Have mics & software - best way to get going?

[hanny137]

Hey there,

Yep. I am a newbie.
I've done a little research (although admittedly not a lot). In years gone by (8+!) I used to have a Boss BR-8 (withhold your reviews!). I enjoyed it, and it did what I wanted it to do but made transferring to a PC difficult.

Here I am 8 years later having not recorded much since I sold that unit so long ago. I have a couple nice Shure mic's, decent amps, Adobe Audition & Soundbooth (again, please withhold reviews).

What I lack is a good way to get them recording to my PC. I've got the software on both my laptop (for my bedroom where my keyboard is) and also on my desktop (in the room where my amps are).

What are your thoughts on the best way to achieve this VERY cheaply? I've seen XLR->USB cables, but I'm not sure they will work - don't the mic's require an external power of some sort? Or would the usb power them okay? That was my first thought, and is probably the cheapest way to get this done.

Since then I've been on the lookout for cheaper (think under $50-65) ways to get this done, but in a better quality way...
I've been searching for maybe an old mixer (4 or 8 track) or something to get the job done, but I have been out of the loop on this stuff for so long - I'm not sure what is the best way to get back into it.

I'm just hoping to record some music here in my home, but have it be nice enough I can proudly give it away to friends/family without anyone thinking "oh my god, it sounds so hissy and horrible...." or "I could've done better, and I don't even play an instrument.."

Any thoughts on where to begin? Would an xlr to usb cable work? Any other cheap things that would get what I'm looking to do? At most I would only be using 2 mics at once to record, most likely never more.

NOW, how about the software? For what I'm hoping to achieve will that software work sufficiently? Way back when I did utilize a 16 channel mixer into a laptop, and using CoolEdit Pro was able to record something I felt at least moderately happy with (if only I knew then what I know now...).

General Input Appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
~Hanny

 

[getuhgrip]

At your $50-$65 budget, I'm thinkin' a used "2-banger" interface: lexicon alpha, m-audio fast track thingie...

Or...I can hook you up with a Tascam 2488mkll for $500 when your budget improves, or you just simply wanna have the biggest bang for your recording buck!

 

[hanny137]

At your $50-$65 budget, I'm thinkin' a used "2-banger" interface: lexicon alpha, m-audio fast track thingie...

Or...I can hook you up with a Tascam 2488mkll for $500 when your budget improves, or you just simply wanna have the biggest bang for your recording buck!

When/if I ever have a good amount of money to devote to this (and a significant other who will allow it) I'd love to have something cool like like a 2488mkII.

However, I think probably one of the interfaces you mentioned would work fine for now. What do you recommend? Which ones are more 'quality' and which to steer clear of? I've hear some have hiss, others are clear, etc. Any thoughts?

 

[gecko zzed]

There are many (comparatively) low cost USB interfaces around these days. Getuhgrip has mentioned a couple. They are all fine for what you want to do. They deliver pretty good quality, and importantly, they're designed specifically for recording.

Many of them come bundled with software, so you don't necessarily need to get that separately. You might like to consider Reaper: REAPER | Audio Production Without Limits

The hiss usually comes from their inbuilt pre-amps, and is usually only a problem when giving them too much gain.

 

[hanny137]

I ended up picking up a M-Audio MobilePre USB Audio Interface (found it on e-bay)
Got it for $59 (shipping included).

We'll have to see how it works out... I appreciate your input everyone and thanks for pointing me in a specific direction!