Better quality?

[Johnbmx26]

Hello,
I have a Yamaha MG12 mixer, and Audix fusion mics. I'm recording into my ibook G4 w/ a griffin imic.. I have a RCA Y cable from the rec out of the mixer, into my computer and Im recording with garageband. So far, I havn't gotten good results. I'm thinking maybe it's the poor quality sound card?
or maybe something else? What kind of soundcard do you guys reccommend?

Also, a friend of mine recording straight from his mixer into his minidisc w/ great results. Would this be possible with any mp3 players? Is there any downsides to recording onto the mp3 player, then putting it on the computer. Rather than straight from the mixer to the computer?

Thanks
John

 

[thajeremy]

Hello,
I have a Yamaha MG12 mixer, and Audix fusion mics. I'm recording into my ibook G4 w/ a griffin imic.. I have a RCA Y cable from the rec out of the mixer, into my computer and Im recording with garageband. So far, I havn't gotten good results. I'm thinking maybe it's the poor quality sound card?
or maybe something else? What kind of soundcard do you guys reccommend?

Also, a friend of mine recording straight from his mixer into his minidisc w/ great results. Would this be possible with any mp3 players? Is there any downsides to recording onto the mp3 player, then putting it on the computer. Rather than straight from the mixer to the computer?

Thanks
John

You wouldnt get better quality by using an MP3 player, it could even be worse. You want to record and mix .wav files. If you are looking for better quality, I would start with the soundcard. Decide how many channels you will want/need and go from there. Your MG mixer has ok pre's in it so your good to go with those for now.

 

[IronFlippy]

You obviously need mac compatability, and it also sounds like you're on some sort of budget. Might I suggest the M-Audio Audiophile 2496? It has RCA ins so you can just plug your mixer into it. The only downside to it is that you can record a maximum of 2 analog channels at a time (L and R). If you're recording a live band, then you might want to look at the Delta 1010LT, which gives you 8 ins (and 8 outs), but it's also more expensive. We can help you out more if you tell us your specific recording needs.

 

[Johnbmx26]

Hey,
So far, I'm recording with a total of 6 mics.. maybe 7 soon. I also am sorta on a budget, as I thought I've gotten everything I needed and spent it all on this stuff.
The thing is, I won't be recording with a band much. It's mostly just for me recording drum solos.
The reason I got all this equipment was because I found a guy who recorded from a mixer, straight to his mini disc and to me, it sounded great. I'd like to try to get similar results as him.

Here's the mp3 of the guy,
http://jamesseph.phpwebhosting.com/DRuM's%20Stuff/solo.mp3

Thanks
John

 

[pdadda]

You can't use the audiophile or 1010LT with a laptop. They're PCI.

 

[dwillis45]

You can't use the audiophile or 1010LT with a laptop. They're PCI.

With the G4 i-book you're basically left with two interface options: Firewire and USB. Take a look at the following:

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/cat--USB-Audio-Interfaces--2424
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/cat--Firewire-Audio-Interfaces--2420

You will need something that matches your mixer's stereo outputs, unless you plan to skip the mixer alltogether and just use the interface. In that case, you would need an interface with multiple mic inputs to match the number of mics you're using on your drum kit.

Since you are using an i-book G4, check the system requirements to make sure the interface you choose is mac compatible and has drivers that are up to date with your version of OSX (Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, etc). Some manufacturers are just now sorting out Tiger issues.

Which one to choose? Well, most people prefer firewire for speed although this is less of an issue with USB2. The other thing to keep in mind is that each of these interfaces contains an A/D (analog to digital) converter and as a general rule the quality of those converters improves with price.

 

[Johnbmx26]

Sorry if this is a stupid question.. but, what is the difference from an audio interface and an external soundcard?

 

[dwillis45]

Sorry if this is a stupid question.. but, what is the difference from an audio interface and an external soundcard?

Probably just a question of definition but I usually think of soundcards as internal devices that pop into a card slot inside the computer. On the other hand, an interface is typically an external box--usually firewire or usb and sometimes rackmounted. Again, that's just the way I look at it.

 

[Robert D]

Sorry if this is a stupid question.. but, what is the difference from an audio interface and an external soundcard?

There's no stupid questions. An audio interface is any device that converts analog audio signals into a digital format that can be read into a computer. That format is usually either USB, Firewire, or PCI buss. USB and Firewire interfaces are external interfaces, PCI buss interfaces are internal cards (PCBs, or printed circuit boards). "External Soundcard" isn't really correct, it would be either an internal soundcard or an external audio interface. Some interfaces use a combination of an internal PCI interface card connected to an external box that houses the A/D and D/A converters.

Regards,
RD

 

[Johnbmx26]

Would this be ok?
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MDOFWAP2496

I see a bunch of expensive ones with xlr inputs.. Will I need one with any? Since i'm using an RCA cable into the interface?

Also,
Would a mp3 player be good enough for what I'm doing? I'm not recording w/ a band... just myself. I've been looking at some of the smaller 1GB irivers.. Seems like a cheaper solution, since I've been looking for another mp3 player. The mp3 I posted above is the quality I'm looking for.. (it was recorded onto a minidisc)

Thanks
John