Just starting out.

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gitarzan

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Been accumulating hardware / software for some Home Recording. Once upon a time I used a Fostex X12 then was kind of disillusioned with the quality. About the same the time I got some cable at Target (I hope I paid cash!) that went from a guitar to the PC's USB port, but the LAG time kinda killed that idea.

So now I'm building a little bit better home studio.

I've got:
Zoom R8 recorder/interface
Acer M583 Laptop i5 8mb ram 500mb hdd Win8
Cubase Elements 7
Aleseis 3 Monitors
2 Radio Shack 33-1080 mics.
1 Monoprice Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic

I finally broke down last night and began to read the manuals. :eek: The learning curve is not too bad, but for a total newb it's another language. I'm going to learn the Zoom first, then learn Cubase.

My plans are to record myself playing guitar, banjo, some rhythm stuff I have. Once I'm to the point where I can get a decent sound down, invite some compadres and do a little more.

I think that recording myself will make me a better player, a better performer. From what I've heard of myself I don't have much of a sense of timing. Gotta work hard on that.

The tips I have been finding here have been great. I'm glad I stumbled into this place. I'm sure I'll have problems and questions.
 
Welcome. The learning curve goes beyond the manuals, but that's a good starting point. You'll probably want to get some good mics as a first step.
Not familiar with Elements, but look at Reaper for a full-featured DAW (only $60 to register).
 
I'll second what MjbPhotos said. Reaper is THE hot up and comer that can go toe-to-toe with the best of 'em - including Pro Tools. It's free at first, then $60 to register. And like he said, the learning curve can be pretty steep at first, so why not spend that time learning the one you can go all the way with. Download their free 400+ page user guide and read the first 50 or 60 pages. That will be plenty to get you going, then you can read and learn the rest over time as you get into the more advanced stuff.

I also ran across this recently by Mike Senior from SoundOnSound that wrote the 'Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio' book:

[Cockos] -- " Their Reaper DAW is now my go-to DAW mixing platform. It's extremely powerful and ridiculously affordable. The built-in plug-ins are good enough to create professional-level mixes without any third-party assistance, and the editing and workflow-customisation facilities are phenomenal. If you try nothing else, try this. "

That carries some weight in my book.
Btw, welcome.
 
Cubase Elements is good, better than Reaper. Reaper is a fine low-priced alternative to full-featured DAW's. If you already have Elements, you're good to go. No need to spend more money unnecessarily.

The one problem with Cubase is getting it to recognize your interface. There is a good tutorial in the Cubase forum of this site that you should look through. It'll guide you step by step.

I second the notion to get better mics. Anything that says Radio Shack makes me cringe. :mad: I'm probably being unfairly biased, but it's Radio Shack, I don't think I am!! :D

Feel free to ask whatever questions. Like already said, it's a steep learning curve. Good luck. looking forward to hearing some music from ya.
 
Actually the Radio Shack 33-1080's were rebadged Sony's and were not too bad. Several references to them on this forum.

They were from the early 1980s. I was a RS manager then. They sold a lot of junk, but their better stuff was often rebaged good stuff. Mics by Sony and Crown, lots of Hitachi, Toshiba and Sony audio. Unfortunately, the junk distracted deserved attention from better stuff they carried. Nowadays, I cant say, but back then they did carry some really good stuff if you knew what to look for.

I'll upgrade later if I feel the need. Right now, I'm sure they suit my needs. I'm fiddling around at this point. :)
 
Feel free to ask any questions you have in regards to Cubase. There are many of us here to help. I have used it daily in my home studio for 5 years or so, and there are others here that are way more knowledgeable than I. Even a guy who works for Steinberg in Germany.

Post questions HERE
 
OK Gitarzan - first, re-read all of the previous posts and replace Reaper with Chevrolet, Cubase with Honda, then add in a few Fords and Mazdas and realize that they are all just voicing a biased consumer preference. You have Cubase, try to learn it and if it seems too difficult to use then try something else (Studio One and Sonar are good alternatives for working differently).

What are you trying to do here? There are two separate things that you ay be trying to do and they aren't the same thing. Your zoom is great for doing quick recordings of a small band, but once you have things recorded do you really have the tracks that you want? What happens if you decide you want just the drums re-recorded or the bass guitar part? If you are recording directly on the Zoom you are probably going to find that your options for adjusting and correcting individual tracks is limited.

Using your Zoom as an Audio Interface, and feeding the data into a DAW for recording limits you to two mono tracks (left and right) for each recording pass. However, if you keep the tracks true (don't allow cross-talk) and use multi-track recording to put all of the pieces together you end up with a project where you have complete control of all of the instrument volume levels, equalization, sound effects (e.g., reverb), and compression. It is a lot more work to lay down the tracks, but it allows you to produce something as a result instead of just living with what you got.

Try using your Zoom with Cubase first. After you have put together a couple of projects you will know what else you might need (better mics? a different DAW?).

Anyone who knows anything knows that Fords are by far superior to Hondas and that your sound recording will suck unless you drive a Ford.

Glen.
 
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