Does anyone here do multitrack recording on a pc?

[Pepperbelly]

I am considering getting into this but I have many questions.

For starters, getting the signal from a guitar, bass, miocrophone, or keyboard into the computer. No matter how hard I try, I cannot get the 1/4" instrument cords into the pc, even with a hammer. Is this a solution:

http://www.music123.com/M-Audio-Audio-Buddy-i22666.music

And how about this ... say you decide to start with a computerized drum track ... and decide to lay a bass line at the same time. Is the computerized digital recording fast enough to be able to play and listen to the drum track in real time? I mean ... can you hammer some headphones in somewhere and pluck the bass to the drum track and be able to easily hear both the drums and the bass, like you can with an analog multitracker? In real time...

And how about monitoring for the final mix? Would the best solution for that be powered monitors? Like this:

http://www.music123.com/Boss-DM10-Digital-Stereo-Micro-Monitor-i126112.music?t=1

So many questions ... I am thinking of getting cakewalk home studio 2 XL ...

What sort of computer would I need in terms of processor speed, disk space, memory, cd burner? And what is the dea with dual processor computers for multitracking?

Any advice is appreciated.

[iconoclastic cat]

1. Oh, for the love of Shiva, stay away from M-Audio!

They have extremely unreliable products, buggy software and horrible customer service. I had to send back 2 of their cards, and they fought me all the way. They do not support their products in terms of driver updates or docs, either.

Seriously, you are better off getting one of the Creative Labs Soundblaster cards like the Audigy 2 Pro; those cards are only about $240 max, less in many stores, and they work much better. The Audigy 2 Pro series have models that have 2 1/4 inputs, as well as a lot of other goodies that M-Audio's crappy cards do not.

Cakewalk is pretty advanced. Try N-Track first; it's easy to use, and it's much cheaper.

As for playing along with the track, yes, you can, but get at least 256 megs of ram, at the miniumum. I use triple that, and I still get some lag.

Also: yes, get a reference amp. I use an Alesis RA-100 and Alesis speakers.

[NashVegas]

2. If You Want to Do It Right

You will need a real mixing board to start with, even if it's just a little Mackie. You want the line going in as clean as you can get it.

At work we use Pro-Tools with a Yamaha (I think) 16 track on a G4 with 3 partitions + an external drive with ungodly space.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. But does he really need that to do demos?

I mean, I just use an analog 4-track to track various instruments, then dump it into the PC for further mixing and mastering.

[Pepperbelly]

4. I'm not really doing demos ...

I am just trying to capture something on disk. I multi-tracked with analog equipment but between the resistence draining all the clarity out of my stuff and the piss-poor format of the little 4 track casette, I wanted to get into something that could support the sound I am hearing as I think of this proect.

I don't have any ambitions to actually send this to anyone or, for that matter, to do music as a gig but I do have an ambition to make my stuff as good as it can be, as ornate as I want or as simple as I want. That was why I was attracted to cakewalk because of the sheer number of world cass plug-ins it has and it's cd burning.

[iconoclastic cat]

5. Sure, go for the Cakewalk app.

But stay away from M-Audio.

[Pepperbelly]

6. roger that ...

I read an online review of one card and they blasted the hell out of it. Seems that the software required a higher definition monitor or a larger one than 17 inch which makes the print roughly the size of a BB.

So above ... memory is the key to eliminating the lagtime so you can muti-track totally in real time?

Do you know what the scoop is on the double processor machines? Are they necessary to get top quality fidelity to disk?

[Pepperbelly]

7. a flutter kick request for add. info from the day time crowd. nt

:kick:

[paulk]

8. get the biggest, fastest computer you can

lots of HD, mucho RAM. I have over a gig of RAM in mine... and use it all.

I use an outboard mixer (mackie 1212) to get audio into my soundcard - first run into a compressor/limiter. One of the cool things about digital is if you got a lot of noise on your track, you can take it into a 3rd party app. (like sound forge), and clean it up.

Some cards come with breakout boxes - the new EMU cards look interesting. Trying to figure out what sound card to use is a real challenge - it depends on what you're trying to do - and if you're a novice, that's not always the easiest thing to figure out.

The soundblaster stuff is pretty reliable, though not usually considered "professional" gear.

Powered monitors are the way to go - but don't underestimate a good set of headphones.

I don't like Sonar, myself, but I have friends who swear by it. There's plenty of stuff out there - n-track, Digital Orchestrator (kind of dated, but cheap and does the job), Cubase SX - you can download Demos of all of this stuff from the net.

[truthspeaker]

9. you need a pre-amp: I use a mixer

A sound card won't amplify a microphone or electric guitar enough. I use a Behringer Eurorack. You also need a pro-quality sound card, something with either 1/4" or RCA inputs and outputs. (I fried the stock sound card on my Mac).

[Beetwasher]

10. First Of All, You Need A Special Sound Card To Do It Correctly

I have and Echo Darla 24 that has an outbox that has inputs for instrument and mic chords and outputs for headphones, monitors and etc.

You will want to run all your instruments and mics through a board first though in order to get proper volume control.

You will want as big and fast a computer as you can get. The more memory, RAM and the fastest processor you can afford. If you can afford it, get a separate hard drive, preferably SCSI for your music only. The recorded music files take up a shitload of memory.

You don't want just Cakewalk (personally I prefer Cubase) either. Different programs are better for different things. I use Acid for mixing drum tracks from samples, Cubase for recording and Wavelab for mastering.

Yes, you can play and listen to the drum track at the same time and yes you will want monitors.

You will be going to Radio Shack frequently as well!

[guitar man]

11. Get a pro sound card

There are lots of them on the market, but if you want decent results, your analog/digital converters are a vital component in the signal chain. A lot of folks are using ADATs for the converters and a lightpipe card to send the tracks into the pc. You can pick up an old ADAT cheap as dirt. Even if the tape transport is shot, if you can use the A/D converters, you have stepped up to a pro quality converter. Alanis Morrisette recorded "Jagged Little Pill" on stock blackface ADATs, so that should be an indicator of the quality of the convertors.

Other than that, the quality of mics/preamps/instruments and other signal sources will dictate how good your audio quality is. A good set of monitors and properly treated mixing room will help your mixes translate to other playback systems well. Like anything else, practice, practice, practice.


Good Luck!

[Pepperbelly]

thanx to everyone plus, another kick for more into... nt

:kick:

[Pepperbelly]

12. thanx to everyone plus, another kick for more into... nt

:kick:

[redstateblues]

13. Get A Mac

I spent 4 hellish months trying to do multi track recording on a pc when everyone in Nashville told me to get a Mac. I still use my pc for ACID, Loops and other stuff. I have loved doing music with a Mac.