Glad I found this place.

[LegendSomeday]

Howdy. Some friends and I are trying to get into music...they (two of them) rap, I sing. A little. We've been using a producer who uses a home computer that has a Soundblaster Audigy with the hub interface. Seems to work fine for him, so I'm thinking about building a powerful PC and buying the same card/hub (can only get it from the Creative Labs site itself it seems). I don't expect to become as good as the producer overnight, but I now have a strong interest to learn on my own.

So, any advice for this endeavor? What other cards should I get along with this?

 

[danny.guitar]

I would suggest getting a better sound card that is meant for recording.

I use the M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 which is about $100 and well worth it.

Can't really recommend anything without knowing:

What's your budget?
How many tracks do you want to record at once?
What will you be recording?

 

[LegendSomeday]

I would suggest getting a better sound card that is meant for recording.

lol.

I use the M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 which is about $100 and well worth it.

That looks nice, and I think I saw that at my local Sam Ashe store. I just need some speaker and mic ports, so maybe that could be a secondary card?

Can't really recommend anything without knowing:

What's your budget?
How many tracks do you want to record at once?
What will you be recording?

My budget? Well, I want to build this comp for around $1000 to $1500. If I just stick with a good but not high end video card (like an older GeForce under $100), I think I can keep it around $1100. I want a mobo with a lot of PCI slots and Intel Dual Core capability, so I've got my eye set on the Asus Commando.

Thing is, I'm wondering if I should just build a comp just FOR recording instead of building a comp for EVERYTHING (recording, gaming, surfing the net, etc.). Heh, at least I would have many distractions if I build a recording only comp (plus you never know when you'd need a second comp anyway).

How many tracks at once? At least 5. He uses Cakewalk, but that might be intimidating for a beginner like myself, so I'm still researching in that department.

What will I be recording? I want to do a little bit of everything, bass beats, synths, guitar sounds, etc. Basically make a beat to sing to, or something my friends can rhyme to. Nothing too complex.

Hope this isn't too vague. I'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row here and this seemed like the best place to ask. In all honestly, I could just be in love with the hub interface, but I know you can buy one similar to it and just hook it up in the back.

Remember: beginner here. Most of my time practicing would be at night (bought this time) and weekends.

 

[LegendSomeday]

Oh, and, avoid the Fatal1ty? I keep hearing, consistantly, that its better than the Audigy (true 24bit sampling) but still buggy.

 

[rayc]

If he's using a soundblaster card he's not really a producer. He should be attempting to achieve the best sound quality he can for you.
A cassette ercorder, minidisc recorder, 4 track cassette machines can sometimes be appropriate but doing A+D conversions required for comp based recordings means that a soundblaster isn't good enough.
I know, I've used one & wish I could go back & do the stuff I did through it with a better card - can't wind the clock back however.
I bought a 2nd hand INCA * I/O for less than AUS$150 - not the greatest but a light year ahead of a blaster.

 

[Nick98338]

Perhaps we should make some distinction between types of sound production. Many of the folks on this forum record sounds from instruments and voices. Sounds that are not generated inside of the computer. Therefore there are comments about microphones, and preamps, and good soundcards/interfaces. For recording sounds that come from outside the computer, good hardware equipment is necessary.

However, the guy said... "bass beats, synths, guitar sounds, etc. Basically make a beat to sing to, or something my friends can rhyme to"...

It's possible that all of these types of sounds can be generated entirely *inside* of the computer. Midi, synthesizers, samples, etc... If the sounds are created inside of the computer, then much of the hardware becomes unnecessary. The need for the good soundcard/interface goes away. The cheap Soundblaster card becomes perfectly good, for the task. If the sounds are made in the computer, then concentrate on software.

If, however, any of the sounds are coming from outside of the computer, then the hardware becomes more important. Mics, preamp, interfaces, etc... all become necessary. The Sounblaster will not be good enough.

 

[LegendSomeday]

Perhaps we should make some distinction between types of sound production. Many of the folks on this forum record sounds from instruments and voices. Sounds that are not generated inside of the computer. Therefore there are comments about microphones, and preamps, and good soundcards/interfaces. For recording sounds that come from outside the computer, good hardware equipment is necessary.

However, the guy said... "bass beats, synths, guitar sounds, etc. Basically make a beat to sing to, or something my friends can rhyme to"...

It's possible that all of these types of sounds can be generated entirely *inside* of the computer. Midi, synthesizers, samples, etc... If the sounds are created inside of the computer, then much of the hardware becomes unnecessary. The need for the good soundcard/interface goes away. The cheap Soundblaster card becomes perfectly good, for the task. If the sounds are made in the computer, then concentrate on software.

If, however, any of the sounds are coming from outside of the computer, then the hardware becomes more important. Mics, preamp, interfaces, etc... all become necessary. The Sounblaster will not be good enough.

Hey, sorry I'm late in replying. But yeah, I'm going to use one of Cakewalk's programs to make the majority (or all) of the sounds. We don't know how to play any instruments yet; we're learning guitar, but that's coming along sllllooowwwlly. lol. I know someone who plays piano, but that's about it. All the sounds are going to be coming from either one program (Cakewalk) or another.

 

[Nick98338]

OK. I'd suggest the Midi forum, and maybe the DJ/HipHop/Beats forums within this web site. The folks that frequent those areas might have more specific suggestions about producing sounds inside the computer. Although the many versions of Calkwalk/Sonar do have synthesizers within, you may find programs like Fruity Loops or Reason helpful. Programs that are specifically designed to produce loops and beats.

 

[whjr15]

Hey, sorry I'm late in replying. But yeah, I'm going to use one of Cakewalk's programs to make the majority (or all) of the sounds. We don't know how to play any instruments yet; we're learning guitar, but that's coming along sllllooowwwlly. lol. I know someone who plays piano, but that's about it. All the sounds are going to be coming from either one program (Cakewalk) or another.

So why do you think you'll need to RECORD at least 5 tracks simultaneously??

 

[LegendSomeday]

So why do you think you'll need to RECORD at least 5 tracks simultaneously??

Bad phrasing on my part, since just one program should be able to do everything I want.

 

[wheelema]

Apologies, but you should not go forward with the misapprehension that this bbs is a good place to learn about audio in general. It's not. It's a great place to ask specific questions and resolve issues and questions in your mind, but for learning all you need to learn there are a number of decent sites that lay it all out for you... soup to nuts... in an orderly fashion. For example, beat your head against this site for a while and you will be far far far more empowered to come back with intelligent questons that people will love to answer.

Luck!

 

[dirtyp]

With a thousand $ budget you shouldnt have much problems....

cpu - Get a 2.8ghz + $65-100 ..... you can even go a little slower this isnt the most important part...

Mobo - Try to find something with 4 dr2 memory slots...

Ram - At least 1 gb ddr2 $70-100

Video - not important, you can get a x800 for around 60 bucks wich could play games too.

Soundcard - Look at m-audio they have alot from $100-150

Mic - Shure sm58, At 2020 , $75-125.. You might even get a mxl with a combo deal.

Speakers - Rokits there on sale now for $300...dont skimp here.

Daw - Try reaper its free, Adobe audtion,

Beats - fruity loops, if you want something a little better get reason.
I like both of them better then cakewalk but cakewalk can be used for recording too.