silky 2010 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Hi everyone, Not sure if i am putting this in the right section, I have tried to search but cant really find anything about this. My friends have given me a song they have written which is in MP3 format and has the guitar and vocals. They want me to play a bass to this and record it into another mp3 and send it back to them. What is the best way to do this, do i need to buy something like this: [url="http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&xhr=t&q=pro+tools+recording+studio&cp=11&safe=off&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=17096158768997785779&ei=N8JkTYS2KI6AhQei88GBBw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=5&sqi=2&ved=0CEUQ8wIwBA#"]http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?h...ed=0CEUQ8wIwBA#[/url] or are there better and easier options for doing this? Thanks in advance, Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) What set-up do you have at home in regard to PC MAC or laptop ?? You'll need some sort of interface to allow you to record. There are several options out there but I'd need to know what you have in the way of computer. Also, how much are you willing to spend and are you likely to be doing this sort of thing often? Edited February 23, 2011 by WHUFC BASS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silky 2010 Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote name='WHUFC BASS' post='1138140' date='Feb 23 2011, 08:24 AM']What set-up do you have at home in regard to PC MAC or laptop ?? You'll need some sort of interface to allow you to record. There are several options out there but I'd need to know what you have in the way of computer. Also, how much are you willing to spend and are you likely to be doing this sort of thing often?[/quote] Hi WHUFC, I currently just have a dedicated laptop for this, Nothing special just a toshiba Sat Pro U400 running windows 7 Pro and 3 gb Ram. Dont want to spend much if possible as we have only just started the band and i am still learning bass, but my tutor helps me with the bass lines so i just want to experiment with putting these bass lines over the MP3 and seeing what they sound like? Does that help you?? Thanks, Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Tub Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 If it's any help, I'm doing exactly the same at the moment. My setup is really simple: Bass -> tuner -> Sony minidisc recorder (1) -> Tascam MPBT1 (2) -> headphones or amp (1) This captures my bass and nothing else. (2) This plays the MP3 that I'm playing along with, and allows me to hear my bass at the same time. There's probably easier/cheaper ways of doing it, but since I use the Tascam [u][b]all [/b][/u]the time it was worth the investment, and the recorder is borrowed from a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endorka Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Most cost effective way is probably to get some shareware multitrack software like Reaper and use the soundcard already on your computer. The difficulty is that the soundcard will probably not get on well with the level coming from your bass, so you may need to put it through a DI box and / or small mixer or preamp first. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Reaper is not shareware. It has an extended full functionality demo. The single person license works out t about £26 though, and is the best value for money DAW software I've found yet. Using your PC soundcard is very unlikely to get a decent result I'm afraid. IMpedance issues etc etc will cause you lots of grief. You will need some kind of simple USB interface. On the plus sde this will serve you well for years of writing and exchanging ideas, so its a very good investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote name='endorka' post='1138258' date='Feb 23 2011, 10:17 AM']Most cost effective way is probably to get some shareware multitrack software like Reaper and use the soundcard already on your computer. The difficulty is that the soundcard will probably not get on well with the level coming from your bass, so you may need to put it through a DI box and / or small mixer or preamp first. Jennifer[/quote] +1 Bass > USB Interface > PC MultiTrack Software The Multitrack software will allow you to monitor the .mp3 of guitar and drums and record your bass alongside onto a seperate .mp3 track. It is a brilliant way to practice new songs and bass guitar in general as you can use headphones. This will not disturb the neighbours and let you play at all times of the day. You can also loop the track so you can go over it endlessly until you are happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silky 2010 Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote name='endorka' post='1138258' date='Feb 23 2011, 10:17 AM']Most cost effective way is probably to get some shareware multitrack software like Reaper and use the soundcard already on your computer. The difficulty is that the soundcard will probably not get on well with the level coming from your bass, so you may need to put it through a DI box and / or small mixer or preamp first. Jennifer[/quote] Ok thanks Jennifer, I am unsure what a DI or small mixer or pre amp is?? could you point me in the direction of a cheap one?? Thanks Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silky 2010 Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote name='BottomE' post='1138372' date='Feb 23 2011, 11:37 AM']+1 Bass > USB Interface > PC MultiTrack Software The Multitrack software will allow you to monitor the .mp3 of guitar and drums and record your bass alongside onto a seperate .mp3 track. It is a brilliant way to practice new songs and bass guitar in general as you can use headphones. This will not disturb the neighbours and let you play at all times of the day. You can also loop the track so you can go over it endlessly until you are happy.[/quote] This sounds good Is that what this is : [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pro-Tools-Recording-Studio-Fast-Track-USB-Guitar-/180619637610?pt=Midi_Controllers&hash=item2a0dc4f36a"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pro-Tools-Recording-...=item2a0dc4f36a[/url] If so is this a good option?? Thanks again, and sorry for all the Q's Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 That bundles an m-audio interface and a 'student' copy of pro-tools together. Pro-tools in an industry standard recording suite. Its good to know protools, but for the price I prefer Reaper (v. personal opinion, your mileage may vary). That would do the job... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endorka Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote name='silky 2010' post='1138377' date='Feb 23 2011, 11:39 AM']Ok thanks Jennifer, I am unsure what a DI or small mixer or pre amp is?? could you point me in the direction of a cheap one??[/quote] The output from your bass is not an ideal match to the input of your soundcard, and if you connect them the sound quality will not be optimal. Putting your bass through DI box and/or mixer will match them and give better sound quality. However, my approach is pretty old school, although I have a good soundcard (M-audio delta 1010LT), but others have pointed out the use of USB audio interfaces, which may suit you better. These often combine the functionality of DI box/mixer/good soundcard into one box. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silky 2010 Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Thanks for all the help guys, so if i download reaper, could someone please give me some links to what would be a good DI or usb interface mixer to use to connect my bass to my laptop, as they still are just words to me at the moment Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 This is about the cheapest a quick search has turned up:- [url="http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/lexicon-alpha-stereo-usb-audio-interface--36113"]lexicon[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endorka Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 [quote name='51m0n' post='1138735' date='Feb 23 2011, 03:49 PM']This is about the cheapest a quick search has turned up:- [url="http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/lexicon-alpha-stereo-usb-audio-interface--36113"]lexicon[/url][/quote] And as a bonus it comes with multitrack recording software, so you won't need Reaper :-) Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silky 2010 Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Thanks for all the help, I will do my research on the Lexicon and may purchase one and give it a try Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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