When I first started recording in 1999, I was completely baffled by the notion
that I could use the computer as a recording system. If you are reading this
tutorial, then maybe you feel the same. One of your first questions may be how
on earth to get sound into the computer. There are several possibilities, and
they depend on your budget and interests. You have to answer several important
questions in order to make decisions for this step. I go over 2 basic situations
below and suggest hardware for those situations.
1. You are recording just yourself.
You may or may not have MIDI hardware, but since MIDI is so indispensable, my
recommendations here include MIDI I/O (MIDI is beyond the scope of this tutorial....).
My top recommendation without a doubt is the $150 Audiophile 24/96 from Midiman.
With this single card you can record and playback analog audio (and digital),
and you also have MIDI I/O. If you are looking for the best though, then consider
one of the Hammerfall cards from RME audio. In this case, you will need to buy
a separate card for MIDI I/O. Midiman (as the name suggests), makes such cards.
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI Digital Audio Card
2. You are recording a band
In this case, there are several possibilites, but I will skip the useless ones
and assume that you want to have instruments as separate tracks on the computer
so that you can mix them as you desire after the recording process. You could
alternatively use an external mixer and mix all the instruments prior to recording,
and then use a single I/O card (as in 1 above) to record the mixed audio, but
that would be unwise. Your mix would be final. You wouldn't be able to adjust
the snare drum and guitar separately on the computer, for example. All the instruments
would be forever intermingled. So basically, you need a so called multi I/O
card. You can't go wrong with any of the choices below. This is just a small
set of recommendations - there are tons of similar products out there!
Note that a lot of companies tend to have various, similar versions of their
products. For example, Midiman makes the Delta66, which has 6 inputs and outputs,
instead of 10 like the Delta1010. So spend some time figuring out what will
suit your needs.
If you want somewhat higher quality stuff, check out the MOTU products as well
as the multi I/O offerings from RME. These options will set you back around
$1000, whereas the above products are in the $350-$700 range. Honestly, you
will probably not hear the difference between a $600 card and a $1200 card...
Mixers, Speakers, etc
Unfortunately, chances are just an audio card is not enough. Granted, you can
get away with just an audio card, but you probably want to put yourself in a
position where you can readily adapt to changes in your goals. So with that
in mind, I recommend you purchase a mixer, a good microphone, and some good
speakers (not crappy $25 computer speakers!).
Mixers
A mixer is like the cockpit of an aircraft - it is where you control everything.
In essence, you will use the mixer to input signals and output signals. A
mixer however, is much more powerful and its usage is far beyond the scope
of this tutorial. For now, just think of it as this box that is going to have
many cables attached to it!
When it comes to mixers, it is tough to beat Mackie on a budget. Without
a doubt, I recommend one of their VLZ series mixers. These mixers come equipped
with high quality microphone preamps, needed if you plan on recording vocals,
drums, or if you plan on placing a mic in front of a guitar cabinet to get
your wall of sound. Before buying a mixer, you need to determine the most
outrageous recording scenario that you might come across. If you suspect you
may record 2 guitars, a full drumkit, and 2 vocals, then you very well may
need 6 or more microphone preamps (assuming you record everything simultaneously).
So research mixers thoroughly - it will be one of the most important purchases
you make! Below are a few good choices. I have also included some recommended
boards by Behringer which are similar to Mackies, but less expensive.
Microphones
I am not going to talk about vocal mics here. You are probably a guitarist,
so let me just make one recommendation - buy yourself a Shure SM57 instrument
mic. This mic has seen so much use when it comes to mic'ing guitar cabinets,
that it is a legend in its own right.
Of course, you will need a mic cable (a so-called XLR cable), shown above:
And if you do plan on using a Soundblaster card, then you will need an adapter
so that you can plug the XLR cable into the sound card mic input (which is
probably a 1/8" input). Any music store will have an adapter.
Microphone Preamps
Since microphone signals are very weak, you need a preamp to boost their
level to something recordable. If you have a mixer, the mixer will contain
such preamps. Also, some sound cards have them (like the Aardvark
Aark 24). If you are on a very low budget, then Soundblaster cards will
have a mic input. But if you don't want a mixer, and you don't want to spend
the extra money on a a sound card with mic preamps, and you want to be a step
up from Soundblaster, then a great recommendation is the standalone mic preamp
below:
 
ART Tube MP OPL™ Mic Preamp
A preamp of this sort will take an XLR mic input, and it will
have a 1/4" output which can then go to a soundcard or a mixer. Depending
on the soundcard, you might need an adapter to connect to the 1/4" cable
that is coming out of the preamp.
Speakers
Ok, let me first say that yes, you can go to WalMart if you want and buy
some speakers to hook up to your sound card. But don't you want everything
to sound good? But most importantly, when you are recording, you
need a set of speakers that are going to reveal how your music really sounds!
If you are mic'ing a cabinet, what ends up getting recorded is not going to
sound like what you are hearing out of that cab. This is where monitoring
comes in, and I can't stress its importance enough. The type of speakers I
am talking about are called monitors or reference speakers. They are intended
to reveal your music for what it is. They are not like stereo speakers which
will always tend to sound strong in the bass. So in theory, when you like
what you are hearing out of the monitors, you can be sure that it will sound
good in a car stereo, HiFi stereo, etc.
All my recommendations below are for so called "Powered Monitors".
These types of monitor speakers have their own built in power, so you can
simply connect audio cables to them without needing to have a separate amp
to power them. While you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on monitor
spekers, my recommendations will not set you back more than $500 for a pair,
and are as low as $300 (a bargain for decent powered monitors!).
So basically, you really need to assess what your recording goals are and make
the necessary purchases for you to achieve your goal. I hope this section has
helped open your mind to these necessary (and potentially expensive...) pieces
of equipment! The nexy section will surely make it easier for you to decide what
you need.
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XLR
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