computer recording

I'd probably advise against getting an external drum machine.
The drawbacks are that you're stuck with whatever sounds are built into it.
There's usually several drum kits to choose from but they're limited.
Compare that to something like the VST LM-4 or even better, Battery.
You can use any sound you want off your hard drive. So you can go online and find .wav files of different snares or cymbals etc. You can also program Battery so that you have 10 different variations of the same cymbal...depending on how hard you want it to be hit.

Another drawback to external drum machines has to do with how audio is recorded on the computer. With an external machine, you'll have to convert the midi to audio in real time. In other words, playing the song from beginning to end for 4 minutes or whatever.
With a VST drum machine, you just have to export the sound, which means you can lay your audio drum track down in a matter of seconds.

Last but not least, the drum sounds on those Boss Dr. Rhythm things are really cheezy.
I've got a Boss Dr. Synth with the same drum machine and I wouldn't dream of using it except for practice.

The amp I'm mentioning is for playing back your recordings.
To be able to properly mix your tunes you'll need the equivalant of a stereo system with some decent speakers. Or in other words, an amp and a pair of monitors. This will also give you a headphone output that has better sound and more bass than the one from the mixers headphone output.

Originally Posted by: schmangeThe amp I'm mentioning is for playing back your recordings.
To be able to properly mix your tunes you'll need the equivalant of a stereo system with some decent speakers. Or in other words, an amp and a pair of monitors. This will also give you a headphone output that has better sound and more bass than the one from the mixers headphone output.

so exactly what kind of amp is that?

and, ok, I'll reconsider the drum machine.

Well, the amp's gonna depend on what you can afford.
Whatever you decide to get, stick to the audiophile stuff.
Stay away from mass consumer stuff like Technics, Pioneer, Sony etc... and go with something like Denon, Luxman or Mackintosh etc..
You're actually better off with a low end, low wattage (30 watt) Denon or Luxman than a higher wattage (75 watt) Technics or whatever. Not only a cleaner sound but more reserve power when you need dynamics and bass. Don't scrimp on the cables either. 12 guage at the very least for the monitors.

ok, surprise, surprise, i changed my mind again. how's this setup?
mixer
mic(s), monitors, headphones, mic cables, mic stand
sound card/audio interface

that should get my foot in the door, right? the individual pieces can be upgraded later. and I can add a midi controller and VST later on.

also, this amp you keep mentioning, I've been trying to figure out what kind of amp you mean. is it a headphone amp? like this? if not, can you please post a link to an example for me?

also, on the software, what would be a good choice? I would get something like cubase SX3, but I can't really afford $600 just for software.

yes? no? maybe so? anything I left out or haven't taken into consideration?

The mixer is good... can't tell if it's got phantom power though.
If not, it'd be a good idea to trade up. Phantom power is needed for certain microphones like the Rode NT-1. If you don't have it, you'll have to provide power from somewhere else which is a bit of a pain.

The mic/cables..etc.. deal would be ok but you might want to consider whether you need all the stuff they're offering. Do you need 3 mics? If not, put your money toward a single, better one. Secondly, that mic stand is kinda cheap. They're really lightweight and useless with heavier mics. (with the boom fully extended, most mics will topple the stand over)
Seems like most of the deal they're offering is 3 mics you don't need, 3 mic cables you don't need and a cheap mic stand plus a couple of average monitors. The headphones are kinda cheezy too. Get a pair of AKG K240.

The sound card looks excellent. Actually might be overkill if you don't need 8 inputs. I'd double check to see if there's something less expensive with less inputs.

As far as the amp goes, I'm basically talking about something similar to a home 'stereo system' for your studio. The thing that amplifies your music so that you can hear it through the speakers. You could buy powered speakers but they're generally not as good as a decent amp and a pair of good quality monitors and you'd have to buy a separate headphone amp.

For instance, this amp:
http://www.audioinvest.no/luxman/products/l_l430.htm
.. with these speakers
http://www.paradigm.com/Website/SiteParadigmProduct/ParadigmModels/MonSeries/MonitorSpecs.htm

...would sound incredible and give you an accurate representation of your recordings.

I record to a Multitrack (Roland VS-880ex 300$ on ebay) and then to my PC through a soundcard (M-Audio Audiophile 2496 $100 Musicians Friend). Polished off with Cakewalk Music Creator Pro $150. I got a high end Dell $1200, Pentium 4, 80 GB hard drive, 256 MB RAM. It still crashes but I think it's a hardware problem with the soundcard. Latency issue. Since my timing is done on the Roland I can set my buffer settings a little higher if I want. I just have to delete the dead space at the begining and end. Why did I go this route? Ease of use with the multi track + pro mixing with the PC. When I record from one to the other utilizing the midi and Roland VS 880 template plugin for Cakewalk I can record my individual tracks from the Roland to Individual tracks in Cakewalk, giving me pretty good editing capability. All this for $1750. Not too bad. without the cost of the PC it's only a little over $550. Recording Sample I get better with it everytime I sit down with it. Just a suggestion.

I'm really considering the line 6 toneport UX2 right now. just to hold me over for a few months. It's got sounds from the PodXT, and if the Pod is good enough for gear whores like Dr. Simon and PRSplaya, then it's good enough for me. plus it's got bass and vocal effects and amp modelors too. I know USB connecting isn't the greatest, but I don't need the greatest, I just need something better than what I've got right now, just for the time being. After I get my car paid off (I'm now expecting mid-july) I'll try and convince my parents to get me a computer. the one I'm looking at is only $800-ish, and has 15" LCD monitor, Pentium D 2.8Ghz processor, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard drive, Windows XP, etc. and then after I have a computer to work around, then I can sell off the toneport and buy some good quality recording gear.

btw, magicninja, how did that thing cost you $1200 if it's only got an 80 GB harddrive, 256 MB RAM, and a Pentium 4?

Sorry going off the top of my head which was not accurate. Actually its Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard drive, and actually costed around $950. I got my car stereo the same day and quoted the total price.

Originally Posted by: magicninjaSorry going off the top of my head which was not accurate. Actually its Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard drive, and actually costed around $950. I got my car stereo the same day and quoted the total price.

Ahh, ok, that'll do it!

If you get the tone port you can do away with the mixer as the posher of the two has XLR ins and phantom power. It also moddels the Avalon vt737sp pre that I spent 2K on !

One thing to think about when considering a monitoring system is bi-amplified speakers.

Mixing will also be a lot easier if you got flat response amp/speakers.

Most stereo amps / speakers color (pleasantly) the sound coming out of them . You don't want this as it make you mix more difficult to translate to different types of commercial systems.

Flat response near-field speakers are good. Better are the same but with a separate amp driving each speaker.

Behringer Truths are a good place to start. You can spend as much as you want on a monitoring system however I think powered speakers start at about 130 bucks new. ebay is your friend here as well.

hey, didn't want to make a new thread, so I tracked down the old one. how's this for a "dream" set-up (as in, a realistic goal to one day achieve once the funds to do so are aqcuired, not a real "dream" set-up)?

That wouldn't be bad but you would probably want your monitors to be connected to your PC so you can listen to the mix from your recording software. You know what I mean? My soundcard has L/R out puts for monitors so you should be able to find one easily.

I'll be building that, piece by piece, eventually.. hopefully. I should be getting a pc that I can use soon. actually, it's the PC I'm using right now, but my dad wants a "better" computer for doing his work stuff, so they will probably be giving me this old one after that.

oh yeah, and the monitors were the part I was kinda skeptical about.. I didn't quite know where they needed to be connected to.