OT: Inexpensive Music Recording Via Computer

[Greg]

Ok, here is what I want to do. I have some karaoke tracks that I have been wanting to record my vocals on top of. Keep in mind, this is for pure hobby and nothing that I want to get into a huge cost for. However, I do want something that would sound decent. So can you guys/gals give me some advice on:

What type of sound card would be the best for this? High end Soundblaster or something completely different?
What type of mic I would need produces a nice vocal sound and works with computers, but doesn't cost a crapload of money?
What type of recording software would be the best, but not the most expensive?

Some of you guys post your mp3s on here of your vocals, and I wanted to share mine if I can ever get the right recording equipment to do so! Thanks in advance!

[SusieP]

I just bought a Lexicon Omega soundcard. £149.00 sterling.
It is ideal for using a backing track - you feed the music into one channel from your CD player and plug the mic into the other. I use headphones to listen, but I guess you could buy speakers, but that's added expense, isn't it?
The unit connects to your computer via the USB.
It comes with Cubase LE software included in the price. And the instructions are all on your computer screen.[Ive printed them off, however.]
I have only just got it and I've had a tentative attempt - the vocal was a little distorted, but I think that's because I was too close to the mic when I sang.

I have loads of songs on backing tracks and this unit seemed ideal for what I want to do.
It's quite compact and seems really neat.
It's just that I need to suss it out properly.
Why not have a look and see if it's what you want. I'm sure you could get it for MUCH less money than here in rip-off Britain.



P.S.
I sing for my job, and believe me, a microphone is a personal thing. You need to go to a music shop and try some out. See how they feel to you. But a dynamic one is probably your best bet.

[Greg]

I just bought a Lexicon Omega soundcard. £149.00 sterling.
It is ideal for using a backing track - you feed the music into one channel from your CD player and plug the mic into the other. I use headphones to listen, but I guess you could buy speakers, but that's added expense, isn't it?
The unit connects to your computer via the USB.
It comes with Cubase LE software included in the price. And the instructions are all on your computer screen.[Ive printed them off, however.]
I have only just got it and I've had a tentative attempt - the vocal was a little distorted, but I think that's because I was too close to the mic when I sang.

I have loads of songs on backing tracks and this unit seemed ideal for what I want to do.
It's quite compact and seems really neat.
It's just that I need to suss it out properly.
Why not have a look and see if it's what you want. I'm sure you could get it for MUCH less money than here in rip-off Britain.



P.S.
I sing for my job, and believe me, a microphone is a personal thing. You need to go to a music shop and try some out. See how they feel to you. But a dynamic one is probably your best bet.

What kind of mic did you use with this unit? I'm with you on the head phones. It's kind of hard to hear yourself through speakers. I will check it out...thanks!

[SusieP]

I prefer to use a Beyer TGX-80 mic when I'm on stage. I went to my local music store, and tried out a few. That was the one which sat best in my hand and just felt right overall.

But I have a trusty old Shure SM58 in the house. I asked a lot of mates for advice and every one of them recommended the Shure for home recording. And when I've been in studio's in the past, they've had Shure SM57 or SM58. They are industry standard, so should be ok.
Like you, funds are tight so I got it off eBay for £20 - it's new and unused. But my stage mic was top dollar a few years ago and its stored with all the band gear at my boyfriend's place. So I got the Sure one just for fiddling about with the home recording.
Soundcards like the Lexicon Omega have a button on them to add 'phantom power' to the recording if you buy a non dynamic mic. But both the SM58 and the Beyer TGX-80 are dynamic mics so you won't need phantom power.

But ask ten singers which mic is best and you'll probably get ten different answers.

[SusieP]

Speakers is a whole different ball game, I mean if you were to buy a multitrack mixing desk/recording desk you'd probably need powered speakers/monitors, but we're talking more money for that set up. And just headphones probably wouldn't be enough.

I'm assuming that, like me you just want something good quality but basic for recording a vocal over a backing track.
Of course, you can record instruments too on the Lexicon, but it only has two channels, so its no good really for trying to record a band playing several instruments at once.

[Greg]

Well, what I am wanting to do is to record my voice over some karaoke tracks that I have on my computer at home. It is kind of a gift to someone special, and she has never heard (may never want to hear..lol) me singing anything, so I figured I would get together a CD with some of her favorite songs to sing to her. But, besides that, I also just want to get my voice out there to see what others think of it.

[SusieP]

Well, what I am wanting to do is to record my voice over some karaoke tracks that I have on my computer at home. It is kind of a gift to someone special, and she has never heard (may never want to hear..lol) me singing anything, so I figured I would get together a CD with some of her favorite songs to sing to her. But, besides that, I also just want to get my voice out there to see what others think of it.

Sounds great to me.
I have been in recording studio's in the past and had to pay a fortune for their time. And the recordings are long gone.
I have backing tracks which have been made for me with live instruments etc - so I can do a casino lounge gig or whatever. But I have no permanent record of my voice except for three old tracks recorded ages ago in a friends house. And I know I can sing all of those three songs better. I've posted the tracks on here before even though I wasn't that happy with them.

So I thought, I have the mic, I have the tracks, I have the laptop - why not get the soundcard and have a go! I know that it won't sound like me singing to a live band because the 'karaoke/backing' track is already mixed, but it should be ok.
And I'm sure it will be ok for what you want to do also. Lovely idea for a gift for someone special. GO FOR IT GREGGIE!!!!!!

I'm a bit rubbish with technical things though, so it will take me ages to suss out how to record and mix.

I'm sure you'll suss it in a heartbeat.

[junky]

I also recommend the Shure SM58.

Also check this out:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/F ... -main.html

It comes with a lite version of Protools.

You can import a CD into a stereo track in Protools and record your vocals on a separate stereo track.

Also, if you have a guitar amp, you can route the sound out from the computer to your guitar amp.

[SusieP]

P.S.
I'm sure someone much more technically minded than me will be online later to suggest other ways to you.

[Greg]

I appreciate your suggestions and I have been looking into the sound card.

[Greg]

I also recommend the Shure SM58.

Also check this out:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/F ... -main.html

It comes with a lite version of Protools.

You can import a CD into a stereo track in Protools and record your vocals on a separate stereo track.

Also, if you have a guitar amp, you can route the sound out from the computer to your guitar amp.

That looks interesting!!!

[SusieP]

I appreciate your suggestions and I have been looking into the sound card.

I spent ages looking for the soundcard to suit this purpose. I also looked at multitrack portable studio desks. But everything is SO expensive over here. It took weeks and weeks of trawling, and it drove me nuts.
So I'm happy to share my findings with you.
The other one I considered was one by Line 6. Toneport UX2. They're a good company and may be worth you checking out too.
But Lexicon have a good reputation, also.

Best of luck with it.

[Greg]

I appreciate your suggestions and I have been looking into the sound card.

I spent ages looking for the soundcard to suit this purpose. I also looked at multitrack portable studio desks. But everything is SO expensive over here. It took weeks and weeks of trawling, and it drove me nuts.
So I'm happy to share my findings with you.
The other one I considered was one by Line 6. Toneport UX2. They're a good company and may be worth you checking out too.
But Lexicon have a good reputation, also.

Best of luck with it.

Yeah there seems like there are so many choices out there and that is what makes it difficult. Now, if this was going to be something I was going to pursue professionally then I'd probably want the best of the best, but since this is just a hobby, then of course I just want something decent that doesn't sound very homemade if that makes sense.

Thank you!!!!

[SusieP]

I appreciate your suggestions and I have been looking into the sound card.

I spent ages looking for the soundcard to suit this purpose. I also looked at multitrack portable studio desks. But everything is SO expensive over here. It took weeks and weeks of trawling, and it drove me nuts.
So I'm happy to share my findings with you.
The other one I considered was one by Line 6. Toneport UX2. They're a good company and may be worth you checking out too.
But Lexicon have a good reputation, also.

Best of luck with it.

Yeah there seems like there are so many choices out there and that is what makes it difficult. Now, if this was going to be something I was going to pursue professionally then I'd probably want the best of the best, but since this is just a hobby, then of course I just want something decent that doesn't sound very homemade if that makes sense.

Thank you!!!!

That was exactly my problem.

Just hope I've been of help.
Of course, if I don't suss out how to do it on the kit I've bought - I'll be selling it!

To be fair, I haven't spent very much time on it so far. I'm on here far too often.

[junky]

I also recommend the Shure SM58.

Also check this out:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/F ... -main.html

It comes with a lite version of Protools.

You can import a CD into a stereo track in Protools and record your vocals on a separate stereo track.

Also, if you have a guitar amp, you can route the sound out from the computer to your guitar amp.

That looks interesting!!!

Sorry. I was wrong. It comes with Ableton live, which is also a good program and pretty much does the same thing.

Susie is right about Lexicon. Definitely a reputable company. M-Audio is less expensive, but very widely used for non-pro and especially for mobile.

A few years ago, I would have never recommended M-audio to anyone.
My husband wanted to start recoding his guitar, so I bought him an iBook and an M-audio Black Box because it had some great guitar amps and effects. It sounded great. He's very technically challenged, computer-wise, but he found it very easy to use.

Good luck with it and have fun!!!

And don't hesitate to ask any questions.

[7 Wishes]

I use a Rode NTK when laying down studio tracks. My former guitarist had a Schoep, which I found to be more difficult to adjust to, but was the preference of the singers who had come before me. A lot of it depends on your vocal approach and the overall production.

I've used the SX version of the Cubase before and it's top-of-the-line, but rather costly- I have a low-cost Sonar Home Studio 4 which I use for rough tracks, but the Sony Sound Forge 9.0 is the industry standard for me at the time.

[SusieP]

I also recommend the Shure SM58.

Also check this out:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/F ... -main.html

It comes with a lite version of Protools.

You can import a CD into a stereo track in Protools and record your vocals on a separate stereo track.

Also, if you have a guitar amp, you can route the sound out from the computer to your guitar amp.

That looks interesting!!!

Sorry. I was wrong. It comes with Ableton live, which is also a good program and pretty much does the same thing.

Susie is right about Lexicon. Definitely a reputable company. M-Audio is less expensive, but very widely used for non-pro and especially for mobile.

A few years ago, I would have never recommended M-audio to anyone.
My husband wanted to start recoding his guitar, so I bought him an iBook and an M-audio Black Box because it had some great guitar amps and effects. It sounded great. He's very technically challenged, computer-wise, but he found it very easy to use.

Good luck with it and have fun!!!

And don't hesitate to ask any questions.

M audio was also recommended to me, but I opted for the Lexicon because it included the Cubase LE [lite] software in the price. Seemed better quality, too.

[Wally_Hatchet]

microphone -

Shure SM58 = $100.00

Very reliable, used by many singers, good price.

[junky]

M audio was also recommended to me, but I opted for the Lexicon because it included the Cubase LE [lite] software in the price. Seemed better quality, too.

No argument from me. I used Cubase for years. I love it.

Lexicon is a great choice for pro-audio, their reverb units are the best, but when I researching for my husband, it seemed their were some bugs that needed to be worked out with the Omega. I believe it was their first venture into sound interfaces.

I went with M-audio because my husband is technically challenged, and the thing just worked right out of the box. I've hooked up my mic to it and it sounded great. No problems what so ever.

Actually, I'm thinking about getting the Omega for myself.

How is it?

[Greg]

Sounds like I can't go wrong with the Lexicon then. I have heard a little about the M-Audio stuff. They always seem to be mentioned with Pro Tools, which I hear a lot about in today's world! I have used the Sound Forge products in the past but haven't used 9.0. But I guess if the Lexicon sound card comes with editing software then I wouldn't necessarily need additional software unless I really want to get deep into editing. Right now, I am just looking for the best vocal sound to put with a karaoke music file for the lowest amount of cost. So do you all know which software products work best with which hardware? In another words, I am assuming I can get any music editing software I want and it should work with the Lexicon card?

Also, while I don't think of myself as a professional vocalist nor a tone deaf vocalist, I do tend to have pitch problems at times, so which music software out there is good with correcting pitch problems?

[Greg]

By the way, thank you all for contributing with this. I am completely in the dark about the music editing in the 21st century! I have used a four track cassette recorder in the past, but that has been probably about 13 years ago!

[SusieP]

M audio was also recommended to me, but I opted for the Lexicon because it included the Cubase LE [lite] software in the price. Seemed better quality, too.

No argument from me. I used Cubase for years. I love it.

Lexicon is a great choice for pro-audio, their reverb units are the best, but when I researching for my husband, it seemed their were some bugs that needed to be worked out with the Omega. I believe it was their first venture into sound interfaces.

I went with M-audio because my husband is technically challenged, and the thing just worked right out of the box. I've hooked up my mic to it and it sounded great. No problems what so ever.

Actually, I'm thinking about getting the Omega for myself.

How is it?

I just bought it, then got laryngitis and flu for ten days, so I wasn't able to test it properly yet. So Iprinted off the manual and read bits of it while my voice recovered.
I had a quick go with it the other day and my vocal sounded a bit distorted. I'm assuming that's because I was too close to the mic. AND my voice isn't up to full strength yet.
My voice is almost back on form now, so I will be giving it a go next week.

[SusieP]

I have no pitch problems, so I didn't need anything with pitch correction - I know you won't be buying from the UK, but check out www.dolphinmusic.co.uk they have a whole load of stuff in their computer recording section. Maybe you can read all the spec on everything, narrow it down to a couple and then find them in the U.S.

From memory - when I was trawling for what I wanted, I'm sure there was another lexicon with pitch control.

Might have been the Alpha?? But as I recall that didn't come with any mixing/recording software in the price, so I opted for the Omega instead. Purely to save money.

[SusieP]

By the way, thank you all for contributing with this. I am completely in the dark about the music editing in the 21st century! I have used a four track cassette recorder in the past, but that has been probably about 13 years ago!

Well all I ever did before was go to a studio, shove some headphones on, sing and let someone else do everything.

I have no clue how to record or mix.
But I aim to learn. No matter how long it takes.

[junky]

M audio was also recommended to me, but I opted for the Lexicon because it included the Cubase LE [lite] software in the price. Seemed better quality, too.

No argument from me. I used Cubase for years. I love it.

Lexicon is a great choice for pro-audio, their reverb units are the best, but when I researching for my husband, it seemed their were some bugs that needed to be worked out with the Omega. I believe it was their first venture into sound interfaces.

I went with M-audio because my husband is technically challenged, and the thing just worked right out of the box. I've hooked up my mic to it and it sounded great. No problems what so ever.

Actually, I'm thinking about getting the Omega for myself.

How is it?

I just bought it, then got laryngitis and flu for ten days, so I wasn't able to test it properly yet. So Iprinted off the manual and read bits of it while my voice recovered.
I had a quick go with it the other day and my vocal sounded a bit distorted. I'm assuming that's because I was too close to the mic. AND my voice isn't up to full strength yet.
My voice is almost back on form now, so I will be giving it a go next week.

I'm glad to hear your voice is better. Ah, distortion. Yeah, you're gonna have to fiddle a bit with the knobs to get the levels just right. Maybe a windscreen if you don't have one. No, not the Augeri kind.

Anyway, let me know how you make out.

[Greg]

I have no pitch problems, so I didn't need anything with pitch correction - I know you won't be buying from the UK, but check out www.dolphinmusic.co.uk they have a whole load of stuff in their computer recording section. Maybe you can read all the spec on everything, narrow it down to a couple and then find them in the U.S.

From memory - when I was trawling for what I wanted, I'm sure there was another lexicon with pitch control.

Might have been the Alpha?? But as I recall that didn't come with any mixing/recording software in the price, so I opted for the Omega instead. Purely to save money.

I will have to look into it. I will check out that website you posted. It will probably just come down to me doing many, many takes until I get it right!

[AR]

Anyone out there use audacity? It's a pretty cool audio editor and recorder and it's free.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

[Greg]

Anyone out there use audacity? It's a pretty cool audio editor and recorder and it's free.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I like the fact that it supports Linux!

[Shadowsong]

Ooooh

I tried to hook up a SM58 using a 1/4 to the puter port size adapter but the mike recorded very low.
I have 2 SM%* a hi & a lo impediance & I tried them both & meither worked so I returned the adapter to radio shack.
Maybe it was the wrong jack adapter.

I'd sure love to use the SM58 as all I have is a $1 cheap tiny toy mike that came with the puter but it works pretty good.

I have a recording audigy sound card so I should be able to do soemthing with it.

Any ideas why the shure SM58 did not work?

Thanks

[SusieP]

Ooooh

I tried to hook up a SM58 using a 1/4 to the puter port size adapter but the mike recorded very low.
I have 2 SM%* a hi & a lo impediance & I tried them both & meither worked so I returned the adapter to radio shack.
Maybe it was the wrong jack adapter.

I'd sure love to use the SM58 as all I have is a $1 cheap tiny toy mike that came with the puter but it works pretty good.

I have a recording audigy sound card so I should be able to do something with it.

Any ideas why the shure SM58 did not work?

Thanks

I'm still reading my user manual for my cubase software and soundcard, so I am no expert - but did you say you plugged the mic into the computer?

The mic goes into the mic input on the soundcard. Then the soundcard plugs into the computer via USB cable.

Also - just check the obvious. Some SM58's have a small switch on them. Was it switched on? Old ones didn't have switches, but the newer ones do.


P. S. what happened to the Budgie & Cheerio's avatar?