Guitar > Guitar Effect > Amp > Laptop ( Software )

[muthaphaqer]

Hi everyone,

This is my 1st post here. Obviously I need some advice. As you can see from the title, that is the setup that I'm currently using. Now what I'm looking for at the moment is just a proper recording sound. The problem is, Whatever sound that the guitar makes thru the amp gets recorded poorly in the laptop. So my questions are;

1. I know one of the main issue has to be with my sound card. Is there any way to get around that?

2. What part does a mixer do in my setup & where should I put it in the setup?

3. Do I need better speakers for my laptop? Since the sound that gets recorded is very distorted.

That's about it for now. Thanks in advance.


mutha...

[shylessness4924]

Hey , first i would like to say welcome on this forum!

second....lets start with one

Originally Posted by muthaphaqer

1. I know one of the main issue has to be with my sound card. Is there any way to get around that?

Unless you buy a mixer that uses a usb plug-in (so the "sound card" is in the mixer) no there's no way around that. You might want to buy a new one if it's really old. It doesn't have to be the top notch soundcard, you can find a good quality/price soundcard.

Originally Posted by muthaphaqer

2. What part does a mixer do in my setup & where should I put it in the setup?

Aight, so the mixer should be right between the amp and the laptop. The mixer will help you "control" your sound. You don't want to get this muddy sound like most ppl do (including me) when they start. You can control the gain and the volume of your sound. Also, if you want to record some vocals, you'll need that (or a pre-amp). If you're going to buy a mixer, buy one with a Phantom Power - It powers up a certain type of mic called a condenser mic (which is usually used to record vocals)

Originally Posted by muthaphaqer

3. Do I need better speakers for my laptop? Since the sound that gets recorded is very distorted.

You can do that cos usually the speakers on a laptop are VERY crappy. But I did not buy some expensive speakers. Instead i just bought some nice headphones (the big ones , you know) for 30$. You get an excellent sound and if you listen and record with a mic, this headphones will "block" the sound they make.



Hope it helps a lil!



alex

[jdaug]

also depending on the sound card or interface you get, you may not need a separate mixer, since many interfaces come with pretty good software mixers. the sound card is the key. plug your headphones into the headphone jack on the interface and forget about the crappy laptop speakers.

[muthaphaqer]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the tips & the welcome. That really clears up a lot of things. Guess I need to find a sound card then. I also did some reading on the article " Why you don't need a Mixer for Home Recording". I didn't know there are sound cards out there that has built in preamps...

How much does those thing costs? I tried doing the Sound Card wizard thing but didn't get any results. Since I won't just be recording the guitars but the drums as well, any recommendations?

Thanks in advance, you guys been a great help


Mutha...

[jdaug]

whats your budget?

[muthaphaqer]

Hey J,

I would say my budget is around $150 - $200. I hope that's enough. Is it cheaper to get a sound card & then get a preamp? Thanks man


Mutha...

[jdaug]

hmm thats not huge budget, but there are interfaces in that range. just not sure what your requirements are. i just looked on musiciansfriend.com under audio interfaces and found a bunch under $200. some of these have built in preamps, but you are going to be limited on the number of inputs at this price range. just browse around at that site or zzounds.com and see what you find. you shouldnt need a separate preamp. if you have budgetted for an interface and a preamp, I would say screw the preamp and just get a better interface with more/better built in preamps.

[muthaphaqer]

Ok, I looked around & I seen some interfaces within my budget with limited inputs of course. Now I'm wondering, what about recording the drums? Do I need preamp for that? can I just borrow a mixer & connect it to the audio interface? Something like this;

Drums > Mixer > Audio Interface > Laptop ( Software )

Or I can just ditch the audio interface? Thanks again for the help. Appreciate it.


Mutha...

[jdaug]

the interface is the most important part of the signal chain you described. your recordings sound crappy because you are trying to record on a soundcard that is not meant for audio recording. an interface is a soundcard. it will replace the soundcard in your computer, even though it is an external piece of equipment. even with a mixer, if you have a crappy soundcard you will have crappy recordings, or your software sequencer will overpower your soundcard. If you need more inputs than your soundcard/interface has, then yes you can use a mixer before your interface. the mixer should have mic pres in it. thats probably the best way to skin that cat. how many simultaneous inputs do you think you will need? my interface has 8 mic/line inputs all with decent preamps, plus 2 SPDIF, plus another 16 ADAT inputs, which is more than I will ever need. i have no need for a separate mixer, but i dont record acoustic drums.

plus, if you want to use studio monitors, you dont want to connect nice monitors to a shitty soundcard. it defeats the purpose of the monitors. you definitely want an interface. the question is do you want to spend the money on a higher end interface with a bunch of inputs and pres, or on a smaller interface plus a separate mixer to get the number of inputs you need. Or you can stack 2 interfaces together. two 8 input interfaces will give you 16 mic/line inputs. just depends on the budget and your preferences.

[muthaphaqer]

Hi J,

Can you tell me what interface are you using now? I'm actually looking for a similar type of interface with those specs. 8 inputs with decent preamps.

What does this one do?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...er?sku=187700X

Thanks again & sorry for all this noob questions


Mutha...