Home studio setup and sound card. HELP!!!

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amt7565

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hello folks!
I am faily new to MIDI. Please answer the following questions. It will greatly benefit me. Thank you!

1. I only use one Guitar to plug into the "line in" of my 'Soundblaster digital value" sound card. Is this soundcard good enough? Or do I need an external sound card?

2. I am using SONAR and DXi softsynths. But I'd love a more realistic sound. Will changing the sound card help? Or do I need to get an external sound module? What is recommended?

3. Is a mixer necessary to use only 1 guitar input and all the rest of the tracks for internal MIDI? If not, is a mixer recommeneded if I am using an external synth module?

4. While performing my final 'mixdown' from MIDI to Audio, the sound degrades. How can I prevent this? Will a better sound card help?
To summarize, I am asking how I can setup a decent homestudio.
Thanks again!
 
1. I only use one Guitar to plug into the "line in" of my 'Soundblaster digital value" sound card. Is this soundcard good enough? Or do I need an external sound card?
Click to expand...

Good enough for home stuff, maybe not quite for professional recording studio quality. You are recording the guitar through some kind of preamp/effects box/modeler or something -- not a guitar plugged straight into the Line In? (That'll never work.)

2. I am using SONAR and DXi softsynths. But I'd love a more realistic sound. Will changing the sound card help? Or do I need to get an external sound module? What is recommended?
Click to expand...

I don't think any wavetable card will sound significantly better than SONAR's DXis are capable of. Better sound cards will give you a better sound from the DXi but not tremendously so. Which DXi are you using? The Sound Font one is probably the best one out of the box (assuming a good Sound Font is loaded up).


3. Is a mixer necessary to use only 1 guitar input and all the rest of the tracks for internal MIDI? If not, is a mixer recommeneded if I am using an external synth module?
Click to expand...

No. A mixer is a great tool and I probably couldn't live without it now that I have one, but for your stated needs, it is not necessary.

4. While performing my final 'mixdown' from MIDI to Audio, the sound degrades. How can I prevent this? Will a better sound card help?
Click to expand...

Your levels must not be set well. The audio track should be virtually indistinguishable from the MIDI tracks if it's recorded properly -- it's the same hardware making the sounds, so captured as aduio data it should be the same. Another possibility -- if you record it to audio, then play back whatyou have and don't mute the original MIDI part, you might get some phase problems that will result in destructive interference between the two parts...
 
Thanks Alchuck,
1. I am using a guitar amp to plug into my Soundblaster card. I was simply trying to enhance the quality of the sound. Is a 'M-Audio" sound card recommended?

2. I am using VSC DXi sound canvass. I guess I have to get an external sound module to get even more realistic sounds?

3. I only use 1 guitar. If I use an external MIDI can I still avoid a mixer? Am I to understand that a mixer will not enhance the quality of my guitar sound fed into the sound card?

4. As, for mixdown, true that there is not a large difference between the sound quality fo the MIDI and the newly converted audio. However it's still noticeable. And I do mute the MIDI so they don't overlap. Isn't the sound card doing the A/D? And in the process missing some samples? I am hoping it's still 44.1KHz.
Thanks!!
 
For serious recording I would'nt use a soundblaster.
Get yourself a good card around 150-200.00 range.
Also a descent midi sound module, one that has drums,bass,synths, etc...
Depending on your software you can also get some good soft synths.
This will provide you with a much better recording and hours of entertainment.
This is also a $$$ issue as to how much your willing to spend for higher quality gear.
 
Stealth!
Thanks! I just got back from Guitarcenter. I got a ROLAND JV1010 sound module($400) and also got a MIA soundcard prices at $199.00.
I am oping to get some value out of this.
Thanks again!
 
1. I am using a guitar amp to plug into my Soundblaster card. I was simply trying to enhance the quality of the sound. Is a 'M-Audio" sound card recommended?
Click to expand...

Well, the M Audio cards are great -- I have one -- but if your guitar amp direct out sounds bad into your Sound Blaster, it will also sound bad into any other card. The difference in quality is not that dramatic.

A direct out from an amp, while it works, usually results in a poor guitar tone. The tone of an electric guitar owes a lot to the power amp stage and the interaction with the speaker. The direct out is out of the preamp.

The traditional way to get an electric guitar to sound good is to stick a Shure SM-57 dynamic mic in front of a good-sounding guitar amp, run into a mic preamp, and then into the recorder.

Then there are the modern devices called "modelers," like the Line 6 POD, the Johnson J Station, Yamaha DG Stomp, Behringer V-Amp... there's a bunch now. They use software to emulate the sound from a good amp -> speaker ->mic signal chain, and they do a darn good job. The greatest advnatages are that you don't need to crank a screaming amp in front of a mic to get the sound you are after. Typicallyu the modelers have adozen or more amp types that they model, and you can often swap around cabinet types (open or closed back, 12 or 10 inch speakers, etc, 1, 2, or 4 of them, etc.). They are far from perfect emulations but they sound a whole lot better than the typical direct out of an amp.

2. I am using VSC DXi sound canvass. I guess I have to get an external sound module to get even more realistic sounds?
Click to expand...

Nope, not at all. The LiveSynth (I think it's called) DXi plays Sound Fonts. I think your soundcard might as well. You can get some excellent-sounding MIDI sounds by picking and choosing from good Sound Fonts. (I disike the VSC myself, I think it sounds pretty phony for the most part.)

An external MIDI module will cost several hundred dollars at least for one that sopunds better and is more flxible than the Sound Font feature already in your machine.

3. I only use 1 guitar. If I use an external MIDI can I still avoid a mixer? Am I to understand that a mixer will not enhance the quality of my guitar sound fed into the sound card?
Click to expand...

You can avoid a mixer but you would have to disconnect the guitar signal and swap it with the module signal to record it into the card. You also have the issue of hearing the guitar while you play the module through the sound card and vice versa, though this can be done (while the module plays through the soundcard you can hear your guitar through the amp, for example). But a mixer makes all that so much easier to deal with. It's worth having one just to avoid having to swap the cable to the Line In all the time...

And no, it will do virtually nothing to improve the sound of your guitar unless you use a mic as I described above.

4. As, for mixdown, true that there is not a large difference between the sound quality fo the MIDI and the newly converted audio. However it's still noticeable. And I do mute the MIDI so they don't overlap. Isn't the sound card doing the A/D? And in the process missing some samples? I am hoping it's still 44.1KHz.
Click to expand...

The A/D converters are not involved. The sounds produced by the MIDI hardware or the soft synths are already in digital form, they are simply being routed into a file when you record them.
 
Thanks Al,
I did get a MIA sound card today and also a synth module.
From you advise then, what exactly does a better sound card help me with then? Does it help for mixdown?

As for the guitar, I am getting a better amp. I don't have any microphones. So I might have to stick to a direct setup.
Thanks again for your excellent advise!
 
Way to go AMT !!!!

Looks like you made a good choice. Enjoy !!!
 
Hey AMT,
I missed your last question. So, your sound card, is it a 24bit card or 16? Is your synth module 24 or 16? If the answer is 24bit than the answer to your question is, a much better recording!!!
Do you use a proccessor with your guitar? If so, since you have no mics. just go straight from your procc. to your soundcard. I cant remember if you use midi. If so, record a midi track of drums or whatever, fix the errors and output of your synth straight to your card. This will take some practice, but you'll get it.
 
Thanks again Stealth!
The sound card MIA is a 24 bit card. As for the synth module, not sure, but I am positive it's 24bit, since it's a ROLAND JV1010.

I do use SONAR and I am trying to contol the ROLAND sound module using MIDI. All this whiloe I have been using the soft synth.

I also got a MIDIMAN USB/MIDI interface card. Unfortuntaly SONAR is not detecting this under "options-->MIDI devices". The driver is there installed properly. I am still hacking with it.
 
OK, Did you remove your system sound card? Did that card have a midi interface that you were using before? Im trying to figure out why your using a usb interface. Im not familiar with sonar as I use Logic Audio. So I dont know what to tell you on the software end of it. Their is a Sonar forum however.
 
Well, I have not changed the sound card yet. I wan't to first get the synth module working, check the sound quality with the current SBLive card I have and then change the sound card. I am not using an external MIDI with SBLIVE. Only internal soft synths.

The MIA sound card I got does not have MIDI interface, so I have to use the USB/MIDI interface. I am using a MIDIMAN USB/MIDI interface box. It connects from the USB to this box and from this Box it connects to the synth via MIDI cables. Here is the link to the MIDIMAN interface box: http://www.midiman.net/products/midiman/USB2x2.php

I did check out the SONAR forum. But not as good as this one.
Thank you for being so helpful!
 
USB's can be tricky. Took me forever to get my digital camera to work on it. Perhaps your system is still trying to use the midi port on your soundblaster. Look in your multimedia settings in control panel for midi connect. I left my soundblaster in my system to use the midi interface and it has'nt created any conflicts as of yet.
Not to hip on those USB ports.
 
I see the USB light come up on the device -MIDIMAN. So, I might be communicating. My problem is finding out how to route the SONAR to the external synth module. Currently all i see is the SBLIVE input and the 'sound fonts' as output. No MIDIMAN for me to select and route.

Thank you!
 
hey stealth!
Thanks . Yes the USB is working now. I had to re-install the drivers. someone in the MIDI forum helped me out.

Right now I can communicate with the synth module using SONAR.
How ever I can't hear playback. If I plug in the earphones on the synth, I can hear it, but not on the PC. Still trying to learn this stuff.
Thanks for your support!
 
No problem.......what are you routing the output of the synth to?
 
Assuming that you have verified your mia card is indeed outputing audio, my guess is your synth output is tied to your cards inputs. Put your software mixer in record ready mode and see if this allows you to monitor the audio to your monitors.
 
OK here is where I am now.
I have not connected the MIA sound card yet. Still got the SBLIVE. I want to make sure my synth module and SONAR are talking. Then verify the sound quality of the synth on the SBLIVE before I insert the MIA card.
Currently I can control the Synth, a Roland JV1010 using SONAR. The tracks control the patch number etc. But I don't hear any playback on my computer. But I do hear the sounds if I plug in a earphone on the module. I don't have anything routed from the Synth, except the MIDi "in" and "out" frlom my PC. Still diffling with this.
Thanks for your support!
 
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