drummer new to recording

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ramonie

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hey, ive been playing drums for a lil over 3 years and im just getting into home recording. i have Cakewalk Home Studio 2004XL, a set of 7 Nady Drum mics (4 tom/snare, 2 overhead, 1 bass drum), some XLR cables, and a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. my next step is to buy a pre amp, but i know pretty much nothing about them. i know you need to run the mics through the pre amp/power supply before going into the mixer (in this case the sound card on my computer). some questions i have are: 1. what kind of pre amp should i buy? 2. how exactly do you connect the mics to the pre amp/the pre amp to the mixer (xlr cables from mics to pre amp, then 1/4" cable from pre amp to mixer..maybe??) for reference, i plan to record mostly punk/screamo music. I probably have more questions that im not thinking of right now, so after i get these cleared up ill probably post again. any help is greatly appreciated
 
Just get yourself a mixer - they have preamps built in.

A good starting point would be a Yamaha MG12/4 mixer -it's got 6 preamps.

To get each mic onto a seperate track you'll need a multi input soundcard like the Delta 1010LT. This card also has a couple of pres.

Those 2 items would run you to about $420
 
ok, but for now wouldnt it be cheaper and easier to just buy a seperate pre amp..if i need a pre amp, it makes more sense to buy a pre amp than it does to buy another mixer just for the preamp. the soundcard ill look in to, but im still not sure about this pre amp buisness.
 
ok, so say i buy this Yamaha MG12/4 mixer and the soundcard you mentioned. the mixer has 6 pre amps, and ill be running 6 drum mics through the mixer. does that take care of my pre amp problem? like, i run the cables from the mic to the mixer, then from the mixer to the soundcard on my computer. is 1 pre amp set on each channel simultaneously so that i can record on all 6 mics at once? sorry if my question seem stupid, but i new to this whole home recording thing and this is the first concept that ive come across that i havent understood.
 
Yep that's the idea.
1 mic per channel, the first 6 channels on that mixer have preamps. Then out of the mixer into 6 of the delta inputs onto 6 seperate tracks in Home Studio.

The 7th mic you can plug straight into one of the delta's premps. This will have to be a dynamic mic, as the delta doesn't supply phantom power.

Given that you're just starting out, I recommend you start with just 3 mics - 2 overheads and 1 on the kick. Experiment with mic placement and get your sound sorted out with those 3 first. When you're happy with the results, then add in snare & tom mics
 
sounds good, thanks for you help. im sure ill be back with more problems or questions or somethin..
 
Ramonie, just want to clear up a few things for you. They're just basic facts of how this recording stuff works.

Each mic has to have its own preamp. That preamp may be in a separate box (more expensive), or it may be built into a mixer channel (cheaper, if you go for something like the Yamaha).

With your current soundcard, you will have to have a mixer. Your soundcard is only capable of recording 2 separate audio channels at the same time (left and right). However, each of your drum mics would require a separate channel (6 channels). You need the mixer to mix the 6 separate mic channels down to the 2 channels your soundcard can record.

The reason the Delta 1010LT was suggested is because it can record more than 2 audio channels at the same time. With the Delta, you could record each mic separately. That way, if you later decided that, for instance, the kick drum was too loud, you could still turn it down in your recording program without affecting the volume of everything else.
 
www.presonus.com/images/firepoddiagram-big.jpg

all you need in one box(comes with recording software, that includes a digital mixer)
there are others out there so shop around. most come with software, and have built in pre's some even come with phantom power.
I use an aardvark q-10it's more expensive, but it is AWSOME. most of these are full duplex cards.(that means you can hear what you are playing, and also hear playback at the same time)
the more you record you will find out that you might want to get better mics. for only a few hundered more you can get Shure mic's that will make your drum's sound great. but you should be cool for now. The nady overhead mic's are pretty good though.
 
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