what's next?

[majdi]

i have a yamaha psr-530, an mpc 4000, and a fender jazz bass.

i don't know what to do with what i have.

i want to start writing and recording music... i can start off with simple 8 track songs.

what else do i need to get an 8 track song recorded in mp3 format?

a mixer, mic, software, speakers (monitors)?

i have a very nice laptop already.

 

[ez_willis]

do you have any songs written? it'd be a damn shame to buy a bunch of gear that you don't know how to use if you lack the ability to write a song.

 

[suprstar]

At a minimum you'll need some kind of interface and DAW (or a standalone recorder unit) to record and mix on, and a pair of monitors/speakers to listen to what you're mixing.

 

[Armistice]

it'd be a damn shame to buy a bunch of gear that you don't know how to use if you lack the ability to write a song.

But it'll be good for the economy...




Go and check all the various other "I want to know how to record" threads... there's about a dozen a week... they'll give you a good list of resources.

You probably don't need a mixer, you probably do need an audio interface, software, monitors of some kind, some of them cably things to hook them all together... then off you go...

 

[Bristol Posse]

do you have any songs written? it'd be a damn shame to buy a bunch of gear that you don't know how to use if you lack the ability to write a song.

But think about this ^ first because this is what actually matters.
The only gear you need to write a song is a good memory (or a pencil and paper). If you don't have this step down, the rest of the gear can't help. Also knowing roughly what you want to record based on what you have written can help you narrow down what you need.

 

[Armistice]

I'm taking it as read that the OP actually has something he wants to record, or will come up with something at the appropriate time, and this is a gear question...

... but perhaps I'm wrong.

BTW Majdi - you don't record in MP3 format... you record, and when you're finished recording and mastering, you convert to MP3 format...

Search through the other posts here and just about any of them that have a title like yours will have a post from Tim O'Brien with a bang-up newbies starter list... worth reading and researching..

 

[grimtraveller]

And, as if by magic..........

My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470385421
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Another good one is: Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Gui...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215734124&sr=1-1
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at www.tapeop.com

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics and have good tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig: http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Also Good Info: http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Other recording books: http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and tested suggestions: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm


Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com/smm

Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $50 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages - http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)

8 tracks good. More tracks better. Songs written, best !