Members gr8fuldodd Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 rather than research myself... my $99 Tascam 4 track, which I bought for randon fun and nothing serious obviously, has a severe noise problem and I'm sick of it anyway I was thinking it might be nice to join the ranks of the digital recording world I have a laptop so what is the best route for me to take?what do I need to buy and what's the best bang for my buck?mic? My needs: Basic recording abilitiesno extensive post editing featuresdecent sound, but nothing that I would need if I were actually attempting a quality recording Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NoirAbattoir Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 The program Tracktion appears to be simple to use and very user-friendly. It costs about $200 bucks, though. YOu can find cheaper ones out there (even free programs) that may not be as user friendly. Then you will need a mixing board (stay away from the Behringer stuff) and a decent microphone. I like the $100 dollar yamaha board I bought and the Senheiser E609 mic ($100) records nicely. I suppose for around $300 bucks you should be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blackba Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 Originally posted by ColorsoundKid The program Tracktion appears to be simple to use and very user-friendly. It costs about $200 bucks, though. YOu can find cheaper ones out there (even free programs) that may not be as user friendly.Then you will need a mixing board (stay away from the Behringer stuff) and a decent microphone.I like the $100 dollar yamaha board I bought and the Senheiser E609 mic ($100) records nicely. I suppose for around $300 bucks you should be good to go. +1 except you forgot a nice sound card for the laptop. I would also get a dual channel mic pre if you only need a couple of channel, otherwise a yamaha mixer is a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members inscho Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 I purchased a firewire card for 20 bucks, got firewire solo for 200 and downloaded kristal for free. so for 200 bucks I can recording 1 track at a time, with no noise, and a pretty dang good sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gr8fuldodd Posted December 30, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 so since I have a laptop, do I need to get some sort of external thing to plug into as opposed to a better sound card in the laptop itself? and what do you call that item anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members inscho Posted December 30, 2005 Members Share Posted December 30, 2005 there two main kinds of interfaces that you can use in between your line and your computer, usb and firewire. a lot of them come prepackaged with software like the m-box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grueller Posted December 31, 2005 Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 I ordered my firepod last night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grueller Posted December 31, 2005 Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 in order of importance (IMO):-a good ear, and good sense of timing-acoustic absorption use blankets, furniture, anything that has mass to prevent soundwaves from bouncing around-mics I've chosen decent mics... AKG C430 pair for overheads, Sennheiser e902 for bass and kicks, Sennheiser e604 for close miking toms, Shure SM57 for snare and stuff, Sennheiser e609 for guitar cabs, Shure SM58 for everything, Rode NT1000 for vocals and acoustic. I only have the kick mic so far, but I'm already sold on those other ones.-preamps I've worked with a Firepod before and am happy with its preamps-cables probably Mogami-everything else an adequate computer, patience, etc. I think the best route for DIY recording is to find a good, basic setup like what's listed above. I've chosen the Presounus Firepod to work with my old Titanium G4 Powerbook. The laptop isn't up to secifications with the Firepod, but it still works for a lot of people who use it with "underpowered" computers so I'm not too worried about compatibility. From all that I've read, I think the Firepod is really nice for hobbyists, and I'm sure I'll be satisfied with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gr8fuldodd Posted December 31, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grueller Posted December 31, 2005 Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 whoops. sorry i missed your other postOriginally posted by gr8fuldodd so since I have a laptop, do I need to get some sort of external thing to plug into as opposed to a better sound card in the laptop itself?you can. the firepod that i'm getting is external and is connected with a firewire cableOriginally posted by gr8fuldodd and what do you call that item anyway? recording interface Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gr8fuldodd Posted December 31, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 I did a little poking around and see products by M-Audio that seem like they would fit my needs for $200 - 250. Do these have an okay reputation? The Presonus stuff seemed more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grueller Posted December 31, 2005 Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 M-Audio is good, especially if they fit your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gibson1001 Posted December 31, 2005 Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 You might want to look at the new Presonus Inspire. $200 and two mic imputs along with rca inputs in the back to give you additional in's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gr8fuldodd Posted December 31, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2005 hey thanks for all the info I really appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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