what kind of mixer to you have and what kind of conectors are on the 'record out' jacks? (1/4", XLR, RCA, ?)
Basically you can just mix down right into your PC ... you just connect the record outputs from your mixer into the line inputs on your soundcard. The cable you would need depends on what both sets of these jacks are.
Soundcard:
You need a 2 track soundcard ... which you may already have.
If it's a consumer level card (like a
Soundblaster) ... it generally has a 1/8" stereo line input jack. To connect your mixer to this, you'll need a custom cable that goes from [the connector type you choose above] to a 1/8" male stereo plug. You usually can find such a plug at your local Radio Shack.
Most mid to pro level cards have either XLR or 1/4" inputs. They're more money but if your serious about sound quality, it's worth it to spend now. My recommendation if you go this way is to get a
LynxOne card for around $450. It has XLR analog inputs.
Wave Recorder/Editor:
You need software that will actually record a wav file on your PC and allow you to edit the waveform, add fade in/outs, add signal processing, etc. I use
SoundForge 4.5. But, there's tons and tons of different audio editors/recorders on the market. If money is a concern,
GoldWaves is very affordable while still high quality.
There's also software out there like
DSP/FX or
T-Racks that act as stand alone real-time processors. You can add reverb/compression/enhancement ... lot's of goodies if you want to kind of master your wave file. This kind of software is optional ... you can still burn CDs without it.
Audio CD Burner:
The next thing you need is a CD burner and software to burn audio CDs. This is one thing I don't do on my computer yet. I record to a stand alone CD burner when making CDs ... but I also have a "non-audio" computer that has a CD burner and it came loaded with
Adaptec (now called Roxio) Easy CD Creator. There's probably lots of software you can get free or cheap off the interet too.
I think that's everything you'd need.
Just a quick overview and my suggestions are just to help you look and see what's out there. There's lots of products to choose from.
Good luck!
