New. Unlearned. In need of Advice.

[Chordorganblues]

Hello. I have been recording music played by myself with a Boss BR-1180cd which has been recently removed from the picture. I am now considering to take this opportunity to change to a more direct to PC sort of approach. I am, however, woefully unknowledgeable. I want to have flexibility and quality but I really am trying to not spend a lot of money, at least not yet.

So as I understand it, in order to bridge my XLR cables and instrument cables to my PC I need something like this guy: M-Audio Fast Track Pro
Do I have the right idea?

What other sort of equipment am I likely to need? Do I need any particular features out of my soundcard?

And while I have your attention. . . ProTools? Logic? Other? I don't own any yet.

(I am aware of, and apologize for the fact that I'm asking about so much in one thread. I'm just trying to get my bearing in a strange new frontier.)

 

[Kingofpain678]

Hello. I have been recording music played by myself with a Boss BR-1180cd which has been recently removed from the picture. I am now considering to take this opportunity to change to a more direct to PC sort of approach. I am, however, woefully unknowledgeable. I want to have flexibility and quality but I really am trying to not spend a lot of money, at least not yet.

So as I understand it, in order to bridge my XLR cables and instrument cables to my PC I need something like this guy: M-Audio Fast Track Pro
Do I have the right idea?

What other sort of equipment am I likely to need? Do I need any particular features out of my soundcard?

And while I have your attention. . . ProTools? Logic? Other? I don't own any yet.

(I am aware of, and apologize for the fact that I'm asking about so much in one thread. I'm just trying to get my bearing in a strange new frontier.)

that m audio would work just fine for your needs. and dont worry about spending gobs of money on a DAW (digital audio workstation) like protools yet. heres a link to a free DAW that alot of people prefer over anything else http://www.cockos.com/reaper/

just give that a try and see how you like it.

 

[Jim Lad]

that m audio would work just fine for your needs. and don't worry about spending gobs of money on a DAW (digital audio workstation) like Protools yet. Here's a link to a free DAW that a lot of people prefer over anything else http://www.cockos.com/reaper/

just give that a try and see how you like it.

+1 on everything he just said.
Enjoy!

 

[Chordorganblues]

Cool, thanks for the input guys. It's great to find helpful folks and websites. I think I've got a basic grip on how I'm gonna go about starting up.

 

[Kingofpain678]

Cool, thanks for the input guys. It's great to find helpful folks and websites. I think I've got a basic grip on how I'm gonna go about starting up.

yup, welcome to the site! hope things work out for ya

 

[Dani Pace]

I'll pass along the best advice I ever got... Start simple, learn the capabilities and limits of whatever gear you have and learn to use it well.

One more thing, welcome to the forum. Don't be afraid to ask questions, at some point most of us were exactly where you are now.

 

[kcearl]

Cool, thanks for the input guys. It's great to find helpful folks and websites. I think I've got a basic grip on how I'm gonna go about starting up.

remember most of the big companies offer full working demos..sonar, cubase, ableton etc..also presonus studio one is one of the simplest yet most highly featured DAWs out there...amazing recording program but you need a very well spec'd PC to get the best out of it

take your time..whatever you choose will probably be the company you'll stick with


welcome to the site btw...burn your credit card

 

[jake the snake]

1st post..

i would like to echo this thread..

i too, am looking for something better than my boss br1600cd can deliver. i have recorded my band with it for years but its time to get serious. i want take the money we would spend in hiring a studio and put it towards creating our own.

what are the basic "parts" needed to build a quality studio recording?

i feel like i need a better understanding of all the necassary equipment needed.

i am starting from scratch... my pc has a nice sound card installed in it already but it seems to me like my old laptop would be far more convenient.

all thoughts would be appreciated

 

[Chili]

1st post..

i would like to echo this thread..

i too, am looking for something better than my boss br1600cd can deliver. i have recorded my band with it for years but its time to get serious. i want take the money we would spend in hiring a studio and put it towards creating our own.

what are the basic "parts" needed to build a quality studio recording?

i feel like i need a better understanding of all the necassary equipment needed.

i am starting from scratch... my pc has a nice sound card installed in it already but it seems to me like my old laptop would be far more convenient.

all thoughts would be appreciated

Welcome to the site, Jake. Typically you would start your own thread, but okay here, it's almost the same as the original poster.

Basic Parts?? In a nutshell:

Sound source (Perfomers and instruments)
Mic's
Mic pre's
Audio Interface
DAW (software in your computer to multitrack)
Monitors and headphones.
A decent room to record and mix in that is acoustically treated (not the same as sound isolation)

In order of importance???

Source
Room
Mics
Monitors
everything else.

Forget the soundcard in your pc. Your laptop may work for you, I'd suggest a pc over a laptop, but others have been successful with laptops.

 

[Chili]

And while I have your attention. . . ProTools? Logic? Other? I don't own any yet.

The M-Audio comes with a lite version of Ableton Live. You don't have to think about which DAW for now. Get your feet wet, get started, then decide if you want something else.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

In order of importance???

Source
Room
Mics
Monitors
everything else.

I'd reverse monitors and mics, but pretty much yeah.


Source - If your guys know how to play, I mean really know how to play, nothing in the world can screw up the recording. Most people think they know how to play because their fingers can go a million miles an hour and hit the right notes. Most people also forget about timing and consistent (or interesting) volume. Most people cannot really play. This is also where producers get the big bucks for putting the correct guitar into the correct amp and dialing up the correct tone. Don't forget to agonize over snare drum selection and tuning etc. The source is EVERYTHING.

Room - The first thing that can go wrong. If it doesn't sound right once it leaves the instrument, it isn't right.

Monitors - Can't really know if the sound is right before you record it if you can't hear it. Using bad monitors during tracking is like trying to choose a paint color while wearing purple-tinted glasses. People always get monitors backwards. They're pretty important for mixing...but really if the song is tracked well it will sound good no matter what you do in mixing. Monitors are CRITICAL in tracking. As in, before you push record in the first place.

Mics - The second thing that can go wrong. Mic technology has come a long way. Even the bargain stuff is totally useable. You just have to know how to use it. Learn them.


Everything else - *shrug* When I'm making an album, 80% of the time (or more) is spent doing things before I even press record. Meaning 80% of the time I'm not even in contact with "everything else". "Everything else" is mostly extraneous crap to siphon off your time and money. This includes DAWs, converters, clocks, plugins, interfaces, soundcards etc. If it records, plays back, and mixes, you're good to go. Honestly.

 

[Jim Lad]

1st post..

i would like to echo this thread..

i too, am looking for something better than my boss BR1600CD can deliver. i have recorded my band with it for years but its time to get serious. i want take the money we would spend in hiring a studio and put it towards creating our own.

what are the basic "parts" needed to build a quality studio recording?

i feel like i need a better understanding of all the necessary equipment needed.

i am starting from scratch... my PC has a nice sound card installed in it already but it seems to me like my old laptop would be far more convenient.

all thoughts would be appreciated

Welcome Jake:
I wouldn't give up on the Boss though unless it was to buy a Korg D3200. You are already accomplished in the art of Stand Alone Recorders which do record better than computers.
PC or Mac is the way to go for editing though. A short learning curve for you and a route that will bring you some excellent results.

 

[jake the snake]

1st post..


Welcome Jake:
I wouldn't give up on the Boss though unless it was to buy a Korg D3200. You are already accomplished in the art of Stand Alone Recorders which do record better than computers.
PC or Mac is the way to go for editing though. A short learning curve for you and a route that will bring you some excellent results.

hmmm.. so you say combining my boss with some PC editing is a good route.
so aside from good sources, monitors and mics.. what exactly do i need to get into PC editing?

 

[Chibi Nappa]

hmmm.. so you say combining my boss with some PC editing is a good route.
so aside from good sources, monitors and mics.. what exactly do i need to get into PC editing?

First things first: Why do you need to edit on a PC?

What specifically is prompting your move away from the Boss? What is the Boss preventing you from doing?

 

[jake the snake]

i dont need to edit on a pc... im just listening to all suggestions.

but i would love to have the visual benefits associated with a DAW

 

[Chibi Nappa]

i dont need to edit on a pc... im just listening to all suggestions.

but i would love to have the visual benefits associated with a DAW

Just be careful with that.


I wish I could find more links on the matter, but the jist of it is that we evolved to depend on our eyes. If information from our eyes and ears conflicts, it is almost impossible even for a trained professional to side with "ears".

If you see something is wrong you fix it, even if your ears don't report any problem. Beats not falling on the grid, notes out of tune, etc. Do that enough and you get generic audio plastic.

 

[Jeff_D]

...Stand Alone Recorders which do record better than computers.

How so?
.....

 

[Chibi Nappa]

How so?
.....

Matter of personal taste, but I stuck with my Roland 2480 because it never needs upgrades, has no possibility of hardware or software conflicts or latency, and has only needed one repair in almost 10 years.

I don't think anybody could say that the recorded audio is superior, but depending on how you work there is definitely a lot to be said for a gizmo that takes care of all technical matters in one swoop allowing you to never think of such things ever again and just make recordings.

I lie awake at night wondering how I should set the tone on the guitar amp, not if I should buy the new Audiotube Optipro Valve Distressor plugin.

 

[Chili]

i dont need to edit on a pc... im just listening to all suggestions.

but i would love to have the visual benefits associated with a DAW

Once you switch from a standalone to a computer DAW, you'll wonder why you ever started with a standalone.

Copy and paste in a DAW takes a whole 3 seconds and I could never figure how to do it on the old Roland VS-840 I had. Seeing all the tracks laid out start to finish on one screen is worth the investment alone.

Then there's upgrades, new plugs, expandability, storage and flexibility. The user interface is so much more intuitive.

And if one thing does break, you replace that one thing, not the whole unit.

 

[Jim Lad]

Hi Jeff D:
Not just talking off the top of my head herebut rather from my own experiences. I bought the Korg D3200 after spending a little over 2 years recording on the PC. My home ended up looking like a computer cemetery.
Stand alone recorders are built with one purpose in mind. To record sound.
They do that and they do it well. Some incorporate better screens than others but their main focus is on getting the best sound possible.
DAWs in my estimation are the best way to go for editing although I do agree that we spend too much time looking rather than listening.
Jake:
You still need a good interface and software program. There are lots to choose from.