Need suggestions on what to buy...not a lot of $$$

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nutdotnet
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Yeah man, I just want to get recording too. I plan on buying this stuff when I get back from Alaska (30th of this month).

Oh yeah, my brother also informed me that it is not Cubase and WaveLab that he has (I could have sworn that is what he had, I know it was when I was living with him, he must have traded it), he now has Sonic Foundry Vegas and Sound Forge, but should be about the same thing.
 
Vegas is real good, in the same league as Cubase....better in some peoples eyes.....Sound Forge isnt as good as Wavelab, but its still real good....I use Sound Forge myself for some things......why the heck are you going to Alaska?......
 
Why am I going to Alaska? I grew up there, hehe. Yeah man, my whole family lives up there and since my college has spring break and I wasn't able to go home during Christmas break I am going up there for a week.
 
One more "dumb" question.

When I do finally purchase a new sound card (Delta 44) how would i hook up say headphones or monitors to it if I don't have a mixer of some-sort?

Oh yeah, and what about that Beringer (sp?) 2 input mixer that i have seen for like $99. Have you guys seen this guy? What would be better? The ART Tube MP or this little mixer? http://www.behringer.de/eng/products/eurorack/mx602a.htm
 
Im assuming you could just plug the headphones into the outputs of the 44...I have a Delta Audiophile2496 (Delta makes great soundcards).....i run a cable from the outputs to the aux inputs on my home stereo reciever and monitor thru the speakers (headphones when tracking) but ive went straight from the soundcard to headphones before.....monitoring thru a stereo or headphones isnt advised to get the best sound, but Im not trying to cut a studio quality CD either......eventually Ill get real monitors, when I eventually get some money....what kind of music do you play?.....
 
Ahh, I see. COOL! Yeah I think going the "using me stereo for monitors will be the way I go, for now, except my stereo really sux for music, it is one of those Home Theater In A Box setups and it sound good for watching movies, but definetly lacks when playing music, oh well.

I play acoustic folk/rock. Dave Matthews-esque kind of stuff.

Hey do you have any samples of your work? I would love to hear it. Considering you are a budget-minded person like myself.


BTW- Have you heard anything bad or good about that behringer mixer? It is the same price as the ART Mic Pre.
 
I dont have much experience with mixers for recording, but the guys here will not advise you to get a behringer....about the only mixer in that class that gets reccommended in the Mackie....im sure youd get a decent signal out of that behringer, but not near the sound youll get out of the art......of course you r getting two preamps on the behringer with a 6 channel mixer with eq....u have to decide on quality vs features.....
 
Nah man, all I need is one preamp. Cool, I can get the Rode NT1 and ART Preamp for a total of $279.99, sell my Shure SM57 for $50-$60 or possibly more so I would end up spending around $229.99. I don't know, I will see how my money situation is, I may end up keeping the SM57, I never know when I may need to record my brother's electric guitar. We'll see.

So do you have anything of your work that you could let me listen to?

Thanks again!
 
I dont have anything posted right now..... Im still learning myself....I will have something up REAL soon....thats a warning.....I have stuff from my 4 track cassette days, but those scare me and Id rather keep them in the past......
 
Hehe, I understand that.

Thanks again! I found out the when my auto ins. policy gets re-newed it is going to be A LOT lower than it was before, makes it a lot easier to buy this stuff.
 
hehe, yeah I am dumb, if I went to their website I would have seen that. lol.

Thanks again!

Hey do you have ANY idea where I could possibly listen to some recordings that were done with "minimal" setups. ie, using the SBLive! and what-not?
 
Go over to the MP3 mixing clinic a few forums down and check out Teddies post....last i heard he was recording with a Shure sm57, art tube pre, and the sound card that came with his motherboard (not even SB Live), guitar thru a POD.....you aint gonna believe this...I have a hard time believing it.....
 
hes at mp3.com....go to SmartApple

also Slackmaster does pretty good stuff with a very modest setup...he just got the Delta44 recently but hes at mp3.com under Slacker....theres more, i could go on ....
 
You're kidding me! Man, that sounds GREAT! That goes to show you that it is all about know the "art" of recording rather than spending $20,000 on equipment (although that would help. hehe)
 
Anyone else care to share?

I would really like to hear your guy's belief on how important it is to have an external compressor of some-sort.

Thanks again Gidge!
 
I've been away from the computer for a while...

Ok, here's what I have to say about a compressor "on the way in". If Bruce or anyone else in the know has any corrections, please pipe in.

Let's assume we're recording at 16 bit ( a valid assumption given we're on a budget). If the recording is done without compression, it wil be necessarily more dynamic, since compression limits dynamics. Because of this, the signal will be fluctuating between low and high levels, with a good deal of difference between them. By compressing on the way in, the is more "usable" signal that goes into the waveform that is recorded, making better use of the available bits.

This is not to say that it cannot be further compressed in the mixing, but one starts with a healthier track to begin with. Most folks will say that effects should not be printed to the original track, but compression is an exception. A lack of compression is the common cause of the "why don't the vocals sit well in the mix" questions that frequently appear in the forums here. Take a look, you'll probably find two or three of them up right now.

This can be fixed with a plug after recording, but the noise floor will also be lifted.

I'd like to take a moment and also treat why we're looking at the NT1 as opposed to the SM57 for recording. It turns out the very qualities that make a dynamic mic (like the 57) good in live applications is its weakness in recording. Dynamic mikes (among other things) have a relatively small area of pickup. This is what allows them to be used on stage where there's so much noise around. This small pickup area makes it necessary to "eat the mic" even in a quiet location such as a studio. While its possible, its difficult to get a good signal into them without being affected by the proximity effect. The proximity effect is basically a preponderance of bass that sounds like you're eating the mic.

With a condensor mic, the pickup area is much larger, so you can back off, getting rid of the proximity effect, yet still getting a good signal to "tape". It is still possible to experience the proximity effect with a condensor (or any cardiod mic), but its easier to avoid.

Its definitely good to see that other budget recordings are getting a listen, its better to use a little equipment well, than to try and find solutions in a box.

For what its worth, I'm a fan of the voice channel solution, that you're looking at. I am running the DBX silver series with a shure KSM mic, and am pleased with how its going so far. Now, all I have to do is get my performance to match the quality of the signal I'm putting down!
 
Schwa, you are correct....it will also be helpful to have a $3000 Neuman going thru a vintage board...but Im trying to help him balance $$$$ vs results....using a good condenser and proper mic technique, he could record it without compression and do it with software during mixing...granted it wont be as great as going in with compression, but if done right a very pleasing track can be had.....his original post says hes has about $400, maybe less, to spend and hes just looking for something to post mp3's, nothin spectacular......first thing you do is tell him it cant be done and he has to spend $700 at least.....well if he had come in here saying he wanted to spend $400 and sound like Korn, then I'd have to break the news to him....zI know where the guy is coming from....Im trying to put myself together something to record on right now, getiing it peice by piece...I record vocals right now with a Shure sm57 thru a Johnson J-Station...I guess that cant be done either...im not trying to get into a pissing match here....im just trying to help the guy without spending a ton.....
 
Thanks Gidge!

I do understand his feeling on the importance of having compression going into the recording while I am actually doing the recording. Here is the thing, if I can afford spending say $200 on a MicPreamp that comes with a compressor I will do it, but I do agree with you as well that it can be done w/o the outboard compressor, just the sound will be better with it.
 
What about the ART TubePac? Someone offered to sell me a used one for $150 shipped.

Plus I think I am getting a Rode NT-1 for $100 used! :D
 
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