Basic computer recording setup, advice please =)

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mikeote

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Hi

I have a decent computer, AMD 2 ghz cpu/ 1gb ram pc400/ nvidia 5200 graphics card/ 80 gig hard drive/ soundblaster Live 5.1 sound card.

I want to record on my computer but dont know which equiptment I should get...

I heard about firewire, Is it possible for me to get a cheap firewire card and a cheap breakout box with 8+ mic inputs and record 8 tracks simultaneously ?

Ideally I'de like to not spend more than £150 on the card and box.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Mike
 
mikeote said:
Ideally I'de like to not spend more than £150 on the card and box.
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Not sure what that translates to in my native currency (USD), but it seems you will need to spend more to get what you are looking for.
 
I'd say your cheapest way for audio interface would be a m-audio delt. though its a PCI and its intups are not mic ins. what you are looking for falls in the $600 range. a firepod has 8 mic ins and 2 digital ins. and 10 out. I think. or you can get a mixer and use your line in on your audio card. The quality may be ok if you dont plan on making a living selling CD's.
 
It's £150 pounds sterling, that's $260 usd

So the m-audio delt (sound card ?) with firepod (breakout box ?) is the cheapest way to get 8 individual tracks recording simultaneously on my pc ?

What about 6 simultaneous recording tracks ?

I dont want to use a mixer into my sound card as I won't be able to mix the individual tracks or set the levels after recording.

Thanks for the help ! =)
 
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mikeote said:
So the m-audio delt (sound card ?) with firepod (breakout box ?) is the cheapest way to get 8 individual tracks recording simultaneously on my pc ?
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You will not need both the Delta card and the FirePod. That would be somewhat redundant. Do you have a firewire connection on your computer? If not, you will need a firewire card in addition to the FirePod. A firewire card should be about $30 USD.

I think the FirePod is a good way to go. It is great value, considering you have 8 mic inputs onboard.
 
Ok i've been reading about both. What about Firepod VS M Audio Delta 1010 ?
 
The Delta 1010 doesn't have mic pre's and the Firepod does.

I'm sure the converters are different but I don't think we should get into that considering your current level of understanding.
 
mikeote said:
Ok i've been reading about both. What about Firepod VS M Audio Delta 1010 ?
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Well, the Firepod has 8 Mic or Line inputs, while the Delta 1010 only has Line inputs. That's the main difference, other than Firewire vs. PCI.
 
ok, I don't know the difference in sound quality comparing pci to firewire, you guys might. Can you tell me the difference in sound quality in % ? for example the firewire sounds roughly 10% better ?

The example recording situations are:

A close mic'ed kit using 8 mics including 2 condenser mics
&
8 mics used to close mic a band in a rehearsal room.
 
mikeote said:
ok, I don't know the difference in sound quality comparing pci to firewire, you guys might.
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There is no inherent differnence in sound quality between a Firewire and PCI interface. The difference in sound quality comes from the AD/DA converters and their implementation in the specific device.

In other words, any perceived difference in sound quality will be due to factors other than whether it is a Firewire or PCI interface.
 
mikeote said:
I think i'm gonna get a delta 1010 as you can pick them up on ebay for $250 which is in my budget.
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What will you use for mic pre's then? Do you have a mixer?
 
ahh, no I don't, I have a power amp but no mixer... If i'm gonna get the delta 1010 I will need a small mixer. Or buy the firepod with firewire card.

I think I'll go for a firewire & firepod as I don't want to be carrying around a mixer as well as a computer and breakout box.

Thanks again =)
 
do you really need to record all 8 at the same time? if not you can go with a Firebox. same thing as a firepod but just two mic ins and less fetures. but you can still record to individual tracks one at a time or two. even on your delt you will need a mixer with at least 8 direct outs or 8 bus. having an 8 bus mixer can get costly.
 
altiris said:
do you really need to record all 8 at the same time?
Click to expand...

mikeote said:
The example recording situations are:

A close mic'ed kit using 8 mics including 2 condenser mics
&
8 mics used to close mic a band in a rehearsal room.
Click to expand...

I would say he's looking to have 8 in's at once. You really need at least 8 if you want to try to do basic tracking.
 
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