volume/distortion problem

[bboyrookie]

hi all, i'm very new to recording and i'm encountering some problems.

lets say when i record my guitar, its very soft in the computer so i'll have to pump up the volume so it matches my vocals... but when i raise the volume it alw gets distorted.

same thing for my voice, my voice alw gets distorted when i sing too loud.

is there a way to remove the distortion without compensating on the volume?

i'm using adobe audtion. thanks =)

[brandondrury]

It's your computers sound card. I'd recommend you pick up a new sound card. Check out the Home Recording Sound Card Wizard in my signature.

Brandon

[bboyrookie]

sorry for the late reply, been kinda busy. but thanks alot. i'm looking into soundcard guide now. cheers! =)

[brandondrury]

Sure.

Just let us know if you have any questions.

Brandon

[bboyrookie]

thanks alot for your guide. hm just that when i'm at the "results" page for the type of soundcard i should use, it alw shows "no results"... am i doing something wrong?

also i was wondering if, instead of getting a soundcard, will getting a mixer help in terms of sound quality, and preventing the sound from distorting when its still not very loud? do mixers have preamps?

cos i was thinking of getting a cheap 8 input yamaha mixer, can kill two birds with one stone cos i can record on my comp, and use it on my amplifier (for busking) at the same time.

thanks for your help again =)

[brandondrury]

thanks alot for your guide. hm just that when i'm at the "results" page for the type of soundcard i should use, it alw shows "no results"... am i doing something wrong?

It sounds like no sound cards meet your needs. Try going through the wizard again. If you can send me the URL (it will be LOOOONNNNNNGGGGG!!) I can see what's going on.

More than likely, you've been too demanding. (Probably in features that are not that important...like digital inputs).

It is possible that my script is just screwed up. It was my first programming attempt.

also i was wondering if, instead of getting a soundcard, will getting a mixer help in terms of sound quality, and preventing the sound from distorting when its still not very loud? do mixers have preamps?

The trim knob at the top of a mixer is a preamp. It's the exact same thing, but the preamp found in a mixer is usually of lower quality than a stand alone preamp simply because the $$$ has to go towards the other parts in the mixer.

There is no sound quality benefit from using a mixer vs using a stand alone preamp. In fact, in most cases the stand alone preamp will sound marginally and subtlely better.

If you are trying to record without a preamp, you are wasting your time, in my opinion.

cos i was thinking of getting a cheap 8 input yamaha mixer, can kill two birds with one stone cos i can record on my comp, and use it on my amplifier (for busking) at the same time.

What is "busking"? This sounds like a British word.

I'm assuming you mean for some sort of live sound. You can certainly use a small mixer as your preamp and for PA stuff as well. Just make sure you get a mixer with inserts.

Brandon