Newb with PC recording questions. Please straighten me out.

Ok, I want to do some PC recording. I don't even have a clue as to what I need to do this.

I would like to use my Tonelab LE as a preamp, and I know that there are several free software downloads for the PC to facilitate recording more than one track (Reaper, etc.).

So what hardware do I need to accomplish this? Any?

I know I sound ignorant on the subject...that's because I pretty much am.

Thanks a million in advance for any help!

you'll need an interface to get your signal into the computer ... there are dozens to choose from and many are quite affordable. most will come with a mike input so you can record vocals too. generally they have their own built-in preamps, so you'll want to run line-out from your Tonelab to avoid stacking two preamps.

i'm not a Windows/PC guy, but a many such guys around here swear by Reaper.

"i'm not a Windows/PC guy" but we tolerate you anyway, wood.

and ditto what he said. I use a presonus firebox that I like. There are some quite a bit cheaper and some a lot more expensive. It has 2 preamps and 2 lines in so you could run your guitar from your preamp and 2 mics and 1 something esle using a line in.

There are some quite a bit cheaper and some a lot more expensive.
Any suggestions (product names etc.) that we could search for on the 'net?

Most grateful.

Coool.

So, could I use something as simple as my Uno midisport?

Any suggestions (product names etc.) that we could search for on the 'net?


Rock bottom cheapest
Behringer U-CONTROL UCA202 USB-Audio Interface - 29.99

DigiTech RP150 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal USB - 79.95

Line 6 POD Studio UX1 with POD Farm USB - 149.99

The U-Control has RCA plugs so you'll need something with a preamp/line out.

I have the RP150 and the Line 6 UX1 both do the job well.

Tweakheadz Lab's Guide to the Home and Project Studio (http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm)

Electronic Musician: How to Build a Personal Studio on Any Budget (http://emusician.com/tutorials/emusic_build_personal_studio/)

Coool.

So, could I use something as simple as my Uno midisport?


You need something with a audio input the midisport is for keyboards.

On a PC, you'll need an audio interface. USB or Firewire, depending on the ports you have. Firewire is the better option..

The most important part in the recording chain are the speakers. Don't bother with computer speakers, they are useless for recording. Get some active monitors.

You'll also need a mic. For guitar, you can start cheap, with a Shure SM57, or a budget Ribbon mic.


Someone mentioned Presonus: best part of their boxes are the preamps. A/D is good. Software is crappy beyond description..


Not sure if you're on Linux on Windows:
- Linux: not too much audio software out there..
- Windows: prepare to do some Windows (http://www.homerecordingconnection.com/news.php?action=view_story&id=253) babysitting (http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/en/article.php?id=1036), to optimise it for audio...


DAWs: lots of good ones out there, mostly a matter of taste..


This site (http://www.dontcrack.com/freeware/) is a good resource for lots of free, legitimate audio software.

Looks like you've got a good start here. A couple of points from me:

-You don't need the mic if you're using the Tonelab with cab modeling and everything - unless you want to do vocals or other instruments as well.
-For interfaces, I'd look at the M-Audio stuff or the Line6 stuff. I suspect the Line6 stuff is about as user-friendly as it comes, but I haven't used it myself.
-Don't worry too much about optimizing your machine at this point. If you're just getting started with a couple of tracks at a time, you won't be bogging down your computer unless it's more than five or six years old, and even then, probably not.
-Check out all the online recording forums you can find. Good stuff out there. I like the TapeOp forums (http://tapeop.com/) a lot. There are more.
-IMHO, the biggest step for new recordists is learning and understanding gain staging. Seek out proper gain staging techniques, and understand them. Bam, you're recording.

If you don't mind 16 bit, then the computer's soundcard will work fine. Get a cheap mixer and you're good to go.

L I like the TapeOp forums (http://tapeop.com/) a lot.

+1

So, could I use something as simple as my Uno midisport?

Looking at the ToneLab manual you can use MIDI for controlling the ToneLab.

USING TONELAB LE WITH A MIDI DEVICE OR COMPUTER
By using MIDI you can control ToneLab LE from a sequencer or control an external MIDI device from ToneLab LE. You can also save ToneLab LE programs on a sequencer or MIDI data filer that is able to transmit and receive MIDI exclusive data, and then load the program data back into ToneLab LE when desired.

If you're on a tight budget the Behringer U-Control would plug into the line out of the ToneLab.

You guys are great. Thanks for all the info and tips so far.