Drowning In Jargon

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Okay so I got a 2ghz Pentium and a Creative Live 5.1. Can I turn my PC into a multitrack recorder?

When it comes to hardware (mics, guitars, bass, and amps aside) is it possible to record and mix instruments using a PC, or do I need a seperate recorder for this?

A little knowledge is said to be a dangerous thing, and I certainly have little knowledge. Reading the mags that I picked up I have been drawn towards Cubase VST 3.0 and a USB MIDISport Interface. But this is part guess work and could well be really wrong.

Any light that you could throw my way would be greatly appreciated. I realise that this may seem like quite a trivial matter to most, but getting started I have found myself drowning in Jargon.

Thanks in anticipation.
 
multitrack! horah!

news is... why yes... your home computer can be turned into a multitrack studio. With the stuff you've got now ie : sblive 5.1 you'll get some quite astonishing results with the right software and a few good recording practices.

Even though the live is quite a modest soundcard in the world of home recording, it'll still serve as a brilliant tool to learn more about recording.

steer clear of cubase for now... it's over complex and is quite midi based. i'd suggest you get cakewalk or samplitude. These are more audio based, if that's what you want of course.... but cakewalk is a bit of both. Again it's quite modest compared to some programs you CAN get.. but hey, i'm the kind to look for functionality and not pretend that i'm better than i am...
here's a url that you'll appreciate.. hell, i did.

http://www.audio-recording-center.com/articles-index.html

check out the 'turning your pc into a studio link' .. that'll help you and make you smile..

Cheers,
Rory

ps . midi is artificial sound. basically you have a list of sounds and you being the user, then apply those sounds in certain instances to EMULATE a real musician playing the riff. midi is mainly used in dance and techno.
 
For an easy (and cheap) multitrack software I (highly) recommend n-Track When I first tried it out I was up and running within a few minutes. I've a very simple UI (that's "user interface".. sorry.. i couldn't help using some jargon.. :p).

Basically you can turn any computer into a mutlitrack recording studio with some simple hardware. The bare minimum you would need (other than what you already have) is a mic, a mic pre, and software. You run the mic into the pre, run the pre into the soundcard's line-in... and record using the software. It's as simple as that. But like I said,.. that's the bare minimum.. after that you can do any number of combinations of mics, amps, pre's, mixers, effects units.. blah blah blah.. :p

WATYF
 
"MIDI is artificial sound"............ uh, not exactly.

MIDI is a set of protocols and commands that essentially make it a very fancy "player piano" for lack of a better term. You tell the note when to sound, which note to sound, for how long, which patch to play, etc etc. through either keyboard control, surface control, or even by programming individual notes into the MIDI software.........

Anyway, back to the original question..............

YES! Your computer will record and mix multitrack projects.

You should have got a copy of Homestudio or something similar with your SBLive card. You could get started with that for now.

You don't mention if your main thing is audio or MIDI.

For the record, Cakewalk began as a MIDI sequencing program.

Anyway, read the FAQ page at this site, and stick around because there is a lot of bullshit involved in getting your PC to talk to the cards and interfaces properly.

Welcome. You found the best site for home-based recording on the net.
 
Rassoodocks, your description of MIDI is way off.

MIDI is a protocol for different musical instruments and related devices to communicate with each other. It includes messages that tell a sound-producing MIDI instrument (MIDI synth, sampler, drum machine) to play a note with a certain volume, etc., and messages to tell the instrument to change the sound used (a program change), and a whole host of other messages. The message can be recorded by a MIDI sequencer that can then play back what was recorded and reproduce the performance very precisely. The sequence can also be modified with great flexibilty -- notes can be changed, tempo and timing can be changed, etc. MIDI messages can also be used to synchronize a sequencer with film and video, and with MIDI Machine Control, interact with lighting equipment and almost anything else you can imagine that youy might want to cue along with the music you have recored.

MIDI is an incredibly useful tool, and it is used in virtually every genre of music production and performance today, in the studio and on stage -- not just in "dance and techno." Pretty much anyone who plays an electronic keyboard is using MIDI today. Guitarists use MIDI messages to trigger patch changes in effects boxes and vary parameters as they play. Drummers use MIDI triggers to expand the sonic pallette of their standard drum kit.

One use of MIDI is simply to trigger sampled sounds that emulate real instruments, sure, but to dismiss it as "artificial sound" is misleading and unfair.

(Riley, I see you beat me to the bunch there...)
 
Many Thanks

Quick note to say thank you for the hints 'n tips. I shall let you know what I finally do to get up and running, and what kind of results I get.

I must admit that I was little surprised to think that my soundcard would do a reasonable job. Not because of what I know, but just that I thought that the jacks for the input would be too small and thus affect the quality of my recordings.

Mind you I am fast approaching the boundries of my ignorance with this obserbvation. Still, live and learn.

Thanks again you guys, speak to you soon.

Paul.
 
Whoever,

I would still ditch that sound card and get something decent as soon as possible. And yes - you will have to spend some money. If you have found this forum and asking the questions - you obviously are interested in some results.

Get a good card (lookup players like M-Audio, RME, Layla, Lynx etc...) You will not regret it.

Cuzin B
 
Damn. I came in too late for the pile on about MIDI. It amazes me how many people are totally clueless about what MIDI is, and how it is used.

Back in the old days, every synth had its own interface, and when we wanted to play two synths from the same keyboard, they had to be the same brand. Because of this, you didnt have rack mount sound modules either. Every synth had its own keyboard. Look at some of the old pictures of Rick Wakeman, totally surrounded by synths, and look at him now. wordl of differance. I remember the first time controlling a roland midi synth from my Korg, and being able to layer the sounds. IT was truely a wonderfull thing...before, that sort of thing was impossible(nearly anyway). Then I got my first midi interface for my pc. Me and a friend built it from a serial card we heavily modified, and we were going to market them....But musicquest came out with a Roland MPU-401 compatible card, and we were dead in the water. . I still have one of the old musicquest cards, and an old Compaq 8086 4.77 Mhz machine to run it on (with cakewalk 1.something). You see, cakewalk was a strictly midi program back then. Oh, and also midi allows you to transfer patch info back and forth between your synth and your computer
, and therefore allows you to edit your patches on screen.

Man I feel old....I think I will go lie down, or watch matlock or something...
 
I missed out on it too, bdgr, damn

midi - is computer data (already explained)
audio - is a recording like a tape (sort of)

synthesis - is sound generated by a synth, often confused with midi.

cakewalk - is good stuff
 
Yay to computer based recording! Keep in mind you are in for a million different opinions. Some save money, others save time, many waste both. I vote you explore pretty much what you have on hand ryte now. THEN run out and spend gobs of cash. Some dude mentioned n-tracks. I agree its a stand up multitrack recording program. You can download it at www.fasoft.com. The demo is fully operational and better yet.......free. As far as the inputs being too small on your soundcard..... nothing a trip to good ol radio shack cant remedy. Tip: use line in not mic in.
 
Some dude mentioned n-tracks. I agree its a stand up multitrack recording program. You can download it at www.fasoft.com. The demo is fully operational and better yet.......free.
Click to expand...
The demo is not fully operational. You can't use effects, except for on the first track, and you can't mix down.
 
Soundcard...

...if I were to go with the option of changing my soundcard, to a more suitable one, that I would not need a mic pre-amp? Or is that a standard that will have to be purchased in order to even begin?

Mmmmm maybe I should have put this in a new thread, if it doesn't any attention here then I may do that.

Cheers

Paul
 
cominginsecond said:
The demo is not fully operational. You can't use effects, except for on the first track, and you can't mix down.
Click to expand...
But w/ the 16bit card you're using now,it'll only cost you like,$35 to register N-Track and get free upgrades.Some of the programs you'll read about here cost 10 times that much!Having no experience w/them,I don't know what,if anything justifies that disparity in price.I believe N-Track may be behind the curve in MIDI implimentation,so that could be part of it.
I use midi very little.For audio,N-Track really serves my purposes.For someone just delving into PC recording,I think it's your best bet.As you gain experience,if you need something more,you won't be out much money.Frankly,as someone w/extremely limited budget,I'd rather invest what little money I have in better hardware!
 
Whoever, to answer your question about the need for a preamp, yes you must have one to even begin. Some sound cards however, have them built in. An example would be the Aardvark Direct Pro 2496. Its $500, has 4 mic pres built in (you can record 4 simultaneous tracks), and includes a full version of Cakewalk Pro Audio 9. I believe there are other cards available as well with built in mic pres, I am not sure which ones they are.
 
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