First studio set up

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supersam11

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I am planning to do some solo stuff so I am setting up using:

Alesis DM5 electric drumkit
Trace elliot bass amp with 2x12 ashdown cab
White Horse GT260 guitar amp with 2 12inch cabs
Alesis imultimix 8 USB

and of course some guitars (and effects pedals)

I plan to (if it can be done) use the guitar amps speakers as moniters as I will probably go directly into the head of my guitar amp and into the mixing desk meaning they wont get used. I do have vocal microphones (SM58's) which I could mic up the guitar amp with if that is insanely better!

Just really a quick question to say:

Will this work?

I'm sure you guys dont need diagrams but the typical set up at any one time will be

Instrument > Mixing desk (via amp if better) > Laptop and Cubase 5

So to recap the questions,

1. Will I need moniters to hear what I'm doing or will my guitar amps speakers work just as well?

2. Do I need a better soundcard than the one already in my laptop (Fujitsu-Seimens Amilo L7310GW)

3. Do I desperatly need anything else?

I'm trying to keep it all relatively cheap as I have recently realized it's not a cheap hobby this recording malarky is it?

Any suggestions and answers would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance.
 
supersam11 said:
I am planning to do some solo stuff so I am setting up using:



So to recap the questions,

1. Will I need moniters to hear what I'm doing or will my guitar amps speakers work just as well?

2. Do I need a better soundcard than the one already in my laptop (Fujitsu-Seimens Amilo L7310GW)

3. Do I desperatly need anything else?

I'm trying to keep it all relatively cheap as I have recently realized it's not a cheap hobby this recording malarky is it?

Any suggestions and answers would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


1, yes, buy speakers, guitar cabinets will not do
2, yes, buy a better sound card/interface ( the one in your laptop sucks)
3, yes, room treatment and a good set of headphones

ultimate and cheap....gutar>>amplifier>>cabinet>>microphone>>interface>>laptop>>interface>>headphones/monitors
 
Speakers ahoy it is then.

Got some nice headphones that rock my world

so...interface/ soundcard?

gobbledegook to me as I'm very new to the game.

Cheap and nasty options please!

Thanks for the help!
 
Any number of usb interfaces are available for small change from Tascam, M-Audio, Roland, and many others.

As a fellow guitar player, I'd highly recommend the Line6 UX1 or UX2 because they can cover your interface/soundcard dilemma AND give you a pretty cool guitar sim to boot.

You really can get by with good headphones for quite a while. Don't rush out and buy monitors until you learn a little more about what you expect from all of this, or how room acoustics can make great monitors sound muddy and lifeless. One thing I've learned....buying gear will not make you sound better. Sounding better is part of the art, and skill of recording and is not related to wallet size.
 
mikemorgan said:
ultimate and cheap....gutar>>amplifier>>cabinet>>microphone>>interface>>laptop>>interface>>headphones/monitors
Click to expand...

So...interface?

I'm a little scared of sounding like an absolute n00b but here goes:

Alesis imultimix 8 usb? isn't this equipment what you mean?

if so I would need that and a new sound card?

I was thinking about just getting a new laptop on one of these pay monthly plans in the UK. What do I look for in a sound card or will newer laptops have sufficient specs. to deal with Cubase 5.
 
And looking at the price of moniters I'm probably going to stick with the old headphones for now.

And seeing as I live in a rented place I'm not going to soundproof (one neighbour on the other side of the house). The room feels and sounds like typical studio booth's I've been in before...that sort warm silence?

Good plan to keep budget down or ridiculous oversight?

Questions questions questions!!!

Thank you so much for your help...if I adn't of stumbled upon this site I would have been working all this out over the course of the next year!

Technically I owe you a year of my life!
 
I know I know...third post in a row...kind of talking to myself on here :(

I got a little confused before because in the U.K. a "soundcard" is what I would refer to if I meant a small piece of hardware that is built into a computer to deal with all sound made by said computer also so so you can plug in headphones etc. Not the same (i think) as the interface/soundcard mentioned previously which as I now know is an external box that deals with inputs into your computer.

So I've done some research and seeing as I'm going to be recording one thing at a time I really see no reason for me to get both the Line6 UX1 and the Alesis iMultimix 8 USB unless they do different jobs.

I know a lot more about the iMultimix it has 8 channels and can record straight onto iPod (a feature I can see isn't that useful) but the I have read that a lot of people just plug straight into the "Soundcard" or "interface" which before now I knew nothing about.

Was I just looking at the wrong piece of hardware altogether?

What benfits are there of getting both of these things?

Sorry to sound an absolute n00b I just want to utilize the little funds I have at the moment and get some half decent recordings.
Just sick of paying £200 a day in studios that result in a half arsed track because the engineer couldn't be bothered that day.

I'll stop with the questioning for now...in fact I shall stop researching and await the guru's suggestions before I throw in yet more questions.
 
supersam11 said:
I know I know...third post in a row...kind of talking to myself on here :(

I got a little confused before because in the U.K. a "soundcard" is what I would refer to if I meant a small piece of hardware that is built into a computer to deal with all sound made by said computer also so so you can plug in headphones etc. Not the same (i think) as the interface/soundcard mentioned previously which as I now know is an external box that deals with inputs into your computer.

So I've done some research and seeing as I'm going to be recording one thing at a time I really see no reason for me to get both the Line6 UX1 and the Alesis iMultimix 8 USB unless they do different jobs.

I know a lot more about the iMultimix it has 8 channels and can record straight onto iPod (a feature I can see isn't that useful) but the I have read that a lot of people just plug straight into the "Soundcard" or "interface" which before now I knew nothing about.

Was I just looking at the wrong piece of hardware altogether?

What benfits are there of getting both of these things?

Sorry to sound an absolute n00b I just want to utilize the little funds I have at the moment and get some half decent recordings.
Just sick of paying £200 a day in studios that result in a half arsed track because the engineer couldn't be bothered that day.

I'll stop with the questioning for now...in fact I shall stop researching and await the guru's suggestions before I throw in yet more questions.
Click to expand...



An interface will take the place of your laptop soundcard and for all purposes be the hub of your recording world. You'll attach ALL of your gear to it, including headphones/speakers, laptop, guitars, microphones, whatever. The Multimix may indeed be a great choice as a USB INTERFACE, though more costly than those I mentioned earlier. The Multimix is a usb interface with a mixer attached, more than you actually need to record one guy playing one instrument.

Let's put it this way, "interface" is a term used to replace the word "soundcard" because soundcard only means one thing. An "interface" can be almost anything that gets sound into...and out of your computer, and can be PCI, PCIe, PCMCIA, USB, Firewire, and probably several others I can't think of.
 
FANTASTIC!

I did think it was a bit much but I know I could also use it for my band and record whatever I want live at gigs aswell!

I believe the phrase is "Kill two birds with one stone".

Thanks very much Mike Morgan!

I owe you one.
 
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