so Im looking to do some home recording

[s0ze]

Im looking to do some home recording just cuz it seems more convenient and possibly alot cheaper than heading to a studio.

problem is I know nothing about any of the equipment needed, all I have at the moment is an old copy of acid (3.0) and my pc with an audigy sound card for gaming (probably not much use). can anyone provide a list of equipment needed and any other suggestions to help me put together a good/affordable set up

I'll be attempting to track bass, guitar, vocals, and I have a bunch of drum kit samples to make up for the lack of drum mics

Im not looking for professional quality recording just something i can work with that will produce a decently good sounding demo

any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[LfO]

First of all, read through The Guide to get an idea of what you're getting into, and see what questions you have then:

http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

One of your first purchases should be a new audio interface (same as soundcard, just a pro audio term) - the Audigy won't cut it. One major factor to consider is how many inputs you'll need on your interface, and that will depend on how many tracks you want to record simultaneously. If its just you doing overdub after overdub, you'll just need an interface with a couple of inputs - if you're going to record a live band, you'll need something more like this:
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MDOD1010E

If you were recording drums, you'd still need something that big, but since you're not, you'll probably be able to save some $$$ here.

Welcome to HR!

 

[crunkthanamug]

Im not looking for professional quality recording just something i can work with that will produce a decently good sounding demo

any help would be greatly appreciated

Demo or otherwise...nowadays your recordings HAVE to be (damn near, at least) professional quality.

 

[EddieRay]

If you don't need to record more than 2 tracks at a time, you might be able to get by with the Audigy card. I've heard recordings by friends of mine with SB cards that are actually pretty impressive. But as your ears become tuned to quality issues, you'll probably want something better.

With or without a better card, you'll still need a mic and preamp or mixer. I think your options for monitoring (listening to existing tracks while recording new ones) will be better with a mixer. I'd recommend a Shure SM58 as a solid starter mic that will be useful as long as you own it.

 

[TimOBrien]

My standard reply:

Good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending thousand$):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...ce&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Good Newbie guide:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

Recording books:
http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html


Plenty of software around to record for free:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com

 

[XLR]

possibly alot cheaper than heading to a studio... just something i can work with that will produce a decently good sounding demo

It's a subject with a steep learning curve and many (maybe most) find that it's a lot tougher to get a good recorded sound than they had expected. Finding a modest local studio at $20-30/hr will likely end up being a cheaper and quicker way to produce a demo.

However, recording is really fun and very rewarding after you get your technical bearings and make a reasonable gear and room treatment investment. From that point on it's definitely cheaper to record yourself.

Tim

 

[DavidK]

Demo or otherwise...nowadays your recordings HAVE to be (damn near, at least) professional quality.

Only pros make pro recordings. Lets face reality: buying Cubase and having a "studio" in your back room doesnt make a pro record, the pro does

 

[s0ze]

Plenty of software around to record for free:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com

If this is the case then I should just keep and upgrade acid.