Basic questions for you experts!!!

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smalltowner

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Hi, I will be up front. I am brand new to home recording. I am exploring the easiest and quickest digital solutions. I am married with a small baby and I have to make time when I can. I do not write or read music other than chords (I play guitar). I have a lot of music ideas I would like to record as MP3's and Wave files. 4 track recording would probably be fine! I don't need the top quality just somehting which would allow me to get the tracks down and do a basic mix.

So what you could do is recommend:

-web sites to learn more

-recording solutions, (turn key and home computer based.)

- I do not have unlimited money, but I am willing to spend some dough ($400-$500?)to get the most itnuitive and EZ to learn solution.

Remember I do not read music....

PS- I already own a Pentium 3 PC, with a 20 gig hard drive....
and a 450 Mghz processor. but again if there is a better turn key
solution I would love to hear about it.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
 
recording software: n-Track Studio from www.fasoft.com. About $50

possibly a mixer to get your guitar recorded to the pc, assuming you have an amp and microphone to put in front of it. Otherwise, you would need a guitar preamp like the POD. POD's about $300, I think.

a cable to go from the mixer - most often twin 1/4" jacks at one end, a single stereo 1/8" jack at the other - to your soundcard.

This is probably the cheapest solution. There are plenty of alternatives.
 
If you just want to record ideas and such your computer sounds like it has enough horsepower. You might want to add some RAM to it (256 would be minimum, 512 mo betta, IMHO). As long as your sound card is full duplex (able to allow you to listen to what you've already recorded while recording overdubs) it should suffice. Recording software is next on the list. I've not used n-tracks but a lot of folks do and it's dirt cheap. I would spend a little money on a mic and mic pre amp. Either a stand alone mic pre like an Audio Buddie or one of the ARTs or a small mixer like a Mackie 1202 or the like and a condensor mic. Do a search here on mics and pre's and you'll have more suggestions than you can shake a mic stand at. Welcome to the board.
:D
 
Heres a real newbie question for you all...

What the hell does IMHO mean???
 
Welcome here.

Your PC is fine. Make sure you have at least 64 MB of RAM.

N-Track is good for multi-track. Actually, if you only need 4 tracks, get Quartz. It's free and good!

Fruityloops for drum... loops!

POD for guitar and bass (Johnson J-Station and Behringer make much cheaper versions of the same unit). Those are very useful when you have a baby, trust me.

A good soundcard. Do you have one already? If you have a Soundblaster Live or the like already, it's pretty decent to start with. Use it for now. You can always upgrade later on.

As some said, a mic is in order (if you need one, who doesn't?). Starting with a used Shure SM-57 is fine. Later on, a condenser mic would be nice. A mic preamp is also in order, like the ART tube MP.

Some websites:

Of course, https://homerecording.com

http://home.earthlink.net/~rongonz/home_rec/home.html

http://www.pc-music.com/

Glossary:

http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/regular_htm/glossary.htm

Free stuff:

http://www.hitsquad.com/

Lots of reading...

Good luck!
 
I am in the same boat you are, although I don't even play guitar.

I troll through these posts, ask stupid questions. Read a lot of manufacturer manuals, read a bunch of ezines. I have a $7,000 system all spec'd out, and a $600 system spec'd out. Guess which one I'm buying?

I got a used Yamaha MD4, an Art Tube MP mic preamp, and a pair of headphones on eBay. That sunk $300. I'm hoping our burned out rockabilly neighbor will donate a used Shure 58, and Santa is bringing the kids a Yamaha EZ30 keyboard that is setting me back the remaining $300.

I'll hook the midi port out of the keyboard to the soundcard and get some free software to start learning music notation, and hook it to the MD4 for the kid's compositions.

The MD4/MD4s are reputed to be very easy to learn.

The MD4 (like the MD4s and MD8) does not have digital outs, which I consider a major blunder by Yamaha.

The $7,000 system (lottery winnings, where are thou!?) was a brand new rack mounted PC with a Echo Mona, a Avalon pre/compresser/EQ, a TC Electronics VocalPrismPlus, a couple Mackie near field monitors, a Studio Projects T3, etc. etc. etc..

If you troll eBay spend some time learning how things work, so you will know a bargain when you see it. Be prepared to let items pass. eBay tries hard to build anxiety, and there are tricks that savvy sellers use.

Don't buy anything that you can't get a manual for.

I have seven daughters (seriously), three of whom have pretty good voices; one wants to play guitar, one keyboard, and I have one son who wants to be a drummer.

Could get pretty musical around here!

Here are some links from this board.

How does diaphragm size/polar pattern relate to mic applications?
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=27030

How to 'audition' a microphone before buying?
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=38175

Best web sites for gear
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=37536

Luck climbing the learning curve!
 
Hey well I am a newbie myself and I have been looking into the Roland Vm3100 Pro Studio Pack it includes a mixer which converts your music from analog to digital then sends it through a cable thats included to a full duplex sound card thats included. It also comes with a customized version of Logic recording software. It has all sorts of features also like send effects and amp modeling.
You can find it on the internet for around $700 in places like musician's friend. I found the package at a local music store for $550. You can also get just the Vm3100 not the (Vm3100 Pro) which wouldn't have as many features. I don't really now how cheaper it would be. The Vm3100 Pro will let you record up to 8 tracks at once and playback 24 simultaneously. Maybe Wheelma might be interested in this package so the whole family could record a demo. It sounds like a pretty good setup to me but of course I am beginer. I don't own one but sometime this next week I'm going to go put it on layaway. (I'm working on a small budget to) There's also the Digi 001 which comes with the interface for converting A/D (analog to digital) but its not a mixer you would have to mix from within the Pro tools software thats included also included is the cable and a full duplex soundcard. I believe it records more tracks simultaneously and at a higher sampling rate which you really shouldn't worry about (It's mostly a debate over preference and not to much quality only until you have entered the professional field of recording which is far ahead of us) I believe you can get this package for about $700 you can check it out at Protools.com and get them to send you a free video on it and they have demos on the website that shows how its setup. I've been told this setup can lead to be more exspensive but I believe the guy was just trying to sell me the Vm3100 Package but I personally wanted to have the hands on control and learn all the ins and outs of mixers. I've also looked into condensor microphones which is what your going want to record vocals with and i've been interested in the Hot Pak which includes the Apex 430 condensor mic, a Art tube mic preamp, a shockmount which reduces floor vibrations that a sensitive condensor mic picks up, a pop filter which reduces pops that the mic picks up from vocals, a custom stand mount and a carrying bag. You can probaly find on the internet for about $200 a guy at the music store tried selling it to me for $250. You can look at it on the musician friend website. The condensor mic i've heard the best reviews on is the Rode NT1 for about $200. I'm pretty sure you can find it with the accesories included but not with the preamp which you would have to buy seperately for about $100. I think the Rode is what i'm going to go with unless I find a little bit more information on the quality of the Apex. Then there's is always the source of the sound which monitors might be a little out of your budget but you could always pick up a pair of headphones I heard Roland makes some pretty good ones and you could get a pair for about $40. My mom is suppose to be getting me a pair for christmas (yes i'm young and i still get christmas presents) but the owner of the music store swayed me to some other pair I can't remember the brand I don't know if i'm going to tell my mom about the Rolands or not i might just let her choose and surprise me. I know this all outgrows the budget you listed a little but I thought it would help maybe if you decided to start building up a decent quality system. There is also all kinds of computer specifications that would be helpful. Well i'm getting tired of typing and this is beginning to become freakishly long so if you would like you could email me and I would try to be as helpful as possible.
Well I hope all this helps.
Good luck and on with the music!
 
Just a few pointers...

I say get ProTools FREE! I think it's the best software on the market. Go to http://www.digidesign.com and go to support, then downloads, then download PT FREE.

Get the POD!! If you got a baby you need to be quiet!! It Sounds very close to the real thing.

Get a drum machine like the Alesis SR-16. Get one off of ebay for cheap.

Get a dedicated Computer for recording, and two hard drives.

Get the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI for recording bass guitar direct. Remember your baby has sensitive ears.

SansAmp Bass Driver DI - No Reserve! Cheap Price! WOW!! :D
 
THANKS SO MUCH, follow up

Hi again all. Wow you are all Gods! OK, so I also am not too knowedgable on computers and hardware. I have windows 98, I went under the Control panel and tried to see what kind of Sound card I have. Does this sound correct, TBS Montego II?

Do you all think this will this due for basic 4-8 track recording? Thanks again for all the suggestions. You are all wonderful and my family appreciates the POD advice!

Mike
 
Montego II: Features.



I found this on a website. Its a list of its features.

The Turtle Beach Montego II(TM) includes the following features:

- Record and play crystal-clear audio with high-resolution 18-bit converters
at up to 48 KHz.
- Microphone input supports dynamic or condenser mics.
- Stereo line input.
- Stereo line output with headphone driver.
- MPU-401 UART-compatible MIDI interface for attaching external MIDI gear.
- Optional S/PDIF interface.
- Speed-compensated joystick interface supports analog and digital joysticks.
- Stereo CD audio connectors let you play standard audio CDs using your PC's
CD-ROM drive.
- State-of the-art PCI bus master interface for transferring stereo audio at
blazing speed.
- Modem Audio Input for connecting audio-enabled modem signals.
- Add an optional synthesizer module for enhanced MIDI playback.
- Aux input for connecting DVD or other audio source.
- 320-voice wavetable synthesis with 4 MB instrument samples using PC RAM.
- Aureal A3D 2.0 positional audio.
- Hardware full-duplex provides high-resolution full-bandwidth simultaneous
record/playback.
- Supports high-fidelity Internet phone software.


It sounds like a good soundcard to start with. The main thing is that its full duplex. I have never had any experience with this soundcard but it sounds like all you need. Maybe some of the more knowledgable audio experts can explain in detail what the card is totally capable of but i thought the info would help.


Later,
Illdivine
 
The Montego II is a very nice basic card... you can do a lot with it.
 
Its Smalltowner confused about one thing

OK, First off, again, thank you all so much for sharing this info and taking the time to read my post.

I am confused about a guitar pre-amp (POD?) and a MIC pre-amp.

Do I need BOTH or could I just plug the MIC into the POD (or similar device) or in the alternative, plug the guitar into the MIC pre-amp (Art tube MIC preamp?)

Thanks so much! Happy Holidays....
 
The POD is an amp emulator, much like the SansAmp Bass Driver DI (the Bass Driver is for bass guitar). The POD will allow you to record DI so you can sound like a real miked amp. It's very close to the real thing.

You do not plug in a mic preamp with the POD because the POD is it's own preamp. The POD is a guitar effects pedal and amp emulator, and Direct box all in one.

I say you can't beat a properly miked amp in sound wise. The POD will come close, but miking will always be the best.

Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI - No Reserve - Great Condition!!
 
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