Starting Without Any Experience Whatsoever

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2BD

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I would like some help with getting some recording equipment for my small band. I am willing to spend up to about £50 on recording equipment etc. My Piano, to which most of my band music will be performed at, is probably about 10m's away from my computer, although I haven't measured. I will be performing in quite a small place, although there will only be, at most, 2 of us preforming. I am not very technologically skillful. I want the final result to be either an mp3 file or a wma file preferbaly. I would like to be able to do layering, although that is not neccesary. Can I please have some recommendations of reliable software and/or equipment to use for this purpose. Also, could I have some information as to what volume most musical performers record their music at?
Thank You.
 
£50? For real?

You'd have a pretty hard time coming up with a very basic usable rig at 20X that amount. £50 isn't going to buy a volume control knob (Seriously -- Even if you use the worst POS mixer out there just as a volume knob, it's going to run more than £50). That's not even considering the monitors themselves.

Or was that a typo for £5000...?

In either case, I think a visit to Tweak's Guide might be of great help.
 
Fifty quid won't even buy you a shitty barely working 4 track portastudio on ebay or from Dodgy Dan in a dark corner.......if you go the computer route, £50 would enable you to buy Reaper which is highly rated by some of the best recorders here. But having that recording software on it's own will do you as much good as a bag of sugar with holes in it. You'll need a few other items such as an interface, a mic or two and something with which to hear what you record {headphones and if not monitors, at least speakers}. Do a thorough search through the newbie section as this question gets answered many times a day, eight days a week. And up your budget somewhat.
 
I guess that shows how little experience I have in this front. I may be able to increase that amount; also, can you get recording equipment, which instead of using microphones, uses a ... can't remember the term, but connects the instrument using a headphone socket; both my piano and guitar amp are completely capable of that.

So seriously, what is the lowest sort of price i could pay for some basic equipment that allows me to record music at, say, 128kbps, in some usable form of file adna relatively user-friendly program.
 
Those who have said you need to up your budget are, alas, right. Let's try to give you a brief walk-through of what's needed.

Since you mentioned your computer, I'll assume that's where you wish to record.

As others have said, you'll need some software to record the sound then edit and mix it later. Probably the cheapest way of doing this is the aforementioned "Reaper" which you can get for just under your $50.

To get the audio into your computer, you'll need some kind of interface to convert the analogue sound into data that the computer can use. You can get these as a PCI card that fit inside a conventional desktop but most (these days) plug into a USB port. How much you need to spend on this will depend on the functions you need. If you only require to feed in electronic instruments, there are some cheap Behringer boxes that would do the job. If you need a microphone, then you'll have to spend a bit more on an interface with at least one microphone pre-amp.

This brings me to your second question. Yes, it's possible to feed an electronic piano (or things like electric guitars) directly into a cheap interface like the Behringer I mentioned. However, if you have any acoustic instruments or want to add vocals, they you will need a microphone. Without knowing what you want to record, I won't even guess what mic(s) you need but there are lots of threads on this forum about the best inexpensive mics.

Beyond the above, you'll also need cables to run from your piano area to the interface box--and, with the cheapest interfaces, you can only record one thing at a time then do the next source in another take. To work this way, you'll also need a second cable to feed headphones so you can hear the first track(s) as you add extra ones.

Finally, you mention 128kbps. This may be the format you end up in but you'll do your recording in uncompressed wave (.WAV) files then convert your final mix to the compressed format when you're finished. Trying to do a compressed file right from the start adds delays that makes things unworkable--and loses you quality each time you open and re-save a file.

As you can see, there's a bit to think about here. I've only given the simplest over-view but hopefully it will get you started--or at least let you know the questions you have to ask.

Bob
 
Well you could use Audacity and a 1/4" to 1/8" mini cable to connect from headphone outputs to the computer's mic input using it's internal sound card. Not much quality will be achieved this way. Audacity is free (Google and download) and the cable will run around $10 US for 2m length. An extension will be needed for long distance but that will most likely be noisy, so better to move computer to the source. You will only be able to record one track at a time, but you can record multiple tracks. You can make MP3 files with it.

As far as volume goes, with this setup, you will need to turn down the output of whatever device you are wanting to record to a very minimal amount. Then use the input level in Audacity to set your gain to a level below clipping (red). Quite a bit lower if possible. Recording this way is not very efficient or of high quality. Though it is dirt cheap and will work.

Good luck!
 
Thanks bobbsy, that was very useful. I dont have any acoustic instruments. I'm happy if the end file is WAV, in fact, that is quite useful.
So can you run through the costs of what i need again?
There's the "Reaper" program, which sounds useful, the Behringer thing, if there is one which allows 2 instruments to input into it, then that would be perfect. The PCI card you mentioned too. How much would all of those cost, and are there any cables too which i ought to get.?

Also, I'm just recording from electronic piano and an electric guitar with a line 6 amp.
 
Bollocks!

The Clash made their entire catalogue of recordings for less than 50 quid.
 
2BD said:
Thanks bobbsy, that was very useful. I dont have any acoustic instruments. I'm happy if the end file is WAV, in fact, that is quite useful.
So can you run through the costs of what i need again?
There's the "Reaper" program, which sounds useful, the Behringer thing, if there is one which allows 2 instruments to input into it, then that would be perfect. The PCI card you mentioned too. How much would all of those cost, and are there any cables too which i ought to get.?

Also, I'm just recording from electronic piano and an electric guitar with a line 6 amp.
Click to expand...

Okay. Well, Reaper is the software available HERE. It costs $40.

It's hard for me to be definite about costs for other bits because I don't know where you are and prices vary. I'm from the UK and now live in Australia so my prices might not be what you pay.

The Behringer interface I was talking about is THIS ONE which lets you plug in two mono line level sources or one stereo one--your piano is quite likely stereo.

The PCI cards I mentioned are another way of doing the interface...there are a variety of manufacturers which would likely be better quality than the Behringer but cost a bit more. One thing to look for is that some of these come with "Lite" versions of audio software bundled in. Depending on what it is, this MAY save you the cost of Reaper--though Reaper may proved to be more versatile and easier to use.

The cables you need will vary depending on the connectors on your gear--you'd need adaptors to get to the phono/RCA sockets on the Berhinger. Any decent shop would be able to advise but don't be fooled into audiophile rubbish with solid gold connectors and one way oxygen free cable. All that is a con.

Bob
 
The pessimist sees the glass as half empty. The optimist sees it as half full. The engineer see's its the wrong glass. is that what you meant to say? AAAARRRRGGGGH MATEY
 
I've had a read through the links you'vem placed there. I'm pleased at how inexpensive they appear to be. I don't understand much of their product descriptions, because I'm not, as I said, terribly technophilic, and consider a lot of it jargon. Although this may sound even more newbish, what is MIDI? I've heard the term before but could you clarify what it is/does? What cables does the behringer thing require exactly, although It probably specified and I didn't understand? I think I've covered everything I need covering for, but probably I've msised something or will require more clarification.

Sorry if this lots of this sounds quite newbish.

Thanks again bobbsy
Also, whatn would you describe as a "decent shop"
 
c7sus said:
Bollocks!
The Clash made their entire catalogue of recordings for less than 50 quid.
Click to expand...

Yeah so all you need is a time machine to go back to the 70's - don't bring Euros!
Audacity is a fine application and the price is right in your budget.
and you can buy a $10 cable and plug right into your PC mic input - record the instruments one at a time.
you can probably get a little cakewalk usb mixer thing for under $100 USD on ebay

Cakewalk UA-1G New Version Edirol UA-1EX USB BRAND NEW! - eBay (item 370490994754 end time Apr-06-11 18:07:38 PDT)
 
It's going to be a very slow process for you if you want to be spoon fed every answer from a really, really low level of knowledge. There was a suggestion up above to go read Tweaks Guide. Find it and do it and things will start to make sense.
 
well since im kinda new at this too i can tell you how i started recording. i used my laptop with a mic input. masicall just ran a cable from what ever the source was wether it be my acoustic guitar or an amp or a mic. every cable had to be converted to go into the 1/8th mic input on the laptop. simple converters do this for only a few bucks. i used a demo version of mixcraft which was pretty user friendly. basically this setup is plug in and record one instrument at a time. not the best quality but it sounds ok. only problem with mixcraft is it doesnt let you render the final mix unless you get the full version. reaper might be a program to try out. this set up will atleast let you put some tracks down and see if you like the recording aspect of music. it will also only allow for one track at a time. hope this helps a bit atleast.
 
well that sounds useful.

I know it's a lot slower being spoon-fed the stuff - when i've got time i'll try to look up all I don't understand.

Most of u lot have been helpful,thanks.
 
Actually getting the chance to record some stuff with a friend at youth club even though i started last night. Expect me to update on anmythinhg going on reverbnation
 
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