something about compression/limiting but i have no idea what that is and how do i apply it. but i'll find out.

Go to the newbies sticky . . . there's lots of useful information there.

-and the last one...what audio quality can i expect from those sound cards?
by that i mean...when i compare guitar recorded on PC and live play on my guitar amp the quality difference is really noticeable. recording on PC is really noisy, shallow, wooden. can i expect at least same quality as my amp in live? i really have no idea and i don't know anyone in the vicinity to try it out personally.

You will notice a big difference in quality between the onboard soundcard and a recording interface such as the EMU.

 

[arrowbend]

thanks for the replies guys.

@kcearl

i was thinking about headphones too and i agree with you about that. thing is i was kinda using the situation as an excuse to dump my PC speakers and get something more proper. since these speakers now are 8 years old and slowly falling apart.
what's the cheapest, decent headphones set...maybe i could get both?
and what kind of stereo speakers are you suggesting i should be looking at?

 

[kcearl]

thanks for the replies guys.

@kcearl

i was thinking about headphones too and i agree with you about that. thing is i was kinda using the situation as an excuse to dump my PC speakers and get something more proper. since these speakers now are 8 years old and slowly falling apart.
what's the cheapest, decent headphones set...maybe i could get both?
and what kind of stereo speakers are you suggesting i should be looking at?

Maybe try the Edirol MA-7As...they're better than the MS40s..just not as loud

for a cheap pair of studio phones try Behringer HPS5000..Ive used these and they are a damn sight better than the $200 Bose I'm using just now and they're only about $40 on ebay..

I think together that comes to less than the MS40s and in truth the edirols will probably be easier to unload when you upgrade