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Recording on a PC

Discussion in 'Recording Gear and Equipment [BG]' started by carl-anton, Oct 11, 2001.

  1. Oct 11, 2001 #1
    carl-anton

    carl-anton

    Jan 16, 2000
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Hi there
    I'm about to buy a new PC to record music on. I was wondering if any of you guys have advice on soundcards and mixers. I want to be able to record my bass, mayby some guitar. I mainly want to use it to try out ideas, and not to professional studiorecordings, so it doesn't have to be top notch, but it would be nice if I could make some demo recordings in the rehearsalroom.

    Thanks
     
  2. Oct 11, 2001 #2
    Oysterman

    Oysterman

    Mar 30, 2000
    Sweden
    Oh wow, you have SO much to choose from!

    You don't need a mixer to go with a computer setup.

    For decent gear that's not "top-notch", but still works well, I'd suggest a soundcard like the one I have, a Hoontech Soundtrack Audio DSP24 Value (giving two mono inputs and two mono outputs) - it's a cheap 24 bit card that doesn't cost too much. Also, a cheap mic pre of some kind would be needed to amplify the signals to proper recording level - I would recommend the Behringer Ultragain Pro Mic2200 (why is it that the cheaper the product, the longer the name?). Then all you need are some cables to connect your stuff, and microphones for the guitar cabs and drums.

    It's not a perfect setup by any means, but it is perfect for what you want to do with it. It will let you record two tracks at once, and they will sound pretty good. Total cost for this would be around, I don't know, 3500 DKR?

    HTH
     
  3. Oct 11, 2001 #3
    carl-anton

    carl-anton

    Jan 16, 2000
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Thanks Oysterman,
    but what if I just want to plug the bass right into the computer, without having to bring my rig to the computer, or the computer to my rig? Don't I need a mixer then, or something else to amplify the signal?
     
  4. Oct 11, 2001 #4
    Oysterman

    Oysterman

    Mar 30, 2000
    Sweden
    As I said, you need a preamp of some sort. And if your bass is passive, possibly a DI box (forgot about that, sorry), which will lower the impedance of your signal and make it more, eh, "preampable" (more headroom, cleaner sound). If it's an instrument preamp, you won't need a DI, but it wouldn't be suitable for microphones. So the mic pre + DI box combo is what I opt for.

    If you already have a mixer, you can use the preamps in there. But if you don't, I still suggest buying a separate mic pre.

    So, shopping list:
    * Mic pre (OR mixer)
    * Sound card
    * (DI box)
    * Microphones?
    * Cables
    * Software (if you don't want to spend any money here, there's always a way...)

    That ought to do it.
     
  5. Oct 11, 2001 #5
    AllodoX

    AllodoX

    Jun 6, 2001
    's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherla
    i'm plugging my Bass into my SWR Workingman's 4004, and i plug the SWR's balanced DI-out strait into my SB-Live's line-in... works perfectly.
     
  6. Oct 23, 2001 #6
    carl-anton

    carl-anton

    Jan 16, 2000
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Ok maybe its lame to answer your own question, but here is what I did: My new computer has a SB 128 (thats the cheapest SB card, and I only got for games, and the midi-input), and I just plug my Stingray right into it. No preamps, no line out from my amp, no mic-amp, just the bass, my cable and a converter-jack. And the sound? It's pretty good, and surely enough for my needs. Only problem is that the soundcard doesnt have full duplex, so I'll probally have to get a decent soundcard wich does (maybe the Hoontech DSP24 MKII). But for now I'm just going to find out my needs. Also I heard that if your bass doesnt have a preamp, like the stingray has, you can just let the signal go through a Boss-pedal of some kind. You dont have to step on it, just let the signal pass through it. Haven't tried it though.