home recording equipment - help needed

[Niko]

I need some advice on recording stuff with my laptop (not starting a band, rather trying not to start one)... i have some equipment and i think i need some more, would like to spend a total of about 200$ in the hope that this enables me to record in half-decent sound quality... i have a laptop with a cheap soundcard. i have a guitar and a keyboard with a headphone output and a midi output (both of which i would like to use), i also have a standard shure microphone (usually used for vocals on stage - will it help here? for recording vocals and maybe some saxophone, flute, shakers whatever); i have a program whose name i don't remember at the moment, i think it can do everything i need (magix...), let's assume i don't need additional software... being able to record two things at a time (maybe even into different tracks) would be great but not mandatory...

things which i assume i might need are an external soundcard, some usb audio interface or a mixer, maybe an additional device for midi... but do i need all of these? what are god products/brands?... i badly need some help!

thanks in advance...

[analogak]

nikk sixx, you probably should look into buying a decent firewire or usb interface. do they have craigslist in saxony?

i think you do not want something made by m-audio since you do not want pro tools it sounds like (say you don't want more software, plus that would set you back $$$). um who else makes a decent interface? alesis, i think? but i think if you buy a decent interface you would be ok. it should have all sort of jack inputs for instruments and mics, etc. but it will be more than $200 unless you go used. you don't want to go through a bad soundcard if this is a real endeavor.

[Jim Alfredson]

Yes, I would look for an audio interface that comes with software. I use Presonus Firepods, which come with Cubase LE (I have since upgraded to the full version of Cubase, Cubase 4). Cubase LE let's you playback up to 48 tracks at a time, supports MIDI and audio recording, has built-in effects like compression, reverb, etc. and is pretty easy to use.

Presonus offers the Firebox, which has two microphone preamps and two line inputs I believe. They retail for $300, but I bet you could fine one for around $200 used on eBay or the like.

The preamps on Presonus stuff are quite good for the price point. It is convenient to have audio interfaces with built-in preamps because then you can just plug your mic in channel one, your guitar direct into channel two, and rock out.

[Niko]

thank you guys!

seems, all i need is a thing like this alesis one?

the near-by shop which i'd prefer to use (as they have good prices i think and proved to be reliable so far) doesn't have presonus if i didn't overlook it but similar objects at a similar price (slightly above 200$ which is ok) from tascam and edirol...

any ideas which is the one to get? alesis?

thanks again!

(my software is called magix music studio, i bought it cheaply from zweitausendeins, it has one program which is some sort of logic rip-off and another one which is a multitrack wave editor (i think the bought the rights to samplitude))

[Niko]

you don't want to go through a bad soundcard if this is a real endeavor.

one more stupid question... is the soundcard on a normal dell laptop (like one year old) bad, half-decent or even better? is this a severe problem?

[Jim Alfredson]

The problem with any built-in soundcard on any computer is that it is not in any way optimized for audio recording and especially not for multitracking. You need something that supports ASIO or else you'll be dealing with enormous latency. You also need something that has professional inputs and outputs, including microphone preamplifiers, not 1/8" jacks.

The Alesis looks cool.

[Niko]

The problem with any built-in soundcard on any computer is that it is not in any way optimized for audio recording and especially not for multitracking. You need something that supports ASIO or else you'll be dealing with enormous latency. You also need something that has professional inputs and outputs, including microphone preamplifiers, not 1/8" jacks.

The Alesis looks cool.

now i'm confused...(more or less still the same confusion that made me start this thread) does the alesis "include/substitute a soundcard" or does it "cooperate" with my soundcard (i assume the latter...)?

how do i find out whether my soundcard is good enough/can do asio? Could one say, if the soundcard can do asio it is good enough for the (not overly ambitious) start and if it can't it's not? could i get an external soundcard at a later date and it would work together with the alesis?

"You also need something that has professional inputs and outputs, including microphone preamplifiers, not 1/8" jacks.

if my onboard soundcard" this is the problem the alesis takes care of, right?

you have already helped me a lot! thank you!

Edited February 25, 2008 by Niko

[Niko]

ok, did some googling and came to the conclusion that a usb audio interface like this alesis is in fact a fancy soundcard so if i get it i don't need to worry about my onboard soundcard anymore... so unless this conclusion is wrong, i'm all set! thanks again!

[Jim Alfredson]

Right. You do not want to use your internal soundcard for recording audio. The Alesis will not work with the internal soundcard, it will replace it. And you'll be much better off!