Advice on a laptop and some other things

[Implements Of Destruction]

Well i've got about £1000 grand to spend on some things. I was planning on get a laptop so i can record my guitar onto it and put some midi drums. So i would be getting a Pod XT as well. However i was also possibly thinking of getting a mixer and some mics so i can do some little demo's of my band. Any input would be nice really, maybe some suggestion on certain equipment to get and whether it would be worth getting a mixer with the amount of money i had. Thanks in advance

[FatherKeeL]

well first of all, why a laptop? i mean, you can use any old computer to record. just buy a couple of RAM and itl work.

and with everything else. i mean. everybody works differently and has different ideas on how to do things right.

id say just get some qualety mics an audio interface, and thats it. (dont fool around with sm57 or sm58. especially the sm58 is completely overrated imho)

well ok. sm57 actually is quite decent for recording distorted guitar and some drum and percussion stuff.

FK

[pitchfork]

FK you do realise the sm58 is the sm57 with a wind sheild?
Also they must be doing something right seeing as nearly all famous artists use them and they're only £70 a pop.

For a laptop I would suggest at least:
1.88ghz
1GB Ram
100GB hdd
250gb external drive (if you plan to keep recordings)
a good interface
cubase

Though really a desktop is better.

When you do the demo you will need a minimum of 4 mic inputs on the mixer to do piece by piece recording.
You will need 2 condensor mics
A kick drum mic
and a good snare/vocal mic (such as the sm57)

To mic to the drums:
Place the two overheads overhead aiming toward the cymbals and toms.
Mic the kick internally
Mic the snare on top

Record guitar amps using the pod or mic the amps 3 inches from the cone.

Put the bass line in or mic it with the kick mic.

Vocals should be miced with a good vocal mic (SM58 or 57) and preferably using a pop filter.

[DylanYoung]

Don't get the SM58 for recording. On stage they are great, but for recording you need a mic with more feeling. Try to get a Rode NT1 or NT1000. Those are not to expensive. They are great for Guitar and Vocals.

[FatherKeeL]

come on. who has ever heard of anybody using sm58 in a studio?

i mean yeah, its a good thing for live and for budget.

but if you want a good and cheep vocal mic i would get something like this

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-MXL-990-Condenser-Microphone-with-Shockmount?sku=273156

this here is a really good deal as well i find

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-MXL-990MXL-991-Recording-Microphone-Package?sku=273166

basically forget akgs unless you *really* have a lot of money to buy top end AKG equipment. otherwise go for MXL