Just starting

G

Genisis

New member
When it comes to home recording, I am the ultimate newbie. I have a P2 333 PC with a SoundBlaster Live (not the Value, but the full card with the daughter card). It came with Cakewalk Gold. I write music and want to record some of my songs. I play guitar and sing, so my question is: For a person of limited means, what other equipment do I need to make this happen. Also any other tips will be appreciated.

I know Im asking alot, but I really dont know where to go with this.
 
BTW, Im reading all the stuff on the Homepage now, so if its all covered there, Ill prob get it. Im still open to suggestions tho.
 
Hi,

You might be able to get away with just a small mixer and a reasonable mic (something like a SM57). Whatever you do, don't skip the mixer a try to connect the mic to the mic input on the Live: the preamp inside is CRAP and the input has a DC voltage on it to power cheap electret mics, which could damage a dynamic mic like the SM57.
A compressor can be useful, but can be removed if you don't sing to loud! And anyway, compressor, reverb, echo... can all be found as plugins (software effects) which can sound better than cheap hardware ones. And don't forget, the Live has a built-in effects processor, capable of producing very impressive effects. The midi synthesizer is capable of accepting upto 32MB of sounds, so produces also good quality sound.

unreal
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by unreal:
Whatever you do, don't skip the mixer a try to connect the mic to the mic input on the Live. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You can skip the mixer if you have a dedicated preamp instead. But if you want to record more than two sources (maybe you have 4 mics on a drumset) then you need a mixer.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Right now its just me and my guitar, but sometime I would like to add some other stuff. I wish there was some way for me to learn more about my soundcard and software. Ive got some manuels, but they are difficult to decipher. I sure hope I figure out how to do this. I actually have people that say they would like to buy my music if I could ever figure out how to record it properly.
 
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