another "can you help a new guy out?" thread

[anyidiot]

i hope nobody's getting sick of these types of posts. i just joined and feel like i haven't read half of them in two hours.

anyway, i'd like to record vocals, electric guitar (d/i and amp mic), acoustic guitar (mic) and keyboards one track at a time into my pc. i've never done midi before, so i'm pretty clueless about doing the keyboards and using synthesized instruments. i've tried to do my shopping well but wanted specific opinions regarding my goals:

soundcard
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m-audio audiophile 2496
terratec dmx 6fire (lt or not)
echo mia
m-audio omni studio (too much for my application?)

microphones (probably two, vocal specific and an sm57?)
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akg 1000c
akg 3000b
oktava mc-012
oktava mk-319
behrenger ecm 8000
marshal mxl603

keyboards (i'm not really a piano player at all, i just want to be ----------- able to add small eyb parts and synth strings, etc.)
edirol pcr-30
midiman oxygen8
m-audio ozone

monitors
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m-audio sp-58

headphones
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samson ch700
sony mdr-7506

compressor (do i even need one?)
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fmr rnc 1773

mic preamp (do i need one of these either?)
--------------

guitar (d/i)
-------
line 6 guitarport OR pod?
what about effects processing?

software (yes i know, very subjective... humor me please)
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mixing (cakewalk, cubase, pro tools, cool edit...)
drum machine (fruity loops, acid pro...)

as you can probably tell by what i've already scoped out, i'm looking in the budget range. my main problem is i don't know what combination of audio interfaces (incl. soundcards) and keyboards and software would be redundant (eg omni studio AND ozone right?)

anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks for such a great, open community that's friendly to new users!

 

[cyanatic]

anyidiot: anyway, i'd like to record vocals, electric guitar (d/i and amp mic), acoustic guitar (mic) and keyboards one track at a time into my pc.

Well, no one seems to be responding to this, so I’ll take a stab at it. I’m new to this board (wished I’d found it years ago!), but not new to the type of home recording you’re talking about. From what I’ve read on this board, there’s a lot of knowledge and experience here…so, all I can tell you is what has worked for me. I am NOT an expert and am really here more to learn than to dispense advice. If anything I tell you is bogus, wrong, or the hard way, hopefully someone will step in and correct/educate me.

The direction you go in is partly dictated (as you said) by your budget, but also by what you want to accomplish. Do you want to do a homemade CD or tape for yourself? For a demo for yourself or a band? For scratch tracks to take to a “pro” studio?

My first considerations for a PC home studio are two things: 1.) How am I going to get sound in/out of my computer (sound card/module) & 2.) How am I going to arrange/manipulate those sounds once they’re in there (virtual studio/mixer/sequencer).

Soundcard -- Like you, I pretty much do one track at a time, so I don’t need a lot of ins/outs. I don’t need S/PDIF, and have a preference for just using ¼ jacks. My first card was a Dman 2024. (Had I not somehow f’d it up in moving it to a new computer I built, I’d probably still be using it.) After days of research (reading reviews, tech specs, and weighing the pros/cons of PCI vs. USB based on my current OS and mobo…the latter two very important to keep in mind if you opt for the USB route) I decided on a Delta 44. ( I purchased it the day before I found this discussion board. If I had it to do over again, I’d try to get more feedback before purchasing more equipment.) I believe one of your considerations was the 2496. I believe it has RCA connections only? Not sure. Anyway, I’ll leave it to others to talk about the pros and cons of what you’re considering. Do you want to do MIDI as well? I believe Edirol or M-Audio has a USB unit that handles AD/DA & MIDI. Others have said it before, but I guess the golden rule is don’t spend extra $ on bells and whistles you’ll never use, but identify your requirements well enough beforehand that you don’t end up having to buy something else.

Software -- I started out with Power Tracks, have tested Cubase & Cakewalk and have decided to stick with Power Tracks for now. I know it, it works for me, and they’ve always given good service and tech support. My needs are pretty simple (I play in a blues band and write blues, swing, and bluesy jazz originals. I make scratch tracks of songs I write so band members can hear what I’m aiming at and take off from there. I have also taped performances with a Tascam 424 MkII, brought it into Power Tracks and made demo tapes for club owners that way. I also noodle around with other musical genres just for fun.) I never heard of n-tracks before, but from what I’ve read here, it sounds like another good, inexpensive option. Again, as others have said, download demos and check out what works best for your needs.

Mics -- I won’t get into mics cause that’s a whole other ball of wax, and I’m hardly qualified to discuss the technical ins and outs of them. I just use the same mics in my home studio that I use at gigs (Shure SM58, a Carvin knock-off of the 58, the retro-style Shure – I forget the model #, and, unique to my needs because I’m a harmonica player, a JVC Astatic, a Shure Green Bullet, and a Shaker dynamic mic.). Again, it depends on what you want to do. If you want double use (gigs & studio) the 58 is hard to beat in terms of price and reliability. Unless you’re really sure about what you want and where you’re going, I wouldn’t go too crazy on mics at first. Two max (one for vocals, one to mic an amp if you need to) I would think.

Keyboard -- I have an Alesis QS-6 that I got on a close-out sale that I use for bass, drums (I also use the pre-arranged midi drum loops that come with Power Tracks) piano, organ, synth, strings, and, occasionally, limited guitar sounds. I’m not a keyboard player either, so I can’t speak to the desire for weighted keys, 64 voice polyphony, etc. Identify your needs, read a lot, and get advice from keyboard players who know what your needs are.

Monitors – I was using a little solid state amplifier (*shudder*), or hooking into the two speakers from my Carvin PA. I have an extra stereo receiver, so I’m going to try a ¼ to RCA patchcord from the Delta out to the RCAs on the amplifier and use home stereo speakers. Someday I’ll get to real monitors. I have a friend who works in a recording studio and the first thing he purchased for his home studio was monitors. With a budget (and who doesn’t have one) it becomes a balancing act as to where you’re going to skimp, and where you’re going to spend.

Headphones – I’d lay down money on good monitors before I’d worry about headphones. I use a cheapo pair ONLY to hear the other tracks I’ve laid down while I’m doing my vocals. A good pair would be nice, but if you already have some, use those and save your money.

FYI – I run keyboard and mics into a Carvin PA head and then out to the soundcard from there.

Editing -- I do my effects, mixing, and export to wav all in Power Tracks. I split the wav to two tracks and dump to cassette on a Tascam 424. I plan to get a CD burner, but want to get more info first.

In a nutshell, my approach is that my knowledge, experience, abilities, and needs will dictate when I move up to better equipment/software.

Didn’t mean to run on so long, hope this helps.

Cyanatic