Can I record direct to PC

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daddyman

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I have written a number of songs in the past & would like to know how I can record them & overdub Harmony etc.
About 5 years ago I had a friend with a six track but hope that technoligy will allow me to record using my PC directly
to my guitar.
Not got a clue where to begin so I stumbled on this sight through my search engine.
What equiptment do I require to do this as cheaply (but safely) as possible
 
Welcome daddyman!
This is a pretty broad question, but I'll start you out in the right direction. You may see different ideas posted, so weigh them all.
I personally would start with the N-Track software ($50)
This will give you 8 tracks of digital recording tracks at a great price, and provided you have enough memory, space, etc. on your computer, you can just plug in & play.
Check it out at: http://www.ntrack.com

DJ
 
I think Dougie leapfrogged over an important issue. There's not much sense in starting with any software package unless you first have a soundcard. You have to have some way to digitize sounds into data that your computer can manipulate and then back again from data to sound when you want to hear what you've done.

Most off-the-shelf PCs come with some sort of sound card or the equivalent built right onto the mainboard. If you have one you'll have at least two tiny Walkman headphone-sized jacks somewhere on the back of your computer. But usually these are pretty inadequate for serious recording. If you're lucky your PC will have a halfway decent card like the Turtle Beach Montego II or the Creative Sound Blaster Live!, which will give you pretty good results.

So first you need to figure out what kind of sound hardware you already have, if any, in your computer.

Also, note that when Dougie says "you can just plug in & play," he doesn't mean you can plug your guitar straight into the computer. You have to either use a microphone and mic preamp to capture the sound, or have some device that you can plug into that will emit a line level signal (like a guitar amp with a direct out, a muliteffector, one of the new breed of guitar amp "modeling" processors ala the Line 6 POD, and so forth.

-AlChuck
 
My soundcard is a Creative soundblaster awe64. I am hoping that this will be sufficient.
Forgive my ignorance but I do not understand what a pre-amp is or how to use one. Indeed where might I get one.Will any type of microphone be sufficient as the one I used to use had a big Jack which couldn't possibly fit into my soundcard
 
The AWE 64 will give you passably good results. One drag is that is it not true full-duplex. Full duplex means that the card can play audio files back at the same time it is also recording a new one. The AWE card will do this but the playback is reduced in quality while this is going on (the file is recorded at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz and playback when you are not also recording simultaneously sounds fine).

A preamp is simply a device that takes a low-level electrical signal, like that which comes from standard guitar pickups and microphones, and raises it up to a level (called line level) which makes it easier for use with devices like effects processors and tape recorders and sound cards and such. To use one, you basically plug the guitar or mic in the Input side and the Output side is routed to a mixer or straight to the soundcard. There's ususally some adjustment knob to tweak the gain (the amount of amplification). You'll need the right connectors and adapters, of course. As you point out, the "big Jack" on the microphone cannot plug into the little 1/8" jack on the soundcard without an adapter. Mics typically need a mic preamp to bring the signal up high enough to work with. For a condenser mic you also would require external power.

Are you an electric guitar player? Do you sing too? Will you record drums, horns, etc. with a mic? These are all factors to consider in trying to decide which mics you want for which purposes.

-AlChuck
 
I suppose my Awe 64 will have to make due for now. All my previous attempts at recording have been on my semi- acoustic guitar. With occaisional twidly bits & vocal Harmonies (kind of a poor mans Crosby, Stills & Nash). If this takes off however I can see me adding some keyboards & perhaps drum sampling in the future.

Can anyone recommend where I may get a pc preamp & perhaps advise me on a possible cost
 
ART makes a small tube mic pre called the ART Tube MP; cost is around $100. Lots of folk swear by them.

Midiman has a preamp called the Audio Buddy; not sure how much, probably about the same as the Tube MP.

There are some others in the range of $100-200 like the Presonus Blue Tube.

Another possible choice are the two or three lowest-priced models of Behringer mixers -- the MX602A (with 2 mic preamps, approx. $100), the MX802A (with 4 mic preamps, approx. $150), and the MX1604A (also with 4 mic preamps, approx. $200). The preamps are pretty clean and a mixer has many uses besides just amplifying a mic or line signal, so maybe that's the most flexible option for you.

-AlChuck
 
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