Absolute beginner

YellowLedBetterMan

I'm very new to all this home recording malarkey. I want to start playing around with recording some guitars and bass, and adding some virtual drums to make tracks. I'd also like to be able to play around with amp sims on the PC so I can put in headphones and practice silently.

What do I need as a bare minimum? I have a pretty good (Windows) laptop, headphones, do I just need an audio interface?

I want to be able to put it together as cheaply as possible without sacrificing ease of use.

Bill_S

Yep, an audio interface to get your guitar into the pc, and then there’s a decent choice of free Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) out there to get you started. Some will come with an amp sim included and virtual drums. The best free virtual drum VST I know is MT Power Drum Kit. I’ve been using Daws for 20 years, and have a number of high end virtual drum instruments, but I still use MT - it really is excellent. Waveform free is my DAW recommendation, but there are others. 

rico

You need a DAW (Reaper is powerful and free/very cheap if you decide to buy) and an interface. If you want to plug your guitar directly into the PC to use sims and the ability to plug in microphones to record 'live' guitar you need something like a Presonus Audiobox (probably the cheapest two input interface that takes instrument level and mic level inputs). That also comes with a lite version of Studio One DAW.

I use EzDrummer 2 (there is a free demo) but have heard that MT drums are really good too (and free).

It's very simple to get up and running these days. Plenty of knowledgeable folk on here to help out!

YellowLedBetterMan

My sure I'll be too bothered about mic'ing up amps in the room for now, as the room itself isn't the biggest and I struggle to fit an amp in anyway.

Would something like the Behringer UMC22 be any good for playing with amp sims over backing tracks while recording?

rico

YellowLedBetterMan said:

My sure I'll be too bothered about mic'ing up amps in the room for now, as the room itself isn't the biggest and I struggle to fit an amp in anyway.

Would something like the Behringer UMC22 be any good for playing with amp sims over backing tracks while recording?

The Behringer unit looks fine. It's definitely the budget end of the scale though! Check that the drivers etc will work with your machine.

YellowLedBetterMan

Ms HB has ordered me a behringer UMC202HD as a surprise present after briefly mentioning wanting an audio interface. Very lucky boy am I.

So while that's on the way, I have to ask, which cheap (or even better - free) DAWs, amp sims, etc, do people recommend? I'm going to download MT Drums based off the recommendations here.

Also, I've noticed my amp (Kustom Coupe 36) has a line out from the back - could I connect a cable from this to the audio interface to record that way? Would I need cab emulation and if so, again, are there any cheap/free recommendations for this?

spark240

I’m using Studio one , the Artist version is free but limited, ...I think most people with suggest Reaper.

relic245

rico said:

YellowLedBetterMan said:

My sure I'll be too bothered about mic'ing up amps in the room for now, as the room itself isn't the biggest and I struggle to fit an amp in anyway.

Would something like the Behringer UMC22 be any good for playing with amp sims over backing tracks while recording?

The Behringer unit looks fine. It's definitely the budget end of the scale though! Check that the drivers etc will work with your machine.

The behringer is good but no one has had any stock for months now. 

Id had one on order for 3 months and cancelled it last week as the deliver date keeps moving and is now estimated at August. 

Went for a focusrite Scarlet instead. Much more money but at least I have it. 

Bill_S

https://www.nembriniaudio.com/products/crunck-v2-guitar-amplifier

This amp sim is good (and free)and Nembrini generally are amongst the best available today. At low gain settings this does clean pretty well, and it’s bread and butter is obviously higher gain / crunch.

YellowLedBetterMan

relic245 said:

rico said:

YellowLedBetterMan said:

My sure I'll be too bothered about mic'ing up amps in the room for now, as the room itself isn't the biggest and I struggle to fit an amp in anyway.

Would something like the Behringer UMC22 be any good for playing with amp sims over backing tracks while recording?

The Behringer unit looks fine. It's definitely the budget end of the scale though! Check that the drivers etc will work with your machine.

The behringer is good but no one has had any stock for months now. 

Id had one on order for 3 months and cancelled it last week as the deliver date keeps moving and is now estimated at August. 

Went for a focusrite Scarlet instead. Much more money but at least I have it. 

Funny. I had an email within an hour of it being ordered saying it had been dispatched from Thomann.

EDIT - I obviously mean the other model, but Thomann site says that all Behringer stuff is in stock and ready to send.