Ok, after much reading and searching I have determined that this is everything I need for a small, but fully functioning, bedroom studio.
Laptop with large dedicated 10,000rpm hard drive, Cubase Le and a drum program/loops.
Conneted to this we have a Behringer XENYX 802 mixer with the following 5 connections (not all required at the same time):
2 x microphones - one for vocals, one for acoustic guitar
electic guitar run through a zoom g2.1u
bass guitar through Behringer V-Tone Bass DI box and possibly an eq stomp box
keyboard - connected directly to the mixer
also 2 x monitors of some kind.
hopefully that should cover all the hardware required, lemme know if i've missed anything
one questions remains though - how does the mixer connect to the laptop ? if its usb based, no worries, but if it connects via the soundcard I may need to upgrade as mine is pretty poor and i believe that could lead to latency issues ?
This is my signature. Fear it.
10000RPM is nice for a hard drive but not absolutely necessary. For the price and considering what you plan on recording it's overkill and not nearly worth the extra cash. A 7200RPM drive is fine.
Instead of buying a Behr mixer and a DI, why not buy an interface with instrument level inputs? There are plenty of them out there now. Toneport UX1,UX2, Tapco Link USB, Tascam US 144.
http://www.tapcoworld.com/products/linkusb/index.html
http://www.line6.com/toneport/
http://www.tascam.com/Products/US-144.html
These are far more functional than any mixer will ever be. The mixer is only for input remember. They don't function as a control surface unless they are specifically designed to do so and if so are priced to reflect that. Don't get dazzled by the idea of having a mixer. Mixers are not essential in a home studio as most mixing is done "in the box".
A good interface such as the aforementioned ones also will come with software. In the case of the Link USB, it comes with a full version of Traction 2. There are plenty of FREE(and legal) amp emulators out there.
thanks for the reply hue
you are correct, i was confusing myself with just how much a mixer would do for you - as you say i'd only be using it as an input. turns out a toneport is only slightly more expensive than the mixer/di option i originally planned. Plus it comes with gearbox software - a particularily appealing idea for me as i can edit my guitar sounds using a mouse much quicker than by fiddling with the zoom pedal
This is my signature. Fear it.
Make sure your computer has enough RAM. I up graded mine from 256 to 768 (added 512).
BTW, you will always find something else you need.
Have fun!
Brain-cleansing music for brain-numbing times in a brain dead world
http://www.oenyaw.com
Maybe it's just me being snobby, but I do have a preference for a dedicated hard drive, or a dedicated hard disk recorder. I recently got a Tascam 2488 MkII, which has an 80Gb hard drive and 24 tracks, eight inputs, monitor outs and USB connection - I'm unlikely ever to record direct to PC ever again
Best,
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
nice thread.
I am setting up and have begun connecting.
I have:
powerful computer
digital audio interface (Lexicon Lambda) with Cubase LE
power amp
passive monitors
DI box
MIDI keyboard controller
drum machine
mixer
connecting had me confused because I thought I needed to have the mixer in the signal path.
I dont.
I am waiting for the MIDI to arrive.
oh, hey, I have a question.
where in the signal path should the MIDI controller go?
for that matter, where does the drum machine go?
I want to use MIDI and rthis is very new for me.
what is a good way to set this up?
