Simple/cheap/basic recording

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I have a guitar; and a bass guitar. I also have a reasonable bass amp, but no guitar amp, I've just been using the bass amp with the tone controls suitably tweaked and if I want a bit of distortion, I have a Boss MD-2 and OS-2 pedals, though to be honest I hardly ever use them. Its just home use at the moment, and I'm just learning guitar (although played bass for ages).

Now what I'd like to do is record 1 track of guitar, then play it back while playing/recording another track. For example track 1 might be a simple rhythm track with some chords, where track 2 is a little bit of noodling/improvisation over the top. Later on I might want to get a bit more adventurous and also add a bass track and possibly (electronic) drums.

I have a laptop, so I was thinking I could buy an audio interface, for example:

http://www.dawsons.co.uk/presonus-audiobox-ione-usb-audio-interface

It seems that most/all of these come with a basic DAW already, I'd probably be happy with this for my modest needs. I'm reasonably confident that the interface would happily accept the instrument input from the guitar and bass and record it fine, however the laptop speakers aren't going to do any justice, so ideally I'd also like to use the "monitor output" to connect to the amplifier I have, to give a fuller sound. I'm not bothered about exact tonal reproduction, just something that sounds reasonably alike the guitar etc. How do I convert the "balanced monitor output" from one of these interfaces to the instrument input on the amplifier?

I know (well think, 99% sure) that a looper pedal would allow me to do similar but seems more sensible to dip my toes into digital recording on the computer to offer more flexibility later (ie adding some drums).

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Comments

  • ChrisRGChrisRG Frets: 55
    I'll let others answer the technical stuff regarding the output but I thought I'd chip in about the interface/free DAW as you are looking at a Presonus one.

    I use a Presonus interface (Audiobox 22VSL) and one of the reasons for going with it was for the free copy of Studio One 3 Artist which I really liked having used the free version (Prime).  Artist doesn't include support for VSTs and export of MP3 so you have to buy the addons separately.  If you don't have a guitar amp and plan to use a software amp/cab modeller (Scuffham S-gear is excellent), then you'll need to buy the VST/AU/Rewire support addon for Studio One which is about £70.  I was already aware of this and factored in the cost but I thought I'd mention it in case you hadn't.

    There are other DAWs available and the fully featured Reaper is used and recommended by many on here.
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  • paul_c2paul_c2 Frets: 410
    I just looked quickly at Dawsons website, there's a couple on there around £80 which have similar features. I'm happy to be guided on the best one, or alternate places to buy it. I don't fully understand all the specs, or what the subtle differences in specs mean later on if/when I did more advanced stuff, so I'm a little wary of buying off (for example) eBay then finding its a slightly older model with a missing useful feature etc.
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  • wave100wave100 Frets: 150
    I'm pretty sure you can just connect one of the monitor outputs straight into your amp - it will however only be mono, so don't try any stereo panning or you won't hear anything panned to the disconnected side (if you see what I mean).

    If you have a home stereo a better solution is to use that for monitoring, or headphones.

    I haven't tried the interface you linked to but I imagine it will do what you want. Software wise Reaper seems to be the best bang/buck out there although it doesn't come with any drum plugins, I think there is a thread on here that mentions free drum software - there are also free guitar amp sims available.

    A MIDI keyboard that connects via USB is useful for programming drums and er keyboards.

    :)
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26458
    For my money...forget about all the big modelling packages. Just download the LePou amp plugins, NaDIR (for impulse responses) and get the free Redwirez impulse pack, then run it all in Reaper. Yes, it's marginally more complex to get started, but far more capable and much cheaper.

    By the way, I use a Presonus AudioBox USB at home, which I picked up for £45 second hand.
    <space for hire>
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  • paul_c2paul_c2 Frets: 410
    Great, thanks, I'll see what I can find and try it out.
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  • paul_c2paul_c2 Frets: 410
    There's about 4 audio interfaces in my small budget range, this is the cheapest one:

    http://www.dawsons.co.uk/m-audio-m-track-audio-interface

    I've also done a quick eBay search and Dawson's price seems pretty keen. I know its 48kHz where others are 96kHz but I honestly can't see that making a difference for me, and I'd never need 96k. They're all 24bit, I understand that 24 bit is handy compared to 16bit in that it allows you to later adjust levels quite a bit, and preserve quality. I also note that the one linked to has a mixer knob for the direct/USB output, which could be handy for me.

    Is there anything disasterously wrong with the one I've linked to, given that I don't have much money to spend on anything much more expensive?

    Regarding software, Reaper keeps coming up again and again so I think I'll eventually buy this, but for now I'll just get going with the basic free stuff.

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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26458
    If you were going to send stuff to somebody for mixing or mastering, odds are they'd be asking for it in 44.1kHz, 24-bit. It saves disk space too, compared with 96kHz.

    Reaper is available for free for the first month (I believe), and the only consequence of not paying for it is that you get a nag screen (no loss of functionality). However, I'd advise buying it given that it's probably the most functional £35 you'll ever spend.
    <space for hire>
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  • paul_c2paul_c2 Frets: 410
    Yep, I've looked at their website, its a 60 day free trial which is good to know. I rarely buy software (just do basic stuff on the computer nowadays) but I'd happily pay for something decent/functional etc.
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26458
    paul_c2 said:
    Yep, I've looked at their website, its a 60 day free trial which is good to know. I rarely buy software (just do basic stuff on the computer nowadays) but I'd happily pay for something decent/functional etc.
    Reaper's more than just "decent/functional". It's bloody excellent; not only that but when you pay for it, your license covers two full versions' worth of updates. That means that if you buy Reaper 5.23 now, you're covered for updates up to 6.99. Also...it has a huge advantage compared to lots of other DAWs in that it's not linked to operating system version. Reaper will work just as well with newer/older OS versions and never requires you to upgrade your operating system just to make it run (similarly, there's never been a situation where you have to keep your OS at an older version for it to continue to work). This tends to affect Mac users more than anything else, though.
    <space for hire>
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    If Reaper looks a bit daunting, try Tracktion, liberated from the dead hand of Avid/Mackie it has got going again (and the basic T5 version is completely free).

    https://www.tracktion.com/products/t5-daw

    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • paul_c2paul_c2 Frets: 410
    Well, I went to the shops today and I found another basic audio interface with pretty much the same features as the other ones in my price range - 2 input channels (one instrument level, one mic level) and 2 outputs. In addition it has RCA-outputs. However when I try to connect the line output to the amplifier, there is a lot of noise. Also if I use the RCA outputs (my amp, by chance has an aux in) the same noise is there.

    How do others use an audio interface to do the monitoring (its going to need to be from the audio interface ideally, since it does no-lag monitoring)? I am using a laptop and obviously its built in speakers aren't brilliant, I am thinking of buying a decent set of speakers for the laptop but I feel its obviously more money and would only part-solve the problem anyway. I don't have a stereo/hi-fi either anymore.
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  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1258
    Since you're using a laptop, I strongly suspect the 'noise' is 50Hz ground hum (as apposed to high frequency hiss). This often afflicts laptops since the power supply isn't earthed - the usual solution is an isolating transformer such as this one (or there's a mono version here) from Orchid Electronics.
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  • paul_c2paul_c2 Frets: 410
    A basic check I have just done is to unplug the laptop from the mains, so its on battery power - and the hum/noise is gone! So I reckon your theory is spot on. I'll look into buying one of those hum isolators, that way I can leave the laptop powered on mains and not worry about running its battery down. Thanks!
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  • Jalapeno said:
    If Reaper looks a bit daunting, try Tracktion, liberated from the dead hand of Avid/Mackie it has got going again (and the basic T5 version is completely free).

    https://www.tracktion.com/products/t5-daw

    Still what I use!
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  • @paul_c2 - I make a point of having two of those Orchid isolators in my gig bag at all times. You never know when they're going to save you (or, more commonly, your bandmates) from ground loops and the like. They're especially useful when it comes to recording.
    <space for hire>
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