Newbie, Q's about my setup

[LayinTrax]

As of right now I have the radio shack 3 channel seven band mixer table, omni direct mic, a computer thats only a 100mhz with 40 mg of ram and a 1 gig HD(My job is building computers so I know where I stand on the computer part so dont worry about the specs because I will be building a new one at work very shortly just no time as of right now) I also have a nice little 13" touch screen flat panel monitor for the computer and Im running Magix Music Studio 5. In one of my other computers I have the Live Drive Platinum witht he remote and all with the 5.25 Front bay with the midi's in and outs and spdif and RCA's and opticals(which by the way where do i find optical stuff cause is it not supposed to be better??? I dont know thats why Im asking) As of right now I seem to have a decent setup and its working good but the only thing is when I want to burn a cd i have to send it through the network in my house and then burn it, do you "think" I loose any quality??? I also sometimes just pop the HD out and slave it in my better computer. Another question is, Im more into the techincal end of the home recording than composing but that also doesnt mean im not into composing by any means. The thing is is that Magix Music Studio 5 Is very in depth and a little difficult for someone who is not so musically inclined in terms of knowing beats notes etc on certain instruments if you understand what I am trying to say. Is there any program that makes making music for a song any easier and then after I understand that, I can move up to a harder program or do you think I should keep beating on this until I get it? Well my key point to all of this is that I basically am only running this because I have a seriously (not cause she is my girlfriend) but seriously hot girlfriend who can sing like no other. And I was very interested in homerecording anyway and why not kill two birds with one stone? Of course she sings like pop style music And I just wanted reco from the pros!!!
If anyone ANYONE at all could possibly help me it would be the best thing possible anyone could do right now for me and would be greatly appreciated!

 

[AlChuck]

...when I want to burn a cd i have to send it through the network in my house and then burn it, do you "think" I loose any quality???

No. You just moved data from one place to another; it's the identical data.

However, if you are trying to burn to a CD from a network drive, you might have trouble if the drive cannot be accessed fast enough. In that case you'll get a buffer underrun and you'll have a coaster instead of an audio CD.

Is there any program that makes making music for a song any easier and then after I understand that, I can move up to a harder program or do you think I should keep beating on this until I get it?

I think the more you know about what you're trying to do the better off you'll be. That said, there are programs that let you create music using audio loops that can be used without any standard musical knowledge at all (I'm talking about Sonic Foundry's ACID and programs like that.

Well my key point to all of this is that I basically am only running this because I have a seriously (not cause she is my girlfriend) but seriously hot girlfriend who can sing like no other.

Great! The most classic of motivations! Hopefully you will find that once you're drawn in, you're hooked.

P.S. -- a tip: try using paragraphs in your posts. It's really hard to digest a big solid block of text like that. The Return key is our friend.

 

[TexRoadkill]

FYI - You are really bottom feeding with that gear but if the results are acceptable that is cool. You may realize a lot of shortcomings when you really start to record. But we're here for you if need any gear recomendations.

I doubt you will find much software that is easier to use than those home programs. Most of the pro oriented programs are much more difficult and have even less auto arrangement. You might want to try "Band in a Box" or something like that.

There is plenty of gear with digital connections and yes it is generally better. And to confirm you do not change the sound when you transfer a file digitally. Especially if your just moving a file over a network.

 

[LayinTrax]

Al- Sorry about the block, and thank you for the advice. LOL and im already hooked! I stay up all night now trying to figure this out and that out and what will make this sound better and so forth

Tex- Ya i figured I was "bottom feeding" I told my mom I wanted a nice mixer table for X-mas and my uncle works at Radio Shack I should have known better LOL

I have programs such as Fruity Loops and such but they remind me more of a techno - trance style composer.

And also tell me where I stand like do you think I should sell my mixer for a better one?? or will it be ok?

Also Magix Music Studio 5 has a mixer you can use down to each individual note!

Maybe im confused still and don't know the right questions to ask to get the right answers?LOL but hey at least you guys can get a nice laugh right??? lol

Thanks again

 

[TexRoadkill]

Buying new equipment really just depends on your goals. If your main goal right now is just to get laid and it's working then I would save your dough

In general your best purchases would be a small clean mixer like a Mackie 1202 $400 or a preamp like an AudioBuddy $80. A mic like an SM57 or 58 for less than $100 would be a good choice also.

The music arrangement part is a little more tricky and I'm not really sure what would be the best software for somebody who is not too knowledgeable about music writing.

Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?