Starting from the very beginning

  • Thread starter Thread starter soma9
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soma9

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So, I am a virgin to computer recording, yet I feel unexplicably drawn to it and want to set something up to play around and experiment on.
I don't know the first thing about computers and I'm not sure about what I would look for in a computer(power??)to get me set up for recording.
And, does it really matter all that much whether its a PC or a Mac or is that just preferance?
I've got around $1500 to spend.Any advice/recomendations would be totally appreciated.
 
You need a PC

There are more and better packages for the PC than there are for Mac.

Carl
 
For $1500 you can get a decent set-up, but there are several things you need to think about.

Do you plan on just doing stuf on you own (one track at a time)? Or will ou record with other people, requireing more inputs to the computer.

Do you want to record simple songs (guitar & vocal) or are you looking to record entire arrangements?

What in your main instrument (guitar vs. keyboard, etc)? Will you be doing alot of MIDI sequencing?

Do you want/need effects and processing (reverb, compression, etc).

And there are several more questions (too many to post here).

If there is a music store in your area, it may be good to talk to people in the keyboard/technology area. There are also many good magazines that provide information on computer recording (Electronic Musician, Keyboard, Recording, Home Recording) and several books (check out any Barnes & Noble - or what ever large book store is near you).

Do plenty of home work and ask plenty of questions to make sure you get what is right for your application. The work environment in MAC tends to be more user friendly than the PC, but there have been alot of PC format programs released in recent years.
 
could'nt have said it any better mikeh, great reply !!!
 
For right now, its just me,but I want to record arrangements(guitar,bass,vocal,percussion)and have the option of effects.
But would like to be able to expand in the future to recording with others.I guess I'd like to keep my options open.

Thanks for your suggestions.I guess it helps to have a direction in mind.Looks like I'm off to do some homework!
 
If you ask any real professionals they will tell you there is a difference between macs and pcs. If you check out professional video and recording people I believe you will see a predominace of Macs. Macs are more expensive. PCs work on what is call complex instructions and macs work totally different. If you take a 1 gig processor it will be much faster in a mac because of the way it handles instructions and processes info, at least that is what I was told in some of the classes I took. I really dont know a thing but I do know that the mac I use with my synth never locks up, never, and my pc is a piece of crap compared to it.
 
You are right, a gig Mac Proc would be much faster than an Intel or AMD gig Proc. Has a lot to do with how they handle instructions and the amount of cache they have on them.

But then again, a person can build (or if you must, buy) a great PC that will work great with most recording hardware and software and save quite a bit of money.

The computer I currently have ran me about $1000 and it is very comprable to the $1600 Mac on their website.
 
AMD 1.2 ghz
Iwill mobo
512MB RAM
2 x 40GB (7200) HDs
Audiophile 2496
16x CD Burner


Under $1k (including tax and shipping). I bought these components after several hours of research and reading the messages on this board. BTW, I bought it last July so prices have probably come down quite a bit. If you browse through the messages here, you'll see tons of posts suggesting minimum system requirements. I think the "numbers" (memory speed, etc.) of my computer are sufficient. The biggest issue you'll run into if you build your own is compatibility between the components. I hope this helps!
 
If you are completely new to all of this then take it very slow before you buy anything. You are going to be pushing it with your budget and cant afford any wrong purchases.

To be honest $1500 is a good budget for equipment if you already have a decent computer. But you will be able to get by. If you can get a friend to help you put together a decent INTEL PENTIUM 3 or 4 system you will be ready for the next step grasshopper.

Avoid AMD unless you do a lot of research on the components and have somebody to help you troubleshoot. AMD makes fine processors but they are more prone to driver conflicts and problems. That will make it especially difficult for a newbie.
 
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me learned ones.

I'm sure I'll have more questions down the road.

This site is awesome!
 
Hi!
You said you're completely new to computing, maybe it's a wise choise to get a shore Windows-course or something, or do you know that already? Oh, shoot, of course you know, otherwise you would't be surfing on the net, would you?

Anyway, maybe you should check out a used mac (maybe 1 or 2 yrs old, not older) and save you some bucks. You don't need the absolute top notch, IMHO. Mac's are so user friendly, but if you're going to do more with it than just music (so also typewriting, the whole MS-Office shabang) I'd go for the PC. More people have a PC so you're more compatible with other people's stuff.

DAMN you Bill Gates!
Dirk Demon
 
Were at similar stages soma9. I've owned a compaq presario which i puchased as one of those commercial package deals a couple years ago. It has AMD chip and I think its a piece of crap and would be inferior for recording from what i gathered so far from this excellent forum. Sounds like the best route would be to start from scratch and search for a good deal on a used MAC (G3 I suppose) for a dedicated recording setup. I already own a Mackie 1604 (older) so one of those Delta 1010's (not sure if I'll need 8 i/o yet.mostly I'll be doing one or two tracks at a time but you never know) looks like a good choice. Lots to learn but this sure looks like the place for it. glad I found this forum!
 
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