using audacity

[tannerridgeway]

i am 17 and i am in garage band
we have recorded two songs using audacity and a cheap mic with a 1/8 plug into an old desktop's mic input. it turned out better than we thought but it still isn't what we want. we are considering renting a studio but i would like to record at on our own timre at our own expense. is audacity capable of creating fairly good sounding music files or do i need to purchase better software?
i know i need to upgrade the computers sound card, and i recently purchased a mixer so i can preamp the mics. but how do connect the mixer to the computer?

and should i use a dynamic or condenser mic for screamed vocals?

thanks alot.

check out what we sound like at " myspace.com/abrahamabraham "

 

[XLR]

IME, if you've got a great sound going in, Audacity or Reaper or N-track or Cubase or ProTools or a reel to reel machine will capture it well. It's everything else besides software that determines sound quality.

 

[DonF]

Audacity has its uses (I use it almost every day), but there are a couple of areas where it lacks. First, it has no "mixer". Second, it doesn't have the capability to apply effects in real time. These shortcomings don't affect the sound, but they have an effect on your workflow, which impacts your productivity.

Regarding connecting the computer: If you get a multi-input soundcard like the Delta 1010 (http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MDOD1010E) or RME Fireface 800 (http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--RMEFIREFACE), you can connect your mixer's direct outs to the interface's inputs. If you only have a 2-channel soundcard, you'll have to settle for recording two tracks at a time, probably through the mixer's main L-R bus.

Lastly, screamed vocals work best with a dynamic mic (e.g. SM58), but YMMV.

Cheers,
Don

 

[SRR]

REAPER will be 100 times more useful then Audacity, I have used both, $40 for the non-commercial version of REAPER is a steal within regards to what it can do.