Is this worth £50?

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TunaTheFish

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I would like to record my guitar onto my computer and already have Cubase SX2.
I have been offered a Creative Live! Drive II IR brand new with remote and all cables etc for £50. Is this a good deal or could i get it cheaper elsewhere. Also, is there a better product out there than the Live! Drive for recording, i am looking to spend no more than £80.
Any Help would be appreciated.
(Im sorry if i should have posted in the wrong forum?)
 
It isn't what you want. This consumer stuff is not good for decent audio recording, no matter what the blurb says. Anyway, the Live Drive looks like a front end, not a soundcard, so you'd be reliant on your PC's native soundcard whch will also be crap.

You would not be able to plug your guitar into it (or a soundcard), you would either have to mic it / its amplifier, or use a DI or modelling box.

Tell us what gear you have and you'll get some more guidance.
 
Ok at the moment i have a Casio CTK-651 Midi Keyboard which i have connected to my computer through a midi cable (Midi to my sound cards Joystick socket) I am using Cubase SX2 to record but would like to be able to plug my guitar into it aswell. My soundcard is not good, so am looking for a new soundcard aswell. I basicly want something that i can plug my guitar directly into, plug my midi keyboard into and the normal microphone, speakers, headphones e.g.
What would you recommend?
 
For a soundcard, your best budget choices are the M-Audio Audiophile 2496, or the E-MU 0404, both around £60. To make things easy, if you have an Intel processer get the Audiophile, if it's AMD, get the EMU 0404. They are both superb for the money. They have break out cables which mean you have to scrabble around the back of the computer a bit but it's better than wasting money on flashy boxes.

However you also need a pre-amp to get your mic signal up to line level. You'll have to spend a little more, I'm afraid, and do some research - look at the pre-amp threads in the Other Equipment and the Rack forums. Buy a copy of Sound on Sound magazine and read the ads to get prices.

With your keyboard, does it have on board sounds you want to use (there is a well known song genre called "My First Casio" :)) or do you want to use it to trigger higer quality sounds? If the first, you'd just plug its audio out into the soundcard's audio in. Otherwise, you'll need a soft synth - look through the MIDI forums here.

Sorry to make it sound so complex, but of course you can do all this a step at a time.
 
Let me get this straight. You bought a $600 program to record a $150 instrument through a $50 soundcard?
 
Farview said:
Let me get this straight. You bought a $600 program to record a $150 instrument through a $50 soundcard?

Good point. Hope I haven't been trying to help somebody with a ripped version....
 
$600??
I paid £65 pounds for it off a mate of mine who upgraded to a better version ( i dont know which one i think SX3)
 
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