My Config I need Help To Get The Right Sound

[Sortax]

Hello everyone. First my native language is not english so I'm sorry. I will try to explain as the best as I can. I am a musician and I record my music at home but I can't get a good sound. I don't have great stuff tho and I don't have more money to spend on buying anything else. Here is what I have:

Instruments:
Guit Fender Stratocaster
Bass Tracer 4 String
Keyboard Yamaha PSR E403
Electronic Drum Typhoon TYDD-01

Pedals:
Boss DD-7
Digitech RP-150
Digitech Bad Monkey
Digitech Jimi Hendrix
Poly Chorus (old one)
Roland AD-50 Double Beat
Rockman Sustainor
Zoom B1

Mixer:
Tapco Mix 120

Microphone:
Sennheiser E-835

Software:
Cool Edit Pro 2.0

My computer:
Sound Blaster X-FI Platinum
2G Memory
Windows XP
(I can post full specs if needed)

For some reasons I never get a good sound from recordings. Maybe someone here could help me find the right sound.

I don't know much about recording so.
I use Aux2 in Windows for recording. I plug my instruments stereo in the mixer and my mixer is plugged in the front panel platinum of my soundcard.

I don't know how to set the volumes the right way. How much on the pedals and how much for the mixer and then the soundcard input/output etc...

I think it's the way I mix things tho. I don't know how much about Low Mid High things. And 48Khz or 44 sample rate 32 bit or 16 bit in cool edit pro. I use multitrack.

Well I would like to have a nice sound more profesionnal, maybe the best I could get with what I actually have.

Well this is the result so far: http://www.odivarium.com/

I'ts my website with our songs. I've made the website. The english translation is'nt good sorry about that. To listen a song you click on a square which will take you to a player (you need adobe flash reader since it's a flash player) The squares are the titles of the songs.

It's instrumental music for now since I can't get a right sound but as soon as I get the sound I want I will post songs with vocal and make video clips.

I'm copyrighted so I don't mind showing.

The best sound I could get it's from Waka Feat Cad song.

Thanks for your help

 

[Sortax]

How I plug the guitar1:


I plug the mixer in the soundcard using the "red and white" connectors.

 

[moresound]

You may have to spend a little more money and get an analog to digital converter (nice if it has preamps then you don't necessarily need that mixer) rather than using your sound card. You can find them used on ebay cheap ....... but where in the world are you located?
Before giving you suggestions for equipment there are some places in this world that many things are just not available.

Oh and Sortax welcome to the forums.

 

[Sortax]

Thanks for the reply I will try to find the converter you are talking about. I live in Montreal city in Canada.

 

[moresound]

Thanks for the reply I will try to find the converter you are talking about. I live in Montreal city in Canada.

Then you should be able to get most anything you need.

 

[Sortax]

My sound blaster x-fi platinum is not an analog to digital converter?

 

[dastrick]

My sound blaster x-fi platinum is not an analog to digital converter?

Yes, but a very cheaply made one and definitely your weakest link.

Find yourself a cheap audio interface. Either USB or Firewire. Here are a few of suggestions.

Presonus Audiobox
Tascam US-144
M Audio Fasttrack


And do you have a guitar amp? You could mic your guitar amp.





And cool music.

 

[Seidy]

Sortax, you haven't mentioned what do you use to listen your recordings? A good set of monitors won't hurt.

 

[Sortax]

Alright, I will try to get an audio interface. I listen throught Logitech X-540 5.1 speaker system.

I have an Amp. It's a Yamaha G 100 as in this thread: https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=290713

But my difference is that I have the head and the speaker.

Mic my guitar amp with the Sennheiser E-835 ?

 

[CFox]

Hi. Cool Edit 2.0 ( thanks Peter Quistgard ) does not support ASIO and this is what you need for low latency multitracking.

The M-Audio Fast Track comes with Protools Lite if thats your thing. Otherwise, obtain any other audio interface you like and download Reaper

Elsewhere on this site I had recommended the Native Instruments "Audio Kontrol 1" as its on sale, comes with software voucher and has good reviews.

You might also want to check out this thread on studio monitors.

 

[Sortax]

Thanks I will look at these things

I can use reaper instead of cool edit pro?