Brand New At This. Need Help

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X-cidium

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I am in a metal band. We have 2 vocalists, 2 guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer. We want to record a demo using a computer. We have a gutted-out computer with only a monitor, hard disk, CD, and floppy drive in it. No sound card, no speakers. We have to start recording the drums first. We have no drum mics or any other recording equipment. I do however have a copy of the Cool Edit Pro software that I used for MP3 editing before i got in the band. Can you help me get started because i'm kind of lost here.

thnx,

X-cidium
 
Yo- welcome to the board! In order to give you any meaningfil help, we need a budget. I know a little about mics and pres, but very little about computer recording. Of course you're going to need a soundcard with multiple inputs. You will probably need a mixer, at least 2 channels of dedicated preamp for critical functions (vocals, acoustic guitar, if any), and a some mics. First, give the nice people a budget. Otherwise, people may give you stuff that's not too useful. Example- "I think you would do very well to buy a Neumann U47 and a Neve console. There's $15000 or so. What's a computer?"-Richie
 
We can find ways to raise money but we don't have much to work with. lol But we have all songs written and are ready to record but we have no way to do it.
 
If you don't have much to work with, you're basically screwed.

It will cost a good bit to get a computer that is half-ass, and to record those instruments you'll need some mics which are expensive.

So unless you give an actual amount (and it better be over 500) then you can't do it, sorry.

What city do you live in? I can record you guys if you're here in ATLANTA!
 
I live in the middle of nowhere in Michigan. thnx anyway though. I knew that I wouldn't be able to buy the stuff now but what should I buy first, what brand/model should I buy is what I was asking.
 
The point is, what you buy is tied to the budget. A project studio capable of recording a decent demo can easily cost several thousand dollars. It's time for a reality check. I could do a fairly decent job of what you want to do, and if you don't count the guitars, I've got about $15,000 worth of gear. I think where you are at, you would be better off buying studio time and let an engineer do it.-Richie
 
I think that you need to ask yourself some different questions:

First of all are we ready to make a demo. What to you hope to accomplish with it? If, for example you hope to get an agent can you really sound good enough that an agent will say 'wow these guys are at least as good as the folks I am currently representing and I want to have them too'.

Second, do you have the skills to use the equipment even if you could afford the equipment.

Third, do you have a space that you can record in that sounds good enough.

Can you instead afford a day of a professional studio and a recording engineer? I am guessing not. But in reality a day of a professional studio is less than the cost of all this gear.

So your best choice might be to hook up with a serious amaterur or semiprofessional who already has the gear and the experience and is more concerned with the challenge than the profit. And then learn from them too. The really good news is that this is probably the best place to do exactly that.
 
What Innovations said. Check the member list here and find someone in Michigan that can help you out here. Hell, if you were in Massachusetts, I'd do it for the practice.-Richie
 
Let's see...

leaving a PC behind, you could buy a Fostex VF160 hard disk recorder, a Studio Projects B1 for vocals, a few SM57 mikes, plus other stuff and be under $1300. A set-up like this would enable you to have a finished, quality CD in your hands. Check out the Fostex forum, as there are people there doing this very thing. The beauty about going to a standalone digital recorder is you can record where you want, and there are no configuration issues to deal with. PC's are great, but standalone recorders are great too. In general, the technology is so great that the ultimate factor in your demo will be your talent and your skill in recording/mastering.
 
I assume you have gear besides recording equipment... amps cables, instruments...

If you're just throwing together a demo why not get a tape four track recorder... A tascam 424mk $330 and it will give you a descent demo

A cheap way to go also is to find a dude in your town that does some home recording and ask him to help you out... offer a little money.. whatever... I know a guy in my town who would be happy to take you up for a very reasonable price (a hundred bucks for a few songs.. maybe free if you bring him some weed!)and give you a damn good demo... He's in Wisconsin a few blocks from me if you want to get in touch.. email me scottfrankowski@hotmail.com
 
If you're hell bent on using a computer, make sure it is a fast one. Do a search on the term "aardvark" and you will find stuff about a pretty solid product that includes the mic preamps and soundcard with either four or eight inputs at a time.

There are also people here who could help you design and build a computer system; don't make assumptions that because "its a computer" its good. A big consideration is the capacity and speed of the hard drive; a typical simple mixed tune can kill 6 MB or more in a heartbeat. Old drives don't cut it and old motherboards are worse.

Check out the Korg D1200 and some of the entry level packages at places like Musicians Friend.
 
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