newbie not sure how to use the equipment he just bought!!!

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friend

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hi all,

i just bought some new recording equipment and im havin troube figuring it all out. i used to have a 4track tape and i figured that out very quickly, but i decided to upgrade and bought some new gear...

1 X 5011, Fostex MR-8 Digital Multitracker Silver @ GBP 199.00 = GBP 199.00
1 X 1142, M-Audio Audiophile 2496 @ GBP 54.99 = GBP 54.99
1 X 2022, Shure SM58 @ GBP 69.99 = GBP 69.99
1 X 6983, K M Tripod Desktop Stand @ GBP 8.95 = GBP 8.95

unfortunatly it seems more complicated that i originally thought. my idea was thati cud record accoutic guitar through mic into mic input on the 8 track n run midi lead from there to my sound card midi in and hear it played through the stereo i got hooked upto the comp. is tyhis possible and if not whats the best way of recordin. Atm i got it hooked up to bass amp :s (all i had lyin around right now) but after i record n playback i dont hear anything. and i was told this mic could pic up every sound in the room but right now i gota hold the guitar right up 2 it to get anything back. i hope i didnt just wase a loada money on something im to stupid to figure out, lol. what am i doin wrong r any general advice apprieciated... tnx
 
Midi does not transfer sound. It transfers midi data. In your case, the midi cables only transmit timecode, so you can sync the 8-track to the computer.

In order to get your sound into the computer, you will need to send the analog outputs to the inputs on the 2496. However, the 8 track is an 'all-in-one' unit. You don't need the computer.
 
This wont work. The midi connection is for midi data not audio. You could get 2 1/4" jack-phono cables and connect the stereo outputs to the inputs of the m-audio. A much easier way, is to hook up the speakers to the multitrack mixer stereo outputs and forget the pc.
 
k, thnks didnt know that so im runnin it off the stero no itself jack to red'n'white, and i guess ill just put crap on the comp after for editing and mixin n that. i got some good progams for that. anyway was just wanderin whats the best way of recordin accoustic guitar with the mic i have, (SM58) any suggestion...
 
I'm afraid your going at in from completey the wrong angle mate. I'd return everything you bought and first figure out how you can get done what you want to do. You picked about the worst mic for acoustic guitar, a soundcard with no preamp, and an all-in-1 unit with crappy preamps for just recording some acoustic tracks. Inform yourself before you get into these things. Trust me, it's worth it.
 
Halion said:
I'm afraid your going at in from completey the wrong angle mate. I'd return everything you bought and first figure out how you can get done what you want to do. You picked about the worst mic for acoustic guitar, a soundcard with no preamp, and an all-in-1 unit with crappy preamps for just recording some acoustic tracks. Inform yourself before you get into these things. Trust me, it's worth it.
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Good advice.

Friend: Did you buy this stuff from a local music store? If so, I would contemplate returning it and going about it a different way. If you did buy it locally, did you talk with anyone at the store about what you were hoping to do? Not that it would've absolutely helped, but you'll bump into a couple people that actually know what they're doing from time to time.
 
no i bought them online and i read they're returns policy and i cant return ne of them... the sound card is fine because i badly needed one of those anyway so no big lose even if its no help to me recording. i read some reviews of the recorder i got and it all sonded good, its s pity if i got lame duck. and its not jsut accoustic track i bought the unit for its just that that seems to b the parts im having trouble with i thinks its because of the mic though but im not sure. any way is there any positive advice out there on what i can accomplish with this gear or dhould i just sell it all and go back to my 4track tape recorder.
 
ok. have read all that and have a better idea of what equipment i shuda gotten, do you suggest i sell the all in one unit and get a mixer becasue the mixer is cheaper i reckon i cud sell the unit for about the price of a good mixer (hopefully). also is there anyone recommend a good but inexpensive mic for pickin up accoustic guitar.
 
friend said:
ok. have read all that and have a better idea of what equipment i shuda gotten, do you suggest i sell the all in one unit and get a mixer becasue the mixer is cheaper i reckon i cud sell the unit for about the price of a good mixer (hopefully). also is there anyone recommend a good but inexpensive mic for pickin up accoustic guitar.
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What is inexpensive to you?
 
Perhaps you need to set your "level of seriousness" about this first. What I mean by that is, how far are you willing to get into this? Computers offer a huge amount of control, and by far a superiour sound quality compared to your all-in-1 unit, but they have a steep lurning curve, especially if your not that computer orriented. The all-1-in device on the other hand is much more portable, easy to use, and you can get a decent result much faster than with a computer/bunch of outboard gear. Same goes for the mic. Throwing a mic up and hitting the record button might work great. It also might not (which is more likely). However, I've seen many people happy enough with that aprouch, and although I would go the long route, they got what they wanted alot faster.

If you decide your ready for the plunge, then we are more than willing to help you, but be prepared for a long and bumpy ride.
 
ok, i just wanna get a decent recording of my tunes, so yeah ok, i think ill keep the all in one unit and use it, its not much dif to use than the old 4track so i picked it up easily enough and im useing it ok and not dissapointed with the results so far. so i'll just keep doin that and get the songs sone this way. its the only really way i know. maybe in the future if i wanna get more into it ill attach a mixer to the card and work that way but for now ill just keep it simple. anyway. the recording so far is goin well on the all in one unit but i do wanna get some accoustic guitar on one or two of the tunes and im havin trouble doin it. do i need a new mic r is it possible to record using the one i have
 
Well, as far as microphones are concerned, you're stuck with dynamic mikes (which are not ideal at all for acoustic guitar), because your fostex does not offer phantom power. You could buy a preamp with phantom power, but cost-wise, it would be smarter to ditch the all-in-one unit all together.

I know it's not what you wanna hear, but "I just want a decent sound" is so subjective that it's very hard for us to recommend anything. If you don't wanna dig deeper into how to record for now, than I suggest you make the best of what you have. Use your microphone in any way you can, and that way try to find out what the best result is you can get. If at that point you find out it's not enough, you can always upgrade from there on. But don't expect a no-brainer answer.
 
ok, thanks for ur time. but i think ive got a set up goin that although is probably terrible compared to what i cud have got for the money i spent but its workin and im happy with the results. i have the mic connected to the 8track and then from the btrack to the sound card and am using a prog called live lite that i got with the card to record. it record ac guitar better than i had wanted iot to so im pleased. effectivly usin the 8track as an expensive but very limited preamp. have record one song so far and im happy with it. software is quite easy to use but a friend of mine suggested cubase so iv just started downloading that on torrents. to see it that offers anything futher.

any thanks for ur help i know it must be a real pain for u guys to deal with ppl like me. and thatns for that link giving a guide to recoding it helped alot
 
just do your best with the equipment you have got, sure its not ideal to you dynamic mics for the subtlties of an acoustic guitar, but if thats what you got use it, expirement with positioning the mic, find what works for you....then when you are ready, yeah get some better mics and a decent pre amp and build on your experience....man how i envy you in ways....nothing better than when you first start recording....trick is dont ever lose that! My favorite albums and songs have inconsistencies and anomalies all over them but the character shines through.. Get the performance right and half the battle is won!
 
tnx for the encouragement. am gettin on fine now and experimenting with what i can and cant do. and ive been tryin out a couple of dif software packages to see which one bests suits me as the live lite software i got with my card might not b for me becase u record straight onto the comp and the timeing is tricky becasue of the delay but a friend of mine who helped us record our demo a while back says he can help me out there with better software so i can get down to it properly, but what ive done so far is pleasing

anyway thanks for all ur help and encouragement its much appreciated
 
Check if you are not getting too much latency! That's the time it takes for the note you just played in front of the mic to go into the PC and back out your monitors/speakers. Maybe that's the delay you are talking about. I can be too helpfull with my wording in english , but i bet somebody else can help you in finding where are the setting you can change in order to reduce your latency...i had issues with that when i first installed my firewire solo (m-audio also), but then i found out the settings to reduce this in my software and im running like at 8-11ms latency which for my ears sounds pretty good when im double tracking the vox... i also updated the drivers of the card....
 
yeah i kinda sorted it out atm im usinf some software called n-track. and i dont hear what im playin back to so i just judge hear what ive already laid down and i findin its workin for me so far. the software has a few niggling little problems but apart from that its cool and im happy with it so far, but ill still try cubase when its finished dl
 
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