My set up is a joke! Can you help me out!?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Yama
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Yama

New member
Ok... this is my first post. I am really glad I came accross this forum. It sounds like there are quite a few knowledgeable people out there willing to help out the less skilled. I admit I'm in that category (for the moment).

I play guitar, sing, write music.. and record music using Cool Edit Pro. Here is my "Super Technical" Setup:

I plug my 12 dollar radio shack Telex mic into the "mic" plug in of my desktop computer and lay down tracks one at a time. I usually lay down acoustic guitar first, then vocals, then harmony vocals, lead guitar (acoustic also), and lastly percussion. My music is pretty much all acoustic.

I know I could make way better recordings with a little more technical knowledge. So what do I need?

I have done some reading and i think i would benefit from:
1) A large diaphram condensor mic
2) An outboard preamp for my mic
3) A compressor

Can anybody make any suggestions as to what I would benefit most from?

I just opened a soundclick account and threw a couple songs on it.. so you can check out what my current setup allows me to do. I spend ZERO time mastering these songs so feel free to be critical as long as i can pull something constructive from it all.

www.soundclick.com/martysmets


Cheers! Any/all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Marty
 
search under my name . ive posted hundreds of tips related to these issues in the past year.
a good starter set up is a cad gxl mic into a yamaha mg mixer feeding a audiophile 2496 soundcard. about 300 bucks or less.
if you have any Q's after reading tips ive posted just ask.
it would help to list your computer configuration.
peace.
ps..mic inputs of on board or consumer type sound cards are not very good.
noisy and have poor A to D convertors.
 
definitely a better mic and something to feed the mic into the computer. That will be the best place to start. You will in all likelyhood need a better soundcard but that can probably be put off for at least a little while (unless you're loaded with cash and ready to go all out)

I've been recording myself for 9 years, and i barely feel like i'm past the beginner stage. As time goes by, your older recordings will start to sound worse and worse (or at least mine do)

The only way to really learn the art of recording is to just start doing it...and be forwarned you will make a lot of crap before things start sounding ok, let alone good...(at least that's my experience, and i think many people here would concur)
 
Those recordings don't sound too bad considering what you're working with.

I use a 10 channel Behringer mixer into an M-Audio Delta 44 Soundcard.
Random mics.

I still use the SB for MIDI though.
 
Thanks!!

I really appreciate all the quick help folks!

This is what I've gathered so far:

Whatever the heck my current soundcard is... it's probably crap since my desktop is 4-5 yrs old. It's a 500 mhz celeron processor with only 192 mb of RAM. (i suppose what i reallly need is a new comp lol)

So.. I need a new soundcard.. i'll look into the brands you've all suggested.

Mic: I need a mic. Im sure i'll be able to figure out which mic to buy based on my needs. Do I need more then one mic? Will a new soundcard allow me to plug in more then one mic and record signal from both mics onto seperate tracks simultaneously.. ? i.e. recording at the soundhole aswell as the neck while laying down guitar tracks.

Mixer or Preamp: Do i really need a mixer? Or can i use a software mixer and just amplify and power my future mic with a preamp? I've read that preamps give you more flexiiblity and do there job better then a mixer which may allow a greater range of features at the cost of performance and flexibility.

Disposable: Thanks for the kind words about the recordings i've made so far. I agree.. my current setup is shit.

Glimmerdoll: I agree.. as I record new music.. my old recordings start to sound like crap. I'm stoked though.. it just means we're getting better right?!

Manning1: Thanks.. i checked out many of your helpful links

Thanks again!!
 
That actually doesn't sound terribly bad for a $12 mic right into the soundcard.
 
You may want to get a couple mics if you can...
It's always good to have options.

As for the mixer vs. preamp question...
It's totally up to you... Dedicated preamps are generally better quality,
But if you want multiple, it ends up being less expensive to get a mixer.

Certain soundcards allow multiple inputs.
The Delta 44 allows 4 simultaneous inputs.
If you only need 2 inputs
You can always split the stereo signal of a sound cards "Line in"
Into two mono inputs.

You can go higher on the number of inputs too.
I'd say you'd likely only need 4 but who knows.

You can get a Delta 44 for $150,
A small Mixer for $100-150 (Mine has 5 preamps and was $90)
If you get dedicated preamps... Look to spend about $50-75 per.
 
yama. you can do a lot with a little.
if your starved for cash - and this wont be a million buck sound ,
but you could start with a cheap used dynamic mic eg ev dynamic.
plugged into a cassette deck mic input (youll need an XLR TO 1/4 inch adaptor)
and the cass dek can control the level going to the sound card.
when you got some money then i dont think youll do much better than a mg mixer i mentioned. then add a cad gxl LDC mic for 50 bucks to add to your mic locker (this will be pretty good on both acoustic instruments and vocals).
if you could then augment the mg mixer with a nice mic pre like a rane ms1b later on then you should be set for a long time.
zzounds.com seem to have a wide selection of inexpensive mics.
tracertek.com have some affordable sound cards around 100 bucks.
i wouldnt worry about a compressor right now. if your carefull in recording ,
you can use a software one.
i'll also draw your attention to this. maybe for consideration later - but let me warn you , this is highly addictive. its a songwriters aid called band in a box (pgmusic.com). its particularly usefull in fleshing out song ideas.
you basically enter chord changes in the song and it builds a back up band in software. it has a big following in the songwriter user base in the world.
peace.
 
hey manning1: cool advice, man. i'm sick of the dicks on this webpage who don't get the budget recording problem

stay cool,
casey farlen
 
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