Mixing Analog to my computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter elmerfunk
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elmerfunk

To Infinity..and Beyond!!
I am in need of some help here. Been recording for years. All analog stuff. Started with a Tascam 388, boy wish I had that back. Anyway I have a decent home reocrding studio Tascam MSR-16, Tascam board, nice mics, drums etc. I want to mix down to my computer so I have acces to making CD's. What kind of inexpensive software can I get for that. I am not looking for ProTools or anything like that. I really don't want to edit I just want to mix into my computer so I can use the burner. I have a sound card with an 1/8" stereo jack, but I am sure it is probably not too hi-fi. I have all the effects that I need comps, delays etc. Just need something to capture the stereo mix. Any help would be appreciated.
 
So basically this software would work through my sound card? Just come out of my mixer L,R to a stereo 1/8" jack into my sound card? I am totally new to using my computer for anything to do with recording. I had a Roland VS-1880 that had a CD burner, but I sold it to get the Tascam 16 track. I am just an analog kinda guy. Like the tape compression with drums, etc. I have never put my computer in the chain before. I am not afraid to try it though, just want to get pointed in the right direction.

Thanks.......
 
audacity is good. wavelabs essentials is only $99. That will burn redbook CDs as well as capture the 2-track mix. You probably ought to upgrade your converter when you get a chance. That MSR-16 is too nice to be mixing through a 1/8" jack.
 
reaper is a very advanced recording program on the cheap. its $40 for for non-commercial use, but it is a unrestricted download. I soley use reaper now and my favorite part is its routing capability. any track can be a send or recieve and in many ways it is very intuitive. try it out.

and yes, you can plug a cable directly into your computer's soundcard from your mixer and you can record from that.

www.reaper.fm
 
I would personally get a sound card/interface with Digital Inputs like SPDIF so you don't have to use the crappy jacks on your soundcard. You certainly don't want to use the Mic jack as that has a preamp.

But you also don't want to run it through another D/A/D process if you don't have to. At least I'm pretty sure running it through the Line-In would do that...

The M-Audio 2496 is about $100 and would work great.
 
danny.guitar said:
I would personally get a sound card/interface with Digital Inputs like SPDIF so you don't have to use the crappy jacks on your soundcard. You certainly don't want to use the Mic jack as that has a preamp.

But you also don't want to run it through another D/A/D process if you don't have to. At least I'm pretty sure running it through the Line-In would do that...

The M-Audio 2496 is about $100 and would work great.
Click to expand...

Digital inputs will not do anything for the original poster unless he/she also had an outboard A/D converter. In any scenario, getting the analog audio into the computer will require an analog to digital conversion. Using the line in on any soundcard would do that conversion so the middle paragraph really does not make sense.

What I would reccomend is get any sort of "pro" soundcard and send your mix to the line inouts. As for the burning and/or editing, trimming etc... I would also reccomend that you just use whatever free software comes with it to do those tasks, or look into one of the many other free software applications out there.
 
xstatic said:
What I would reccomend is get any sort of "pro" soundcard and send your mix to the line inouts. As for the burning and/or editing, trimming etc... I would also reccomend that you just use whatever free software comes with it to do those tasks, or look into one of the many other free software applications out there.
Click to expand...

Ditto, good advice.

You will be unsatisfied with the sound you get on the 1/8" plug, it's really not adequate for work where you desire quality results. Getting a good soundcard is the very first thing you should do.

My brother used to record on a Roland hard disk recorder, a VS something or other. I dragged him kicking and screaming into the world of DAW's, eventually setting him up with a small ProTools LE rig. Now, he couldn't be happier with it--the quality of his work has gone through the roof, and so has his productivity. He just churns tracks out at an alarming rate!

So based on his experience I would suggest looking at something like a ProTools LE system, maybe even the new mBox Mini. It's inexpensive, comes with ProTools which is great software, would be good for capturing mixes, and would also allow you to get your feet wet with recording into a DAW.
 
xstatic said:
Digital inputs will not do anything for the original poster unless he/she also had an outboard A/D converter. In any scenario, getting the analog audio into the computer will require an analog to digital conversion. Using the line in on any soundcard would do that conversion so the middle paragraph really does not make sense.

What I would reccomend is get any sort of "pro" soundcard and send your mix to the line inouts. As for the burning and/or editing, trimming etc... I would also reccomend that you just use whatever free software comes with it to do those tasks, or look into one of the many other free software applications out there.
Click to expand...

Oops

I was assuming his mixer had digital outputs which I guess was a dumb assumption because the title says "Mixing analog" :o
 
To make it simple: buy an M-audio 24/96 soundcard ($99)... it has RCA analog inputs that will allow you to connect the RCA tape outs on your mixer to the soundcard.

2. Purchase WaveLab Essential... That's an audio editor (2-track) for mastering and editing/capturing your analog mixes from tape.

You should be happy with that set-up. If you choose to transfer with the 1/8" chord, you will get noise and unwanted digital garbage in your transfer... You will not be happy with the 1/8"... :)

This is a basic set-up for capturing your analog mixes.
 
Are you using a Mac or PC?

If you're on Mac, I highly recommend Bias Peak LE. It was the first DAW I ever experienced, and it's a great little straigh ahead 2-track editor.

http://www.bias-inc.com/products/peakLe5/

I also agree with the sentiments that you might want to investigate some sort of external sound card/interface that has decent A/D Converters on it.

If you don't really want editing, and just want something to capture a stereo mix with, then I recommend Roxio CD Spin Doctor. It is designed for capturing audio from analog sources such as Tapes and Records, so it will do things like create new tracks when it hears space, so don't get a whole side on 1 track. It's a cool little program, but again, only for the Mac.

http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/spindoctor/overview.html
 
RAK said:
I also agree with the sentiments that you might want to investigate some sort of external sound card/interface that has decent A/D Converters on it.
Click to expand...

I agree... Google the Lucid AD9624. However, things start getting expensive when we start talking about AD conversion... However, it may be worth the research... Something to ponder at the very least. When it comes to quality, we must definitely ponder the options.
 
check out what's going on in the analog only section of this website! :)
 
Golden said:
I agree... Google the Lucid AD9624. However, things start getting expensive when we start talking about AD conversion... However, it may be worth the research... Something to ponder at the very least. When it comes to quality, we must definitely ponder the options.
Click to expand...

The Lucid is definately a decent converter, but somehow you have taken this from discussing getting a $100 soundcard to getting a $600 converter plus still needing a sound card of some type. Why not just go the whole way and move to Weiss? :D
 
elmerfunk said:
I want to mix down to my computer so I have acces to making CD's. What kind of inexpensive software can I get for that. I am not looking for ProTools or anything like that.
Click to expand...

I think the best thing to do is to keep it simple. M-audio 24/96 is a good way to go... And WaveLab Essential is all you'll need in the software department. You can always ad plug-ins to WaveLab in the future...

As far as AD conversion goes, that is entirely up to you and your ears, and time... And it's also something that you can do without having to upgrade your soundcard... :)
 
As far as software goes, freeware is great. Audacity, Reaper, and Kristal all rule.
 
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