Recording problem/question

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kill
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Kill

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Hello all,
I'm very new to both digital recording and cakewalk. I purchased guitar tracks pro for my on use, but now i'm in a band that uses keyboards, guitar, bass, and V-drums. Seeing as how we didn't have any money and GuitarTracks sounded better then our crappy 4 track, we set about recording our band on GTPro. However, we are experiencing some difficulty (aside from the sound clearity/quality not being great). When we record our first track everything is fine, but when we go to record our second track, the sound from the first track some how finds its way onto the second track. as we add more and more tracks the worse it gets. I think it maybe a problem with our set up or we just need to upgrade our recording program. Here is our set up:
I just got a new Dell this summer and we use the sound card that came with that (do we need a new one?) we plug our instruments into a crappy mixer using guitar cables. The mixer runs into the line-in of our sound card.
Is this the wrong way to do this? Do we need to upgrade our software? Please help.
 
If I only had a nickel for everytime... :)

Go to your Windows Sound Mixer. Check under "Recording Properties" to see what recording source you have selected. It sounds as if you have "What You Hear" selected. When this choice is selected you will record any sound that goes through the soundcard (new recording and previous tracks being played back).

Change the source to Line In (or whatever input connection you are using).
 
A new Dell, huh? Is the soundcard by any chance a SB Live or Audigy?

If that's the case, open the Windows Mixer, go Options -> Recording, and select "Line In" as the input source, not "What you hear" or whatever... :)
 
Dammit, dachay! You were the fastest today.... :D
 
Thanks a lot guys,

I think that solved it, thanks so much. As for new recording software however, any suggestions for beginners? Some of the problems we are experiencing with the sound quality, i think, is because we are using equipment like keyboards and V-drums, perhaps the program was not designed to handle the high and low tones of these instruments? Any suggestions?
 
I don't think there's any problem with the software, just make shure that the input signal is not clipping (digital distortion, volume over 0 dB).

It's not about the software anymore (not so much anyway), just the person using it... no offence ;). It takes time to produce a quality song, especially if you're starting from scratch.

But if you're using V-Drums, wouldn't it be nice if you could connect them to your PC via MIDI, for easy editing of the drums? Then you need new software, like Sonar or HomeStudio. If I remember correctly, GuitarTracks Pro doesen't support midi.
 
moskus said:
Dammit, dachay! You were the fastest today.... :D
Click to expand...
dachay = 1
moskus = 1

Finals tomorrow. :D

Kill, your biggest problem, sound qualitywise, is using the computer's onboard sound card. The sound card is the device that converts the audio signal into a digitized signal. Generally cheap sound cards have cheap a/d converters. Also, they are generally only 16 bit capable, which provides a higher signal-to-noise ratio.

Decide how serious you are about this, and then maybe spring for a better sound card.

The Delta 44 or Delta 66 (or the Delta 1010) would make nice choices, and would also allow you to capture more than one instrument at a time. But you're looking at a couple hundred bucks or so.
 
Hi- I have the same problem with sound from previous tracks recording onto new tracks. However, I cannot fix it with Windows Sound Mixer- I am using the Audiphile 2496 if it helps. Please help if you can.
 
jpdubay said:
Hi- I have the same problem with sound from previous tracks recording onto new tracks. However, I cannot fix it with Windows Sound Mixer- I am using the Audiphile 2496 if it helps. Please help if you can.
Click to expand...

you are probably recording into your computer while listening on headphones to your mixers output right?

If so, you may be mixing the trcks you just recorded back into your computer every time you record.
 
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