mega bytes schmegabites?

[mango]

So heres the big question
YES i want to take the big jump from tape hiss to digital
clarity? Fostez 4 track to DAW, Buy a 6 billion scmegabyte computer with a dali lama sound card with A smutzishima
quantahelix Dsp upgrade to make my recording platform less complex? Seriosly how much computer is nescasary,
1. to get by?
2. optimum?
I want to record from more than one source and have multi tracking capability W/sound on sound etc. and of course i dont have a schmegabuck budget. I plan on using something simple for software .Cakewalk Guitar tracks2 maybe?
excuse me while i ask for the world on a silver platter


Mango

 

[CrayPhish]

Just food for thought

Hey I'm a newbie and like you have grand aspirations and limited budget. I bought a FD4. I'm now looking for good soundcard to transfer mixdowns to CD via PC and guess what? I wish I had never bought my FD4. There's nothing wrong with the mixer itself (although its a damn steep learning curve) but I could have been doing everything on PC all along, with a $400 setup called an aardvark direct something or other since I only intend to work in the home. I already have a killer PC setup so that's not an issue for me, but before you buy a mixer I'd recommend you look into the full PC world. My setup is more versatile than a PC only setup but it's at a higher cost, and the money you spend on the PC can be used for other non-music things (unlike my pre-amps, reverb boxes, etc.) I know there are pros and cons to both setups and I think you are doing the right thing asking for advice here before sinking alot of cash into a setup, good luck.

 

[vox]

Most modern PC's will let you record at least 16 tracks of 16 bit 44.1khz (CD quality) audio, the most up to date Pentium III's should let you playback somewhere between 32 tracks and 128 tracks, depending on your software/hardware combination. To decide on a system you need to answer a few questions, 1/ what's your budget for the whole setup? 2/Are you familiar with Macs or PCs, do you have a preferance? 3/ Do you think you are capable of assembling your own PC? 4/What sort of recording do you want to do? Techno without any live instruments or vocals? Record Bands using live drums? Drum Machine, bass guitar, lead guitar and vocals, one instrument at a time? In studio Philharmonic orchestras? This will determine how many inputs you will need. 5/ Do you have a bunch of Rack mounted processing gear that you still want to use? Give us more info and we may be able to help.

 

[camn]

Originally posted by mango
So heres the big question
YES i want to take the big jump from tape hiss to digital
clarity? Fostez 4 track to DAW, Buy a 6 billion scmegabyte computer with a dali lama sound card with A smutzishima
quantahelix Dsp upgrade to make my recording platform less complex? Seriosly how much computer is nescasary,
1. to get by?

It depends on how many tracks you want to be able to handle, and if you want effects and all that. To give you an idea.. I've done a 20-track project with NO plug ins under CEP on my machine, and a 8-track project WITH plug-ins.
I use a PC, with an ASUS P2B-F board. a Celeron 366 o/c to 425... 256MB of RAM... 1 8G HD for programs (a 5400IDE) and a 20G HD for storage (a 7200IDE). I also have a soundscape Mixtreme soundcard, wich adds some performance (most soundcards WONT)

A machine BETTER than this can be had pretty cheap, so Id say it'll get you by.

2. optimum?

Uh, talk to NASA. I think they have one of those.

I want to record from more than one source and have multi tracking capability W/sound on sound etc. and of course i dont have a schmegabuck budget.

Any Multi-input soundcard works for this... please be more specific. HOW MANY tracks? What quality? Digital ins? Onboard effects?

I plan on using something simple for software .Cakewalk Guitar tracks2 maybe?

Search around.. I've been switching to Vegas Pro lately, though CoolEditPro was great. Do you need MIDI support? Search around for this one too... try out DEMOS... ask more questions. And DO NOT get CakeWalk Guitar Tracks2...


xoxo

 

[ola]

A big cost-factor when it comes to soundcards is if you need more than two simultaneous in-/outputs. If you can settle for two ins and stereo mix out to feed the monitors, there are lots of good soundcards that are reasonably priced. If you need more ins or outs, then you are looking at a bigger price tag. Still, the Hoontech DSP24 + ADC/DAC2000 give you 8 I/O @ 24/96 for around US$400 (including recording SW) and I’ve read some good reviews. Sure, it’s not the best but it’s most likely the best bang for the buck. Hoontech also has a 2 I/O @ 24/96 for about US $250 including recording SW.

N-Track is a good cheap recording SW with more features than you’ll need. Try the demo and see what you think.

As for computer HW, get last years high-end models and you’ll get lots for your money. A simple Asus or Abit motherboard (w/o on-board audio) and a 6-700MHz CeleronII gives you loads of power at a reasonable cost. Spend more money on RAM and a second 7200rpm IDE disk drive than on the processor.

This and much more. Look around in this forum and you’ll get more info than you want.

/Ola