andycerrone
Banned
Oh and also, my laptop is a compaq presario R3000 with windows xp home edition.. if that matters.
L
Loyct
New member
No worries about the questions man. I got scolded, flamed and mocked at when i posted at some other boards when i was a complete n00b, (you could say publicly)
Well, the soundcard will mostly affect compatibility with the computer, latency, and data transfer issues (if its a soundcard only, not an Audio Intercface).
If you already have a mixer, you'd need a recording soundcard like the delta 1010. For laptops, its best to run everything external.
If you want a 3 in one unit, called an Audio interface, which has mic preamsp, convertors and the soundcard itself, you could look at some of the following :
Simpler, Cheaper AIs
-Maudio Firewire Solo
-Presonus Inspire 1394 Firewire
-Echo Gina 3G PCI Audio Interface
[These have basic line ins, and are small, portable interfaces]
Upgraded versions
-Maudio 410 Firewire
-Presonus Firebox Firewire
-Emu1820M (2 mic pres, 1/4" I/Os)
[These mostly have 2 mic pres, with extra 1/6" or 1/4" I/Os, mostly with SPDIF and Midi I/Os, with some extra functions. Usually come with softwares, Limited Edition]
More expesnive, More input AIs
-Presonus Firepod (has 8 mic XLRs with pres)
-Mackie Onyx 400F FireWire Audio Interface (4 mic pres, but they're good and expensive)
[These have more preamps, possible to record drums]
Its up to you though, if you want to get the mixer, get a good soundcard, and not an AI, as you'd be buying what you already have. Maybe try the Delta1010 if you go mixer.
Well, the soundcard will mostly affect compatibility with the computer, latency, and data transfer issues (if its a soundcard only, not an Audio Intercface).
If you already have a mixer, you'd need a recording soundcard like the delta 1010. For laptops, its best to run everything external.
If you want a 3 in one unit, called an Audio interface, which has mic preamsp, convertors and the soundcard itself, you could look at some of the following :
Simpler, Cheaper AIs
-Maudio Firewire Solo
-Presonus Inspire 1394 Firewire
-Echo Gina 3G PCI Audio Interface
[These have basic line ins, and are small, portable interfaces]
Upgraded versions
-Maudio 410 Firewire
-Presonus Firebox Firewire
-Emu1820M (2 mic pres, 1/4" I/Os)
[These mostly have 2 mic pres, with extra 1/6" or 1/4" I/Os, mostly with SPDIF and Midi I/Os, with some extra functions. Usually come with softwares, Limited Edition]
More expesnive, More input AIs
-Presonus Firepod (has 8 mic XLRs with pres)
-Mackie Onyx 400F FireWire Audio Interface (4 mic pres, but they're good and expensive)
[These have more preamps, possible to record drums]
Its up to you though, if you want to get the mixer, get a good soundcard, and not an AI, as you'd be buying what you already have. Maybe try the Delta1010 if you go mixer.
andycerrone
Banned
Ok, so I'm recording on my laptop. With the mackie 1202, so i need a soundcard. And I'm pretty sure laptops don't have PCI. What would you suggest?
P
Pro Tooler
New member
Hey guys/gals.... here is just a suggestion... look into an M-Box2 for starting out...for a couple hundred bucks more.. you get alot!!!... awesome little interface... just a suggestion...unless you plan on miking everything... go direct and stay digital... cheaper in the long run rather than buying all the analog gear to record all your music... that gets REALLY expensive.
Treeline
New member
Small Mackie Onyx mixer with firewire = about $900.
Presonus Firepod 10 channel interface = $600.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording/Computer/Hardware?sku=184131
Presonus firebox (small) = $300
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--PRSFIREBOX
These will give you a digital signal and will keep most of the soundcard circuitry outside the computer. Mixers with firewire allow you to use the device both for live sound and as a front end for recording. Before you buy, do some research and read user reviews as some of this stuff is released before the bugs are out. So maybe look for something that has been on the market for a year or so.
if you have a laptop, firewire is a good way to go. Even if you do not have a firewire interface on the laptop, you can get one in a cardbus card for $30 - $50.
The other issue with a laptop (aside from processing horsepower) is hard disk storage. Laptops usually have a 5400 rpm drive which is not quick enough to do a decent job capturing audio, which is data intensive. You can fix that easily with an external drive, like a LaCie, running at 7200 rpm or better. These can be found with USB2, firewire, or combination interfaces.
Don't try to do this with a USB1 (old style) interface; it will just waste your time. Too slow.
Presonus Firepod 10 channel interface = $600.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording/Computer/Hardware?sku=184131
Presonus firebox (small) = $300
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--PRSFIREBOX
These will give you a digital signal and will keep most of the soundcard circuitry outside the computer. Mixers with firewire allow you to use the device both for live sound and as a front end for recording. Before you buy, do some research and read user reviews as some of this stuff is released before the bugs are out. So maybe look for something that has been on the market for a year or so.
if you have a laptop, firewire is a good way to go. Even if you do not have a firewire interface on the laptop, you can get one in a cardbus card for $30 - $50.
The other issue with a laptop (aside from processing horsepower) is hard disk storage. Laptops usually have a 5400 rpm drive which is not quick enough to do a decent job capturing audio, which is data intensive. You can fix that easily with an external drive, like a LaCie, running at 7200 rpm or better. These can be found with USB2, firewire, or combination interfaces.
Don't try to do this with a USB1 (old style) interface; it will just waste your time. Too slow.
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andycerrone
Banned
Ok, so I dug out an old computer, and I'm going to try get that to work for it, would something with like, a 40 gig hardrive and 256 MB be enough? Or at least for now?
andycerrone
Banned
And another question, what's the difference between the delta1010 and the delta1010Lt other than it's external? or is there? And, if i run a the mixer through it, does it still allow me to use the X amount of channels that the mixer has, or does it for me to use only up to, say, 8, and then i'd have to get an upgrade sometime in the future when i need more?
H
hungovermorning
Dr. Caveman.
Now I remember why I went analog originally. $100 for a four track. A $5 mic and cable combo and a $1.50 type II cassette and I was off and running!