Suggestions on recording live music.

[Hookem]

What would be a good way to setup a computer to record live music ???

Just need it to record the A.D.D. Players pratice.

I have a 1.4GHz P4 Gateway that I would like to setup just to record music nothing else...It has a gig of PC133 a 80gig WDJB, Plextor CDRW.

What sound card should I buy ??? And what programs would you suggest for recording, mixing and editing ???

Never messed with anything like this and would like to get it right the first time.

Thanks for any and all feedback, suggestions and general discussion on recording live music with a computer.

:)

[hUMANbEATbOX]

i use my rig for all kinds of audio production. i use reason 2.5 mostly, a bit of cubase, but when i need to do live recordings, i use sound forge. i have an audigy platinum sound card with the breakout box that goes in a cdrom bay. it has all the hookups you'll need to record live audio. you could plug a mic right into the front or even an electric guitar. i have a turntable hooked up to the front as well. its also got a midi input and output.

[Hookem]

How many mic's can you connect to the Audigy Platinum ???

I think they just have two mic's hanging from the ceiling so I would need to have connections for atleast two mic's.

I belive the mic's are mono so maybe I can get an adapter to go from two mono females to a stereo mini jack.

How many input devices can you connect to your Audigy and record them all at the same time ???

There is a company here in Houston that will come and record your gigs using just a laptop.

Also will Sound Forge do all the editing and mixing...I really do not mess with MP3's and all that business so I am really in the dark about computer audio.

On the softeware end of it I really would like to buy one program that hopefully allow me to record, edit, mix...Being easy to learn would also be a plus.

[hUMANbEATbOX]

cubase is probably one of the most powerful tools you could get. its also a bit pricy. its learning curve is a tad steep, but you really do get rewarded by your efforts. i think you can find a demo of sound forge, basically, its a wav recorder, you can have many many windows open at once, you can cut and paste parts of tracks, apply filters, change pitches, even save as mp3/wav/ect in any number of compression ratios.

at my apartement, i only ever use one mic, and my turntable, sometime a midi keyboard. i do transport my rig to a friends quasi-studio he has set up. once there, we run everything through a mixer of his, and then on to my computer where it gets edited/layered/filtered.

you could get a splitter for the mic jack, or use the jack on the front, then an adapter for the jack on the back (the one on the actual card, its the small plug, you'll most likely need the larger size for a mic). also, there is a pair of the standard red/white audio ports in the front (that's where i plug in my turntable). you could get an adapter for those to get a mic plugged in there.

[Hookem]

Well after seaching around and reading until my eyes are about to bleed...It seems I will need something with a mic preamp.

I am thinking this might be the ticket for kinda sorta cheap.

Tascam US122 (http://www.tascam.com/Products/US-122.html)

What do you think ???

Seems entry level...Guess I will go to Guitar Center and talk to my home boy and see what he thinks.

On the Program end...How much is Cubase ??? And will Sound Forge give me high quality audio...Audigy 2's have 100+ S/N and I would like to make sure and get as high a quality recordings as possible.

Well off to do some research on Cubase.

:burn:

[covana2244]

I do this for a living and for my band. First off you need a good sound card. Look for a M-Audio delta 44 they are great recording cards. For the best sounding recording you should record right from the soundboard. If the band already has a soundboard just patch into that.
If you can't record from the sound board you could get a far less quality recording, but usable none the least, by setting up 3 or 4 microphones high into the air about 10 feet from the front of the stage. Spread them out so they cover the entire stage. Run the mics in to a mixer so you can adjust the signal of each. Also if you can figure out how to record each mic to a seperate track for mixing perposes that would be great.

[speed bump]

Well if you would be recording very much I would suggest wholeheartedly the Mackie spike(the software that comes with it is extremely easy to use and also very feature filled) or the Digidesign MBox (this includes pro tools audio software which has quite a learning curve for someone who has never used an audio recording/editing tool). these both are about $500 usd but are worth it.

My two favourite audio recording/editing programs are Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit) which has a fairly shallow learning curve and has lots of hardware support, and Cakewalk Guitar tracks which is only about $100 usd and if you have ever used a audio mixer the controls are just about the same. Cubase is more of an editing program and yes it is rather expensive but if you still wan't to use it Cubase SE is only $100 usd.

Also make sure whatever interface you get for your computer is compatible with your software.

Finally one other way to record then use your computer as an editor is a digital recorder such as the Fostex MR-8 which goes for $300 usd and records on to a Flash Memory card.

[Hookem]

The M-Audio 44 looks good...Doing research on it as we speak...Quick question

Can I get a 2 female lead 1/4" to stereo mini jack Y adapter and connect the sound board to my Audigy 2 ZS and record that way ???