recording equipment?

[charles]

Alright, I don't really know if these goes here, but it seemed like the best place to put it.

I need to do some recording. I currently have no equipment what so ever, but in the next month or so I should have some money put together to get something. I don't really want to start a home studio or anything, but I'd like something that provides a bit of quality. For quite a while I thought I'd just get a tascam dp-008, but my guitarist has a tascam dp-02, and I really don't like it. Mostly because he wasted an extra $200 on a cd burner, but it seems kind of... limited. Should I just get an audio interface and use recording software? I'm pretty familiar with some already, but I like the idea of pressing a button and recording in my room that a tascam would provide.

I'm torn, and too much of a pussy to make my own decisions, help?

Also, does anyone happen to know if a tascam dp-008 can be used as an audio interface? I couldn't find any information on that.

[John Lyons]

What are you looking to record? Full band, guitar, bass, drums, vocal, zither?

[charles]

What are you looking to record? Full band, guitar, bass, drums, vocal, zither?

Whoops, totally slipped my mind. Just me, guitar, bass, synth, vocals.

[tuffteef]

pro tewls FTW

[The4455]

Yah, a small audio interface and pro tools or Logic studios. As for microphones, it really depends on your budget.

[bob the r0bot]

Rockband mic + infinite trial version reaper = sounds like shit but, sounds like shit 4 FR33!

[charles]

Yah, a small audio interface and pro tools or Logic studios. As for microphones, it really depends on your budget.

thanks, any recommendations?

Rockband mic + infinite trial version reaper = sounds like shit but, sounds like shit 4 FR33!

I'll keep that in mind.

On this subject, do different model audio interfaces differ in sound quality? Or is it just number of inputs and features?

[bob the r0bot]

Not really a difference in sound quality; that's mostly the mic. I just use reaper because they let you evaluate the trial version for forever (I'm on three months) and it's a hell of a lot better than audacity. It also let's you use your speakers as an input; allowing you to sample youtube videos and dvds really easily.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that the trial version of reaper is the full version of reaper but, with a longer boot time.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Yeah, Reaper is really good. Easy to load up vsts, pretty easy to use MIDI stuff, and you can use the free version forever. I use an m-audio fast track which works well enough. Even if you ended up wanting to record more than 2 tracks simultaneously, it'd be easy enough to just run all of them into a mixer and then record from the output of that.

[charles]

Thanks guys, I used Logic for a little while, but I wasn't really happy with it. I'll try Reaper, it sounds pretty nice.

[The4455]

Mics, for vocals I use a Electro Voice N/D767a ($130) and for guitar amps I use a Shure Sm-57 ($100). I always D.I. the bass, since I only use mics at shows, a good D.I box could be as cheap as $30 or as expensive as $100, it's kinda your choice, I use live wire D.I. Boxes they're pretty good ($30). Keyboards can be D.I.'d also, or just use the line out on your keyboard.Digital Reference makes some nice budget mics, for aroun $60. Also I'd try and find used mics, it's really the best way to go.

[Achtane]

You can get used mics for pretty good prices, and the SM-57 is so ubiquitous I'd be surprised to see it go for more than $50.

[The4455]

You can get used mics for pretty good prices, and the SM-57 is so ubiquitous I'd be surprised to see it go for more than $50.

I actually got both of mine for $45 used.