New to forum and looking for advice...

[rpcruab]

Hello from Pennsylvania! I am new to the forum, and hope to be around for a while.

I am a longtime musician, and have always wanted to setup a small desktop studio. Unfortunately, I am intimidated by the plethora of options when considering recording hardware and software. I would be looking at recording stringed acoustic instruments, electric instruments, and voice. I am on a budget, and am hoping to get the most bang for my buck (like everyone else).

I am looking into three main components: interface - sound card - software


I figured I would list my computers current stats, as it would give you an idea of what I would be working with.

Windows Vista (64)
Intel Core i7 920 2.67GHz
9GB of memory/ram
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 (not sure if this matters)

Any suggestions regarding interface/sound card/software considering my platform is very much appreciated!

Thanks, and see you around!

 

[Bobbsy]

Well, I can save you 30% on your budget..."interface" and "sound card" are two different phrases for the same thing!

However, advice on which interface to buy is difficult until we know how many simultaneous tracks you need to record. If you're just recording yourself, you're likely okay with an interface with just a couple of mic inputs/pre-amps. However, if you want to record a whole band at once, that grows!

For software, there's a huge choice but a very good value package to start with would be Reaper--free to try and only $60 if you decide to buy it.

Anyhow, welcome to Home Recording!

 

[rpcruab]

Well, I can save you 30% on your budget..."interface" and "sound card" are two different phrases for the same thing!

However, advice on which interface to buy is difficult until we know how many simultaneous tracks you need to record. If you're just recording yourself, you're likely okay with an interface with just a couple of mic inputs/pre-amps. However, if you want to record a whole band at once, that grows!

For software, there's a huge choice but a very good value package to start with would be Reaper--free to try and only $60 if you decide to buy it.

Anyhow, welcome to Home Recording!

So an interface plugged into my usb port would offer relatively low latency recording? I would, at the most, be recording 2 tracks simultaneously. Ill have to check out Reaper. Thanks for the info!

 

[Bobbsy]

So an interface plugged into my usb port would offer relatively low latency recording? I would, at the most, be recording 2 tracks simultaneously. Ill have to check out Reaper. Thanks for the info!

Yup. Two things to watch out for...first, make sure your interface has ASIO drivers (any one worth having will) because they are designed for the low latency needed for serious recording. Second, most good interfaces feature "direct hardware monitoring" which allows you to set up a monitor mix on the input without a round trip via your computer, negating latency issues entirely.

There are lots of good interfaces out there that would do the job for you. The Focusrite ones seem to be popular with lots of people...the Saffire 6 has very comprehensive features including the ability to mix between pre recorded tracks and what you're recording for a really good monitor feed. A bit cheaper is the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2...it still has direct monitoring but lacks the mix know.

I used to also recommend the M Audio Fast Track Pro--which is still a good unit but M Audio is being taken over by Avid and it's a bit confusing which products are with which manufacturer.

 

[mjbphotos]

Don't forget to budget for mics, cables, pop filters, monitors, headphones - and next step: sound treatment. Read a lot before buying anything.