Software/hardware
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Posted on Jan 26, 2004 11:32 am
Molly Kerby
Member Since: Jan 26, 2004
I am very new to recording and I am trying to buy everything I need. I am thinking of purchasing Calkwalk Home Studio. If I buy software like that, do I still need to purchase hardware like a Mackie hard drive???
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flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Jan 26, 2004 11:39 am you dont have to...if ya fill out you gear profile then we'll know exactly what gear you have already, pc specs etc...
i record on a 350mhz pentium 2 machine, and it just doesthe job...any pc higher spec than that will work. dont get too hung up on the gear to start with, learn the techniques first. all the gear in the word, does not a good home-recorder make.
to give you an idea, in my profile is a link to my website which features a load of tunes recorded on said pc, with a £50 (about $30 i guess) mixer and a cheap mic. im pleased with the results...
anyways, welcome!
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Jan 26, 2004 11:41 am thats a cool quote on your website by the way...
[quote] Without music, life is a
journey through a desert.
~ Pat Conroy ~ [/quote]
Jan 26, 2004 12:05 pm Hi Molly, welcome to HRC.
If you get Cakewalk, all you need to do is install it on your PC and it'll record to the hard drive in your PC. The only other addition that would really help (or one of them anyway) would be a highend sound card. If your PC only has it's stock card that came with it, it will work, but generally isn't up to the task of serious recording, but that said, people like flametheband do make good music with them, it's just a little harder to do sometimes, take a little longer or requires some comprimises.
Jan 26, 2004 02:13 pm Thanks for all the help! I JUST bought a brand new dell. HIGHLIGHTS:
Intel Pentium 4 processor at 2.60GHz
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
256MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 333MHz
40GB Ultra/ATA 100 Hard Drive
I upgraded the sound card to their highend as well as the fivew sepaker surround sound and subwolfer so I could hear what we are doin, too :) I also have an upgraded external hard drive an ide cable on its way -- it just came with the deal I got.
Does this help?
Thanks for all of your input!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 26, 2004 10:39 pm Indeed it does, and welcome form me as well. What dB is trying to say is any stock sound card is not really meant to record with, although many do it with amazing results such as flame and a few others. What Dell means by highend is a surround sound card with a bit better digital to audio converters on it. What we consider higher end sound cards are dedicated souly as an Audio interface, meaning they do not have an onboard synth chip and are not set up for gaming sound, as in the case of the surround card Dell installed in your new PC. That said, they can do a good job, but will have their limits. Many of the lower end audio interfaces will vastly outperform the highest end gaming card by far. Now I know that sounds a bit snooty but what it boils down to is that the stock card may or may not run in full duplex. This means that it will record and playback audio at the same time. It may also limit the number of tracks you can playback at once since it may not have suitalbe drivers for anything more then the most basic audio recording purpose.
If you let us know exactly how far and how much you would like to record then we can get ya going in the right direction, or maybe help you get the most out of what you allready have.
Also, good choice on Cakewalk home studio, they make a great product. I am a little partial as I have been using their software since the first program they released for sequancing on the Atari computer.
Look forward to helping any way we can,
Noize 2 U
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Jan 26, 2004 10:46 pm I'm not sure what a Mackie hard drive is, but the computer you have is definitely sufficient for doing some recording.
The soundcard you got in your machine is probably high end for multimedia purposes but is probably not completely intended for recording (though you almost certainly will be ABLE to record with it). The same pretty much goes with the speakers. Don't worry I'm recording with a 2.1 speaker system (2 satellites and a subwoofer) and I like to think I'm doing ok.
I think what I would do is try out a couple different multitrack software programs and see which ones fit your budget and comfort level. Some programs to check out would be N-Track Studio, Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit Pro), Cubase SX (or Cubasis), Cakewalk Home Studio, or Cakewalk Sonar. There's probably others that I have missed, but with a microphone, one of these programs, and your computer (with soundcard), you have the basic tools to start recording. Of course you can always add on more stuff to make things easier and sound better.
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Jan 26, 2004 10:51 pm Welcome from me as well Molly. :) In addition to what others are saying I would definitley looking into adding another 256MB of ram, it really helps. :)
Dan
Jan 27, 2004 09:42 am Okay...I am getting a better idea of what I need here. Thanks to all of you. We want to go the gamut with this recording. We are doing one CD in the studio right now with "traditional" music and a few originals that sound like that genre. What I want to do in my new "studio :)" is a more upbeat folk CD. My next question is what kind of sound card should I get? I am a college professor who doesn't make much money, so a cheaper one that does a great job would be nice. What about a Creative Sound Blaster Extigy USB Sound Card? I have front USB port, so a USB would be nice.
Also, I am so clueless...how do I plug the instruments in and can I plug more than one at a time with just my computer and software?
I will add the extra RAM ASAP olddog. Thanks again.
Jan 27, 2004 09:48 am There are a lot of article in our tips section about the basic of hooking up and using gear. Simple put, you run the outs of a mixer to the ins of a sound card. If you have sub-outs on your mixer, run the sub outs to the ins of the sound card, the outs of the card can either go to the speakers, or, back into the board to come out the main outs (again, depends on your mixer).
The mixer provides preamping and tonal controls for the input, but is not necessary if you have standalone preamps, or use DI devices such as DI boxes, amp simulators or such things.
As far as the sound card you need, that depnds how many instruments you will record at any one time that you want to keep on seperate tracks. And yes, with a big enough card you can record many instruments at once and keep them seperated.
Jan 27, 2004 01:12 pm Okay. I think I am getting a clearer picture and I have looked through all of the articles on this site. So, I plug all the instruments into the mixer channels...plug the mixer into the sound card...and then I am ready to go? Now, how do I know whether of not the sound card will let me use at least two or three instruments at one time?
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Jan 27, 2004 01:19 pm depends on how many line ins there are...a real basic one (like i use) will have a mic , a line in and an output socket, and not much else probably
a more advanced one will have seperate line ins for different channels.
Jan 27, 2004 01:41 pm Cool...so I need to look for multiple line ins :)?
Jan 27, 2004 01:43 pm for the money you would spend on a Sound Blaster Extigy, you could get a decent 4 in 4 out card like mine (M-Audio Delta 44). I recommend getting a decent recording card for around $150 or $200 AS WELL AS some cheap $20 gaming card like a Sound Blaster 16 etc.
Jan 27, 2004 01:44 pm as for how many inputs you need, how many channels do *ever* plan on recording at once? If it's one or two, the M-Audio Audiophile wil be sufficient (and cost effective!).
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 27, 2004 09:02 pm Molly, it sounds like you may need a card such as the one Jamie and I use. The Delta 44 from M-Audio. It has a small breakout box with 4 ins and 4 outs. You can take a look at it here, service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear the specs are pretty straight forward. This would be a pretty good card for recording the music you are doing as it gives you enough inputs to record 4 seperate tracks at once. I have had mine since they first came out and it is running flawlessly. They are also known for their excellant driver support and keeping them up to date.
Jan 28, 2004 02:16 pm The Delta 44 looks great. I probably won't do but two instuments at a time. Is there anything cheaper?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 28, 2004 05:29 pm The card dB posted has been ranked in the top two for best value. And it also gets high marks in reviews in several Pro Audio magazines.
DanMember
Since: Nov 21, 2002
Jan 28, 2004 06:47 pm Just wondering, With only 2 inputs how do you record drums? do you use the subgroups on your mixer to bring it down it down the 2 channels? does anybody here successfully record drums on 2 channels. my next purchase is going to definately be a new soundcard, im liking the price tag on the audiophile, but considering i will mostly be recording my band (acoustic drum set) i think the delta 44 would much better suit my needs.
Whats the difference between the Delta 44 and 66... the explainations ive seen havent made much sense for me... thanks
Jan 28, 2004 07:01 pm Dan, yeah, with only two inputs you'd be forced to mix it down to a stereo pair, which would really limit what you could do with it later. I think dB specializes in mastering so 2 ins is all he needs. I'm curious how Noize records drums (do you use the 44?)
as for teh diff between the 44 and 66, the 66 has digital in/out on the PCI card. the breakout box is the same.
Jan 28, 2004 07:43 pm Yeah, when I have recorded drums it's usually by submixing down to a stereo set, or using an in on the second card in my PC for the kick and the two audiophile ins for the stereo mix of the rest of the kit.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 28, 2004 09:26 pm If you have a good set-up for recording drums, getting it down to a 2 channel mix is pretty easy. I just did a very heavy band that used a rather large kit and did just two tracks and it worked out fine. With the Delta you will have 4 channels to work with so that is a plus there. And that will give you the opporunity to record into four tracks at once.
And yes I do use the 44 full on at times as well. I prefer two over heads, a kick mic and then one a bit back from the center of the kit. the reason is I like the kit to sound like it might live.
