Recording how to: All been asked before.

So this is going to be nothing new to the kind of questions posted in this section so I apologize, any redirects would be appreciated, bear with me please:

I'm trying to record some tracks onto my reasonably supportive laptop. I have plenty of space and ram. I intend to record just the guitar and some drums. My initial plan was to get a looping station (like the jamman) which I figured would be pretty conclusive....however I will need a bit of guidance if I am to do it without such a station ...what would the set up be in this case?

I'm familiar with open source recording programs such as audacity+reaper. What other hardware/software could I use?

Here`s how I do it,

I use adobe audition as my recording/mixing software so if you use audacity you already have that part covered.

As far as hardware goes :

Guitar -> effect processor -> small mixer -> Line in jack of computer

The most important thing in recording to get a good sound is having some sort of pre-amp. Most multi-effect guitar pad has them these days. If you do not have a pre-amp you'll end up with a very harsh sound.

If you use an amp you can either mic it but you'll have to get a mixer to process the sound before sending it to your laptop. Or use the line out port of your amp and send it in the line-in of your laptop.

Never use the mic jack of your sound card to send signal coming from and amp or effect pad always use the line-in.

You could always turn to companies like m-audio that makes usb interfaces for recording. My honest opinion, if you have a effect pad with built-in pre-amp you`re good to go. I`ve been making music for 5-6 years now on my computer using very little hardware. Go with your needs, don`t buy too much gear for the sake of having them :)

Concerning drums, I switched to drum loops now. It saves me the hassle of programming them which can really be a time consuming process.

You might also want to look at our studio lesson section.

http://www.guitartricks.com/category.php?input=studio

The way I'd probably do it is to buy some royalty free drum loops and load them up into whatever recording software you use. (Cubase, Pro-Tools etc.)
Use a simple 1/4" to USB connector like this...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LightSnake10/

... and an amp simulator like AmpliTube.

If you didn't want to go to the expense of buying Amplitube or want to use an amp, you'll need a Mic, some kind of mixer or line level adjustment device (volume control) and basically the same connections or something like M-Audio stuff or whatever you want to convert the MIC or 1/4" plug into USB.

Personally I prefer loops to drum machines because they're played by real players. I also prefer using something like Amplitube because you can record a straight signal in and simulate any amp you want after you've recorded.

If you use a condensor mic, you'll also need 'phantom' power. You can look up what that means using Google.

That sounds great, I've ordered the Lightsnake - it seemed like the most cost-effective place to start..thanks for all the help.

I'm having some trouble with amplitube. It keeps giving me a very scratchy broken up sound....I've messed around with a few settings but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Anyone know why this could be happening?

Originally Posted by: tab_ishI'm having some trouble with amplitube. It keeps giving me a very scratchy broken up sound....I've messed around with a few settings but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Anyone know why this could be happening?

Check your cable. If you're using a cheap cable sometimes the wires inside get disconnected from the input shaft... I had a cheap cable that just quit working out of no where before. Since then I've sprung the extra cash for high quality cables. I use Fender Professional and Fender California cables.. neither are the best you can get but they are pretty good quality.

If the problem isn't with your cable it could be anything in your guitars circuit too... A loose wire or a dirty pot can cause a broken up scratchy tone as well... It's hard to say. fiddle with your cable, if you have a different try replacing it.

I'm using the lightsnake cable that I just got in the mail today so I dont think that's where my problem is. Also, it sounds just fine when plugged into a regular amp, so I don't think it's got anything to do with my guitar either.

Maybe your using the demo version of Amplitube??

I used it once and you get clicks every now and then.

Maybe I'm wrong about what you mean tho....

That is kinda strange. I've been using AmpliTube for a coupla years with no problems. Do you get a clear recording if you just bypass amplitube?

Also check your input volume in your control panels to be sure it isn't set too high.

Could be a latency issue, experiment with the buffer settings on your soundcard. How much Ram have you got? It's always a good idea to have closer to the recommended spec than minimum requirement with any software. Could be the problem...
Make sure you check out www.musicxp.net for tips on how to tweak your pc for music production. Some of the changes make big differences to overall performance.

Yes I am using a demo version of amplitube, but I'm pretty sure I have sufficient RAM.

I do get a clear recording if I don't use amplitube, I tried adding in some pedals too, and that works fine. Also, I can't seem to hear what I'm playing through an actual amp when I run a cable through the splitter on the lightsnake. Not sure why this is either.

Yeah, the demo version inserts a distorted hiss sound every few seconds.
Sounds like you need the full version

If you need to hear Amplitube in action, just go to my lesson page.
About 99.9% of the guitars are straight line in, then processed later.

If you want to evaluate software without being limited by demo's, you should should usenet in newsgroups such as alt. The program is fully functional with no time limit.
Once youget the hang of it, erase it from the hard drive and buy a new one.