Planning to buy a new computer for recording

The Boogie Board

Help Support The Boogie Board:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

dbsens03

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
302
Reaction score
0
It's about that time to buy a new computer. I will be using it for school but I also want to start playing around with recording all my different guitar ideas along with songs my wife and I have written. (she sings) I'm leaning towards a Mac Book Pro so that I can use garageband. I'd also need an interface. Thinking about a UX2 for that along with a SM57 to mic my amp and for my wife to use to sing. And finally EZdrummer. Would this be a good set up? I'm still debating between the Mac or another PC laptop. If I go the PC route what recording program should I get? Keep in mind I'm new to recording and I don't want it to be too difficult to learn. Also, what interface and drum program would work best with a PC? I'd still get the SM57. And what are some good, affordable studio monitors? Thanks!
 
Typically Macs are great for recording. You don't even need a Macbook pro. I use a normal Macbook and it's great. Windows are a bit trickier because they run a bunch of "behind the scenes" type processes from what I was told. Macs have a more "devoted" processor to what you are doing which makes them good. I use Logic 8 (the academic version.) It works the same as the normal version, but I can't get updates for it. I don't care though because it was $350 less than the $500 real version. The interface I use is an Audio Kontrol 1 that I got used off ebay. It's not bad. It's got what I need. 1 XLR/ quarter inch jack, another quarter inch jack, midi in/out, headphones, and 4 outputs. It's USB, so I'd like to get something firewire in the future just to have the latest and greatest tech. Garage band has built in drums, although I never used them much. I do use the drums in Logic though and they work just fine. I used Garageband just to get a feel for DAW software. It's designed really well to get you introduced to all that.
 
PCs work fine, I use one with Cubase and it has served me well for almost 4 years now. While I will admit that Windows comes loaded with **** by default, a quick Google search will enable you to pare down your OS to a bare-bones level and dedicate the computer's resources to important stuff like incoming audio data.

Outside of Mac VS. PC, get the fastest CPU you can get your hands on and the most RAM you can, as well as a ton of HDD space. All the .WAV files in various recordings add up quickly. I have 800GB of HDD space that I've filled about 60% of in just under 4 years, to give you an idea. More RAM & CPU will enable your computer to handle more tracks, effects, automations, etc all on the fly without choking and introducing pops, clicks, bird chirps, etc.

Also, avoid USB for audio signals. Either use FireWire (with a GOOD QUALITY Texas Instrument FireWire chip-set on your motherboard) or use analog cables with a dedicated sound card. M-Audio makes some good entry level sound cards that will allow you to plug in XLR, MIDI, etc. They have good low latency and support for 24-bit/96kHz recordings.

I've only used GarageBand a handful of times and I hated it. It just seemed like a toy to me. But I guess the fact that I come from Cubase doesn't help that. If you're just starting out, perhaps it could be beneficial. Personally, I just dove straight into Cubase when I started and fought my way uphill. It does have a very steep learning curve. Even now, several years after starting with it, I still learn stuff about it. It's a great program, very, very well made, very powerful, intuitive and extremely stable.

The SM57 is a great mic choice. Inexpensive and versatile. It's not ideal for vocals, but on a budget, it will do just fine. You might want to look at a brand called Motu, they make some fuckin' spiffy pre-amp/FireWire/analog units with built-in effects. Something like this: http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/ultralite-mk3/ My buddy has one of those, it's a great unit.
 
I beg to differ that an sm57 is not ideal for vocals. I use one all the time for rock and rap vocals with great results, its gets that midrange goodness that a LDC wont get.. But you have to pair the 57 with a decent mic pre... If you go and listen to the first song on my page, http://burnstudios.com those vocals were done with a sm57. An sm57 will sound better in an untreated room than a condenser will sound in an untreated room.. If you really want the cream of the crop dynamic mic for vocals look at the shure sm7b, it works great on vocals / guitar cabs / bass cabs / kick drums. But you have to have a nice preamp to go along with it.. and the built in ones on most firewire interfaces do not have enough gain.
 
Back
Top