Also, will I need a mic pre-amp?

I'm in the same boat.

I'm just going to buy a Roland 2400 and work from there. I'll add on extra stuff as I go along.

I would recommend a line 6 POD for your guitar, I build Fender type amps and when recorded you get some really close to real sounds. I doubt anybody could tell.....makes getting different guitar sounds so much easier.

For bass you need a good clean direct box, you can add some warmth if it's a tube DI. If you spring for a good pre you can use it for your bass and any vocal mic, even after the pod to add to warmth.

As for using a PC.......someone here should know, I hope.

I tried and it wasn't what I wanted at all.

I'm old school analog so even the Roland is going to be a big adjustment but at least I have a board in front of me.

I highly recommend the toneport ASIO interfaces from line 6, they act as your primary sound card and have amazing pre models. The Shure SM58s are great all around mics if you know how to place them. As far as a DAW, thats like what beer to drink. Everyone is using something different.
If you need help mixing let me know, I like to do side projects with people.

MediaMurder wrote: I highly recommend the toneport ASIO interfaces from line 6, they act as your primary sound card and have amazing pre models. The Shure SM58s are great all around mics if you know how to place them. As far as a DAW, thats like what beer to drink. Everyone is using something different.
If you need help mixing let me know, I like to do side projects with people.

I'm now looking at an akg perception 100 or 200 for my mic.

I'm also looking at an Alesis MultiMix8 USB. Would there be a significant advantage of getting a USB interface and a regular mixer over just grabbing the multimix? Would the multimix will be a good inexpensive way to do multitrack recordings?

I have a KORG multieffects pedal that does modeling and effects, so I wouldn't really need the line 6 effects from the toneport.

So here's a summary of my proposed home setup:

Gibson Les Paul/Schecter C4 -> KORG mutlieffects -> Marshall MG30/Ashdown MAG-300 -> AKG Perception 100 or 200 -> Alesis Multimix 8 USB -> Decent PC (1 gig ram, sempron 2600, 250 GB+)

Are there any glaring errors in my setup? Does anyone have any suggestions for improving it while staying in the same price range?

On the PC I would go with at least an AMD 64. If you can afford the 64 x2 or for that mater the Intel CoreDuo it would be better. Best would be the Core2Duo even at the lower CPU speeds. Main thing is you want the best FSB you can afford. It helps during the mixing process. The 1 GB Ram should be fine.

Second recomendation,replace the One 250GB with two lower capacity 7200rpm hardrives. One for Windows and programs and the second for recorded audio only. This optimizes performance during recording and avoid glitches.

If you plan to record just yourself then the USB mixer will be fine. If you want to record more tracks simultaneosly (like a band) you should consider the Firewire version of that mixer.

casper wrote: On the PC I would go with at least an AMD 64. If you can afford the 64 x2 or for that mater the Intel CoreDuo it would be better. Best would be the Core2Duo even at the lower CPU speeds. Main thing is you want the best FSB you can afford. It helps during the mixing process. The 1 GB Ram should be fine.

I've been holding off on upgrading my PC, since I'll be getting a new laptop for college next year, but I might just have to go out and upgrade. My buddy has a spare AMD64, so maybe he could let me cop that for fairly cheap.

casper wrote:
Second recomendation,replace the One 250GB with two lower capacity 7200rpm hardrives. One for Windows and programs and the second for recorded audio only. This optimizes performance during recording and avoid glitches.

That's the system I have right now. I have a 120GB drive for my main OS, an 80GB drive for windows, and a 250GB SATA drive for video/music/audio cache. Should be more than enough.

casper wrote:

If you plan to record just yourself then the USB mixer will be fine. If you want to record more tracks simultaneosly (like a band) you should consider the Firewire version of that mixer.

The USB mixer says on the box that it will send all of the tracks and the master mix to the computer. And also, a USB 2.0 version of the mixer was released tonight, so I'll probably see if I can get a hold of that one. But correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm pretty stoked about everything, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will all turn out! Thanks for everyone's help

I'm looking at this mixer: http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=107

However, I'm not sure if It will send all of the tracks seperately to the computer. I'm sure that the 1.0 USB one didn't, but I can't tell if this one does. The firewire one (http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=40) is supposed to, but does the USB2.0 one?

budget? i used the akg 100 and i liked it better than my at2020. it seems to be more balanced, or maybe i just suck at playing. i also like using a dynamic on a guitar amp, rather than a condenser.

punkrockguy318 wrote: I'm looking at this mixer: http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=107

However, I'm not sure if It will send all of the tracks seperately to the computer. I'm sure that the 1.0 USB one didn't, but I can't tell if this one does. The firewire one (http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=40) is supposed to, but does the USB2.0 one?

I mailed Alesis about my question, and they responded affirmatively. Apparently the USB 2.0 mixer sends all the tracks back to the computer seperately; unlike the USB 1.0 one where only two stero tracks could be returned.

Multitracking isn't a main priority for me, but rather something that would be conveineint to have if I were to use this in a live band setting (which is possible).

I'm really going between the MultiMix 8 2.0, or the M-audio Firewire Solo. The Multimix looks like it can do everything the solo can, but with more inputs (and it's also cheaper for me; I get personal items at cost from Alesis). How much better quality would the firewire solo be over the multimix 8?

So basically, I can get the Multimix8 USB 2.0 and m-audio firewire solo for the same price (~$200). What would be the advantage of getting the m-audio firewire solo over the alesis mixer?

It sounds like you have the PC covered now.

This will help explain the difference with USB/Firewire:
http://www.cwol.com/firewire/firewire-vs-usb.htm

Another difference between the interfaces are the Maudio uses a mixerless interface. In otherwords no physical sliders and knobs. The maudio controls are accessed through a software mixer that is provided with the drivers. This feature is really a matter of preference.

Yet another difference is maudio has one preamp channel. This could be an issue if you want to mic vocals and an amp you would need to get an extra mic preamp.

If you plan to record bands latter, I know it is a little more but I would look at the Alesis firewire or the Presonus firebox.

If you do go with firewire make sure the PCI interface card has the Texas Instruments chipset. I think Siig uses that. This will give you the best compatibility with whichever firewire device you decide to go with.

SarNz has a point you might want to use a condensor Mic like an SM57 for micing the amps.

casper wrote: a condensor Mic like an SM57 for micing the amps.

He meant cardioid, not condenser.

Thanks for the edit VonRock

I went with the presonus firebox. Got it pretty cheap on ebay, only $230 for a basically new unit.

I heard the linux support is great with freebob.

I'll either be going with an akg 100 or sm57 to record vocals/guitar amp. I'm pretty stoked to get started recording!