new to recording. your suggestions please

[elhefe74]

ive only been playin guitar for about 6 years. ive been writing songs for alomost as long. i also sing a little. me and a friend have been playin together for abou 5 years and weve built up a collection of original music. neither one of us has ever recorded before and neither one of us are very good on the computer. we play mostly accoustic music. its just me and him right now but we both play multipe instruments. i play guitar,resonator and mandolin. he plays guitar,keys and congas. we also plan on adding other musicians. so what kinda programs,mics,mixers or anything else do you suggest. keep in mind this has to been done on a blue collar mans budget.


thanx friends,

elhefe

[Electriclight]

The first decision you need to make is whether to record with a computer or a standalone recorder.

In the long run, a computer set up has more options and possibilites for upgrading, but if you are uncomfortable with computers in general, standalones offer a great way to start recording without the headaches of installing software, drivers, RAM, hard drives and general computer type problems.

[elhefe74]

thanx electric light. interesting name reminds me of a song i know. n e way. im pretty much set on goin the computer route. its time i woke from my slumber and entered the age of technology. that bein said whatcha think?

el hefe

[Electriclight]

You will lneed an audio interface. Use the Soundcard Wizard on this site to help give you some suggestions.

You will need to decide how many simultaneous inputs you will require, if you prefer a PCI card (that would mean going inside your computer to install) USB, or FIREWIRE, whether or not you want MIDI capabilities, adn if you need phantom power (Probably, see below.)

Nearly all audio interfaces come bundled with good recording software, so I would hold off on purchasing any until you are sure you need it.

You will want some monitors to mix by. (Studio monitors are special speakers with a flat response.)

Since these are acoustic instruments, you will require some microphones, probably at least two of which are condensor microphones (these require phantom power, usually supplied by the audio interface).

A few cables and you are good to go. A minimal budget would probably be $500 and the sky is the limit. Realistically a nice setup would run around $1000. But you will get all kinds of opinions on this. What I think is a luxury others may think is essential.

[elhefe74]

thanx alot. that is good info. only other thing i need to know is a program suggestions. have any?

elhefe

[Electriclight]

Nearly all audio interfaces come bundled with good recording software, so I would hold off on purchasing any until you are sure you need it.