My First Post

[Stanacto]

Hello Everyone,
After 23 years of playing the same dozen or so chords on my acoustic and compiling an endless # of songs/song ideas in my HEAD, I've decided that now would be a good time to do some recording.
Yes, I am a total newbie and have never recorded anything...Now,I did buy myself a new computer with the following:3 Gig P4 w/Asus P4P800E-Deluxe Mobo w/onboard sound, 1 Gig of Ram, 160 SATA Hard Drive and Radeon 256 meg Graphics card.
After a couple of months of research on the net, I,m leaning towards buying the EMU 1212m sound card (Where in the Greater Toronto Area do I get one?)and Maudio's DMP3 Pre Amp.I will only be recording one track at a time, maybe 2 at most, so 2 inputs is all I need. For about $140.00 more I can get EMU's 1820m with the extra ins(don 't need them)with built in pre's and full version Cubase(older version).Is there a noticeable difference in the built in pres compared to DMP3...The only other thing holding me back is the fact that I heard that there is a huge learning curve in using "Cubase" and I would like a user friendly software program while getting started.Recommendations and comments welcome.
Also,the 1212m has no headphone out...how do I rig one up and at what cost?
I have been waiting a long time to be able to do this and want to do it right...I know there's a lot to learn but when you have a passion and enjoy something so much, you dont mind spending the time and effort.
Your comments will be greatly appreciated and look forward to chatting more with you all.
Thank-You in advance,
Stancato.

 

[wheelema]

Well, nothing wrong with your PC. I have not used your soundcard, but I did some research and I think you should keep looking.

I noted that it features up to 192KHz sampling, but nowhere did I see where it had preamps. 2 balanced inputs, yes, but no preamps, with or without phantom power. Nor did I see any analog outs. ADAT, yes. S/PDIF, yes. But no analog.

Were I you I would look at the M-Audio 1010LT. You may be of the opinion that you do not need all of those ins and outs, but better to have them and not need them than to....

you know the rest.

Do not be seduced by the "the same A/D converters used in Digidesign®'s flagship Pro Tools® HD 192 I/O interface" blurb. The vast overwhelming number of pros on this board and others never go above 24 bit 48KHz sampling rate.

With the 1010LT you can run a pair of outputs to a stereo for your headphone, and another pair to your powered monitors. You'll just have a boatload more options than the 1212m provides.

If you do go with the 1212m you will need the DMP-3 or something. If you are going to be using a condensor mic you will need phantom power.

Mics and preamps are religious topics hereabouts. I have been coping with a Shure SM58, but I am moving up to a Shure SM7 (supposed to pick it up today).

For software I am using the free tickle version of Abelton Live, which works for me so far.

Luck!!

 

[Stanacto]

Wheelma,
Thanks for the quick response...
with regards to Emu sound cards, I was comparing the 1212m to 1820m which does have 2 built in pre amps with phantom power and 6 ins / 8 outs. (www.emu.com).
What do tou think?

 

[manning1]

stanacto. my recommendations are as follows....
for a cheap good sounding solution.
i agree with wheelama on the delta sound card. they are proven solutions.
as i'm a computer engineer i forewarn people wanting to do multitrack recording on a pc preferably not to have any other cards in pci slots other than the soundcard. (read arch_jedi thread about how i helped him solving his problem with pops etc. it was a network card interfering with audio).
also dont have any fancy gaming or tv tuner cards in your pci slots.
you have a nice powerfull computer. ideally you want two drives for a daw. one small for windows and the second for audio tracks.
for a mixer to match with the delta. i would suggest you demo yamaha mg,
or you could try others for more money like soundcraft.
for headphone monitoring i would suggest you come out stereo from the
delta into a headphone amplifier or line mixer and plug your phones into it,
then foldback from it to a hi fi receiver into a pair of yorkville or similar inexpensive monitor spkrs. a lot on here seem to like wharfedales.
for an easy to use 48 track audio and midi multitracking software for 49 bucks that will last you for years ....try what i use powertracks from
pgmusic.com. there is nothing like it for the price(49 bucks). you can get the free demo from pg to try. also cherck out a usefull songwriters tool called "band in a box".talk to users on the pgforum as well.
it comes with very helpfull help and a video. and version upgrades are cheap. only the other day i noticed a competing product wants over 300 !!bucks to upgrade to a new version. powertracks is normally 29 bucks.
anyway - give it a try.
for mics i recommend you look at cad gxl for 50 bucks.
and it doesnt hurt to have the odd sennheiser 421 as well.
search under my name for lots of tips ive posted in the last year on recording. if you have Q's - ask.
peace.

 

[Stanacto]

thanks for your input...will definitely look into powertracks.Also, would it be enough to partition my existing hard drive...say 25gigs for windows apps. and 135 gigs for my music?

 

[manning1]

due to the way drive technology works youll get better performance with two drives on their own channels. read up on drive head technology using google. in summary ONE drive has a set of heads , crudely put.
think of a record player...while playing a record no other user can play a record. whereas with two record players...both can play records.
i'm oversimplifying of course in laymans terms.

 

[wheelema]

Wheelma,
Thanks for the quick response...
with regards to Emu sound cards, I was comparing the 1212m to 1820m which does have 2 built in pre amps with phantom power and 6 ins / 8 outs. (www.emu.com).
What do tou think?

Well, if you have the money and just love the Emu, I would go with the 1820m. But then again, since I am a cheapskate, I would still go with the 1010lt and put the leftover cash towards a solid preamp/mic pair. Preamps that are bundled with other equipment are rarely the best, and keep in mind, a mix with vocals will need EQ, and if you are any good at all, you may want a compressor/limiter in the chain also.

I would save the money and put it towards a RNP/RNC pair and a solid mic like the SM7 or better.

The whole idea between two drives has to do with the drive heads. Partioning the disk does not give you additional heads.

 

[borntoplease]

get the digi002 you can plug 1/4 inch and XLR into it... works as a nice pre-amp... guess for quick home recording stuff. my buddy has one and he makes some pretty cool shit on it... oh and the 002 has a headphone out with a volume...

 

[manning1]

frankly i dont like these all in one combos of mic pre and sound card solution.
if it goes down your studio does. so you have to wait for service etc.
i prefer a standalone mixer or pre's. if one channel goes...you can still record.