Most basic advice imaginable required

M

mook

New member
Hello,

I'm a guitar player and have written some tunes I'd like to record. The last time I recorded was about 10 years ago (!) on a Tascam 4-track, and I gather that things have moved on in the meantime :)

Aaaaanyway, I have a new Dell laptop (Inspiron 9100) with XP - pretty high-spec, with firewire & USB inputs, and FWIW the soundcard is a SigmaTel C-Major Audio. Ideally I would like to use the laptop to mix and store the demos and so I think I need the following:

1. Some kind of device with ports to plug mics and an output jack from my amp into
2. Software to run the recording/mixing
3. A mic for recording vocals - are there mics that are dual purpose and work with vocals and miking amps and acoustic guitars?

I don't have a fixed budget, but would like decent reliable stuff. Which brands/technologies do you recommend?

Any advice gratefully received! Thx

p.s. I live in Switzerland and would happily buy over the internet provided the equipment was 220volts
 
There are lots of software recording platforms (Pro Tools, Sonar, etc). Most software has various applications from pro use to hobbie use.

If you are just starting, you should look for either freeware/shareware or some of the low cost sequence programs (they have some as low as about $39) - just to get your feet wet.

While some sound cards may provide a stereo A/D converter, they are not really built for recording - you would be better off with a dedicate A/D converter - again there are many to choose from - anywhere from 2 ins/out to up to 10 ins/outs (if you plan to do all the parts your self - you likely need only 2 - 4 ins, but the more outs the better.

As far as mics - I would suggest start with a Shure SM57 (about $75-$80). It is a standard dynamic for cab mic'ing and can act as a vocal mic until you decide how far you want to go with recording.

If you want a low cost condensor, there are soooo many to choose (if you go to the microphone chat room, you can learn alot).
 
mook. my recommendation is not to use on board pc sound. its not too good.
heres my recommendation. (please post your computer specs)
a couple of mics(eg..cad gxl plus a sm57). a yamaha mg mixer,
and a decent pci sound card from maudio delta range.
please also do yourself a favour and read some of the free tutorials
in the support section at pgmusic.com on midi and digital audio.
and try the demo of powertracks that i use. wont be beat.
if you have any further q's after reading the tutorials. just ask.
 
Thanks for your replies guys. While I'm looking into your recommendations, here's the spec of my laptop:

Dell Inspiron 9100 with XP Home Edition
512MB RAM
Pentium 4 3.2GHz
80GB hard-drive
SigmaTel C-Major Audio soundcard
One IEEE 1394 port
Four USB ports
One PCMCIA slot, currently filled by wireless card
 
Last edited:
my mistake mook. scotch the pci sound card. as you have a laptop.

people like zzounds.com have a list of firewire solutions. and music123.com and many others. ideally your 80gb drive needs to be 7200 rpm - is it ?
i would urge a degree of caution in looking at firewire solutions to the extent of contacting the manufacturer of the solution and ensuring the firewire chip type in your laptop is compatible. peace.
 
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