Help would be really appreciated!!!

[hrwmusic]

So yes, i am new to recording but i have alittle backround knowledge. What i am asking now is a very big question and i understand why i might not get a response. But basically ive decided to actually put money into my recordings and such. I have been playing guitar for around 4 years and i want to persue a careere in music. So this, i feel, is my way of stepping up. I have an mp3 of my most recent recording at: www.purevolume.com/harrisonweber. and this is what i have now:

1. Dell Dimension 2400 PC with Windows XP home editon, version 2002
w/
-26.4 GB out of 37.2 GB
-128mb of ram
-soundmax audio card
-(if there is any more information that is important, please tell me)

2. Cool edit pro 2.0

3. This is very crappy, it was my bros and ive actually be using it.
Labtec Verse-504 Desk Microphone for PC Voice Access
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000053VYB/103-8372013-7341442?v=glance&n=172282
(i am pretty ashamed of it and i have no plans to use it, but thats the only mic ive got. Ive been plugging it into the pink mic input)

4. I have basic crappy speakers that came with my dell, and i know that their poor for monitering.

5. My guitars are an applause ovation which was around 350, its decent and i will be useing it for recording, unlike the rest of mine, so there inst any need to list them.

6. I have taken out the shelves of a walk-in closet and it isnt sound proof, and echos because of the wood floor, but i feel that ive handeled part of the echo with blankets and pillows on the floor, and walls.

----
i am basically starting from the ground up
and i only have around 200-300 dollars [(insert) ok i know im rediculous for saying thats all i can spend, but that is all i have for starters, but i do have patience, so i can put my money aside and in a few months have double that to spend...thanks] for this now, but i can get more over time. and i know it seems like im new here but i have used this site alot and i hope that someone can pull through for me, eventhough im asking alot.

Thank you thank you, if there is anything i forgot or if this is in the wrong place, or if i need to go somewhere else to ask this please tell me.
Any comments, even if its just about the mp3 or price estimates would be highly appreciated.

so thanks again,
-harry weber

 

[Jason P]

I don't have any recording tips for you, because I'm just starting to look into it as well, but I like the song. My only advice would be to make the vocals louder, but it sounds pretty good considering that PC mic you are using.

 

[HangDawg]

So, what's the question?

 

[emomusician]

suggestions

Ok...

Check this.

You should probably invest in a different sound card. the M-audio 2496 PCI card is what I would reccommend for you. Its 99.99 on MF.

Your gonna need more ram in that pc, more like 512mb. You may even need a bigger hard drive if your gonna do very much recording. These files can be very large. I know I've had to delete a bands entire recordings just to make room for another. Thats when I invested in a larger hard drive.

You also need a good mic. If your just doing acoustics, and some vocals. Just get some sort of condensor. If you have the money, I would get the B1. You can get a range of cheaper mics from MXL, although alot of them are not recommended highly. The 990 is despised, but I got some pretty decent results on acoustic guitar. Its only about 50 bucks now.

I would also get a little preamp to go with the mic, since it needs phantom power. They have several ART preamps on MF that are between 50-100 bucks.

Lastly, there are several pairs of Monitors also on MF that are in the 100 dollar range. Edirol I believe makes some. They aren't gonna be the cream of the crop, but if all you intend to do is record acoustic music. That shouldn't be a big issue.

or.. you can go the stand alone route...

You could probably score a Fostex MR8 off ebay for around 100-200.00. It has its own internal mic which sucks.. but add the other stuff I mentioned, and you won't have to hassle with upgrading your pc for the most part.

I hope this helped a lil.

 

[scrubs]

Wow, that's a challenge. With that budget, you might have to upgrade gradually over several years to get to a point where you can make decent recordings.

The basics:
Computer - I'm using 512 ram on my computer, and that's not much in the audio world (many folks have 1-3 gigs of ram). You also need a bigger hard drive (or an external firewire/usb drive), as audio takes up lots of space. What is your processor speed, also? Do you have Firewire? All of those things will impact your ability to record on the computer.

Soundcard/Interface - Your soundmax card probably isn't going to cut it. You need a dedicated recording card. Your options are basically: PCI, FireWire, or USB. PCI cards tend to be more stable and can handle many inputs (though the PCI technology may go away in 4-6 years). FireWire cards are also fairly stable and have the added benefit of being portable (can be used with laptops). USB cards are affordable if you only need a couple of inputs and can also be used with a laptop.

Microphones - You'll eventually want to build up a locker of several different microphones for vocal and instrument applications. You could start with something simple and fairly versatile, like the Shure SM57 dynamic, or get an inexpensive condenser, like the Studio Projects B1. Neither one will be a killer mic for every application, but they are solid mics to start with and should work on most things.

Preamps - Some of the audio interfaces (particularly the USB and Firewire ones) will have built in preamps for your mics. Alternately, you can buy a small mixer (which will have some built in preamps), or buy stand-alone preamps. Stand alone units tend to be higher quality, but they also cost more.

Monitors - Your computer speakers will not give you an accurate enough reproduction of the music to mix your tunes. Getting good monitors is important if you're serious about making music.

Acoustic Treatment - Your pillows and blankets will have some effect on high frequency reflections, but you're likely to get buildup of bass frequencies, leading to muddy sounding recordings. It's possible to build inexpensive bass traps yourself using rigid fiberglass panels.

Cables, cables, cables - You'll need lots of cables and adapters to get all these things connected. If you can solder, you could build your own cables. Otherwise, just the cabling could exceed your current budget (lord knows I've spend well over $500 on cables for my tiny home recording setup).

Software - Cool edit will work fine. Audacity and Kristal are other freebies to try. N-Track, Cubase SE, Home Studio and others are pretty affordable, too.

 

[hrwmusic]

I don't have any recording tips for you, because I'm just starting to look into it as well, but I like the song. My only advice would be to make the vocals louder, but it sounds pretty good considering that PC mic you are using.

Thanks man, im kinda limited with what i can do, but ive been doin' what i can.


love to hear what you've got.

 

[hrwmusic]

Ok...

Check this.

You should probably invest in a different sound card. the M-audio 2496 PCI card is what I would reccommend for you. Its 99.99 on MF.

Your gonna need more ram in that pc, more like 512mb. You may even need a bigger hard drive if your gonna do very much recording. These files can be very large. I know I've had to delete a bands entire recordings just to make room for another. Thats when I invested in a larger hard drive.

You also need a good mic. If your just doing acoustics, and some vocals. Just get some sort of condensor. If you have the money, I would get the B1. You can get a range of cheaper mics from MXL, although alot of them are not recommended highly. The 990 is despised, but I got some pretty decent results on acoustic guitar. Its only about 50 bucks now.

I would also get a little preamp to go with the mic, since it needs phantom power. They have several ART preamps on MF that are between 50-100 bucks.

Lastly, there are several pairs of Monitors also on MF that are in the 100 dollar range. Edirol I believe makes some. They aren't gonna be the cream of the crop, but if all you intend to do is record acoustic music. That shouldn't be a big issue.

or.. you can go the stand alone route...

You could probably score a Fostex MR8 off ebay for around 100-200.00. It has its own internal mic which sucks.. but add the other stuff I mentioned, and you won't have to hassle with upgrading your pc for the most part.

I hope this helped a lil.

So atleast for now i can only go in steps with what you said with the 100$ sound card and ram sticks and all the other things.....but do you think that i can get decent results with the fostex mr8, because one of my friends had one and i got it to work with my friends akg mic (i cant use that mic because i moved away) but i also used the built in mic at the sime time, and the results were crappy. So my question is, can i make a decent cd with the mr8. Also, if i went stand alone would i need a sound card because i would still be mastering and editing on my computer.

thank ya' kindly, man.

 

[hrwmusic]

Wow, that's a challenge. With that budget, you might have to upgrade gradually over several years to get to a point where you can make decent recordings.

The basics:
Computer - I'm using 512 ram on my computer, and that's not much in the audio world (many folks have 1-3 gigs of ram). You also need a bigger hard drive (or an external firewire/usb drive), as audio takes up lots of space. What is your processor speed, also? Do you have Firewire? All of those things will impact your ability to record on the computer.

Soundcard/Interface - Your soundmax card probably isn't going to cut it. You need a dedicated recording card. Your options are basically: PCI, FireWire, or USB. PCI cards tend to be more stable and can handle many inputs (though the PCI technology may go away in 4-6 years). FireWire cards are also fairly stable and have the added benefit of being portable (can be used with laptops). USB cards are affordable if you only need a couple of inputs and can also be used with a laptop.

Microphones - You'll eventually want to build up a locker of several different microphones for vocal and instrument applications. You could start with something simple and fairly versatile, like the Shure SM57 dynamic, or get an inexpensive condenser, like the Studio Projects B1. Neither one will be a killer mic for every application, but they are solid mics to start with and should work on most things.

Preamps - Some of the audio interfaces (particularly the USB and Firewire ones) will have built in preamps for your mics. Alternately, you can buy a small mixer (which will have some built in preamps), or buy stand-alone preamps. Stand alone units tend to be higher quality, but they also cost more.

Monitors - Your computer speakers will not give you an accurate enough reproduction of the music to mix your tunes. Getting good monitors is important if you're serious about making music.

Acoustic Treatment - Your pillows and blankets will have some effect on high frequency reflections, but you're likely to get buildup of bass frequencies, leading to muddy sounding recordings. It's possible to build inexpensive bass traps yourself using rigid fiberglass panels.

Cables, cables, cables - You'll need lots of cables and adapters to get all these things connected. If you can solder, you could build your own cables. Otherwise, just the cabling could exceed your current budget (lord knows I've spend well over $500 on cables for my tiny home recording setup).

Software - Cool edit will work fine. Audacity and Kristal are other freebies to try. N-Track, Cubase SE, Home Studio and others are pretty affordable, too.

yeah, cool edit has done alot for my recordings, atleast by making them sound less crapy. and if i were to use a usb sound card, because i cant imagine my self, atleast for right now needing more than 4 inputs, because im accustomed to using just one. And whats your opinion on stand alone recording? could the fostex mr8 get me what i wanted or is there somthing else i should check out....


wow, im askin alot of questions....

sorry about that, but i really appreciate it!

 

[scrubs]

yeah, cool edit has done alot for my recordings, atleast by making them sound less crapy. and if i were to use a usb sound card, because i cant imagine my self, atleast for right now needing more than 4 inputs, because im accustomed to using just one. And whats your opinion on stand alone recording? could the fostex mr8 get me what i wanted or is there somthing else i should check out....


wow, im askin alot of questions....

sorry about that, but i really appreciate it!

I own a Tascam US-122 and recommend it regularly as a 2-input, all-in-one type unit for recording. I'd also look at the M-Audio Fast Track Pro. Either of those units plus a microphone would get you into the recording game for under $300. Then, you could save up for monitors and upgrades to your computer (although, you wouldn't necessarily need another soundcard, since the USB interface functions as an external soundcard).

 

[hrwmusic]

150$

Description (revised)

Item Specifics - Item Condition
Condition:
New





NEW - Still in the Box! Never been opened.

Includes AKG K-66 Headphones, built-in USB Port, 128 mb flashcard,AC or battery power.

Must Sell

----
the item doesnt have any bids,
and its closing in a day or so, what do you think,
before jumping ahead of my self, because i havent decided this...can i really trust it? ive never just e-bay before, thanks

 

[hrwmusic]

I own a Tascam US-122 and recommend it regularly as a 2-input, all-in-one type unit for recording. I'd also look at the M-Audio Fast Track Pro. Either of those units plus a microphone would get you into the recording game for under $300. Then, you could save up for monitors and upgrades to your computer (although, you wouldn't necessarily need another soundcard, since the USB interface functions as an external soundcard).

wow thank you, im gonna be looking into all that.