P
pbouchard
New member
Summary:
I have been using a very simple computer-based home recording system to compose and arrange original music as a hobby. Up to now, all my arrangements have been MIDI only, using a Roland XP-10 for the instruments sounds. I am ready to upgrade now, in two stages. First, I want to be able to include vocal lines in my recordings. Second, I would like to increase the variety and quality of instrument sounds available to me. I am seeking advice on what equipment to purchase, based on a budget of $1200.
Details:
The sequencer I currently use is Voyetra Digital Orchestrator, although I also own a copy of Cakewalk Home Studio 9. I capture the compositions one track at a time by playing the Roland XP-10, connected via MIDI cable to the sound card. I edit the MIDI tracks as needed, often quite heavily, using Digital Orchestrator. I capture the wave file by playing back the MIDI file to the Roland XP-10, and then running the stereo output of the Roland into the analog input on the sound card. I use Cool Edit 2000 to capture, trim, and compress the wave files.
I use a Windows-based PC with a Pentium III processor running at 1 gigahertz, with a 40 GB hard drive and 128 MB of RAM. The sound card is the Creative SB Live! Value.
In the past few months I’ve taken 15 of the songs that I’ve written over the past 30 years, and arranged them as instrumental compositions for the Roland XP-10. I’ve burned these 15 songs onto a CD, and given copies to a small set of friends and relatives. Now I’m ready for the next steps.
The first step is to create new arrangements of perhaps 10 songs, incorporating vocal tracks. I’ll record one voice at a time, using myself and various friends and relatives. I’ll want to multi-track the voices on most of the songs, sometimes in unison, sometimes in harmony, and sometimes in counterpoint. I am strongly leaning towards purchasing the Studio Projects C1 microphone, although I am certainly open to other suggestions. I have no idea what to purchase to serve as the pre-amp. I am also unsure of how I should configure the system to include a microphone. To date, all my work with the sequencer has been MIDI only, so I am unsure as to how well suited either Digital Orchestrator or Cakewalk 9 will be for the task.
The second step is to add a richer set of sounds to work with. I feel constrained by the limited sounds on the XP-10. My musical styles are an eclectic fusion, but could be described as a blend of world music and new age, combined with influences of pop, Latin, electronic, and classical. I am very interested in working with the sounds of percussion and stringed instruments from around the world. As for wind instruments, I want a good set of traditional sounds, including trumpet, flute, clarinet, and oboe. I use a lot of piano in my songs, and an occasional acoustic guitar. I definitely also want a rich set of electronic sounds. I am somewhat leaning towards the purchase of a Roland JV-1010, but again I am open to other suggestions.
With what remains of the $1200 budget after the above upgrades, I should probably add a better monitor. Right now I primarily rely on a set of Sony CD250 headphones plugged directly into the Roland XP-10, and to a lesser degree on the Altec-Lansing speakers that came with my computer. I could also greatly benefit from a MIDI drum set, instead of hammering the percussion lines onto the keyboard of the Roland. I don’t know what kind of box I should choose to connect the various pieces of equipment to the computer – but I certainly suspect that I will need something. And of course, there is a chance that my $1200 budget really ought to include some additional software.
Given all of the above, how should I allocate my budget of $1200? And how should I connect the components that I buy? Thanks for any advice that you can offer!
I have been using a very simple computer-based home recording system to compose and arrange original music as a hobby. Up to now, all my arrangements have been MIDI only, using a Roland XP-10 for the instruments sounds. I am ready to upgrade now, in two stages. First, I want to be able to include vocal lines in my recordings. Second, I would like to increase the variety and quality of instrument sounds available to me. I am seeking advice on what equipment to purchase, based on a budget of $1200.
Details:
The sequencer I currently use is Voyetra Digital Orchestrator, although I also own a copy of Cakewalk Home Studio 9. I capture the compositions one track at a time by playing the Roland XP-10, connected via MIDI cable to the sound card. I edit the MIDI tracks as needed, often quite heavily, using Digital Orchestrator. I capture the wave file by playing back the MIDI file to the Roland XP-10, and then running the stereo output of the Roland into the analog input on the sound card. I use Cool Edit 2000 to capture, trim, and compress the wave files.
I use a Windows-based PC with a Pentium III processor running at 1 gigahertz, with a 40 GB hard drive and 128 MB of RAM. The sound card is the Creative SB Live! Value.
In the past few months I’ve taken 15 of the songs that I’ve written over the past 30 years, and arranged them as instrumental compositions for the Roland XP-10. I’ve burned these 15 songs onto a CD, and given copies to a small set of friends and relatives. Now I’m ready for the next steps.
The first step is to create new arrangements of perhaps 10 songs, incorporating vocal tracks. I’ll record one voice at a time, using myself and various friends and relatives. I’ll want to multi-track the voices on most of the songs, sometimes in unison, sometimes in harmony, and sometimes in counterpoint. I am strongly leaning towards purchasing the Studio Projects C1 microphone, although I am certainly open to other suggestions. I have no idea what to purchase to serve as the pre-amp. I am also unsure of how I should configure the system to include a microphone. To date, all my work with the sequencer has been MIDI only, so I am unsure as to how well suited either Digital Orchestrator or Cakewalk 9 will be for the task.
The second step is to add a richer set of sounds to work with. I feel constrained by the limited sounds on the XP-10. My musical styles are an eclectic fusion, but could be described as a blend of world music and new age, combined with influences of pop, Latin, electronic, and classical. I am very interested in working with the sounds of percussion and stringed instruments from around the world. As for wind instruments, I want a good set of traditional sounds, including trumpet, flute, clarinet, and oboe. I use a lot of piano in my songs, and an occasional acoustic guitar. I definitely also want a rich set of electronic sounds. I am somewhat leaning towards the purchase of a Roland JV-1010, but again I am open to other suggestions.
With what remains of the $1200 budget after the above upgrades, I should probably add a better monitor. Right now I primarily rely on a set of Sony CD250 headphones plugged directly into the Roland XP-10, and to a lesser degree on the Altec-Lansing speakers that came with my computer. I could also greatly benefit from a MIDI drum set, instead of hammering the percussion lines onto the keyboard of the Roland. I don’t know what kind of box I should choose to connect the various pieces of equipment to the computer – but I certainly suspect that I will need something. And of course, there is a chance that my $1200 budget really ought to include some additional software.
Given all of the above, how should I allocate my budget of $1200? And how should I connect the components that I buy? Thanks for any advice that you can offer!
