Pc used for recordings

[volcom437b]

hey, i plan to buy a pc..especially for recordings drums and guitars...
what are the minimum specs do i need? i have a budget(1000$)
thx

[neatobassman]

I would say go for a Mac. They have better profesional programs then Windows. Ask any computer nerd, Macs for work, Windows for play.

[airborne50caliber]

Very true. You will not beat logic on a mac. However if you want a computer that does more than just your audio work (eg msn, games) you might want to get a pc instead. They are also cheaper, macs are expensive, but if you're using it for just audio work and other work, you'll not regret it.

[volcom437b]

oh thx for the replies
yeah im also using it for work but mainly for recordings..so any min. specs like soundcard (i heard about soundblaster audigi 2)?

if the soundcard has many inputs would i still need a mixer?

last question: :confused:

many inputs = many line-in? because i saw soundcards and there was like 1 line-in , rca , mic in... etc...so would i plug a second mic in rca 'cuz line-in would be used?

ps: im real noob in recording

[gaz12369]

So do you want a mac or not? Either way, your looking at:

Good spec computer, whichever it may be. If you go for a PC, id get 1 gig of ram.

Good audio recording program, as airborne said, Logic is good for mac, for PC, the usuals... Cubase, Cool Edit Pro, etc, im in the middle of looking for one myself.

Multiple input audio interface. You could either get a Firewire one, probably best if you choose a mac, or a USB 2 one (only 3 are in production at the mo, 2 edirol, 1 behringer), or for PC, a PCI card with breakout box.

Your probably then going to want mic pre-amps, as sometimes they might be a bit lame on the interface, but some tend to be ok these days, and again, it will depend on how many channels you need.

You might want an external compressor, to make sure the signal doesnt clip when it enters the digital stage, and then any other external hardware you might want.

You've also got to keep in mind what mics you want.

Its late, someone else can add some more, but thats a very basic outline for a 'project' recording setup.

[volcom437b]

thx gaz
i'll go with a pc
i thought about getting a ''Behringer UB1002 Eurorack 10 Input Mixer''
mics..somewhere around 3 mics
and for the preamps...ill stay with the preamps included in the mixer
as for the audio interface...i really dont know what is that...well what allows me an audio interface

is it really important to buy that?

[gaz12369]

Well it depends on how many channels you want to record at once, but some form of audio interface is important, even if its just a good soundcard.

For just a behind-the-computer soundcard, you could look for something along the lines of this:
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Audiophile2496-main.html

That will limit you to 2 tracks of recording, but yes, you could put everything into the mixer and just record everything at once, or you could record things one at a time.


If you want some more tracks to record on (simultaneously), then you'd be looking at something like this:
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Delta44-main.html

That will allow up to 4 mono tracks at a time, or 2 stereo tracks.

You can get something which is similar to the above, but has 8 inputs, allowing 8 tracks of recording, its on the m-audio site if you want to look.


If you DO only want to record 2 tracks at a time, it would be worth checking out something like this
http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ua25.html

Its USB, so you wouldnt have to open your computer, and you could get away with not having a mixer aswell.


If you want something like that, but with more tracks, its worth looking at a firewire device, but you might have to install a firewire port on your PC.

[airborne50caliber]

If two tracks is enough, the iMic is great & cheap for mac.

[gaz12369]

If two tracks is enough, the iMic is great & cheap for mac.

Depends how professional you want it to sound really..

[volcom437b]

okay i know what soundcard to take
but any other specs on the pc to look at ...bercause i dont wanna pay for somethuing i dont really need like the video card

[moaner]

i think he means its good value.

[volcom437b]

yea^^^thats what i mean thx

[airborne50caliber]

i think he means its good value.

If you meant me, the iMic has never given me audio problems and i've tried big interfaces and they don't really sound any better.

[gaz12369]

Well for a PC your going to want lots of RAM, id go for 1 Gig, but 768mb is good, 512 is managable, but struggles if your running several programs.

Another important thing is the monitor. Get a TFT. Can't remember exactly why, but it wont make your guitar get feedback. If you can afford it, get a 17", or bigger. Space runs out rather quickly with audio programs.

You might also want to invest in some proper monitors (speakers), as PC speakers are not built for flat frequency response, they tend to be built to make music sound good, not to show how it 'really' sounds.

Get a CD burner - you'll want to back up your files so burning them to CD is cheap and convenient.

Soundcard has been covered, but just make sure it does what you want it to do, and thats its compatible with your PC.


Something that i just thought of... you might want to have a look at either an external hard drive, so if your PC crashes your stuff will be stored outside the PC, or a 'dual layer' one (not sure of the correct name), but its basically two hard drives in one, and it writes to both, so if it crashes or gets a virus you can restore all your work from the other 'disk'.

[moaner]

Another important thing is the monitor. Get a TFT. Can't remember exactly why, but it wont make your guitar get feedback. If you can afford it, get a 17", or bigger. Space runs out rather quickly with audio programs.

normal monitors have horrible hum causing tendancies that can also affect speakers, as well as guitar/bass pickups (especially with distoriton)

[volcom437b]

okay thx everyone
i hear something that external soundcards are not as good as internaL cuz external are pluged via usb, am i right?

[hethamulburton]

Get one with tons of memory, a burner, and lots of RAM- like 512MB or more, also gets a good sound card, see if you can do a custom build through a company, and ask for a top of the line sound card, and get some good speakers, that don't do too much bass. It may be a little over a 1000 but it depends on the company. Make sure it has many many USB ports.

[moaner]

okay thx everyone
i hear something that external soundcards are not as good as internaL cuz external are pluged via usb, am i right?

bollocks.

They're both fairly effective. However, i side with the argument that noise form the fann could get into your signal in internal cards. And USB is a lot more convinient.

[volcom437b]

i dont think it could get into the signal..sound from the fann isnt eletronic...?

[airborne50caliber]

I think it bloody well could.

[moaner]

the fan is spinning, and anything can cause inteferance when it wants to.

[volcom437b]

okay...is there any other factors that affect the quality of the sound besides the soundcard and the mics ? keep in mind that i dont plan on doing a professional studio

[moaner]

everything in the signal chain.

[volcom437b]

ok so i got a deal at a shop:

intel p4 3ghz
audigy 2 zx platinum soundcard
geforce 6 video card
speaker with subwoofer
keyboard, mouse

and everything else i need to made it works
total: 1600 $cdn, (1000$ us?)

is it worth it?

[joeljjison]

just 1 speaker :S

rather than getting good speakers you might find it cheaper and more useful to buy a good pair of headphones. maybe a pair of sennheiser hd200. I don't know very much about different soundcard choices.

[volcom437b]

^^^speakerS

[joeljjison]

^^^speakerS
:thumb:

[Seafroggys]

I've never heard of a GeForce 6....they stopped using numbers at 4. And are you gonna be playing games? Because if not you don't even need a Geforce 6...I'd pick up a cheap video card from somewhere else. They're hardly any money, and if you do decide to play games you'll only be down $10-30 when you get a new top of the line graphics card.