New guy with a simple question....maybe

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deltabluesrook

New member
Hi Folks. 40= year old who is an amateur when it comes to everything music and recording. Im an OK guitarist who is better at singing. I was a "rock star" back in the 80's with my buds. Now I'm and 40+ old fat guy that has a son who is learning guitar and music. His interest has resparked mine. We want to lay down some tracks, and have some fun.

Current equip:

The free Audacity software

Really nice guitars and good hybrid amps with modeling and effects. nothing digital about them other than the effects.
NICE acoustic guitars with no pickups.


I just want to record simple stuff of us. MAYBE find some drum software for backing, we have no drums. The boy wants to put in the "Special effect" or two.
My two thoughts are:

1. buy a nice portable digital recorder and software
2. buy or build a decent "Package" with an actual interface and mics.

My PC laptop is not to old and my desktop PC is quite new with lots of RAM

Suggestions about my options with a budget

Look forward to meeting some new friends here!

Tom AKA
"The Delta Blues Rookie" :)
 
Hi Tom and welcome
if i were you I would forget about digital recorder , it won't worth it , you mentioned you wanna record some acoustic guitars and my guess is you wanna record it by mic not by direct input , either way you need an audio interface , and depends on your budget and how many instruments you wanna record at the same there are a lot of choices out there , Focusrite or m-audio would be great choices for start (my choice would be Focusrite) , and you want a decent mic as well , again it depends on your budget and the sound you r looking for , more experienced guys with mics can help you there , as for software , there are several major DAWs , pro tools , cubase , sonar ... but usually when you buy an interface it will come with a software for recording , the software they came with is absolutely not for any pro use but i guess it would be ok to start learning about basic recording and vst effects , for example this interface come with protools express , good enough for recording and do some very basic editing & processing (but it won't allow you to use 3rd party plugins) : Avid Mbox Mini with Pro Tools Express | Sweetwater.com it is a good start , it has 2 inputs one with phantom power so you can connect any mic directly , or you can connect your guitar to its instrument input instead of mic-in , and whenever you feel the software can't satisfy your needs anymore ,you can upgrade it with a higher version or buy another software .
as for drums , there r lotsa drum software out there as well , personally I use superior drummer by toontrack .
I forgot to mention you a good pair of monitors , or at least a good studio headphone (i know lotsa guys wouldn't agree with headphone idea)
 
Interesting. I was looking a that package. Could I later on upgrade the software for something like that in the future? Thanks for the reply
 
Here you go download Reaper as your DAW HERE it's free and every bit as good as pro tools. After about a month you will get a nag screen asking if you would like to purchase it (very inexpensive $60.)

Next up you'll need an interface the focusrite is OK that was just mentioned - then some microphones. Shure SM57's will mic up the amp good enough as well as vocals or you can get Shure SM58's for vocals.
You could try the 57's on the acoustics as well just to start off. To keep the price down till you get more into your recordings.
 
I highly recommend going the PC recording route and not get into the portable studios.

You can start out fairly cheap and add on as you see a need.

You'll need an interface and I think for what you want to do, a 2-channel unit will be good. Blink mentioned focusrite, bt there are plenty others out there. A current USB unit on the market will work fine. AYour desktop should work pretty good if it's relatively new. Recording audio doesn't take a lot of horsepower, but there are some caveats to be aware of. Some research is in order, but for the most part, not a problem.

Mics and associated cables and stands. For starting out, one nice condensor mic will carry the load. There are a ton on the market at all price points. A good one doesn't have to be expensive, but it takes research for you to identify the one that works best for you and your budget. There is a bit of you get what you pay for, but there are some cheap gems out there. Unfortunately, it's difficult to choose based on internet chatter. Tip: My go-to vocal mic works great for me and it cost me about $60 new.

Headphones - closed back design for tracking with no bleed.

Monitors - Do some good research on which monitors to get. My opinion is it's a crap-shoot picking monitors.

Drums - as you mentioned, you'll want drums. I use EZDrummer which is the little brother to Superior Drummer that Blink mentioned. It runs as a plug-in inside a DAW program, like Cubase, sonar and Pro-Tools.

DAW - You'll need software to record with. Most interfaces come with a free "lite" version so be sure to shop around with that in mind. Most programs are functionally the same. The difference lies in buttonology and interface. The one you start out on is usually the one you'll stick with as you upgrade. I'm a fan of Cubase, others are not. Completely subjective. The one noted difference is Ableton, it seems to be geared more towards Electronica/Dance/Loops/etc. You can use it for straight up recording, but the interface is different than most other DAW's. Cubase, Sonar and Protools are very similar.

A good room to record and mix in. As you get started, you'll find that maybe that great sounding song in your studio didn't sound so great in the car. That's called translation and to get good translation, you need a good room to mix in. This is where you need to acoustically treat your room so it responds nicely to the audio. Treating your room doesn't cost a lot if you'er a DIYer. Plenty of threads about it in the forums.

Hope this helps to get you started. Good luck and have fun. Be sure to post up your tunes when you're ready.
 
any DAW you buy you can upgrade it to a higher version later on , if you wanna buy your software separately I would start with a basic version , like for example cubase element (99$), and later on you can upgrade it to artist version or even full version ,
 
You guys ROCK! Thanks so much for info. I will most def. keep everyone posted on updates!!!!

Tom
 
Greyhound Delta Bluesbreaking.....

deltabluesrook said:
Current equip:

The free Audacity software

Really nice guitars and good hybrid amps with modeling and effects. nothing digital about them other than the effects.
NICE acoustic guitars with no pickups.


I just want to record simple stuff of us. MAYBE find some drum software for backing, we have no drums. The boy wants to put in the "Special effect" or two.
My two thoughts are:

1. buy a nice portable digital recorder and software
2. buy or build a decent "Package" with an actual interface and mics.

My PC laptop is not to old and my desktop PC is quite new with lots of RAM
Click to expand...
I would have championed a portable studio, a standalone DAW or even a portastudio, because I think they're just as viable a route as any other and ultimately you might prefer it.
But I won't because you already have the computer, a DAW of sorts in Audacity and are obviously prepared to negotiate the learning curve associated with the computer. Some people just starting out don't want that.
Just my opinion but I think every recording format is valid. There are definite pros and cons associated with each and some have more pros or cons than others but everyone, their background, workflow, expectations and what they're prepared for is different.
 
Thanks Grim. I'm actually still considering your option as well. I'm gonna spend a few days reading. I found some great resources on this forum. I almost jumped on a portastudio i saw. Bu im still gonna learn a bit more. Wonderful resource this forum is.
thanks!
 
What i did to get started was to pick up the Presonus usb 2x2 which came with studio one artist and studio monitor head phones for like $295 or something. It works for me (a total beginner). i have also started to use a program called Mixcraft, it is a really simple and clean DAW. Studio one can be a little challenging to get to work for me as i do not have the time to dedicate to learning like i should.
 
blinkofeye said:
any DAW you buy you can upgrade it to a higher version later on , if you wanna buy your software separately I would start with a basic version , like for example cubase element (99$), and later on you can upgrade it to artist version or even full version ,
Click to expand...

On the other hand, downloading Reaper gets you a full and complete version. You don't have to pay extra to 'upgrade'.
 
gecko zzed said:
On the other hand, downloading Reaper gets you a full and complete version. You don't have to pay extra to 'upgrade'.
Click to expand...

Beat me to it...

Avoid starter versions. Get the real thing. If you don't like Reaper, nothing lost... then look elsewhere. Also, check into what supports available via forums etc. for your DAW...
 
Thanks beartronical!. Ill tell ya guys, right now Im considering a handheld ZOOM H4n. I can grab one now for 200.00 It's got mic inputs, so I can add nice mics later on, it has four different racks, and it's an interface so I can test the laptop. If it's not powerful enough, I can use the SD card and go up to the bedroom and edit on my new Desktop. Ive been messin with the audacity, it's not bad, I have some of the basics figured out. LOTS of tutorials on You tube.
What do you guys think of this little recorder model?
 
One thing to think about, is if you're using the PC you use for *everything else* you use a PC for, keep in mind the screen saver, and virus scanner and the reminder to update this, automatically upgrade that or automatic this and automatic that may affect performance of recording software.

+1 to moresound on the SM57's. That was the first mic I ever bought, and still have it.
 
Thanks Ill keep that in mind. Blue J Appreciate that
 
Well I got the Zoom hn4. found one on fleabay for 140.00 in the box, great shape has all the stuff that came with it except for the software. But thats ok I was going to get the reaper you guys recommended. Right now I do have the audacity software, ill try that first. My computer seems to be able to handle it. Ive already messed with it and Im pretty impressed! This weekend I'll do some recordings and show em off!
Thanks for all the help folks!
 
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