Little help here for "BASIC" recording setup......

Ok, i'm kinda new to this area. Basically what I need to know is "What do I need to record my guitar playing into my Computer"? I know this was discussed in the thread started by 6_strngs HERE...but after reading that I needed a couple Advil :eek:

Basically I have all these "Backing Tracks" and "Jam Tracks" on my hardrive and on cd. I want to plug my guitar into a Korg AX3000G (which I have)...and plug that right into my computer (1/4" jack). Now my computer has no input jacks at all on the back (cant even find a mic jack!! whats up with that??) All I want to do is record a jamtrack on one channel and my guitar playing over it, on another channel, maybe some special effects on another channel or 2 using some awesome sounds from the Korg. Not looking for uber quality here, just something so I can upload mp3's online like you guys do for the monthly GT Solo Assignments.

Do I just need one of those $100-$200 soundcards like one of THESE E-Mu or M-Audio units, some software like Cakewalk ($99.).... and maybe a set of monitors?

Are Monitors really nessessary or are they just so it sounds better than my Computer speaker/subwoofer set up?

Money is not really a factor but I dont need anything pro either...... I've only been playing for 8 months and have about $7000. in equipment...5 guitars, 4 amps, 6 pedals, korg AX3000G, 2 keyboards, the best cables, cases, stands etc, etc.....
...btw.....my computer is a Dell 2.26ghz, 1536/ram(1.5 gig) and a 120 gig hd plus a 250gig ext drive. My guitars are Epi LP Custom, Fender American Deluxe HSS Strat, ESP Viper 400 and ESP F-50 which I had Seymore Duncans put in (distortion/bridge, 59n/neck...awesome metal sound!!!!)

i think external sound card is the way to go as you loose all the static from your pc, your pc should be able to handle just about anything so no problems there, software wise if u just want something simple to start with try audacity thats ment to be good and free so you can allways upgrade later.
from what i have read about internal or external soundcards you get what you pay for, you could always buy something like a line6 tonport, they record via usb i think and come with all the recording software and plus you get amp modeling.
that is all good if your only recording oe track at a time, and then mix them later
if you want simultaneous recording your will need a mixer

monitor dont colour the sound, they are designed for flat respose at as many frequencies as possible, your speakers will colour the sound but for starting off i wouldnt say it mattered much.

Thanks for the input :D Appreciate it

If your sound card isn't equipped with the right stuff maybe something with USB connectivity is the way to go. Something like a Line 6 Toneport or something like that. Worth a look and not too exspensive. Comes with recording software and is pretty much a plug and play kind of thing.

wow..i have been playing for 7 mpnths and all i have is an ibanez stock, yamaha acoustic and a hughes and kettner amp...someone start a donation for me

Originally Posted by: jeffhxwow..i have been playing for 7 mpnths and all i have is an ibanez stock, yamaha acoustic and a hughes and kettner amp...someone start a donation for me

lol your both doing better than me, marshall mg15 dfx n a cheap strat copy

Check out the M-Audio Delta 1010 - it's a great piece of gear. IT gives really high quality sound with zero latency (very important!). You could also look at a Tascam unit, I have a US428 which is also a handy piece of gear (sounds is good untill you put it up to the M-Audio). It runs via USB and interfaces directly into Cubase so you can use faders and jog wheels etc. Cheap soundcards usually give a crap sound and most of them don't come with a 1/4 inch jack, which is what you need to hook your guitar up. Jacking down is a bad idea, lots of static and pops plus it's very easy to damage the soundcard with the weight of the guitar cable (tugs etc). If you've spent that ammount of cash then you might as well get something that won't rewuire an upgrade when you start getting more serious. my bet would be some outboard hardware from M-Audio or Tascam.

Been a while since I have posted but just to let ya know, the Ableton software that comes with the TonePort is the "Light" version and is lacking a lot when it comes to working with midi.

I also use Sonars "Home Studio" and it does a decent job but I did upgrade my Ableton and hands down works much better. A lot of people like Cubase as well.

Cheers
MSF