Newbie Setup -- need help completing it!

  • Thread starter Thread starter mbouteneff
  • Start date Start date
M

mbouteneff

New member
Hey all,
I just joined the board, and have read a lot of great posts -- I'm hoping you can help me out! I recently put together a basic set up, but I think I'm missing some pieces...

I plan to record vocals, acoustic/electric/bass guitars. I'll probably be using Acid as a multitrack recorder, and Reason to generate drums and sound textures.

My equipment:
Computer: Dell Dimension 8200 (pentium 4, 512 ram)
Soundcard: Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
Speakers: Altec Lansing ADA995 Multimedia Speaker System
Mic: SM57

Questions:
- I've seen interfaces and preamps discussed here a bit -- I was just going to plug instrument/mic cables directly into the "line-in" and "mic" inputs of the sound card. Is that enough? Also, when I tested the mic, the sound immediately went in the red, though the sound was low -- why?

- Is the speaker system okay for monitoring?

- Anything else I'm missing?

- Any keyboard recommendations in the $2-300 range?

Thanks so much -- I'm losing sleep over this stuff!

-Mike
 
?

Er...Did I do something wrong? ...just wondering why noone's replied... ;)

-M
 
I don't think your soundcard is good for recording audio. It will work, but not very high quality AD/DA converters in that thing. I recommend the M-Audiophile ($149) as a beginner card. You need a microphone preamp to amplify the mic signal before it goes into the soundcard. This will cost $55 - $1000 or more depending on quality. Your computer speakers will be ok for monitoring mixes to see how they sound on cheap systems, but they are no good for mixing. You need some decent monitors. Expect to spend a minimum of $300 on low-end monitors.
 
Yep.

I've done recording on my Dell with a Creative SoundBlaster card, through a Mackie mixer. That setup needed improvements all around, but a gamer soundcard was definitely the weak link. That's the first place I'd try to improve. You can find a beautiful small setup in the Aardvark line for about $500 that gives you four simultaneous inputs and stunning audio quality, eliminating the need for external preamps (well, for now). I went with entry level Event TR5 monitors and they are well built and competent. If I had a better budget, the 8" monitors would have been a far better bet as they can handle low frequencies well. Good luck - it's an addictive kind of thing...:cool:
 
a better soundcard and a decent mic pre will do you much better!
mabye even a lcd mic too!(like something by studio projects)
you can do a search on mic pres on this board and come up with a huge vault of opinions and information on that subject
good luck!
 
Thanks!

Guys,

Thanks so much for the advice! I'll definitley check out the pres, cards, and monitors you mentioned. Let the addiction begin...!

-M
 
The M-Audio Omni Studio is a good beginner soundcard/console. It somes with a Delta 66 soundcard, plus digital I/O. It also has the preamps you need. I would recommend checking it out if you can afford it. If not, maybe just go with the M Audio Delta 66 Soundcard. It has a breakout box, but doesn't come with preamps.

Get a large diaphram condensor mic too. You can get a good one for less-than-expensive. Try the Studio Projects B1 for a good quality condensor for micing acoustic instruments.

Good luck!
-Brandon
 
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