Setting my PC/Mac up as a very basic recorder

[johnd]

For my own amusement and education (listening to myself sing & play ) I'd like to record myself. But every time I've tried this before it really sucks for a couple of reasons. Either the relative volume of guitar and vocal are way way off, or I get really awful distortion.

I have a PC and a Mac, I have a fairly decent XLR microphone (but no cable) and my guitar has a line-out. I've got Audacity and tinkered with it in the past but that's as far as it goes, I am a techy computer person though.

What would people suggest is a good (cheap) way to go about this? I'd quite like to use the proper mic (my wife's a singer) but don't know how to connect it up to my 3.5mm inputs. I can never get a decent signal from my guitar line-out, I suppose the levels are all wrong? The Mac has simply a 3.5mm in & out, the PC has a cheap built-in soundcard which has separate line-in and microphone 3.5mm sockets but I don't know what the difference is.

Other than a cable or two, do I need anything else? I don't seem able to record two tracks at once so either I need to get a good vocal/guitar balance by positioning the mic, or some sort of mixer - I am more interested in recording live than doing vocal and guitar separately.

Sorry for the long post, and any advice welcome. As long as the pros don't tell me I have to spend $5k

[Fran Guidry]

One way to go about this is to attach a mixer through the 3.5 mm inputs. The mixer then provides inputs for the guitar and mic or whatever and the built-in soundcard provides the analog to digital conversion. This is a reasonable approach if you already have a mixer _or_ if you have a planned use for one _and_ you can attach to a clean line input on the computer.

A more common approach is an all-in-one audio interface that connects to your computer via USB. Using this approach the connectivity, level control, and a/d conversion are all in the external box, and data representing the sound is sent over USB to the software running on the computer.

There are a number of other connection technologies that can be used, but USB2 is the common choice these days.

Your budget can narrow your shopping range. These days even inexpensive devices have fine sonics, but the feature set, ergonomics, and build quality all improve as your budget grows. Perhaps start here to get an idea of the price and feature range: http://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces

I make a habit of visiting the support forum of any audio interface I'm considering, just to get an idea of the chatter. If people are screaming about drivers or preamp noise I'm cautious.

As you noted, you'll need cables and stands for the mics you plan to use. For software Garageband on the Mac and Audacity on the PC can take you far. The latest version of Audacity (2+) is definitely preferable.

Fran

[Guitar Hack]

You need a decent mic. A condensor mic is preferable. You need a computer interface. Pretty much any brand will do. Auslogics works if you have a degree in sound engineering and know what you are doing. If not I would recommend Mixcraft 6 which is a great recording software that doesn't break the bank and is very easy to use.

When recording record the guitar track first. Then record the vocal. By doing this you can increase or decrease the volume of the guitar or the vocal separately. If you record both at ones you need a mixer to set the levels until they sound right. The problem with this is that when you apply settings to the guitar they are also set to your vocal so it's best to record them as separate tracks.

If you want to go crazy you can get a midi controller. What this does is utilizes virtual instruments in the Mixcraft 6 or other recording software and you can add drums, strings, orchestras or parts of orchestras, bass, pretty much anything you might want including bag pipes.

I recommend:

Mixcraft 6 (has tons of tutorials on you tube)
Tascam US-144 MKII (computer interface [Its really an external sound card])
MXL V63M to get you started. As you get more adept get a couple cheap condensor pencil mics to record your guitar. It's better than plugging in.
You will also need a set of headphones to plug into the computer interface.

Good Luck

[johnd]

Sorry for the late return - thankyou for those two very helpful posts.

I have a decent mic already, I don't know the type but it's the same as use for singers at our church. So I suppose it's low-mid end 'real' mic as opposed to a PC mic used for Skype

I figure a USB interface is preferable to a plain mini mixing desk. However one question here... will these kind of thing (say in the $100-200 range) only export a single output to the recording software like Audacity - is it pre-mixed before getting to USB? It's not a problem but I've no familiarity at all, whether recording multiple channels simultaneously is a pro-level feature?

BTW these are two low-end but well-reviewed examples I found on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-30.../dp/B005EHILV4
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alesis-Multi.../dp/B001T9O5VG

Bearing in mind I really just want to muck about for fun, any comments?

Thanks again!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by johnd

...I figure a USB interface is preferable to a plain mini mixing desk. However one question here... will these kind of thing (say in the $100-200 range) only export a single output to the recording software like Audacity - is it pre-mixed before getting to USB? It's not a problem but I've no familiarity at all, whether recording multiple channels simultaneously is a pro-level feature?

Hi john...
The USB interfaces come in single, dual, and up to 8 inputs (probably more actually).

The number of inputs and preamps on the interface, your computer and the software dictate how many channels you can record simultaneously.

Look for a unit which has dual input capability on each channel (1/4'' or/and XLR), and phantom power (for condenser mics).

Lexicon builds interfaces in 2 to 4 channel models from $60 to $150. The Omega is 4 simultaneous channels, and headphone control with the ability to dial down the latency. It's a good unit with decent preamps and lots of options, yet simple enough for average-people to operate.

[johnd]

I maybe didn't ask the right question - I know the interface box has multiple inputs, but I am not sure what outputs it has to the PC... if everything is pre-mixed before going through USB as a single channel, or the input channels are passed individually to the PC like they would be if I connected to the PC using line-in.

e.g. if I had a simple interface with just one XLR vocal input and one 1/4" guitar input, would it show up as two channels on my PC, or one? Or does this vary depending how much I spend?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by johnd

I maybe didn't ask the right question - I know the interface box has multiple inputs, but I am not sure what outputs it has to the PC... if everything is pre-mixed before going through USB as a single channel, or the input channels are passed individually to the PC like they would be if I connected to the PC using line-in.

e.g. if I had a simple interface with just one XLR vocal input and one 1/4" guitar input, would it show up as two channels on my PC, or one? Or does this vary depending how much I spend?

Hi john...
A single USB out/in from the interface to the computer will permit multiple channels to be split out and recorded simultaneously.

[johnd]

Thanks, great!

[Scott Whigham]

John -

You might also go down to a local (major guitar retail chain store) - the guys behind the desk will totally answer all of these questions too. If that's not an option, you'd be surprised how helpful the guys at Sweetwater, Front End Audio, SoundPure, etc are. They love finding someone at the beginning of the journey and helping them get started right. They know that, if you use them and get good results, that you'll be back. So don't be shy about picking up the phone to call their 800 number - you can get lots of questions answered quickly at no charge.

Enjoy the journey

[johnd]

Yeah I might do that

[moon]

A second-hand Apogee Duet will stretch your budget a little but they've got good pre-amps and great audio quality. You won't get anything as good at that price. Two channels only.

Another decent option on a budget is an M-Audio 2496 PCI card and an M-Audio DMP3 pre-amp (I'd steer clear of cheap USB interfaces, as a rule). The 2496 has got solid drivers for mac and linux; it also worked well on older versions of windows but I can't vouch for the latest ones. The DMP3 is a surprisingly good, clean pre-amp for the price. Again, keep an eye on ebay for second-hand bargains.