Am I buying trash equipment??

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pablo

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I don't know what's wrong with me!! I just keep on buying stuff that I won't be able to use, I do need some advise...
First trash I bought when I decided to start my home-studio was a Shure 55h, the preatties mic ever!! I was so in love with it!! and I thought that the sound couldn't be that bad!! afterall, it's a shure!! I was using my home stereo as a preamp for it, yeah, I know, I'm cheap, but I have to get all this equipment from my McDonald's salary, and I really have to SUFFER all of that money... So, then I bought a fretless bass, becouse I had hear it in some of my favorite band's recording and I resulted to be a pain in the ass to record, becouse I haven't play any fretless in my whole life!! So I asked for a refund and bought instead of it a cheapass Phonics mixer ($70) it says in the box that it has 10 inputs!! but I haven't been able to use any of those, this is the first time I ever use a mixer, well, I had done it before at my school theater, but it was different and I only dealed with the volumens, so, I just plug my mic into where it says INPUT, and get it a gain, volume, and connect a headphones to the "Phones" output and I hear just nothing, I tried to mess around with it until I find SOME sound, but it was useless... I also got a cheap keyboard ($150) it had full size keys, Midi, and touch sensitiveness, that was pretty much a lot to me!! I suppose the sounds for the keyboard will be in the secuencing software I would get, and I had one of those midi cables that you can connect in the midi out of the keyboard and in the joystick port in the sound card, but I just did it and I was sounding on my PC!! neither recording on the secuncer or anyhting... I think it may be the cable, cause it's pretty old and the keyboard seems ok...

PLEAAAASE... help...
What am I doing wrong?!?
I need to get started...
If you don't get something I'm saying pleae ask me to repeat, I'm used to it, becouse english is not my first language :)

Peace

Pablo
 
Junk equipment..??

First of all what instrument is your best,...??
and what are you trying to do,..??
It really isn't the choices you are making for purchases, it's making up your mind what you are trying to accomplish,??

If the keyboard is your instrument of choice, and your goal is to record something that sounds relatively professional, you are probably gonna have to have around 5-600 dollars worth of gear, and software...(if it is to be recorded to a computer,..??)
The software of choice for a 'newbie' would be probably N-Track Studio, as it is very inexpensive for what you get. Here is the demo, attached.... the program is only about $60, and is well worth it.

As far as the rest, to really get the help you need, you must give us more information, .... what is it you are trying to do ..??

what instrument..? etc... keyboards can be a direct plug in to a decent soundcard, via the Midi port, but if you want to record guitar sounds, it becomes a little harder, .... Acoustic, or electric..??
amplified, or not,...??

Let us know .....
Upstate
:DN-Trackstudio.com
 
Last edited:
1. Read trade mags
2. Ask here
3. Listen before you buy
 
Ok, well, my problem is that I'm on a very low budget...

I Play Guitar as my main, I'm trying to make some music with electronic percussion, becouse I'm awfull at playing the drums, and I don't have a drum set... I also want to add to that a good effected guitar I already have my guitar and my FX pedals, for now I will have to plug it directly to the mixer becouse I wanna get a Vox Cambridge 15 for my recording, it's tube power and that old british distortion I like... for now, I can just plug it to the Mixer... I had a small mixer, a phonic mm 1002, it seems like an ok mixer evethough it was like 70 bucks... But this is the first one I've ever had, so I don't know.. it's not a mackie though... My monitors will have to wait, for now I've got the PC subwoofer system and a pair of Philips SBC HP170 headphones, those are more like for just hearing your discman, but that's what I've got...
Oh, and By the way, I already have a tracking software, Cool Edit Pro and my drums are programed in Fruity loops 3... I would rather to use those since I already HAVE them and I have had some experience using it, I won't get lost in them...
I also got a Casio CTK-573 keyboard... I'm not good at playing the piano, but I can do some chords as strings, nothing like a latin Salsa, but I can do somethings...
MY microphone is a Shure 55sm Series II, most people swear at me when I say that name... but I just bought it because I was planning to have more plive performances with my last band, and I though I could do any work also for recording, but I'm not getting good results with it... so right now I'm selling it and I'm planning to get a SM57...

Well, that's about it...

I really aprecciate that you're taking your time to answer me...
 
This is the only song i've reacorded they way I told u, I didn't use good preamp or vocals though :)
But it could give you and idea of what I want
 
You should maybe start by focusing on one problem at a time. I know english is not your first language. Same for me. But you're writing, so take all the time you need to keep your posts concise and structured. You will get more and better replies. :cool:
 
Oh, sorry about that...
Maybe that's the reason why nobody replies my post! :)
I'm really sorry about that, I will try to keep it more simple.
So, what is it that you didn't get??
I can repeat the whole if you need me to!! :)
 
Well, the cheapset way to get started is with PC recording (if you already have a PC that is), so you are on the right track.

Focus on one problem at at time, and think "Whats the matter here" and describe the problem for us, and you'll get answers.
 
The problem is that I'm not getting a good sound...
I don't know If it's bad preamp or I'm using or bad mic...
 
Pablo, can you tell us what kind of soundcard you have in the computer.

What kind of computer?

How have you been getting guitar signal into computer? !/8" adaptor? Mic in, Line in?

How many tracks do you need to be able to record?

These people here are pretty smart (not me), but give as much info as you can so they can help you.

Good luck.
 
Unfortunately the "I'm not getting a good sound" is not very helpful. What doens't sound good?

You need to learn some basic skills, and I say this not to make you feel bad or anything, but to help you.

Basic skill one: Problem resolution.
If you have a problem, you need to focus on that problem, and remove any possible causes of the problem, until you are down to just a couple of posible sources. Then you try to fix these problems. If you fail, ask here.

Basic skill two: Communication.
When you have removed most possible causes of the problem, you need to be able to ask others (us) about it without mixing the problem description with irrelevant information. This is not easy, but it is neccessary. I have worked years in tech support for computer companies, and have aquired the knack of figuring out what people are trying to say even when they say something completely different, but most people here do know have that knack. And honestly, in your case, even I have no idea what you are trying to tell us.

So to repeat my question: WHAT doesn't sound good?
 
I'm sorry, as it says under my nickname, I'm a newbie! But I did worte a url to the song I'm trying to make, look in the past post...
I think most of my problem was due to bad preamp and that I was using the mic in instead of the line in, because for some reason the line in in my sound card was broken... I'm gonna get a new sound card and a ART or DBx tube preamp...

I'm sorry if I'm causing you trouble, I understand some of you must be really busy people, and if you are, I understand it, you're just not in the mood to mess up with newbies who don't even know what they want... but if this is you case, nevermind, you can always skip my post, I don't mean to be rude, I'm really thankfull for all the answers I've got from this forum, but I don't want to take your time...
Sorry if I've been bothering, I'm just trying to learn...
 
Ok, here I go...
I've got a Pentium 3, 128 RAM a Sound Blaster 128 (as read on my PC drivers)
I've been recording in the mic in, I know that it was wrong and I'm gonna start recording on line in from now on.
I don't need to record more than 1 at a time but will need like one for drums, one for bass, one for guitar, one for volcas and one for back volcals...
 
Originally posted by c7sus
Don't pay any attention to Regebro. He has the most notorious case of Hemorroids on this BBS.

Only when I talk to commies. Otherwise I'm fine.
 
c7, you're not sure either, are you? :D


Pab, can you spend a few bucks to upgrade from the soundblaster? Say $200? You can use your mixer with a card like the Mia (http://music.multimedian.com/reviews/mia.html). Better A/D converters and 1/4" inputs instead of reducing to 1/8".

The sm57 will be an improvement also.

Good luck.


Just curious, do you agree that the "President of Rock" is about the most bombastic, pompous clown on the internet?
 
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