basic start up needs

S

slappyjoe

New member
Hi Im looking for advice on what I need to start recording my own songs..I

I HAVE:

instruments
laptop
cables
alessis multi mix firewire used twice (unsuccessfully..)
condenser mic.

DONT HAVE

DAW.

an idea of how to set up for recording!

Just want a basic idea of setting up inexpensively and any advice that's not mega techo!

Thanks. :rolleyes:
 
I always recommend Reaper, as its free to download the full version, and then pay to register once you have decided to keep it.

Read this thread and this one and come back and ask more specific questions once you start recording.
 
You say the Alesis FX mixer did not work very well? In what respect was it a problem?

The history of Firewire for audio has been a chequered one. Poor drivers and the fact that most FW interfaces needed the Texas Instruments FW chipset in the PC to work properly and a fair percentage did not. Laptops were doubly damned, no TI chips and often the MOBO, whilst fine for most FW devices, simply did not have the grunt for Fussywire.

As for DAW software. You should have a copy of Cubase light with the Alesis but yes, Reaper iz the bizz.

Dave.
 
Reaper is certainly a good choice but pretty well all the common DAW packages offer free trials--sometimes time limited, sometimes feature limited.

I always think that, once you make sure you have all the features you need, the biggest thing with a DAW is to find a user interface that you get along with--and everyone is different...so try out a bunch and one might jump out at you as "I feel at home here".

You don't say why your trials of the Multimix went wrong, but a couple of points:

First, a lot of Firewire gear is fussy about the chip set, most specifying the use of Texas Instruments. I'd check that out on your computer.

Second, assuming the chip set is okay, in my experience Firewire is fussy about the switch on order of the various bits. Connect your cable with everything off, turn on the mixer and (only when that has booted) boot the computer. Might help.
 
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