Need Help On Home Recording

[wekwek]

Hello there, quite new to this website. But browsing through every forums i found awesome because every musicians compiles into one web helping each other out here through thick and thins. So I'm gonna try my luck here. hahaha.

Alright, Ive got myself a ToneportKb37,speakers,mic and all of stuff for recording. But i just wanna know which recording software would be much more suitable for me as beginner home recorder to record/mixing stuff. My friends keep pestering me to download protools or cubase, but for some instant they can be awesome but whats the point of me not knowing alot in it. And I've heard of Audacity is it good? Do i get to bounce track and stuff like normal recording?

Another thing is, do I have actually need a mixer or there is a mixer software online to mix some stuff here. I super noob on this kind of stuff. So I hope you guys would really help me out on this.

Thanks alot.

 

[blueprintstudios]

hi wekwek, welcome to soft.com.sg

1) http://tinyurl.com/diyrecording

2) does your kb37 come with any free DAW such as Cubase LE?

3) protools and cubase cannot be downloaded unless they're updates or unless they are pirated then the discussion ends here =) global forum rules no warez/cracks etc.

4) Audacity is free and user friendly , but if you'd like something more full fledged you can try www.reaper.fm then eventually buying a license if you like it. and yes to answer your qn you can bounce track etc on audacity.

5) mixer qn : read 1)

6) pls post what your computer specifications, OS etc.

 

[ankursamtaney]

I have a KB37; when I bought it about 2 years ago from City Music, i got a CD with Ableton Live LE. Of course, it was an old version (5, i think).. but irrespective of the version, you should be able to get down to making some decent recordings with it.

Mixer will be no good unless you're recording a full band or a drum kit (or anything that needs more than 2 mics at once), in which case, you may not be able to multi-track each individual channel on the mixer unless you're willing spend another $1000.. and doing that would pretty much render your KB37 useless apart from the MIDI keyboard function. With a simple analog mixer, all you'll have is a stereo out that gives you almost no flexibility to play with.

Every software will have its own virtual mixer. You buying an analog mixer has no relation with the software mixer, as the analog mixer only lets you mix BEFORE or WHILE you record and is of NO USE after you've recorded something.

Hope that makes sense..?

 

[kongwee]

All DAW more or less work the same way.
Open audio track.
Select input/output.
Arm track.
Record!
Edit if you need too.
Mix and bounce out.

When you wanna edit your recorded track(audio), many DAW has it own way of editing.
Generally there is two type of editing.
Of cos, all the DAW I saw are having these two type of editing feature.
Destructive editing and non-destructive editing.
Non-destructive mean your recorded track is untouched no matter how you edit it.
You can get back from your recored track even you screw up your editing.
Destructive editing mean your recorded track is permanently alter after you editing it.
Normally, there will be a few undo step before you could permanently damage your tracks.

Do you need protools or cubase? What did your friend tell you exactly?

 

[wekwek]

Thanks again everyone for the sincere and helpful answeers. Really appreciate it alot. And sorry for not posting much about my specifications here. Well, I'm using a laptop, just a windows compaq laptop. And i believe i don't need to buy any exra soundcard as the Kb37 has a build in soundcard interface, am i right? :S I also got myself an Nakamichi audio stereo receiver (digital signal processing surround system), the reason why I'm telling you this because theres a tape 1, tape 2 and cd function and sort of stuff for recording, so i guess its quite useful? i dont know. haha. and i have a Rotel power amp. The thing is I dont know where shoould i plug in those to? which part of my KB37.

Well basically my friend's told me protools and cubase is studio friendly. And quite alot of studio is using pro tools and cubase. so yeah. haha, but im not sure if Audacity could serve like them. :S or maybe i'm really not to sure.

Well, thanks again. and the reason why I decided to do home recording is for my band benefits. So we can at least save up cash on demos or maybe better we can medle stuff with our own hands. haha, and yeah maybe if i could get abit better or ready to record other bands, maybe a little think of Music Business? hahaha

 

[kongwee]

Connect the KB37 direct to power amp if you don't use the receiver. Volume control on KB37. Connect to recevier also can. But signal passing two pre-amp stage which is not good. If the receiver can do bypass, then it is better this way. Of cos, you have to be careful with volume control.

I am not sure about Cubase install base on studio, but protools is no doubt. Note protools you need to use supported audio interface like digidesign or m-audio.

 

[ankursamtaney]

I also got myself an Nakamichi audio stereo receiver (digital signal processing surround system), the reason why I'm telling you this because theres a tape 1, tape 2 and cd function and sort of stuff for recording, so i guess its quite useful? i dont know. haha. and i have a Rotel power amp. The thing is I dont know where shoould i plug in those to? which part of my KB37.

A little confused myself - you used the terms stereo receiver and surround system in the same sentence; they mean different things. IN any case, as kongwee said, you can plug the main outs of the KB37 into either the receiver or the poweramp.. but if your receiver is a surround system, keep in mind that the KB37 only gives you 2 outs, so all you'll have is Left and Right.

 

[kongwee]

Hmm. I thought you use the receiver as digital processing also as a preamp than connect to power amp.
In that case connect your KB37 direct out to power amp(driving other set of speaker).

You can connect directly to the receiver too. The sound quality will be better if you can bypass the preamp function of the receiver. There will be no surround processing available. Of cos, you should not use any surround processing in any case for your mix.

 

[ankursamtaney]

Of cos, you should not use any surround processing in any case for your mix.

Unless you're making a surround mix perhaps? think the score for a project film or something - could be great fun, coming to think of it!

But yea, for normal music - i.e. stereo - I agree with you!

 

[kongwee]

About surround project, I don't have any experience. Setuping a stereo setup is challenging enough.

 

[soft]

Hi wekwek, you can connect the KB37 Line Out to your Nakamichi CD IN.

Use the software that came with your KB37. Learn it well and then move on to find out you feel is lacking.

Spend some time reading up on the KB37 too, it can do almost everything you need to put a recording together.

 

[AlvBobo]

Pro Tools rules!! lol. =)