Suggest best value set up as intro to basic home recording

[lanark]

Just to get my hand in, spending as little money as possible, but gaining familiarity with how recording works. What would I need to record, say, a few acoustic instruments, a few electric instruments a vocal and a percussion tracks - all put down at different times.

It would be nice to have: minimum to start, spending as little as possible and also the best value set up that would allow me to recrd all that with a close-to professional output.

Just wondering, because I haven't the first clue where to begin and can't differentiate between what equipment is vital and the machines that go ping.

[redstriper]

[url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/alesis-multimix-8-usb-2/651"]THIS[/url] will do it nicely.

[Ian Savage]

Have you got a decent computer setup already, or are you properly starting from scratch?

[lanark]

[quote name='Ian Savage' post='1296075' date='Jul 7 2011, 03:32 PM']Have you got a decent computer setup already, or are you properly starting from scratch?[/quote]

I have a laptop, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for recording - I'd doubt that it was powerful enough.

[Hobbayne]

If you prefer a multitrack machine, I picked up one of [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOSS-BR-900-CD-/280704493684?pt=UK_Recorders_Rewriters&hash=item415b4aa874"]these[/url] on ebay for peanuts recently, built in drum machine and digital effects and burn your own CD on it!

[Ian Savage]

[quote name='lanark' post='1296089' date='Jul 7 2011, 03:48 PM']I have a laptop, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for recording - I'd doubt that it was powerful enough.[/quote]

Then that's got to be the decision you make first, whether to go for an 'all-in-one' setup like the one Hobbayne linked above (generally pretty intuitive and easy-to-use, but can be limiting after a while) or put together a computer-based setup (more daunting, particularly if you're not too tech-savvy or haven't done much recording before, but SO much more versatile and pretty much limitless in potential once you know what you're doing).

Be you an Apple or a Windows person?

[redstriper]

[quote name='lanark' post='1296089' date='Jul 7 2011, 03:48 PM']I have a laptop, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for recording - I'd doubt that it was powerful enough.[/quote]
It doesn't have to be very powerful, I use a basic 5 year old Toshiba Satellite with an Alesis Multimix 16.
It's a Centrino Duo with 1 gig Ram and it records 18 tracks at once with broadcast quality results.
The nice thing about using a computer is the large display compared to budget hardware systems and you can easily add plug ins and integrate different software to suit.

[Tuco]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250850726611&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...=STRK:MESELX:IT[/url]

noticed this on evilbay earlier........

[lanark]

[quote name='Ian Savage' post='1296110' date='Jul 7 2011, 04:13 PM']Then that's got to be the decision you make first, whether to go for an 'all-in-one' setup like the one Hobbayne linked above (generally pretty intuitive and easy-to-use, but can be limiting after a while) or put together a computer-based setup (more daunting, particularly if you're not too tech-savvy or haven't done much recording before, but SO much more versatile and pretty much limitless in potential once you know what you're doing).

Be you an Apple or a Windows person?[/quote]


$pple or windoze? Well, if I had to buy a new machine anyway it could be either. I know everyone suggests macs, but windows laptops always seem better value

[lanark]

[quote name='redstriper' post='1296112' date='Jul 7 2011, 04:14 PM']It doesn't have to be very powerful, I use a basic 5 year old Toshiba Satellite with an Alesis Multimix 16.
It's a Centrino Duo with 1 gig Ram and it records 18 tracks at once with broadcast quality results.
The nice thing about using a computer is the large display compared to budget hardware systems and you can easily add plug ins and integrate different software to suit.[/quote]


That's interesting. the laptop I'm writing this on was only bought last year (admittedly, pretty budget though) and its specs are

....... fiddles with programs to find all this bvumf out ....

Processor: Celeron dual core 1.9ghz T3100

Ram: 4 gigs

And yours can record 18 tracks at once? I'm always struggling with lag when putting together a midi file in cubase. I must clear the whole thing out one day.

[lanark]

[quote name='Tuco' post='1296138' date='Jul 7 2011, 04:49 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250850726611&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...=STRK:MESELX:IT[/url]

noticed this on evilbay earlier........[/quote]


I'm keeping an eye on that one.

[lowdown]

[quote name='lanark' post='1296251' date='Jul 7 2011, 06:25 PM']And yours can record 18 tracks at once? I'm always struggling with lag when putting together a midi file in cubase. I must clear the whole thing out one day.[/quote]

That will be your Audio card, or lack of a decent one.
A must when Recording.



Garry

[redstriper]

[quote name='lanark' post='1296251' date='Jul 7 2011, 06:25 PM']That's interesting. the laptop I'm writing this on was only bought last year (admittedly, pretty budget though) and its specs are

....... fiddles with programs to find all this bvumf out ....

Processor: Celeron dual core 1.9ghz T3100

Ram: 4 gigs

And yours can record 18 tracks at once? I'm always struggling with lag when putting together a midi file in cubase. I must clear the whole thing out one day.[/quote]

I would expect your laptop to be up to the job and if you already use cubase, you're half way there - all you need is a sound card interface like the Alesis.
Midi files can be a problem when using the internal computer synth (forget what it's called) - mine has a latency problem when using that, but not with plug in synths like the ones supplied with cubase.

[lanark]

[quote name='redstriper' post='1296274' date='Jul 7 2011, 06:48 PM']I would expect your laptop to be up to the job and if you already use cubase, you're half way there - all you need is a sound card interface like the Alesis.
Midi files can be a problem when using the internal computer synth (forget what it's called) - mine has a latency problem when using that, but not with plug in synths like the ones supplied with cubase.[/quote]

Interesting. I always thought that I'd need something more than just a mixer.

[Ian Savage]

[quote name='lanark' post='1296246' date='Jul 7 2011, 06:21 PM']$pple or windoze? Well, if I had to buy a new machine anyway it could be either. I know everyone suggests macs, but windows laptops always seem better value[/quote]

I think the reason Macs tend to be more popular for audio/video work is the fact that the FireWire is properly integrated on Macs, whereas the IEE 1394 (Windows' name for FireWire) is often something of an afterthought on PCs and is notorious for causing dropouts and compatability problems.

That said, using a machine with your spec properly set-up you should have no problem doing fairly in-depth recording/editing work using a USB interface, and as redstriper says the advantage of a proper graphical editing display rather than a piddly LCD as you get on 'portastudio'-type units is invaluable.

I'd say you either want to get your PC laptop properly 'cleaned up' (professionally, if needs be) to get it running at its optimum, or if you can afford to have a computer solely for recording purposes, maybe track down a secondhand Mac Mini or similar. Also, I'd personally never try to record high-bitrate audio to anything slower than a 7200RPM hard drive, as slower drives are what's caused me the bulk of my recording problems in the past - external fast hard drives go for peanuts these days, particularly secondhand, and if you DO find yourself struggling with dropouts/recording stalls etc it'd be worth picking one up.

Then maybe look at something like the Alesis mentioned earlier (which would provide pretty much everything you need to get started, as it comes bundled with Cubase LE, and would also be a handy thing to have kicking around for live work as well IMO), or if you go the Mac route PreSonus make so excellent, smaller FW interfaces (and the now-discontinued Mackie Satellite was a good bit of kit too, worth looking at secondhand). There's tons of USB and FireWire interfaces out there, obviously, but those are the ones I've the most positive direct experience of.

[Ian Savage]

[quote name='lanark' post='1296303' date='Jul 7 2011, 07:09 PM']Interesting. I always thought that I'd need something more than just a mixer.[/quote]

The OLDER Alesis Multimixes were little more than a mixer with an analogue/digital converter built-in, not much better than plugging a mixer into the stereo line input of your soundcard; IIRC the newer ones allow you to record multiple tracks separately as well as feeding previously-recorded tracks back into the desk via USB for monitoring.

[redstriper]

My Alesis multimix is 5 years old and I've used it to record many multitrack sessions on my old laptop with no problems.
I use the laptop for the internet and run lots of other applications too, but not usually while recording and I disabled all windows sounds.
I always record to the internal 60 gig hard drive and then transfer to an external drive.
I have never lost any data and find the system very stable compared to other systems I have used, including much more expensive ones.
My multimix is firewire, but I imagine the newer usb2 models will perform as well.

The multimix is more than just a mixer, it is a soundcard as well and mine is permanently connected to the laptop and my hi-fi so I play all my music through it and the quality is much better than the analogue output from the computer.

Edited July 7, 2011 by redstriper

[xgsjx]

My church has got the iMultimix 8 & it's a decent wee mixer. I use it at home from time to time for recording.

My suggestion for getting your toes into recording would be a mac with Garageband. It's very easy to use & after a short time you'll find yourself getting Reaper (which is free & with the option to pay if you use it a lot).
The good thing about a mac is that you get a nice software bundle to make music & videos very easily with, the down side is the price, but then the upside is that they hold their value & aren't at high risk from viruses.

[Happy Jack]

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