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cericson

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I want to record some simple acoustic guitar tracks. i Have a Taylor 814 electric/acoustic. Mackie 1220(without firewire) and ACid pro 6. im hooking up to my labtop through the TAPE-Out and running it into the mic input on side of my laptop. after i record a minute or so i stop to check how it sounds. and it sounds weak and fuzzy, almost like its picking up sound from within the computer. i dont know how to change latency or buffer to correct this if thats even the problem (laptop is a toshiba Satellite. not the best but all i got.)
 
The mic input on a Toshiba laptop (and pretty well every laptop made) is absolute rubbish, not suitable for much except a $2 headset mic for a Skype phone call. You really need to invest in a proper sound interface (USB or Firewire) with a decent line/mic input. You'll find the difference is like chalk and cheese.

(And lest you think I have a downer on Toshiba, I use a Tosh Satellite for all my recording and mixing..but use it with an M-Audio profire lightbridge and a Yamaha digital mixer. Worked this way the quality and performance is fine...and I record up to 32 tracks at a time (though usually less than 16). You don't need anything this expensive or elaborate...but you need an interface.

Bob
 
what do you mean by interface? would getting the firewire card be a good idea?
 
An interface is basically just an external sound card for computers. It takes the audio signal, converts it to digital and feeds it into the computer by whichever route you use. It does the same job as the internal sound card...but does it much better and outside the electrically noisy environment that the inside of a laptop is. Typically the basic ones with have one or two microphone inputs and one or two suitable for line level signals.

Unless you need to record multiple tracks, you probably don't need to go the Firewire route...USB2 will be plenty capable.

There are heaps on the market and everyone will recommend a different one. I'd suggest something like an E-MU0202 or an M-Audio Mobile Pre....but you'll likely get lots of recommendations and the fact is that any of them will do the job.

Bob
 
ok makes sense. i am trying to record 2 guitars, bass, and vocals and i would like to do them together as much as possible. Could i run the M-Audio Mobile Pre you spoke of with my mackie somehow so i could record at least 4 or 5 tracks simultaneously?
 
A mixer is a mixer is a mixer. It mixes stuff to stereo normally. Lately they've been making mixers with individual track outputs, which make them more useful for recording.

If you want to record 4 or 5 tracks simultaneously, then you'll need to get 4 or 5 tracks separately into your PC. The 1220 with Firewire connection would do this - if you have a mixer that can't do this, then you'll need an interface with enough separate inputs and a USB or Firewire connection to your PC. Forget your microphone in....

Tell us more about your exact version of this mixer.
 
cericson,

You should try something before buying a lot of additional gear. Forget the mixer. Did you try plugging the mic directly into the laptop's "mic" input? Try using a dynamic mic (so you don't have to worry about phantom power). You wouldn't be able to record multiple instruments at once without the mixer, but just take a few minutes and see if this at least sounds better than the setup you described (going through the mixer's tape/outs).

Failing that, I would highly recommend trying a usb mic, such as the Samson Q1U ($49) - USB Microphones

These mics have much better preamps than laptops and they're built right in. Both of these would cost much less than buying a Mobile Pre.

Good luck,

Ken
 
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