Home Studio Help. Equipment/Configuration Recommendations?

[Madhattan]

Hey Guys,

I currently make music on my PC with Fruityloops and Reason. Seperatly from the computer, I have 2 Turntables hooked into a 2 Channel DJ Mixer, and 2 Mission 717 Speakers.
The Speakers use speaker wire, not RCA. I also have a guitar amp and a 78 Telecaster.
My question is, how can I get the mixer and the guitar into the computer to record, and the computer out to the two speakers that use speaker wire?
I would like to do the recording in Fruityloops or soundforge, but im not sure if that is relevant to this question or not. Thank You!

 

[Subbaculcha]

Well, for the speakers you'll need a stereo amp (amp & pre, or receiver, or integrated), your speakers wires connect to the amp. You'll use the line out from your sound card to the stereo inputs on your amp & pre, or receiver, or integrated for playback.
For getting the guitar into the computer, guitar to amp & line out of amp to a channel input on the mixer, then mixer line out, to line in on sound card. If your guitar amp doesn't have a line out you can just mic the amp, and run the mic cord into the mixer.

Hope that helps.

 

[Madhattan]

Thank you so much for your help.
What do you think about using the Sonic Impact T-Amp?
Im trying to do this on the cheap and I have heard amazing things about this little wonder.

Thanks Again, you have saved the day!

 

[Madhattan]

Also, I just received these speakers from a friend. Here is some info that I pulled about them.

Mission 717
* High definition, 2 way reflex speaker system
* Max. Amp Power: 100 Watts / Channel
* Min. Amp Power: 15 Watts / Channel
* Impedance Nominal: 8 Ohms
* Made in the UK

Will the T-amp power these?

EDIT: Here are the specs on the T-Amp

* Output power (with batteries): 9 watt/channel @ 4 ohm - 6 watt/channel @ 8 Ohm - 15 watt/channel @ 4 ohm, with 10% THD
* Output power (with external Ac adapter): 15 watt/channel @ 4 ohm
* THD: 0.04% (@ 1 kHz, 9 watt, 4 ohm)
* Dynamic range: 102 dB
* Weight: 300g approx, without batteries
* Size: 16 (W) x 10 (H) x 8 (D) (cm)

 

[Atheus]

Well it says 6 W/channel at 8 ohms, and the speakers say they need minimum 15W, so I'm guessing not. We have a resident sound man here with the title of 'soundman' below his nick... I forget his nick though (sorry dude), you should look for him in off-topic.

 

[Subbaculcha]

I'd just go make a visit to goodwill or craigslist. There's usually a pile of old recievers laying around and can be had cheap.
Those speakers are probably pretty good, Mission has a good reputation.
The T-Amp is great, but will work best with high sensitivity speakers (i don't know the specs for yours), so unless you can try it out id just get a used reciever.
(Make sure it works before buying, most goodwills will let you).

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

To record music on the PC on the cheap you will have to make some sacrifices. First of all, you will need a multitrack recorder. Sound Forge will not do the job on that front, though it is useful for individual waveform editing. Audacity is an open-source multitracker, but personally I think Kristal has an edge on it. It's free, but not open-source.

To record guitar music you generally want to run the guitar through your external amp and mic the amp. If you have a mic, great. Use it and see what you think. If not, you'll need to buy one. It is of *paramount* importance that you research mics to get the best bang for your buck. Generally speaking, decent mics start at no less than $100. My guess is, though, you don't have that much money. No problem. The Nady CM-88 is $46 plus tax from musiciansfriend.com, and will do a very nice job for the price. I do recommend something better, though, if you can afford it. Don't bother with cheap dynamic mics, though. Condensers are your best bet for guitar and vocals both.

You may be tempted to buy the cheapest thing immediately available, usually between $15 and $20. Don't. It's not worth it. Be patient. Get nothing less than the CM-88.

For your speakers you'll need a preamp. Those can be cheap if you search. A used preamp can do the job often as good as any new model. The speakers are what make or break the sound, and you apparently already have those. Besides, speakers don't mean much when recording, anyway. Speakers are for playback.

I'd invest in hardware before software, but if you have the money (or if you're willing to download it illegally from a torrent engine), Adobe Audition 1.x is a very nice multitracker. Version 2.x is usually what you'll find, but I think 1.x is far more intuitive. And it's almost certain to be cheaper. And remember, software does not degrade, so buying it used is probably the best plan.

 

[oynaz]

I thought it might help you to see my setup: Here goes.

Fender strat into a Roland Microcube. This little amp sounds fine, and has a very good lineout. This means I can record without waking up the neighbours.
I run the Microcube, a sure SM-58 dynamic mic (rarely used), and and a GA-1 condenser mic into a Wamaha MG10/2 mixer. The mixer is a little workhorse. It has a decent sound, is cheap, and is very sturdily constructed.

I run the mixer's output into a Sound Blaster Live. This soundcard actually has quite good D/A converters, though I might upgrade it soon.

For other work than guitar and vocals, I have a Radium 61 Midi keyboard (Midi controller, really).

Considering Hurtstotalktoyou's advice. A good dynamic mic, like a Shure SM-57 might be a better choice for recording guitar, especially if you make rock music. As I can imagine the OP is on a budget, I would not bother with seperate pre-amp and power amp. And last but not least, there is no reason to get multi-track recording software if the OP is only one man. He might even not have a soundcard capable of recording more than 2 tracks (stereo). I like Audacity as well. There is no need to get Kristal if he already has Reason, IMO, as Reason does everything Kristal does and more.

 

[Seekermeister]

I can plug my guitar directly into the 1/4" jack on the drive bay of the sound card, and use whatever I choose to record it.

 

[Madhattan]

Thanks for all of your help guys.
I will definatly be picking up a mic for Christmas.
I did stop by Good Will today and saw a Receiver for 30 bucks, but it was huge. I am in a small room and would like to avoid huge receivers if
possible.
I am now researching Pre-amps because they seem to be smaller than your average receiver.
I too have a Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Sound Card.
My Mixer is a cheap Behringer 2 Channel DJ Mixer.
And my amp is a $100 Marshall MG Series with an "Emulated Line Out." Not really sure what that means...
I wont be recording multiple tracks at the same time.

I hope this clears up the details of my situation a little bit.

I will be getting a Micro Korg with vocoder for Christmas as well!

Thanks for the help again and I will continue to research this stuff and, more importantly, make some music!!!

 

[Madhattan]

Another question...
How do I plug the rca output of my mixer into the little line in on my sound card?
I know some Sound Blasters come with the accessory that takes up a slot on the front of your computer, but my card
does not have that.

 

[Subbaculcha]

Originally posted by: Madhattan
Another question...
How do I plug the rca output of my mixer into the little line in on my sound card?

You should be able to find an rca to mini jack cable/converter at radioshack.

Just to reiterate, if your guitar amp has a line out you can do without the mic. However a mic will allow you record ANY sound.
If you just want to get sound and don't care of the quality, just to test, you can pick up a toy mic for a karaoke machine from Target for about $10.

Don't buy just a preamp, a preamp alone will not power the speakers, you'll still need a power amp. That's why I suggested an old reciever...they're a dime a dozen.

 

[Madhattan]

What about just an amp? What is the purpose of running it through a pre amp first?

 

[oynaz]

"just an amp" is a pre-amp plus a power amp. The short story of amplification is that pre-amps shape the sound and the power amp boost the sound so you can actually hear it (I know that is not wholly correct technically speaking, but it is close enough).

There is no reason to go into seperate pre-amp and power amp when playing back your sound, unless you are an audiophile. A seperate pre-amp is very important when recording though, but both your mixer and your sound card already contains a pre-amp. If you get more into recording, you will probably wnat to get a seperate pre-amp for your mics, as a really good pre-amp can really help with sound quality, but do not worry about this yet.

 

[Madhattan]

So all I need is an amp then?

 

[Subbaculcha]

Originally posted by: Madhattan
So all I need is an amp then?

No. If you use seperates you need both Pre-Amp & Amplifier.

Here are the three major amp categories.
Seperates: Pre-Amplifier Unit, Amplifier Unit.
Integrated Amp: Pre & Amp in one unit.
Reciever: Pre & Amp + Tuner, A/V..etc.

 

[Madhattan]

If there is a pre amp in my sound card, then why would i need to buy both if i wanted to do it seperate?
I will probably end up with a receiver any way, I am just curious.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Atheus
Well it says 6 W/channel at 8 ohms, and the speakers say they need minimum 15W, so I'm guessing not. We have a resident sound man here with the title of 'soundman' below his nick... I forget his nick though (sorry dude), you should look for him in off-topic.

I'm more of a hometheater guy than this sort of stuff. I wouldn't be able to offer anything as useful as what has been said already since I'm not into this kind of stuff at all.

Other people make the stuff, I just play it back

 

[Rubycon]

You will want a decent amp for your Missions.

A dual channel PA amp will work and provide much better results than a receiver especially used. There are some decent old receivers that have good sound but many have tired electrolytic caps so beware of that.

 

[Madhattan]

could you recommend a cheap solution MS Dawn?

 

[Howard]

AFAIK, pre-amps for sources like CD players provide a volume control (not necessary), tone controls (also unnecessary) and boost the voltage, which is sometimes necessary if the input sensitivity of the amp in question is too low. Something like that, anyway.

You get a mic yet?

 

[Madhattan]

As far as mics, I got my eye on this one for Xmas.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/...ardioid-Condenser-Vocal-Mic?sku=270090

Also lookin at their PA Amps.

 

[oynaz]

With that mic, you pay for a very rugged construction. It is built to be handled on stage, where it is bound to take quite a beating. If you want that, then it is the mic for you, but you can probably get the same sound quality cheaper.

It sounds like a good deal, though.

 

[CSMR]

Originally posted by: Madhattan
Hey Guys,

I currently make music on my PC with Fruityloops and Reason. Seperatly from the computer, I have 2 Turntables hooked into a 2 Channel DJ Mixer, and 2 Mission 717 Speakers.
The Speakers use speaker wire, not RCA. I also have a guitar amp and a 78 Telecaster.
My question is, how can I get the mixer and the guitar into the computer to record, and the computer out to the two speakers that use speaker wire?
I would like to do the recording in Fruityloops or soundforge, but im not sure if that is relevant to this question or not. Thank You!

Any professional (loosely speaking) soundcard will do the trick if you have an amp for the guitar. You just need line in and out. I recommend the 1212m but there are lots of other choices that will work well. You could also get a soundcard with extra stuff like mic/guitar preamps, phono preamps and headphone outs. Check out E-MU, M-Audio, Lynx.
The little sonic impact amp may or may not be enough depending on how loudly you listen to music and how sensitive your speakers are (spl/w). The TEAC A-L700P is a more powerful amp based on the same technology (nb a power amp without accessible volume control) and the sharp SD-EX111 similar.