Recording Music on a Computer

MindlessRiff

MindlessRiff

454
MindlessRiff
Hey peeps :) So I've been toying with the idea recently of doing some casual music recording on my computer and have a few questions.

Main one being, will I need a dedicated sound card to get decent quality, or will onboard sound suffice? This is my motherboard. If so, how much will I need to spend on one to get something which sounds good? I'm not looking for anything special really, just want to get something which is halfway decent. :)

Secondly, which is the best way to get my sound into the computer? I play guitar and have an amp, so from there I can either plug my guitar directly to the computer (don't have a cable for that currently), or I can plug my guitar into my amp, which is then plugged into the computer. AFAIK I have no other way of doing it, if there is, tell me! :P

I've recorded some stuff on my laptop before, which was pretty poor quality using a line in from my amp, but I'm not sure if it was my laptops sound quality or something else.

Lastly, does anyone know of any free/reasonably cheap recording software I can use? I've used audacity in the past, which gets the job done, pretty simple. Would like a little more editing power though perhaps in the future.

I'm pretty much a novice in this area at the mo, so any wisdom you can impart on me will be greatly appreciated. :) Thanks for reading
 
MindlessRiff
Hey peeps :) So I've been toying with the idea recently of doing some casual music recording on my computer and have a few questions.

Main one being, will I need a dedicated sound card to get decent quality, or will onboard sound suffice? This is my motherboard. If so, how much will I need to spend on one to get something which sounds good? I'm not looking for anything special really, just want to get something which is halfway decent. :)
Click to expand...

Depends how much noise you can live with. An onboard sound card can be sufficient on a budget, but can often get noisy even at moderate recording levels (it isn't fun to listen back to recordings and it sounds static-y.)

Secondly, which is the best way to get my sound into the computer? I play guitar and have an amp, so from there I can either plug my guitar directly to the computer (don't have a cable for that currently), or I can plug my guitar into my amp, which is then plugged into the computer. AFAIK I have no other way of doing it, if there is, tell me! :P
Click to expand...

Not sure on this one (I don't play an instrument myself), but I assume that you could go either way on that. Just remember that if you go straight from guitar to a line-in port anything that the amp itself adds won't be there. I'm not sure on how guitars work, so you might need the amp for any volume anyway.

I've recorded some stuff on my laptop before, which was pretty poor quality using a line in from my amp, but I'm not sure if it was my laptops sound quality or something else.
Click to expand...

Possibly your laptop. I couldn't be sure without knowing what else was involved.

Lastly, does anyone know of any free/reasonably cheap recording software I can use? I've used audacity in the past, which gets the job done, pretty simple. Would like a little more editing power though perhaps in the future.
Click to expand...

Audacity is definitely a good one. It can be as simple as you want it be but can be much more powerful if you need it to be.
 
If you're wanting to record ONLY guitar and amp I recommend a looping station such as the Boss RC-3. It allows transfer by usb to computer.

I own one and it seems to work quite well for recording/dubbing.


Granted, the "drums" are not recorded in the files but if you plan on dubbing other instruments such as drums and bass then you wouldn't want the sound of the drums added anyway.
 
1: Don't use USB. Picks up transfer 'noise', which bugs the living crap out of someone that's hardcore on it like me. You mightn't hear it at first, 80% of people can't, but if you listen to it long and hard enough you can hear it. Trust me, I havn't spent countless hours in a studio for nothing :P Use your standard 3.5mm jack going into your motherboard. Preferably the one on the back IO, not the front header. With sound, the less cable, the better, so using the one that plugs directly into the mainframe, saves cable and you get a clearer sound.

2: Onboard sound will be fine, as just mentioned. Though if you get hardcore about it, look into an ASUS Sound card. Even their budget ones kick the arse out of onboard sound. But this is only if you get really into it.

3: Audacity will be enough to get you kicked off, but if you had a few dollars to throw somewhere, pick up some software. I can't really tell you what's best on the PC side, I only work with Mac software for the most part. However I can tell you, don't concern yourself with Fruity Loops. It's a useable software but it's a bit too basic, even for a beginner. Again, if you get hardcore about it, Logic Studio is the way to go. $1000 piece of software, mind you, but bloody worth it.

Right, now, onto actually recording your guitar.

Idealy, pick up an instrumental mic and a mixer. However, I'm assuming you don't have $400 to throw at that, so the next best thing is just a line straight from the guitar, use a 6mm to 3.5mm adapter, and plug into the mic in line on the comp. For that though, you're going to be needing software if you want effects and distrortion. Personally, I dislike software effects, they most I may use is a little reverb or delay. I prefer what I record to sound the way I play it on stage. For that, does your amp have a headphone out jack? If so, that can be a cheats way of plugging into it, and from there you can use Audacity, and the onboard effects on your amp. Saves a bit of dollars, that's the way you'll want to go if you're trying to do this for free.

If you have some money, like I said, pick up a small 4 - 8 channel mixer and a $100 - $150 instrumental mic and stand (not a voice mic, specifically an instrumental mic). Sit that, about 3 inches, maybe 4, from the speaker in your amp (assuming it's an all in one amp and not a stack), crank it up, and record. Again, with this method you can record through Audacity, or ideally pick up software.

Also, there's other members around here that have been in the studio for a bit longer than me. I know Pako is one, there's a few others whos name escapes me. Just a few pointers I thought would help :) Sorry if I kinda repeated myself or wasn't clear, just tell me and I can re-write it if you want. I was just typing it as it came off my head :P
 
Last edited:
^ It's got Fruity Loops in the name...

Do the math yourself. Mind you, I did say it's useable software. I can only go by what I've been told, like I said, I havn't used the software properly. I use Mac based software more than anything. However, other people have told me it's kinda basic in comparison to what else is available, and not worth it. I have seen the interface on YouTube though, it seems very childish. But, once again, it can be used. Just not to my liking, like I said.
 
It's a different workflow. For some people, a step sequencer works better for them. It doesn't really matter what DAW you use nowadays, it's more about the vst's and plugins that you use. Yes, in the past FL Studio was more like a toy, but has become a powerhouse under the seemingly simple layout.
 
You can get plenty of recording and editing software with Ubuntu Studio, I haven't used it but the list is pretty long. This would mean you have to dual boot and possibly format your hard drive but it may be worth it depending on how much you are going to be recording.
http://ubuntustudio.org/
 
^ Oh YES! I forgot about that. If you were willing to dual boot or use a virtual machine, that would be great. I havn't used it, but a mate of mine swears by it.
 
Audacity. Run your line to a 1/4" to 1/8" stereo adapter to your line in on your pc. Record away.
 
i used to use audacity for recording mixes, swap file usage on a 70 minute recording was insanely huge, switched to sony soundforge because of that which is brilliant. Was probably a bug in the version of audacity i was using it would eat up like 10-15gb of hd space
 
A few pointers for you.

1. A microphone is the best way to capture your sound - a Shure SM57 is very affordable and one of the most popular in the industry for recording guitar amplifiers. When searching for these stay away from Ebay as fakes are very common and widespread, buy from trusted websites/stores.

2. Audio Interface - Stay away from multimedia/gaming type soundcards, and I'm not sure why an "ASUS" card was suggested. There is no reason these cannot work but if you're going to buy something for recording then you may aswell buy something intended for the purpose. In the very affordable range you could get something like a Presonus Audiobox USB interface, as a guitarist a Line 6 Toneport may also be worth a look.

You could also get an XLR to 1/4inch jack lead and then a 1/4inch to 3.5mm jack converter and plug the microphone into your current (onboard) soundcard. This is far from ideal and you may run into issues with latency, artifects in the music and possibly noise level issues... HOWEVER, the chances are that to begin with this option may be perfectly viable and you will know yourself if an upgrade to a dedicated interface is worth the price.


DAW / Software - I've personally used Pro Tools, Logic and Cubase and dabbled a little with Fruity Loops. With Logic these days being limited to Apple OSX it is out of the question. I've personally only used Pro Tools in high end studios (the ones that cost more than an average house!) and while it is very powerful I personally don't think It has any real advantages over Cubase in creating the final product, and as with most DAW software programs it really comes down to personal preference.

I am a Cubase user at home, I can't speak for audacity as I've never actually used it, but if it is cheap/free then I guess its worth a try. As for Cubase, I cannot recommend it highly enough, the quality and the user power and ease of use make it a joy once you have passed the initial learning phase of getting to grips with it. However, Cubase is not cheap if you want the full thing.


Personally I don't recommend you waste money on a mixer, you could be spending that money on a mic and decent quality interface (which would likely have better preamps than a similar priced mixer) in which case you would have no real use for a mixer.
 
Last edited:
^ I suggested the ASUS soundcard because soundcards, for the most part, are sound cards. Industrial sound cards, even for professional recording studios, are a waste of money. ASUS's budget cards are great and are an advantage over onboard sound. :)

They're also userally cheaper than a decent USB interface. The cheaper the USB interface is, the more transfer 'noise' it picks up, as I said in my post. A sound card and standard 3.5mm jack cables eliminate this, and it's sometimes a cheaper route. Kinda depends how far you take it. As a generality though, in my experience, USB interfaces are a waste of time. That and, I'm extremely picky about my sound, but I never EVER recommend it to anyone, weather they're new or experienced. If they're experienced, they should already know interfaces are crap anyways :P
 
tlowr4
^ I suggested the ASUS soundcard because soundcards, for the most part, are sound cards. Industrial sound cards, even for professional recording studios, are a waste of money. ASUS's budget cards are great and are an advantage over onboard sound. :)

They're also userally cheaper than a decent USB interface. The cheaper the USB interface is, the more transfer 'noise' it picks up, as I said in my post. A sound card and standard 3.5mm jack cables eliminate this, and it's sometimes a cheaper route. Kinda depends how far you take it. As a generality though, in my experience, USB interfaces are a waste of time. That and, I'm extremely picky about my sound, but I never EVER recommend it to anyone, weather they're new or experienced. If they're experienced, they should already know interfaces are crap anyways :P
Click to expand...

Couldn't you just ground it? I use a ground (built into the sound card) and it keeps all the noise away. I use an external USB 5.1 channel (very low latency) sound card with a USB interfaced mixer/controller on VDJ with timcodes, I have NO static whatsoever. I've been running this setup for a few years now and people love it. Mind you, I'm only running stereo sound, I find it better for recording.
 
^ I've tested this a lot, from $10 to $100 interfaces, using grounding and all that jazz. Maybe it's just my sensitive ears but no matter what I do there's still... something. Obviously you've had a win. Good work :D But as a whole I (and encourage others), to steer clear of USB interfaces. Just what I preach. But good to hear you've had a win, and it works for you.
 
DQuaN
Audacity should do the trick. 👍
Click to expand...

This.^^


As a DJ, I can attest to two things, that will make any and all sound production work: Audacity and a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation.) My DAW of choice: Reason 5.


Audacity will allow you to directly record anything coming out of your computer's sound cards. :) Then, after that, you can add echoes, and bleep the parts where your friends say some... unwanted things. :lol: because that's what happens.


As for microphones, I always recommend working with the best quality microphones possible. :sly: Example: because of my budget, I don't use microphones often, but I will use a Rock Band 2 microphone. It's USB, and doesn't have a POP block, and it's definitely a cardioid, meaning that it'll pick every little sound up, no matter where it comes from. If you can afford anything $100+, it's an improvement. Shure makes good mics. It was my mentor's company of choice. (I don't even sing, but, I love recording percussive sounds etc.)

Anyways, good luck, and have fun!
 
tlowr4
^ I suggested the ASUS soundcard because soundcards, for the most part, are sound cards. Industrial sound cards, even for professional recording studios, are a waste of money. ASUS's budget cards are great and are an advantage over onboard sound. :)

They're also userally cheaper than a decent USB interface. The cheaper the USB interface is, the more transfer 'noise' it picks up, as I said in my post. A sound card and standard 3.5mm jack cables eliminate this, and it's sometimes a cheaper route. Kinda depends how far you take it. As a generality though, in my experience, USB interfaces are a waste of time. That and, I'm extremely picky about my sound, but I never EVER recommend it to anyone, weather they're new or experienced. If they're experienced, they should already know interfaces are crap anyways :P
Click to expand...


I'm just going to say you're giving off a lot of skewed and misinformed advice here.I don't mean to be offensive or anything but I would definitely advise against anyone taking what you're saying seriously.
 
Anyone who's into professional recording will tell you to keep your AD/DA converters out of your computer, because that's where they pick up the most interference (not just the HDD, but also from the fans, PSU, CPU and GPU).

I would definitely go with a USB audio interface for that very reason. Firewire would be overkill since you won't use all that bandwidth. They come pretty cheap too, and will be tailored to recording (e.g. have low-latency drivers for them, like ASIO or AU).

As for ASUS cards: the fact that no professional music instrument/recording store will sell you these says enough.
 
Bigbazz
I'm just going to say you're giving off a lot of skewed and misinformed advice here.I don't mean to be offensive or anything but I would definitely advise against anyone taking what you're saying seriously.
Click to expand...

And I'm going to say the same thing about you. I guess that leaves us on neutral grounds.

If my experienced help isn't appreciated, I shan't bother 👍
 
tlowr4
And I'm going to say the same thing about you. I guess that leaves us on neutral grounds.

If my experienced help isn't appreciated, I shan't bother 👍
Click to expand...

The difference is that I do this for a living, I did my degree in music technology, have over 10 years experience and have recorded in some top end studios. Music and music production is my life.

You can hear the work I did on my personal band at

http://soundcloud.com/bluelightride/tides - one example

www.youtube.com/bluelightridetv - more here

This is personal work that I've kept mostly under wraps (as it is part of an album in writing, for a new band that has not yet launched), but for the sake of this thread I will put it there to add substance to what I am talking about and people can then make up their own minds as to whether they can take my advice seriously.
 
Last edited:

Latest Posts

Back