Recording System for the College Student?

AKMG · #1 07-04-2008, 01:14 AM

So I've decided to bring my guitar this time around, being adapted to college life and all. I'm looking for a recording system, that's cheap, portable, yet supreme quality. I've been looking at the Toneports (GX, UX1, UX2) and can't seem to decide on which is best, so maybe some of you have recommendations? I also have GarageBand as I'm running Mac OSX 10.5, so to save money, is there a cheaper way to record direct from my guitar to computer? I don't want to bring my amp down because I simply can't. Money really isn't a big deal, but keeping it under $200 is my goal.

rty13ibz98 · #2 07-04-2008, 01:26 AM

main purpose? just guitar? demoing or "full production"? my recommendation is the presonus firebox. $300, so it's a bit more than you want to spend, but will end up sounding better. keep in mind that the GX doesn't have mic ins. the ux1 is being blown out by MF right now. pretty good deal, but the pres suck in it.

rich

Mathias_ · #3 07-04-2008, 02:33 AM

Some kind of soundboard.

Some kind of Pod-like equivalent.

Behringer V-Amp 2 Guitar Multi Effects Processor $99

Behringer EURORACK UB502 5-Channel Compact Mixer $30

IDK about supreme quality mixing with portability. But that is a very versatile setup that would probably get you far and beyond what a lot of people try to throw together.

AKMG · #4 07-04-2008, 02:36 AM

I pretty much want it for screwing around with. It doesn't need to be professional quality, but it should sound better than banging on a trashcan. I might record something with my roommate, but as of right now, I just want something I can play directly into my computer without mics and stuff (so late night recording sessions are in mind). Also something that I can use later on if I do decide to do some serious recording.

Mathias_ · #5 07-04-2008, 03:46 AM

The only soundboard I've used is my Yamaha MW10 which is not made any more to my knowledge so I can't really recommend other brands based on experience. For what you've described, you pretty much just need something that has a couple of different channels, and a rec out so just read some reviews on various ones and look for reliability at a reasonable price.

Then buy a male-to-male RCA cable and then plug it into the imac's analog input on the back(or USB if the soundboard has a USB output) Then plug the pod or pod-equivalent device into the soundboard, matching up the left output to the left input, and you'll be good to go.

I have a pod XT and X3, and like just about any digital modeling product are great tools and if you know how to tweak the settings you can get some awesome results. No it won't sound better than a tube amp miked in a $5000 studio. But it will sound good.

I personally would recommend the pod X3, which is around $400. But if you wanna spend less, the pod XT or even original pod would be a good choice as well.

So, basically for comparable results you can spend as low as $150 through around $700. After that you get into the anal regions of digital recording. A few will swear by em, most won't notice the difference, and some will argue that they can get the same results for a lot cheaper.

Aka roland VG-99 vs Line 6 Pod.

I would also invest in some quality headphones in the $50ish to $100ish price range. It has been my experience that the imac's speakers aren't the greatest when it comes to mixing accurately. Like, it would sound fine on it, but then when I'd burn the track to a CD to play through a nice stereo or my car, the levels between the drums/bass/guitar were really off.

I hope this helps and let us know what you decide on.

rty13ibz98 · #6 07-04-2008, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKMG

I pretty much want it for screwing around with. It doesn't need to be professional quality, but it should sound better than banging on a trashcan. I might record something with my roommate, but as of right now, I just want something I can play directly into my computer without mics and stuff (so late night recording sessions are in mind). Also something that I can use later on if I do decide to do some serious recording.

right now the line6 gear box gold bundle is only $99usd and it comes with the GX, so that is a great deal. i know, i bought it. the tones are incredible. i took a risk getting it as i have amplitube and waves GTR, both sound horrible to me. since i already use line6 products, bought the gear box and the massive discount. it will change the way you record guitars. for the late night stuff, it's perfect. for multiple i/o options, not so much. i'd recommend you getting the gearbox gold bundle AND an additional interface like the firebox. for more serious recording, the presonus fp10 or firestudio project should be high on your list.

rich

AKMG · #7 07-04-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mathias_

The only soundboard I've used is my Yamaha MW10 which is not made any more to my knowledge so I can't really recommend other brands based on experience. For what you've described, you pretty much just need something that has a couple of different channels, and a rec out so just read some reviews on various ones and look for reliability at a reasonable price.

Then buy a male-to-male RCA cable and then plug it into the imac's analog input on the back(or USB if the soundboard has a USB output) Then plug the pod or pod-equivalent device into the soundboard, matching up the left output to the left input, and you'll be good to go.

I have a pod XT and X3, and like just about any digital modeling product are great tools and if you know how to tweak the settings you can get some awesome results. No it won't sound better than a tube amp miked in a $5000 studio. But it will sound good.

I personally would recommend the pod X3, which is around $400. But if you wanna spend less, the pod XT or even original pod would be a good choice as well.

So, basically for comparable results you can spend as low as $150 through around $700. After that you get into the anal regions of digital recording. A few will swear by em, most won't notice the difference, and some will argue that they can get the same results for a lot cheaper.

Aka roland VG-99 vs Line 6 Pod.

I would also invest in some quality headphones in the $50ish to $100ish price range. It has been my experience that the imac's speakers aren't the greatest when it comes to mixing accurately. Like, it would sound fine on it, but then when I'd burn the track to a CD to play through a nice stereo or my car, the levels between the drums/bass/guitar were really off.

I hope this helps and let us know what you decide on.

I actually have a MacBook Pro and I have a nice pair of headphones (Bose) to plug in. I've found that most of the best ideas come when I'm up at 1 or 2 AM, so I'll probably play when the rest of the guys are sleeping. I'm not sure if this new information will change anything, but I will definitely look at the products you recommended.

Mathias_ · #8 07-05-2008, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKMG

I actually have a MacBook Pro and I have a nice pair of headphones (Bose) to plug in. I've found that most of the best ideas come when I'm up at 1 or 2 AM, so I'll probably play when the rest of the guys are sleeping. I'm not sure if this new information will change anything, but I will definitely look at the products you recommended.

Alright man, I wish you luck.

RG1820X · #9 07-05-2008, 10:30 PM

For around a total of $45 total,
I bought an iMic (http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic)
and an XLR to 1/8" cable (http://www.griffintechnology.com/pro...strumentcables).

I ran out of a POD XT Pro (not recommended for staying within a budget) into my Mac's USB Port and recorded through GarageBand.

RSVampire · #10 07-06-2008, 04:52 PM

http://www.***************.com/produ...ble?sku=332600

that'll probably take care of whatever you need to your computer

replace all the *'s with musicians friend

AKMG · #11 07-09-2008, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RG1820X

For around a total of $45 total,
I bought an iMic (http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic)
and an XLR to 1/8" cable (http://www.griffintechnology.com/pro...strumentcables).

I ran out of a POD XT Pro (not recommended for staying within a budget) into my Mac's USB Port and recorded through GarageBand.

Wow that's really cool (the XLR to 1/8" cable). I've been debating between the Pod XT, Pod X3, and the Boss GT-10. I've managed to get a loan from my roommate (yeah, he's nice

) so I can spend half a grand on effects!

But for now, I'll stop by my local Apple store and pick up that cable. I've never actually explored GarageBand, but does it offer multiple effects and amp settings or would I need an FX device such as the ones mentioned above?

Mathias_ · #12 07-09-2008, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKMG

Wow that's really cool (the XLR to 1/8" cable). I've been debating between the Pod XT, Pod X3, and the Boss GT-10. I've managed to get a loan from my roommate (yeah, he's nice

) so I can spend half a grand on effects!

But for now, I'll stop by my local Apple store and pick up that cable. I've never actually explored GarageBand, but does it offer multiple effects and amp settings or would I need an FX device such as the ones mentioned above?

Garage band does have built in guitar-amp/tone simulations and with the monitor feature on, you'd be able to hear yourself playing. However there is a slight delay between the time you hit the strings to the time you hear it play. It's not horrible, and I haven't had any problem recording things on tempo. However, you'd get a much larger variety of tones with a Pod X3 with better quality as a starting point. Then you could use Garage bands effects/compressors to further improve the tone.

The Pod would also be way more plug in and play friendly, as well as more useful on the long run. With a Pod and a soundboard, you'd be able to record the -exact- sound that you dial in.

jordanstreet · #13 07-09-2008, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mathias_

Garage band does have built in guitar-amp/tone simulations and with the monitor feature on, you'd be able to hear yourself playing. However there is a slight delay between the time you hit the strings to the time you hear it play. It's not horrible, and I haven't had any problem recording things on tempo. However, you'd get a much larger variety of tones with a Pod X3 with better quality as a starting point. Then you could use Garage bands effects/compressors to further improve the tone.

The Pod would also be way more plug in and play friendly, as well as more useful on the long run. With a Pod and a soundboard, you'd be able to record the -exact- sound that you dial in.

The delay should go away if you have some type of sound card with ASIO drivers.

AKMG · #14 07-09-2008, 03:49 PM

So part 1 is complete... I picked up, for $15, a Monster iStudioLink. It's pretty cool. Gets the job done cheaply.

Drew · #15 07-09-2008, 06:15 PM

Not familiar with that particular product, and not really a monster fan in general, but congrats nonetheless.

Does your sound card have a mic in or a line in? Back when I first started recording in college (I'm an '03 grad, so this was a while ago

) I used to simply run a SM58 knockoff into a XLR-1/4" cable and use a 1/4"=1/8" adaptor to plug it straight into my soundcard to mic up. Then I picked up a Johnson J-Station, and would run an out from that into the line in in the same manner.

I get much better sound quality today (Firepod with an external pre, running through my firewire port to my desktop), but even that was pretty serviceable and was more than enough to learn the ropes on and do guitar demos in my bedroom. I'll post up a clip if I think of it, tonight. :yesway: