I can envision.....

[sunnee1]

I use a Zoom hdd recorder right now, but it's time to graduate. I have:

1. telecaster
2. les paul
3. midi keyboard (pretty low on the scale of kb's out there, but decent)
4. bass
5. a nice Rode mic

I would like to:

1. create my own drums tracks with a drum machine (it has to be easier than my multi track Zoom), and have them sound good (sound quality wise)
2. start plugging in guitars, mics, bass, keys and record tracks
3. modify individual tracks by adding effects. i used to use a line 6 vetta for live gigs, but can see how a tool with those sound qualities could be more useful in a recording scenario. i would like to have the tools of say, a pod pro (?) that i would use to create guitar tracks available for bass, keys, and vocals. for example, i could run my guitar through a '65 twin, with an original tube screamer (all virtual, of course).
4. mixdown, master, and record to CD

my feeling is that I'll need an interace with 1/4" and XLR inputs, a good soundcard, a new computer, and some kickbutt software....am I right? what's good, and bad?

 

[apl]

What's your budget?

 

[Rokket]

There are ways of doing what you want without buying a new pc, soundcard and interface.

Again, what is your budget?

 

[sunnee1]

sorry it took so long....probably about $2000

 

[apl]

$500 for a FirePod, $500 for a PC, $500 for a pair of Event TR6 monitors, and $75 for ntrack software.

 

[sunnee1]

what the specs on the necessary pc?

btw, thanks, i'll check the equipment mentioned!

 

[sunnee1]

right now i monirtor my progress through headphones....are they a viable option to monitors?

 

[sunnee1]

oh yeah, if i get a new pc, i'd like to get a lt. recommended? i've heard two arguments

 

[Rokket]

oh yeah, if i get a new pc, i'd like to get a lt. recommended? i've heard two arguments

What pc are you using now? If you want to use it soley for recording, you will need one with 2 harddrives (one just for audio, 120GB recommended), at least 512 RAM, and 7200 RPM. If you go Mac, G5. If you go pc, the only recommendation I have there is XP Home Edition as an OS.

With that you can get the interface (soundcard), depending on how many inputs you will need, they go from about $100 and up. There are several different types. Some mount directly on your PCI slot, some connect via firewire, some via usb.

You will need a pre amp, and some decent mics. I will let others offer advice on that. The answers you get will vary, but most will offer the Shure SM57 and SM58...

And you will need cables out the wazoo. XLR, TRS and TS.

Headphones are viable to monitor while you are recording, but it is recommended that you get a decent monitoring chain to mix. These too come in many different varieties. You want to get the best you can afford.

Check out musiciansfriend.com, zzounds.com or other places like that for this stuff. They will usually have a decent variety of gear. You will have to do some reading to figure out which will work for what you want to do. That goes for all of this, from the pc to the headphones to the monitors.

 

[apl]

right now i monirtor my progress through headphones....are they a viable option to monitors?

Like Rokket said, they don't work well for mixing at all. You need monitors.

 

[apl]

...i'd like to get a lt.

What's an lt?

 

[sunnee1]

I have a PIII, 667 MHz, yeah, i know it needs an upgrade anyway..."lt" is "laptop", which i would really like to get. I have XP pro right now, is it "not recommended", or was XP Home just the minimum?

apl listed some interesting equipment, but none of them was a soundcard upgrade...do i need an upgrade from one that comes with a new machine or will the firepod take care of that?

check on the monitors!

apl, i read some on cubase le, but i didn't see mention of a drum machine. my past experience is that it was easier to program the drums myself than search through a gazillion loops to find the one i wanted....

also, i plan on doing very little mic'ing of amps. i have an orange and a 66 blackface twin, but found the power of a POD pro irreplaceable....I guess I can add the POd to my grocery list.

thank you so much for the newbie info....I was afraid I'd get a bunch of "go googling!!". I searched this site, but nothing really seemed to fit what I was looking for.......thank you rokkit and apl!

 

[apl]

apl listed some interesting equipment, but none of them was a soundcard upgrade...do i need an upgrade from one that comes with a new machine or will the firepod take care of that?

apl, i read some on cubase le, but i didn't see mention of a drum machine. my past experience is that it was easier to program the drums myself than search through a gazillion loops to find the one i wanted....

The firepod is an external soundcard. It'd be sweet for you if you wanted to stay laptop based since it's external, connecting via Firewire.

There are a lot of PC based drum machine/looping software, but I'm not familiar with them.

 

[jeap]

what the heck???

my computer is a p2 350 and i have 192 ram and 6 gb hd

when i got it it was da bomb...

 

[apl]

my computer is a p2 350 and i have 192 ram and 6 gb hd

when i got it it was da bomb...

I had an ATARI that was better than the C64 it competed against.

 

[reshp1]

XP pro has a lot of extra bells and whistles you don't need for music. More stuff in RAM running in the background interupting your CPU or Harddrives isn't good, but it'll probably run fine on a powerful machine. I'm sure you can turn it all off, but it might be a pain. FWIW You'll have to turn stuff off in Home too to optimize performance too.

I would recommend building a computer. It's really pretty easy. Figure out what software and interface you are planning on using first and tailor you computer to match the compatibility requirements on those. You get exactly what you need, nothing you don't, as opposed to a generic package Dell puts together. If you really don't feel comfortable with building it, you should be able to find a local builder to put it all together if you tell them what you want.

Also, I'd recommend against a laptop unless you have a specific need for a portable setup. It's easier and cheaper to build a desktop, keep it running cool and quiet, etc. And a ton more options when it comes time to upgrade.

 

[tourettes5139]

$500 for a FirePod, $500 for a PC, $500 for a pair of Event TR6 monitors, and $75 for ntrack software.

Just a side note, but I think the TR6's are $400, and you could get TR8's for $500, and the TR8XL's for $600.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[apl]

Just a side note, but I think the TR6's are $400, and you could get TR8's for $500, and the TR8XL's for $600.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

You're right. I was in a hurry. The TR6s are probably enough. I've got the PS6s and I'm happy.

 

[Rokket]

I have XP pro right now, is it "not recommended", or was XP Home just the minimum?

Like was stated, XP pro has microsoft office as part of it's package. That program alone is over 100MB! Office has a lot of stuff running in the background that will eat up your memory pretty quick. There are lots of other things on there that are runnning in the background. Some of them can't be turned off.

Even with Home Edition, there are things that you need to do to make it run smoother for audio apps. If you were to remove all the things that you don't use or that are eating up memory in XP pro, it wouldn't justify its cost.

It is recommmended that the pc you use for recording be dedicated just to that. Things like anti-virus programs and the like are always running in the background, and if you are using that pc for internet and such, you will need anti-virus protection and firewalls. A faster, more powerful machine can help, but you will notice little glitches and things in your software when you get to a high track count with all that stuff running...

 

[jeap]

how do you know so much about computer audio if you record on a fostex?

i was looking at gigastudio and the recc'ed computer specs are ridiculous. it streams layered samples off the hard drive so it needs lots of drive memory and cpu.

it looks like thats the way to get realistic drums so its got me thinking of a computer upgrade.

not in the near future tho cause i still have to learn to use what i have - fruity loops express and cakewalk home studio.