Old Newb would like some advice/opinions

[Bootsy]

Hi everyone!

I'm an older guitarist who stopped playin a few years back, but seem to have the playing bug a bit again.

Hence I'm seeking some help for getting some new recording gear.

I've been reading but the choices seem endless!, nevermind trying to catch up with the tech talk, of which I never studied much. I just played!

I'm particularly interested in composing beats/drums/maybe bass that I can record guitar/bass over.

I am hoping the new technology will give me inspiration to write/play to be honest.

Basically what I will be doing in the foreseeable future is a 1 man project. One track at a time till I get what I want.

First off, my computer capabilities as they are now.

PROCESSOR- 2.67 Gig Intel Cel.
MEMORY- 1918 MB installed
HARD DRIVE FREE SPACE- Useable 80.02GB/ available 56.7 GB
OS-Windows XP
No sound card methinks

I have read NEVER connect the internet to your recording computer. Well unless my current stats are woefully inadequate, I will be doing just that! I run lots of antivirus stuff etc. so I'm hoping this won't be an issue?

Honestly, I just don't see getting a new computer strictly for this right now.

What kind of music will be done?
-I play everything but am primarily going to work on funk/rock and most perhaps solo acoustic fingerpickin stuff.

Where is the music going?
- realistically probably it's just for me,but who knows?

What do you have?
- I think my Fostex 6301B personal monitors still work, Shure 57 mike with 1 inch of dust on it..heheh, woefully (now) outdated Tascam 424 Mk11 4 track tape portistudio, (never broke on me!). I have Headphones Fostex T-7. Boss DR 5 drum machine.

I read Tweakheadz guide to home studio setup, and I think I am somewhere in the 1 or 3 area in his "21 ways to assemble a home recording rig."

Previously I worked like this. Get a beat...record bassline (I have a decent bass)...record rhythm/other stuff/ solo over.

Budget?
- $1000 to $1500 TOPS!.....The less the better without sacrificing too much on quality or future upgrades that may be possible.

I am not afraid of reading to learn, but not overly so if that makes sense.

Again I am primarily a guitarist.....looking to compose to record live over.

Thanks if U made it this far and can offer advice!

Oh I will be selling off some guitars/amps for this so if ya need one, let me know!

Oh...do I need a keyboard?...I have a Roland GR 33 hooked up on my main axe for synth sounds. Still I guess I need one for triggering beats for composing?

 

[bouldersoundguy]

It sounds to me like all you really need is an interface and a looping program. I work with someone who uses Sony Acid Pro, which works great. He could track and mix on it if he wanted, but we do that in Sony Vegas. There are several other good looping programs out there.

If you keep your project data on a separate hard disk it should be relatively safe if you want to get online, but no guarantees.

 

[bruiser1964]

I would add a second hard drive and use it just for your music, and maybe another 2gb ram.
The "never go on the internet" thing is a myth, if you care about your data make sure you back up onto an external medium (DVD or HDD) keep your antivirus up to date.
Have fun!

 

[c7sus]

For beats I would check out EZ Drummer by Toontracks.

It is drag-and-drop MIDI files and drum sounds you insert like a VST softsynth into your recording program. Lot's of drum sounds to choose from and lots of beats too. You can also use third-party MIDI files too, and some, like Groove Monkey, are optimized for use with EZ Drummer and are already mapped to the various EZ drumsets.