songwriter seeking advise on getting started with home recording

[soon2beheard]

heya i'm a songwriter with not a great deal of vocal ability aiming to predominantly write for musicians, and send in demos and what not.. i have also got some loose conections at the moment, but definatly need to expand and get out there meeting bands.
i'm not sure if anyones familiar with the uk's jamie t but my sound is sought of like the australian equivalant, crossed between that and australias hilltop hoods. kind of a hip hop/indie mix.. i have also got the ability to write in other genres (rock, roots etc) and have done so.
i have basically no recording experience and have limeted knowledge with computer technology, but i'm eager to learn. i've got a small budget of around $1000 to start with. i've got a new notebook with vista which was approx $2000. would a soundcard with pre amps, mic(s), and pro tools m powered 7 be sufficient equipment to begin with? i see this site strongly support cubase but the people i've talked to have recommended pro tools plus i know someone who uses pro tools..
i want my first investment to be inexpensive but also give me the option of building apon what i have and upgrading once i've clocked up some time and experience. and hopefully see some progress..
could you give me any advise or recomendations on the equipment needed? Keeping in mind i havent got an enormous budget, and probably wont be releasing any hit songs in the next 6 months.
thanks heaps.. i'd appreciate any feedback cheers ;-)

[brandondrury]

would a soundcard with pre amps, mic(s), and pro tools m powered 7 be sufficient equipment to begin with?

Maybe this was a typo, but the Pro Tools M-Powered 7 is a soundcard with preamps.

i see this site strongly support cubase but the people i've talked to have recommended pro tools plus i know someone who uses pro tools..

Pro Tools has one advantage in that it makes it easy to take tracks back and forth to big studios (which pretty much all use Pro Tools). That's it. No one seams excited by their sequencer and you are going to pay WAY more for Pro Tools in the end than if you go with other software.

In the end, just about anything these days is capable of cranking out great recordings. It's the people that make the difference (performances, songwriting, engineering, and producing). So don't expect higher quality recordings because you dump $500 on a Digidesign rig (or more for a package like this) or $200 on a Tascam UL-122 / Cubase LE rig. I'd expect it to be the same.

If you have a CLOSE friend who can teach you Pro Tools, this will make things easier to learn. There is no doubt about that. However, I've never had a person teach me anything about Cubase in person and I can use it without a hitch. So unless you plan on working closely with other musicians who also use Pro Tools, I'd put some of that money into my back pocket.

Brandon

[soon2beheard]

my apologies.. as i previously stated i'm only beginning to learn about home recording and the neccessary tools to record my songs, and dont know my way around a computer all that well so far. but while googling i stumbled across the pro tools m powered 7 and it hinted it was software. are you positive its a sound card? M-AUDIO - Pro Tools M-Powered 7.1 - M-Audio Compatible World Class Production Software
Also a producer i know gave me a rough outline of the options out there and although he uses pro tools (its prob why he has such big raps for it), he thinks that someone in my position with little computer experience might find the cubases set up difficult to learn. he suggested it is a little more complicated than the alternatives.
i personally wouldnt know i havent tryed either, and would be quite content forking out less money for a cheaper software (cubase or any other) if it produces the same quality AND is just as easy to learn.. i'm finding that its a he says - she says type of situation. i've also read that cubase is definatly more superior when it comes to midi but hey i'm not sure how often i'll be working with midi.. intially anyways. i'd have to get my bearings on other areas to begin with. i'm just trying to hear as many opinions as i can before i start reaching for my wallet.
the guy i know is just a friend of a friend, but told me he's happy to help me get started.. but apart from a few valuable hours i'd be on my own

[brandondrury]

he suggested it is a little more complicated than the alternatives.

This is a scare tactic that only works on people who are afraid of learning. Guess what. Recording is a craft that you will NEVER master. Even the robo big boys are always learning all the time. Forget how complicated Cubase or Pro Tools is (I'd imagine they are exactly the same). When you start coming up with Helmholtz Resonator dimensions and you need to pull out upper level Algebra you'll really think this is complicated.

Of course, designing bass traps for your studio is optional. So are the crazy features in Cubase. Cubase has some insanely well thought out features, but they are organized nicely in the menus. You don't have to even know they exist. However, when there is a problem usually Cubase has come up with a way to deal with it. That's all "complicated" means. But your buddy is right. If you want to master every single in Cubase, it would take your forever. That's why no one bothers to learn every feature.

Cubase is easy when you know how. Cubase is hard when you don't. The same can be said for ANY piece of software. There have been a few guys on here who have posted threads at how much easier Cubase was to learn than they had thought.

I opened up Pro Tools at a buddy's studio once. I didn't know how to do anything. My point is you will have to learn how to record with any program. They all pretty much work the same once you figure out what buttons do what.

i'm just trying to hear as many opinions as i can before i start reaching for my wallet.

Okay, here's my official stance.

If you are not going to be carrying an external hard drive to big studios to lay tracks on your stuff and then head back to your studio to do other stuff, there is no need to pay the higher price for Pro Tools. (I still do this from time to time. I just have to take 30 seconds to prepare the files in Cubase first). For all practical purposes, you will NEVER hear a difference between the various pieces of software out there. Considering that you can put more money into room acoustics and studio monitors going the Cubase route, it's ridiculous to put all your money in a fancy name (Pro Tools) unless you are going to take advantage of the ONLY area it stands out.

[www.e-studio-drummer.com]

Pro tools is probably your best choice. You can get an pro tools interface that will work with your computer for a few hundred bucks, just check into the connectivity.
I found that watching someone run a program like this is the best way to learn it. You can spend a long time in the manuals reading but it can be very confusing. Pick your friend's brain about how pro tools works, the key commands etc.
I use Logic audio and it has great soft synths and virtual instruments but it's hard to learn, or harder I'd say. Get yourself a decent mic too. You can pick up a good condenser now for around 300 bucks or so.

[www.e-studio-drummer.com]

Also you might want to outsource some of your tracking. There's great people available on line. Guitar, bass, drums, fiddle, violin.. you name it. Check my site out to get an idea if you like.

[Charlie_M]

Nothing against protools... I have 7.3 LE and consider it a fine product for what it is.

never used Cubase but if it's good enough for Brandon then I'm sure it's a top notch tool. Many strong adherents of Cubase, especially for people who use a lot of midi.

Having said all that... and just a beginner now with about a year since first pushing the record button, I do wish I had known about this:

REAPER | About

on day one.

Free trial - check it out and make up your own mind about whether its' worth $50 for a non-commercial license ($225 for commercial IIRC).

I only use midi for drums and for that I rewire reason into reaper. From what I read the midi sequencing on reaper is getting pretty good these days. The pace of development has been stunning.

Just another option to consider.... Good luck.

Charlie