Did I just Discover why I need a Pre Amp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pepper249
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Pepper249

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Hi all -- gee, I am so new to all this...started out about a month ago with a tascam 414MKII and then decided to try it digital instead....not that i don't like the analog -- I do? But i also think the digital is a little better for someone like me that does not start and end a song with no mistakes very often....learning the softwear is a real hassle though -- i bought Cakwalks Music Creator for about 30.00..maybe i need something easier and better? Any recommendations? I HATE learning new softwear.

Anyway, onto my original question.. i put 2 guitar tracks down - then when i went to add some vocals the delay/echo made it impossible....so i turn off the input monitoring and there is no delay but i can't hear myself sing good enough to pull this off........so is that why I need a preamp? and which one do you recommend?

I'm not sure what a preamp is but when i am frustrated i go to this site and try to learn all i can before trying it all again. And i am guessing a preamp is what i need to listen to myself sing without the echo and delay while recording?
 
nope. a preamp brings a microphone-level signal up to line level. you're experiencing latency from your soundcard. what kind of soundcard do you have? there may be some settings you can tweak, but chances are you'd be much better off with a soundcard designed for recording.
 
which one?

Which soundcard do you recommend? Thanks for such a quick reply! Patti
 
there are a lot of options, but if you listen to the people around here, you'd do well with pretty much anything by M-Audio (www.m-audio.com)

what are the specs on your PC?
 
and don't apologize for not liking your 4-track ... when people talk about Analog vs. Digital, they're talking about big reel-to-reel setups, not cheap cassette recorders.
 
PreAmp

I Do like my 4 track.. but I really think I needed a preamp afterall for my digital projects...but I used the mixer on the tascam 414 to get the signal boosted into my soundcard and it made it all much easier to do with much nicer and cleaner results......... so, until i get a preamp this will do the trick for now. The thought of running out and getting a new soundcard scared me -- configuring and all ------- mine sounds great and seems to be able to handle things just fine. I think newbies like me should try what they have on hand before going out and buying things they might not really need afterall....... i have a stack of things i bought that i do not really need so i am being more careful with my purchases. So, if you are new at this like I am and you don't like the way you have to turn your recordings way up to hear them (producing alot of noise) maybe you should try to find something to boost the signal....something you probably already have before you buy a new soundcard.
 
you can probably fix the latency with your software. I don't use that program, but check the toolbars to see if there's an option for something like "Audio Setup".

Also check to see if there's an ASIO Control Panel within the setup function. If not, then it might not matter.

Then there might be a bunch of boxes with numbers in them. Stuff like:

Memory per channel - 768
Disk Block Buffer Size - 256
Sample Rate - 44.100 kHz

Buffer Size(samples) - 512
Offset (Samples) - 0
Audio Channels - 2
Bits Per Sample - 16
Sync Reference - no

these numbers are the settings I use & I don't have the latency problem anymore. Try messing around with them to find a good combination...usually you just have to play with the buffer size and the sample rate.
 
THANK YOU

Thanks, DonkeyZone -- I do not recall seeing something that says ASIO but I sure do have those other settings I can change... I'll see what happens.....I really appreciate the help .. Patti :)
 
hey pepper, the 414 has pre-amps built into it already, whe you move the trim slider you are dialing in how much pre-amp you use. This should work fine, but an outboard pre-amp will most certainly make your guitar or voice sound better than the 414. Since you are using the 414 as a mixer now and not a recorder, if I were you I would get a better soundcard or even a external audio interface (like Motu, or M-audio, etc....). You say your soundcard sounds fine but I garauntee it would sound better with an actual A/D (analog to digital converter interface) that is made for recording. I personaly use the MOTO 828 firewire interface and it works really good, but it also cost about $700 so it might not be an option for your, but if you only need a couple of outs and ins , M-audio makes some really nice smaller units.
 
I may be way off base here but couldn't you monitor through the 414? if your only recording two tracks, use the extra two inputs for monitoring the computer signal. As long as you cannot hear the tracks you are recording from the PC and are directly monitoring from the tascam there should be no latency, correct? Like I said i may be way off here.
 
lomky said:
I may be way off base here but couldn't you monitor through the 414? if your only recording two tracks, use the extra two inputs for monitoring the computer signal. As long as you cannot hear the tracks you are recording from the PC and are directly monitoring from the tascam there should be no latency, correct? Like I said i may be way off here.
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i think you could monitor through the tascam if you record from the AUX sends. but if you're sending the main outs to the soundcard, and you send the signal back into extra channels, you'll get a feedback loop.
 
I don't exactly know what i am doing -- I think i am using the 414 as a preamp cause i have line in and line out going to my soundcard and for some reason there is no delay now. I'm listening to what I am recording and what has been recorded through my computers speakers (using headphones).... anyway, it IS working -- but i sure am tempted to pick up something that could work better... i'm looking at the Roland CDX -- I think it does everything... what do you think of that unit? Thanks for all your help....Patti :)
 
I'd still stick with the computer, and instead look for software/computer hardware improvements. You could always go in the direction of a standalone digital, but it would be another set of instruction manuals to follow and decipher.
 
personally i like computer recording much more than stand-alone units. i don't like those tiny little display screens.
 
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