Beginners guide to computers and recording (voice)?

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quad

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It is always hard to be a newbie, and that's what I am right now with the basic Q: How do I record my voice into my computer? I know a lot about computers (since 1985) and have some basic knowledge about HIFI and cables and connections and a little about analog sound, but here it ends. I have been googling for a "beginners guide tutorial: How to get your own voice into the computer?" I have not found anything good, and I hope, that someone with knowledge read this: I imagine a good tutorial to
  1. describe some basics about sound and computers (analog, digital, A/D conversion). What happens with sound when it moves from my voice into a mic and then on its way into the computer (amplifying, phantom power, pre amp, soundcard, USB etc)
  2. What kind of microphones exist? What are the differences between dynamic, condensator, headset etc. Is one type better for voice recording?
  3. Why does some microphones come with XLR and what is that? Is it better than jack/mini jack?
  4. What is a USB mic? What is a USB dynamic mic? What is a USB condensator mic?
  5. What is Phantom Power thing and who needs it and what does it do?
  6. What is a pre amp and who needs it and what does it do?
  7. What is the difference between Phantom Power and a pre amp
  8. What is a sound card and what does it do?
    etc.

Please give specific links, the ones, where you learned.
Thanks in advance
Michael from Denmark
 
quad said:
It is always hard to be a newbie, and that's what I am right now with the basic Q: How do I record my voice into my computer? I know a lot about computers (since 1985) and have some basic knowledge about HIFI and cables and connections and a little about analog sound, but here it ends. I have been googling for a "beginners guide tutorial: How to get your own voice into the computer?" I have not found anything good, and I hope, that someone with knowledge read this: I imagine a good tutorial to
  1. describe some basics about sound and computers (analog, digital, A/D conversion). What happens with sound when it moves from my voice into a mic and then on its way into the computer (amplifying, phantom power, pre amp, soundcard, USB etc)
  2. What kind of microphones exist? What are the differences between dynamic, condensator, headset etc. Is one type better for voice recording?
  3. Why does some microphones come with XLR and what is that? Is it better than jack/mini jack?
  4. What is a USB mic? What is a USB dynamic mic? What is a USB condensator mic?
  5. What is Phantom Power thing and who needs it and what does it do?
  6. What is a pre amp and who needs it and what does it do?
  7. What is the difference between Phantom Power and a pre amp
  8. What is a sound card and what does it do?
    etc.

Please give specific links, the ones, where you learned.
Thanks in advance
Michael from Denmark
Click to expand...


Welcome to be boards, Michael from Denmark. :D

The answers to all of those questions are right here in this forum and tweakheads guide (the link that Jim Lad posted). You might have to do a little searching (although not much), but the answers are there.

Oh and just so you know...it's a condenser microphone, not condensator. ;)
 
dastrick said:
it's a condenser microphone, not condensator. ;)
Click to expand...
I will write that behind my ear and try to remember. Every day learning - thanks. Danish - german - english ;-)

And this forum looks really great. I guess, that is all what I need the next few years ;-) Thank you all of you guys for fast replies.
Michael
 
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I have not spent that much time on this excellent site tweakheadz.com/ - this is one of the most useful websites I have ever seen. Holy Moses. This person deserves I do not know what. I do not want to know how many thousands hours this person has spent, but he certainly saves me a lot of hours and I sure will give him something in return.
Michael
 
We don't really need to continuously re-write books that are already available to you in any bookstore. See below:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470385421
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Another good one is: Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Gui...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215734124&sr=1-1
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at www.tapeop.com

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics and have good tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/tips-techniques/168409-tips-techniques.html

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig: http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Also Good Info: http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Other recording books: http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and tested suggestions that WORK: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm
(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)
Another good article: Choosing an audio interface - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep08/articles/audiointerfaces.htm


Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com/smm

Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $50 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages - http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE and July 2009 issue they put out Samplitude10SE. FREE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)
 
Hello Tim
Nice and thank you, BUT if you are living in Kimbutku, it is a little easier with the internet and it is FREE and you can search and bookmark and a lot of other things, that you cannot do with a paper book. PS I am an ex-publisher of computer books ;-)
But thanks for all your links! I will look into them a little later. If you look at my first post, very easily it becomes too much. I only need info on mics and audio-interface and that's it, as far as I can see. My needs are not very professional. My main message is NOT the audio quality, but the content of the videos, that I make.
I know: "the better the audio quality etc." but it is a question of priority, always. You can go on and on finding the best gear and suddenly you are dead and you did not do anything. You forgot the essentials.
Michael
 
You can go on and on finding the best gear and suddenly you are dead and you did not do anything. You forgot the essentials.
Click to expand...

Best comment of the day so far!
I might go and post this over at GearSlutz and then run for it!
 
Welcome.

Maybe check out the second sticky in the Newbies subforum.

I might go and post this over at GearSlutz and then run for it!
Click to expand...
Curious as to why you think that. IMO GS is generally not out of balance that way. I'm interested though, and think you should post it there to see. I'll post in the thread if you link to it. I'm not trying to call you out or anything, just interested in the subject.
 
XLR: Who are you addressing, me? In other fora they have a habit of addressing #11 (that would be you, XLR) - that's very easy to follow, if you are used to it.

I might be a little on the edge in this forum. I have found out the last hours, that these headset are also interesting for me:

SHURE WH20XLR and SHURE WH30XLR and Sennheiser ME 3-N or the newer Sennheiser ME 3-ew and all of these are NOT to find in this forum ;-) and they are NOT mentioned on the super site tweakheadz.com or some of his fora.

So ... maybe I have to look for another forum for this kind of stuff.
Michael
 
Quad, since you're the only new member in the thread I thought you'd assume the welcome was for you. So welcome, quad. :)

Do check out the Newbie section sticky though, it has a lot of good links.

I don't use headset mic's so can't address that.
 
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