clueless newbie needs help

[saxdragon]

I'm good with computers and I'm good with musical intruments. The only thing I've never figured out is how to get the music into the computer!

What hardware do I need? Here's what I have:

Athlon 64-equipped PC(less than a year old), 2.8 GHz, 200Gig hard drive, 2 Gig RAM, high-quality integrated sound, NVidia GeForce 8200, 6 USB 2.0 ports, 2 Firewire ports, the usual RCA input and output jacks for sound, and a 23 inch wide-format monitor.

I also have an assortment of microphones, both XLR and phone jack, and a 4-channel Yamaha MG8 mixer which I use onstage. Several guitars and amps, including a bass guitar, plus saxes, flutes, harmonicas, and my voice.

What do I need now?

Thanks very much!

Steve

[scott]

Hi Steve and welcome to the RiffWorks forum.

I'm assuming, because you've found your way here, that you have a copy of RiffWorks?
Undoubtedly, you'll hear different things from different people and, of course, money may play a part.
If I tell what I use, you might get a feel for things.

I plug my instruments and mics in to a Line6 TonePort UX2 which is then connected to my PC via USB. The 'analog outs' from the TonePort go in to my TASCAM US-428 and then from its 'Line Outputs' to my monitors.

All my audio is altered (FX and amp modelled) using Line6's GearBox software and also using the 'Amplitube' models that come with RiffWorks T4.

That's about it really. I avoid using my soundcard wherever I can as the Creative X-Fi doesn't play nice with all the other drivers.

Hope this helps!

[mickeymix]

Looks like your set on the computer....you'll now be needing an ASIO interface like a Stealthplug, GuitarPort, TonePort, PreSonus Firebox etc etc..... that hook up via USB and allow you to have minimal latency while recording.....seeing as you have XLR mikes ...I would recomend the TonePort UX 1 or 2....The TonePort UX 2 has phantom power for condenser mikes if you need it....plus you get Gearbox's tones for recording...Line 6's vocal,guitar,bass tones are absolutely killer.....I've seen the UX 2 for as low as $139.00 American...

[JouniL]

OK, riffjunkies, lets help this guy out!

Your spec for computer seems to be OK, I would recommend a secondary harddrive (perhaps RAIDed) somewhat bigger if you are gonna do some serious recording.

I'm also a novice but as far as I can tell you there are two vital components missing in your setup:

1. An external soundcard/recording interface with at least 4 or 8 channels. This can be either an USB or Firewire based soundcard (and both will work fine with your computer). Now, there are literally hundreds of different soundcards out on the market so choosing one is a jungle depending on your requirements. A first step could be to checkout this site:

http://www.recordingreview.com/soundcard/soundcard_wizard.php

This site will propably narrow down your choiches to only 20-30 soundcards After this I would recommend you to read home recording magazines to see which ones they recommend.

2. Multitrack recording software.- Riffworks is a recording software aimed towards a guitar/riffbased audience. There are a number of others available and I don't have neither the skill or experince to recommend one for you but the most known ones are: Pro Tools (almost industry standard), Cubase, Sonar, Ableton Live etc. All of these cost a lot and are well known with big communities surrounding them and with great support for all kinds of plugins, extensions, drivers etc. There are other excellent lowcost alternatives like Reaper (which I use), Audacity etc.

When bying a soundcard for home studio recording you might get a some recording software bundled with it and if you are lucky you might get a LE (Light Editiion) of some well known product like Cubase or Pro tools. These are usually excellent and have all the basic functionality you need to start with.

Hope this helps you a bit on the road.

[JouniL]

Hi!

Your spec for computer seems to be OK, I would recomend a secondary harddrive (perhaps RAIDed) somewhat bigger if you are gonna do some serious recording.

I'm also a novice but as far as I can tell you there are two vital components missing in your setup:

1. An external soundcard/recording interface with at least 4 or 8 analog input channels. This can be either an USB or Firewire based soundcard (and both will work fine with your computer). Now, there are literally hundreds of different soundcards out on the market so choosing one is a jungle depending on your requirements. A first step could be to checkout this site:

http://www.recordingreview.com/soundcard/soundcard_wizard.php

This site will propably narrow down your choiches to only 20-30 soundcards After this I would recommend you to read home recording magazines to see which ones they recommend.

2. Multitrack recording software.- Riffworks is a recording software aimed towards a guitar/riffbased audience. There are a number of others available and I don't have neither the skill or experince to recommend one for you but the most known ones are: Pro Tools (almost music industry standard), Cubase, Sonar, Ableton Live etc. All of these cost a lot and are well known with big communities surrounding them and with great support for all kinds of plugins, extensions, drivers etc. There are other excellent lowcost alternatives like Reaper (which I use), Audacity etc.

When bying a soundcard for home studio recording you might get some recording software bundled with it and if you are lucky you might get a LE (Light Editiion) of some well known product like Cubase or Pro tools. These are usually excellent and have all the basic functionality you need to start with.

Hope this helps you a bit on the road.

[davenz]

My two cents is go for the Toneport UX2. I did and have not been disappointed. In fact, the opposite; I was blown away with how great it worked and the sounds are to die for. It is dead easy to set up and works out of the box. Like everything, it has its quirks, but they are few and far between and easy to live with. Oh, and it has a nice flat place on top for resting your favoutire brewski.

Riffworks Standard is all you need beyond that to get your home guitar studio up and running. I monitor using phones to keep the missus happy but if you want, pipe your analog out to any external monitor system and rock the neighbours.

Welcome to the forums by the way...

Dave.

[28if]

+1 for the UX2.

[randy]

Welcome to the world of RiffWorks!

We have a recommended hardware guide at:
http://www.sonomawireworks.com/guide/index.php/Recommended_Hardware

Cheers,

[rhynoclemmis]

+1 for the UX2.

Make that +2. There's an even bigger TonePort from Line6 available that comes with a MIDI keyboard, but I guess when you are able to play the keys you got your own anyway with MIDI Out.