What the heck do I do now?????

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bubbad323

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I just downloaded Pro Tools Free to take a stab at home recording for the very first time. I successfully downloaded the program but now I'm stuck....how do I get started? I mean, what's the deal with soundcards and all that stuff? I know I have a soundcard in my computer, which is a Dell Dimension 4100, PIII, 933 mhtz, 128 RAM, 20 gig HD. But how do I record my guitar, keyboard or vocals? There aren't any inputs that can accomodate a guitar jack. I know this is a stupid question but what the heck do I need to get started and how much will it cost? I tried the Digidesign website and conducted a search but found no help. All I wanna do is start putting ideas down!!!!

bubba
 
Youll probably have an 1/8" input marked "line in"...thats where your guitar will plug into......you can go straight from the guitar into the card with a cord that goes from a 1/4" to 1/8" (Radio Shack)....you may not like the way this sounds...its best if you go thru some sort of preamp, effects box, direct box, etc.....
 
You have a good computer. I would personally consider getting a good soundcard. Echo, Delta, Aardvark... the choice is yours. It should improve the sound a lot and your plugging problem won't be a problem anymore. Do some searching on this BBS for opinions on them.

And check out this page:

https://homerecording.com/sound_card_basics.html
 
Gidge- I cant believe you suggestede plugging his guitar into his soundcard! I was rolling when I just read this! :D

I agree with giaschel, in that you should look at soundcards if you are serious about recording at all. There's a lot more to it than having the right software. To do decent recording the software is only 10% of it.

H2H
 
Are you going to be using this as just a musical scratch pad or are you looking to make some decent recordings? Scratch pad - do what gidge said you can buy a 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor that will plug into your soundcard, you also will want to run it through some sort of effects box first though because just plugging your guitar into the soundcard sounds terrible (even for a scratch pad ;)). But if your serious about recording then you might want to look into the Lexicon Core 2 soundcard (I've heard this is pretty good), it has four inputs and eight outputs, all 1/4" so you won't need any adaptors ($200 at Musician's Friend).

-tkr
 
Thanks for the advice. I think I understand what I have to do now. Another question though...if I buy a soundcard to use with the PT FREE and decide down the line that I want to slap down some bucks for the digi001, won't I be wasting my money? I mean, I think the digi already comes with the hardware so if I buy a new soundcard now just to use the free version, I won't need it if I decide to upgrade to the 001. Does this make sense or am I just not getting something? Also, and I know I might be opening up another can of worms here, but what do you think would be a better choice...the digi001 or cubase?

thank you for any and all input here.

bubbad323
 
I don't know about digi001 but I've heard that Cubase is pretty good, but it is also a very hard program to learn.
 
Like I said, he may not like the sound and its best to go thru some sort of preamp....he just wants to "take a stab at home recording"...noone asked him what kind of results he was looking for.....and right away we are reccomending $200 and up soundcards....Ive heard some very good stuff done on $30 sound cards here at this site....I dont recommend gear to others based on what I like...I try to see whats best for them....This guy might not even like recording on a computer and hell be stuck with a sound card that coulda bought a good preamp...why not ask him if he had a preamp at all....a killer sound card isnt gonna do him squat without a good preamp....You guys are a bunch of gear snobs....

Bubbad, before you buy anything, download N-Track..the free shareware is almost completely functional, you just wont be able to mixdown....see what you like and dislike about it....then come back and ask us more questions....
 
Thanks again fellas! Sorry if I'm not being specific enough about what I want to do. I think I have a better Idea about what my options are. Of course, I am going to be taking my first steps toward recording at home but I also want a decent set-up. With all the choices there are out there I just have to figure out which one is best for me. Ideally, I want to be able to record some good quality tracks and be able to burn them to CD or load to an MP3 site. Of course I want the best quality set-up my money can afford, which is no more than $3k. I want to be able to track guitars (both acoustic and electric) a drum machine, vocals, keys and bass. The digi route seems nice because you get an all-in-one product for less than $800. But I hear the plug ins suck and there aren't too many choices out there. the Cubase I'm told is difficult to use but the plug ins are more widely available. I really like the stand alone units (such as the rolands) but the more I talk to people they say that I already have a good computer and should just build upon that. I know I won't have any portability with a computer-based system but that's really not a factor. Plus, going the computer route presents a greater level of editing I'm sure. So, that's about it I guess. Just trying to figure it all out and join the rest of you creating music! Thanks again for all the responses!
 
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