I want to start home recording....never tried it.

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Sixstringpsycho

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I have never recorded anything on my own before. I want to start make intrumental demos. I have a limited budget and perfer something simple that will still make effective and decent sounding demos. I plan on doing everything alone so i guess drum software is a must. Any ideas guys?
 
I recommend the BR-900CD $500 it's a digital recorder from Boss
You can do lots of different things with it, it's got a drum machine, guitar COSM effects, Bass, Acoustic Effects
Here you can listen to my instrumentals I recorded with it.

there's two of them http://www.myspace.com/acefully

In one of them I recorded using a mic on the MarK IV
The other one is with the built in effects
Both of them using the drum machine built in it
 
I would recommend some recording software if you have a decent computer. I have a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card in a 3.2Ghz PC w/ 1.5Gb RAM and two 150GB hard drives and it works for my needs. I use Acid Pro 7.0a because it is loop based. It's very user friendly IMO...
 
A MacBook definitely. Garage Band has nearly everything you need to start up and get going right out of the box.
 
the cheapest thing would be to download a free recording program, buy an SM57, and get a "micmate" that will let you plug the mic right into the computer. 1,2,3. Done
 
If you truly have no experience recording or even if you do, I would highly recommend researching the information here-->http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm. When I first started into the whole recording thing. I read just about everything at that site, and I learned a ton of stuff I never new about. You will get a better idea of what kind of gear you should get to serve your needs. Not all gear is created equal, and careful planning is important, so you don't end up spending money on gear you don't need, or gear you'll soon grow out of and need to replace anyway. I have found recording to be an addictive and expensive hobby for me. I can never have enough gear......lol, and I'm always trying to improve my recordings. But it's a never ending learning process.

Good luck
 
Check out Audacity. It's a totally free recording software package. Might not have everything the expensive ones have, but it will definitely get you started.
 
I'm going to agree with MesaManBoogie on this one.

People are going to say **** like "Use protools, no use Logic, no use Cubase, no use Audition" until the cows come home. Despite my advice in another thread saying "use audition!!" lol... i would tell you to go for the Boss BR-900CD. You can plug your guitar straight into it and record with the COSM effects. Its not great, but its a very good start. All you do is set the drum machine (heaps of pre-programmed loops), hit record, and play along.

Once you get used to that go and buy a GOOD microphone, stand and lead. I seriously suggest an SM57. It is the greatest value for money you will ever buy. You could go with a condenser mic, but unless you are in a studio environment, the condenser is going to pick up someone mowing their lawn 10 houses down the road. Then you can mic up your guitar, and start to learn about mic placement and the effect that that has on your sound. It will teach you about the room acoustics a bit more too. However for heavy guitars, the best thing to do here is turn your amp up as loud as possible (without having the police pay you a visit) and turn the mic down as low as possible (whilst still getting a really strong signal). This will eliminate background noise and you'll get the best sound providing you have good mic placement.

Then if you want to get into editing, you can then go and download plenty of free programs. The reason why I like Audition (if you cant find audition, look for Cool Edit Pro) is because there is some really good stock standard effects in the program. Its really easy to use. You can burn a CD (i've never used a BR-900cd) and whack it into your computer. I have no idea if the tracks can be burnt individually?? Anyone???

If you want to advance further from there, then you can sell the Boss and buy a Presonus Firewire input and record directly into your computer. This is getting a little more complicated, but once you're more experienced, that's not a problem.

Its better not to jump straight into a fully fledged PC set-up because you'll be overwhelmed by it all. Just take it slow and grow your home recording set-up
 
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