Major Newbie Question

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BandGeek

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Hi folks, i'm totally new to this pc recording stuff , which explains y i'm in the newbie section.

I'm in a band , 2 guitars, bass, vocal , drum. As the vocalist and also the frontman , i'm responsible to the duties of learning a DIY recorded demo. Anyways , there are a few question which needs some answers.

1. Can i plug two soundcards into my system and still have it alive? i have a P3-667 128mb , 20 gig hd , Creative vibra 128.
Yes i do realise Vibra 128 is a no-go for recording. Two soundcards is mainly for guitar effects ( i'm a vocalist , and frontman) and i like the sound i get from Guitar Fx Box 2.6.

2. Soundcards. Creative Audigy (Mp3) seems pretty decent for recording . So sorry i'm not really cash-filled so i get a really good one. Would like to know if which soundcards (affordable) for pc recording? Is creative Audigy series a good choice?

3. I'm currently using Cool Edit Pro 2.0 to record my guitar riffs into my Pc , mic-in from Vibra 128 . I plug the guitar direct into the mic in . I'm told line-in sounds better and clearer , but somehow i get a mono reading in Cool Edit Pro , and weak sound level . Is there any way i could plug guitar into line-in and have a stereo and stronger level?

4. Can i plug my guitar into an amp , and then from the amp's phone line-out , plug it into my soundcard ? Will that blow my pc ?

5. Is there any way i could improve the vocal recording ? i've tested recording from a somewhut cheap mic. I'm thinking maybe better mic and a decent soundcard could really help ?

Oh.. mm .. i'm totally leaning onto the Pc and software ( minus the soundcard thingy that is) to do this recording. It doesn't have to be superb sounding , just decent enough will do. Of course , improvements are always good.

Thanks to all the folks who read this all , all help are greatly appreciated.
 
BandGeek said:
3. I'm currently using Cool Edit Pro 2.0 to record my guitar riffs into my Pc , mic-in from Vibra 128 . I plug the guitar direct into the mic in . I'm told line-in sounds better and clearer , but somehow i get a mono reading in Cool Edit Pro , and weak sound level . Is there any way i could plug guitar into line-in and have a stereo and stronger level?
Click to expand...

Well, there aren't many stereo guitars available :) - In this case, you'd be better to record the guitar in software like n-track... a proper sequencer.... If you record it as a mono track, then you can still pan it left and right...


4. Can i plug my guitar into an amp , and then from the amp's phone line-out , plug it into my soundcard ? Will that blow my pc ?
Click to expand...


if it's a proper line out, then yes.

5. Is there any way i could improve the vocal recording ? i've tested recording from a somewhut cheap mic. I'm thinking maybe better mic and a decent soundcard could really help ?
Click to expand...

Hmmm, ideally, a better soundcard (Maudio Audiophile are good), a mixer (Try and get a cheap mackie from ebay) and a nice condensor mic for vocals, and an SM57 for everything else :) )
 
Wow, you sound just like me when I first started.......
Would I be right in saying you are the band geek as in Band Geek Mafia by Voodoo Glow Skulls?
Anyway, onto questions........
1) You can plug two soundcards in and it can be a cheap way of getting 4 signals in. If you do a search you can find a post with a link on it which explains the whole thing.
2) Dont get a SB Audigy - its the mistake I made. In Britain an Audigy is £150'ish, and a delta 44 is £140'ish. The 44 gives you 4 in, 4 out and is a much better card. I was going to get one, but got a Gadget Labs wave 8/24 cheap instead. Much better. If you want to keep the other soundcard in, you can, but it can cause conflicts in your software sometimes. I had loads of trouble with my Audigy going through Cubase with the 8/24. Got it working now though!
3) you need to use a pre-amp on your mic to use the line input. Instead of plugging the guitar straight into the computer, mic your amp up, you'll get a MUCH better sound.
4) see above.
5) A decent mic and pre is the key here. Get a condensor for the best sound - something like a studio projects B1 or an Octava MK319. I use an Octava MK319. If thats too pricey, try an SM57 which is good for pretty much anything. I use a Sennheiser e835 where a 57 would usually be used, which I prefer (I've got both). Dont forget the pop-shield/pair of tights stretched across a wire frame.

As an extra point, have tried any other programmes? I use cool edit pro a lot, but prefer the versitality of Cubase. On the other hand, my brother is a Cakewalk kinda guy. You might want to have a good look at some more software maybe.
You'll probably have a lot of people post replies, but just my 2 cents.
Good luck.
 
Thanks for the replys guys ,

Rochey , i get your point of stereo guitars =B , will try out the panning thing

Neil , hehe never tried that song , sounds really cool though. Perhaps BandGeek as in the instrumental band geek , not the sound system geek i guess =) .

I guess i'm really no-go at this home recording thing, i'm still pretty blurry bout the stuffs , mind explaining abit of few to me ?

1. i've some done research on this site about soundcards. So a delta 44 is a decent card for home record , with 4 inputs , 4 outputs . HOLD IT . why would i need 4 inputs and 4 outputs ? i really dont get this . I could just do the multitrack recording with Cool Edit Pro's multitrack recording right?

2. Soundcards ... still . Was wondering if there's a soundcard that actually records good quality vocal records ? None ? okok , so if thats a none , would like to know are there any better buys other than a delta 44 ( or 66?? whuts the difference mind i ask?) . Preferably price around the price of an Creative Audigy. Would like to know too what company is delta 44 from ?

3. This is a really dumb one . A pre-amp .. is an amp ? is it like , pre-amp is when i plug my guitar into the amp , then from amp to my soundcard ? whuts the difference amp and pre-amp ?
*newbie*

4. Whuts the MIDI port from my soundcard used for ? i've seen pictures where there's a male port plugged into the MIDI port , and i think that give more inputs ?? enlighten me , please.

Again, my thanks to those patient to help and who put up with my stupidity.
 
1) You need four-ins to bee able to record the drums. Before I had my interface, all I had was a sb Audigy. To record drums I premixed the sound and and sent that to the computer, which really isn't the ideal way of doing things. A delta 44 will allow you to record 4 microphones independantly on to four tracks, so you can then add effects to each wave seperatly.

2) 44's are made by M-audio. The difference between 44's and 66's is something to do with an extra thing on the front...I'm not 100% sure on that one.

3) The signal that comes out of a microphone or guitar is very small. To do anything to this signal, it first has to be pre-amplified. Guitar amps do this before the eq section of the amp. To record a signal, it need to be line level. On your soundcard the mic in has a pre amp, but not a very good one. Its probably quite noisy. To use the 44 you'll need a desk to act as 4 pre-amps for your mics. From the insert points on the desk, you send the line level signal to the interface box.
Basicly, a pre-amp converts a signal from a weak signal, to a line level signal.

4) MIDI is used for MIDI, an electronic music type thing.I stay away from it apart from click tracks........

Hope its helped.
Neil
 
Got it . Thanks again Neil .

A brief question.

While recording guitar , i get a very a fuzzy/sandy/roomy sound.
It kinda distorted too. I'm still using the creative vibra 128 to record though. I've tried 'pre-amp'ing my guitar (guitar to amp,amp to soundcard correct?) but I still get the distorted and buzzy sound . Is this the "low quality" sound cause by the soundcard i often read about ? more importantly , changing the soundcard does help?


Another "brief" question. :) be patience with me please.

I've checked out the m-audio's delta 44 . It seems really good. I also saw the Delta Dio 2496 which has optical out/in ( i have an md recorder) and the delta also provides 2in/2outs . Question is , is delta dio 2496 a good buy ? *note: price lower too :D* have .

all help are greatly apreciated.

Lawrence.
 
Regarding your guitar sound problems, You really need to mic your amp as opposed to plugging in direct. Unless you get a direct box. There are some great direct boxes out there, and they really make things simple, especially when recording in a less than noisless room, or late at night, or whatever when you cant crank your amp. But for me, mic'ing the amp sounds best. In doing this, not only can you get some great sounds, but you'll really learn a lot about mic placement techniques and such. You can then use that knowledge with other instruments. There are so many guys here that know so much about mic placement (and everything else!) you should have any trouble getting started. Provided you get a good mic/ pre-amp chain going. Once you get your gear just HAVE FUN and experiment!
 
The reason your sound is kinda crappy is because you are using a crappy sound card. You generally cannot use two soundcards for simultaneous recording unless the cards were specifically designed to work that way with proper drivers and sync cables.

Get a real mic for your amp and vocals. A SM57 or some of the cheaper Studio Projects mics will do the trick.

If you think 2 channels is enough then get an Maudio Audiophile. Maudio makes the delta cards as well. Get an Audio Buddy or small mixer for preamps and you are ready to get better than crappy results ;)
 
Tex road kill is right about the soundcards and the amp.
To get a decent guitar sound (easily) you have to mic up an amp.
Good luck Band Geek.
 
thanks . :) i'll try to work it out . u guys have been really helpful.
 
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