Ready to make the change

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statecap

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I am currently an analog only user but I am interested in changing over to a DAW.
What would YOU recommend to a newbie in his digital recording attempts? I mean, what unit would you use or do you think would be a good one for starters but not one that will be obsolete in a year?

I currently have a Tascam 424 MK III
Dell computer 2.4 G processor, 256 M RAM, 60 G hard drive
Pentium 4
Soundblaster live soundcard. (I seriously have my doubts about the quality of this) (I tried using n-track at one time and just couldn't get a decent sound from it )

I'm looking to spend around 300.00-400.00 for a new unit.
Can my Tascam be used as a mixer if need be? I only have 1 plug-in jack in the back of my computer.

Thank you much!
 
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Sure the TASCAM could be used as a mixer and preamps if needed. If I were you I would look around this site for some Ideas on a good soundcard. How many inputs do you need? It you only need to record a couple at a time consider getting a good small soundcard like the Echo Mia or Maudio audiophile. Those are both under a couple hundred and will leave you with plenty cash for a new HD for audio and some software. Cool Edit Pro is a relatively good deal these days and 100gig harddrives are under $100 at CompUsa.

I would stay away from the standalone units. Computers make things awfully easy.
 
Thank you Jake !

I'll continue my search on this site for a decent soundcard.

BTW...do I really need a 100 G HD?

By the lack of people speaking their minds, I'll assume this is old hat.
 
statecap said:
Thank you Jake !

I'll continue my search on this site for a decent soundcard.

BTW...do I really need a 100 G HD?

By the lack of people speaking their minds, I'll assume this is old hat.
Click to expand...

State,
I just got rid of my sb live for an m-audio audiophile 2496. I'm brand new to daw so that's a good beginner card. If you're more experienced at the whole process, perhaps you would go for a higher end card. The audiophile 2496 is going for $125 at GC now.

As far as software goes, you can probably find something nice for the $275 you have left over, but some guys round here swears by n-track. It's inexpensive and does a lot.

I'm working with a 40Gb hard drive to keep all my files right now, and I run my programs on a separate 40gb. It works fine that way. But you can definitely get by with a single 40gb.

kt
 
statecap said:
I am currently an analog only user but I am interested in changing over to a DAW.
What would YOU recommend to a newbie in his digital recording attempts? I mean, what unit would you use or do you think would be a good one for starters but not one that will be obsolete in a year?

I currently have a Tascam 424 MK III
Dell computer 2.4 G processor, 256 M RAM, 60 G hard drive
Pentium 4
Soundblaster live soundcard. (I seriously have my doubts about the quality of this) (I tried using n-track at one time and just couldn't get a decent sound from it )

I'm looking to spend around 300.00-400.00 for a new unit.
Can my Tascam be used as a mixer if need be? I only have 1 plug-in jack in the back of my computer.

Thank you much!
Click to expand...

If you want to do true multitrack recording with the PC, you should get a card with 4 inputs or more. I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned memory. 512Mb or RAM is an absolute minimum for DAW work, especially if you're using 2000 or XP.

My rule or thumb lately for HD's is just buy what is available at the $100 mark - it'll have pleanty of storage space for your needs.
 
I have been doing some serious searching in BBS and at Dell.

It seems that my extended 4 year warranty will be null and void if I use any other upgrade to my soundcard than theirs.

I have found an upgrade from SB to a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 (through Dell).

In my searches, I have read that people say it only has two inputs which can be a drawback. If using a mixer (such as the Tascam) would it matter?
Is the SB Audigy 2 a decent card that will give decent results?
Does anyone know the difference between the regular Audigy 2 and the Platinum Audigy 2?

I also am upgrading to 512 Mb RAM.
 
statecap, I would really have to point you at the TASCAM US-122, or the Edirol UA-20, I have a UA-20 that I use with my laptop and it is working pretty good for me, both of these USB interfaces will give you 2 in and 2 out with 1 MIDI I/O as well.

If I didn't already own the UA-20, I would certainly be buying the TASCAM unit, it has quite a few more features to it, and even comes with a "special" version of Cubasis, even if it's a stripped down version, it should be more than enough to get your feet wet in the computer recording world..

Both of them go for about 200 bucks, all the extras put the TASCAM a bit above the Edirol in my book.

They are both USB, so they shouldn't cause you any warranty problems.
 
Strryder said:
statecap, I would really have to point you at the TASCAM US-122, or the Edirol UA-20, I have a UA-20 that I use with my laptop and it is working pretty good for me, both of these USB interfaces will give you 2 in and 2 out with 1 MIDI I/O as well.

If I didn't already own the UA-20, I would certainly be buying the TASCAM unit, it has quite a few more features to it, and even comes with a "special" version of Cubasis, even if it's a stripped down version, it should be more than enough to get your feet wet in the computer recording world..

Both of them go for about 200 bucks, all the extras put the TASCAM a bit above the Edirol in my book.

They are both USB, so they shouldn't cause you any warranty problems.
Click to expand...

Is this external device sufficient to increase the sound quality that I can send/receive from my recordings?

If so, does anyone else have more feed back?

Are there better external soundcard units in the same price range?

Thank you
 
Don't worry about the warranty. You won't void the entire warranty by putting a "real" soundcard in (such as a Delta series), they just won't support that device.

Also, I don't recommend getting more than the 1 year warranty, if anything is going to break, it will probably be during the first year. Also, if something breaks during year 3 or 4, wouldn't you just want to buy a new PC (which will probably be like $50 then!). I've also heard Dell sometimes has problems getting parts for older machines. Finally, if something does go bad down the line and you can fix it (such as memory or HDD), I would honestly just go out and buy the stuff and install it myself, rather than waiting for Dell to fix it.

Some other recommendations - Shop at the Small Business Site. PCs are cheaper, and you have the option of not getting speakers or a modem (that saves you > $50 right away). Also, get the bare minimum memory and then get the upgrade from Crucial.com. I got 256MB on my 4550 last month and Dell wanted $100 for 512MB. Crucial has the same memory upgrade for $38 with free shipping.

Although I've only had my Dell for a couple of weeks, I've been happy so far. It's a 4550, 2.53ghz, 60GB HDD, 256MB RAM, 48x CD/RW, and the integrated sound (which I promptly disabled in the BIOS). It came to just over $600 with tax.

Prior to that, I was using an old Dimension 450mhz, which was ok after I wiped the drive and put Win2K on it. It was stable with a small # of tracks, and it served me well for 4 years. I have since given it to my wife to use as the MS-Office machine :)

Hope that provides some insight on using a Dell for a DAW!

statecap said:
I have been doing some serious searching in BBS and at Dell.

It seems that my extended 4 year warranty will be null and void if I use any other upgrade to my soundcard than theirs.

I have found an upgrade from SB to a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 (through Dell).

In my searches, I have read that people say it only has two inputs which can be a drawback. If using a mixer (such as the Tascam) would it matter?
Is the SB Audigy 2 a decent card that will give decent results?
Does anyone know the difference between the regular Audigy 2 and the Platinum Audigy 2?

I also am upgrading to 512 Mb RAM.
Click to expand...
 
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