Starting to record electric guitar. Please help.

  • Thread starter Thread starter LankyDwarf
  • Start date Start date
L

LankyDwarf

New member
Ok firstly i am a complete beginner when it comes to recording anything, i have played guitar for many years and have only recently decided i would like to begin recording the material i write and covers i do.
So i decided to buy a mic, i saved up and got a shure sm57 as it seemed to be pretty critically aclaimed and i also downloaded some free recording software called Studio One, which has instantly confused me it's multitude of flashing lights and bars etc. :facepalm:
To connect it to my pc i bought a XLR to 3.5 ml converter and simply plugged the mic straight into my mic port on my pc, the problem is that my pc only detects the microphone when studio one is open, it never appears on control panel. It does however record ok using studio one, despite the fact i cant seem to find any option to get rid of playback when recording.
If anyone knows how to get rid of that, it would be appreciated and also i'd like to know why i am unable to hear audio from youtube when studio one is open, (it would be nice to listen to a backing track through youtube while playing).
Those are a few little issues but once i've got them ironed out will i be ready to do some simple recording? I know that there are hundereds of useful things i could buy, but is there anything else essential to start making recordings that make good use of the mike's potential?
Thanks for any help, sorry for the small essay :)
 
Sound cards that come with computers do not have the features you need to do real recording. You will need an audio interface. It will have better ways of handling playback and recording at the same time. Most people start with a 2-input USB interface.

The complexity of the software is pretty much unavoidable, but they follow the same basic principles. It helps to find one with an interface you feel comfortable with as they can all do about the same thing.
 
Read the sticky threads at the top of the Newbies section of this forum about computer recording.
 
Yup, the 57 needs a lot of gain and your sound card doesn't have any.

You need an interface.

Recording music has a steep learning curve. Read as much as you can and learn!! before buying anything. Make your purchasing decisions based on a valid plan. Also, it's not one-size-fit-all. What works for me may not work for you, so no one can really tell you what to buy or how to set up. This is why you need to know what to buy before buying it. And for god's sake, don't go to guitar cente and tell them you want to start recording. They'll sell whatever has the highest profit margin and not what is best for you.
 
Thanks people, I will read the interface sticky. And yeah I agree Chili, i will attempt to be more patient in future before i start throwing away my savings :)
 
Lanky Dwarf,

Don't worry, we'll help you out as much as we can. You've got some support here. In addition to this site, as a forum reference, I've been getting a ton of information from Graham Cochrane, a producer, engineer from Orlando Florida and his site The Recording Revolution.

The Recording Revolution - Home Studio Tips, Tricks, And Tutorials


Since you said that you had to save up for the SM57, I'm guessing money is fairly tight. No problem we've all been there. So with that in mind here's a great article that might help you out. While it is a little dated (its only a few years old), the basic premise holds true.

Two Singer-Songwriter Studios For Under $300 » The Recording Revolution

Good luck and stick with it. This will get very frustrating at times, but you'll get it. :thumbs up:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top