Okay people think we should review...I think we may have all jumped the gun with our talk of mixers and soundcards!
He wants to know how to record...a mixer, I'm pretty sure, wont do that by itself! it won't commit anything, no matter how beautifully blended, to memory. I think we need to know whether it's hardware recording or software recording that's to be done.
Frankie, hardware recording is your standard 8 track recorder, popular brand sbeing Zoom, Boss, Tascam etc. They're stand alone devices with a built-in hard drive and in most cases, a built in CD writer. Depending on the model, they come with 8/12/16 channels, usually about half of which are XLR or mic inputs with built in Pre-amps. The other channels are usually for line level instruments, like midi keyboards or D.I'd guitars. All the editing is done on the device itself, and most contain some sort of built-in mixer with faders, fx-sends and EQs. You can record tracks, overdub, bounce one track down on to another for multiple layering. Once your sng is completed, you can burn it to CD. Some of the newer versions also support USB connectivity, so you can bounce tracks to your PC and back. The benefits of hardware recording are that it's pretty-much self-contained; you press record and you're good to go. You burn it down when you're done and thats one song in the bag
Software recording is different. It involves a computer, and a device which acts as an intermediary between your instruments and your computer. These are called audio interfaces or sound cards; bear in mind that the sound card that came with your PC is most likely designed for playing MP3s, and is not good enough to use to record. So, you get a soundcard and use it in conjunction with what is known as a sequencer; a software program that allows you to arrange and edit musical parts to an enormous degree. That'd be the main differnece between hardware and software recording; in my opinion, software recording sacrifices practicality for functionality. It does require a pretty decent PC, and an audio card to get started, but after that the possibilities are almost endless. You may have heard people talking about plug-ins which are used to shape sounds and add effects; virtual instruments and software sythesisers can offer convincing reproductions thanks to MIDI. You can also mix hardware and software by applying hardware components before your sound card; external compressors and pre amps for example.
Okay frankie, if you knew all this already, I'm sorry for wasting your time! But both methods will allow you record multiple tracks at once, and edit them seperately. If you want 8 XLR inputs, to record say, a drum kit, you can get a hardware recorder like
this or you can get an audio interface with 8 channels like
this.
Hope this clarifies somewhat.
