Hey folks, I've been thinking of investing in a Home Recording set-up... Something that allows the ability to program Drum Tracks, Keyboard sample, record my guitar playing with those tracks ect.. Basically for Home Composition... Being able to make my own music at home with the abilty to download that info into MP3's....
Any suggestions for an affordable solution that is easy to use and actually works well? Thanks
Andrymi, a collection of music nerds » Songwriting
Home Recording...
(17 posts)-
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM
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There are ALOT of options these days. And many of them affordable.
I'd recommend getting an audio interface with a mic preamp so you can record using a microphone. Those things also support plugging your guitar directly into them without hum or noise.
Then you'd need some headphones (you probably have some already) and some software that can handle midi composition aswell as recording. Again there's alot of those. You'd just have to try them to see which interface you like. There's Ableton Live, which alot of people like. Cubase Studio, which I personally love, and Tracktion. To name a few of the most user friendly ones I can think of.
Midi composition can most often be done using your computer's keyboard as an input device, but also there are cheap USB keyboards that are specially suited for that. You can use either one of those to input the drum track and record it in real time, and then go back later and change the track you recorded in case you made a mistake or want to change it.
Then you put your headphones on and plug them in, play back the drum track with your guitar plugged in or your amp mic'd, and just play to the drum track, and record it with your software. Then later you can adjust the levels and play back the two tracks in synch.
What's your budget? I'm sure I can find some stuff that will fit it.
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
Hmmm. K.... Is there anything that would do this type of thing for... lets say... Around $150.00- $200.00 USD? I've scoped some of the "CakeWalk" stuff... That seems to be in this spending range... Just not sure If my laptop could handle something like that without "Crashing" it....
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
I've also been wondering if perhaps a "Porta-Studio" may be better... Really not sure though...
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
id say just get a preamp and a macbook :P
itll run ya nearly 2k, great price for the quality
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
$2000.00 is a bit more than I was looking to spend LOL!!!Yeah, I would think for 2 thousand Buckaroos it would DEFINITELY be Mojo-Top quality.... What's a Macbook anyways?
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
I see.... you mean a Mac Laptop... Thanks for the suggestion Honk... BUT... If you read my inquiry, I'm looking for an affordable A.K.A. in-expensive recording solution (IF such a thing exists) NOT another computer.... :P
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
Been Googin' this... seems I'm probably looking at something around $300.00 for a decent 6-8 track recorder like a Fostex....
Are there definite advantages to using computer software programs like Cubase Studio over something like a Fostex? OR... is using a porta-studio more advantageous?Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
Ok, what you need first and foremost is some good hardware, now I would go look over the USB audio interfaces on zzounds.com http://www.zzounds.com/cat--USB-Audio-Interfaces--2424 ... as there are a few there which are quite affordable. I know that for example the mbox ones have a really nice sound, but there are also some cheaper m-audio ones for example which might be ok.
What you should do is you should go to a store where they sell these, bring your guitar, hook it up, and have a test run for a few minutes with a few of the boxes you are interested in, and the software they provide, to both see if you like the sound or the software. Most of these USB audio interfaces come bundled with some software which should be completely adequate to record and mix demos.
The fostex you mentioned is a self-contained recording and mixing studio, which I would only reccommend if your computer is not up for the task of recording, because if it is, I think you'll enjoy much more and better control using it, than a self-contained solution, once you get used to it!
Hope this helps!
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
I'm not up on all the latest recording stuff-but a few months back I did borrow a roland digital workstation thingie that was real nice, 8 (maybe 16?) virtual tracks, burned it's own CDs when you got done, etc.
I only used it for burning CDs from an existing source, but it was a pretty neat device.
Probably out of your budget but I've seen them used for around $500 since then and considered getting one as a home setup.My buddy Jack bought a BOSS unit that was real similar to the Roland but scaled down a bit-I think he paid six bills for it new, a couple of years back. I'l try to find out the model number for you because this was a VERY cool device, about the size of an old cassette 4 track, 8 virtual tracks, built in drums and effects, and it sounded really good.
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
K... Thanks for the feedback everyone! If you can get the Model# of the Boss processor that would be great BT. My main concern with software programs is basically HOW much of the memory is it going to use... I certainely DON'T want to have the program "Crash" in the middle of a project... HOWEVER, Yes, I think that the overall "Control" and Freedom with the software programs are probably MUCH greater than with a "Self-Contained" porta-studio as Steinn has stated. I'll re-search the recommended computer specs for the software programs... I appreciate your attention to my inquiry folks. Thanks
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
Memory use depends mostly on how many tracks you're using simultaneously. I've never had Cubase crash while I was using it, but it could happen. As things could happen with most other recording gear. A cat might get caught in your reel-to-reel spools for example :P
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
Hmmmmm.... This is a possibility.... Perhaps it's better to collaborate with the Cat as opposed to dealing with the tape spools.... AND... Digital would make this Do-Able... :)
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
Steelbones
MemberI've been using one version or another of Cubase since 1995, and I can vouch for it's quality and usability.
Incidentally, a good number of professional engineers have told me that there's nothing better for digital recording until you get up to Pro-Tools standard.
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
K... I've been looking at CakeWalk and Cubase both.... From the feedback here on this thread I get the impression that Cubase may be "Higher End" for the price... Thanks again for the input folks!
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
Yeah. Cubase is higher end. But it's very user friendly.
Plus take a look at Cubase Studio. It's a lighter version of Cubase with the features you'd need for home recording and small scale studio work. And if you can sign up for some classes at a music school and get a receipt from them, you can get a significant educational discount.
Posted 2 years ago # Login to Send PM -
The educational discount is 50% if I remember correctly.
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