Clarinet Recording Newbie

[TerpUMD]

Hi Everyone!

OK, I have played clarinet for over 14 years now, and figure it's about time to cut a quality recording of myself. Here's what I have to work with--

I own a fairly speedy PC, 733 MHz, over 20GB HD, 512MB RAM, and an Aureal Vortex soundcard. I do not own a great mic (yep, just that crummy plastic one that comes with the computer).

If I were to record with my PC, 1) What's the consensus on best software at the best price, and 2) What kind of mic would I want to invest in?

I have also heard going the MiniDisc route as another option. If I were to do this, which MD player/recorder would give me the best bang for my buck? Are MD recorders superior to PC recording?

I want to make this process as least painful as possible, as my main concern is making music and not audio engineering. I by no means am a pro, but I know with the advice of friends like you all, I might somehow get started in the right direction of cutting a really nice CD.

Thank you all for ANY advice you could offer.

Rob

 

[Track Rat]

First of all, if you want quality, you don't want mini disc recorders. The ATRAC data storage system is a lossy type of system (it throws away a lot of data as part of its compression system).
Ypor computer is up to the task but your sound card is weak but adequate. You'll want a mic preamp and a condensor mic. If you do a search here you'll find literally about three or four days of reading on that subject (the big mic thread from Harvey Gerst is particularly good reading.
Software, they all sound pretty good. At the low end something like ntrack is pretty good. Vegas from Sonic Foundry or Cakewalk, Sonar, Cubase, Protools at the other end.

 

[AlChuck]

Also on the low end, most of the high-end products Track Rat mentioned have "lite" versions that are under $100.