Request for advice - introduction to recording

Kalimna

Greetings folks,
I've just bought a desktop PC, and one of the things Id like to do with it is to record some of my guitar playing, mostly for personal use.
My question is - what do I need in order to accomplish this?
For context, all of my amps are a bit 'old fashioned' in that outputs are to speaker only. And the PC i bought has no speakers beyond those in the display monitor.
I welcome any advice,

Adam

drofluf

All you need is a microphone, a stand and a copy of Audacity which is recording software. It’s also free. and easy to use  

Plenty of choice here: https://www.gear4music.com/Microphones/USB.html but I can’t recommend a specific model.

That will get you started for less than £50; after that it’s easy to fall into a rabbit hole of interfaces, monitors and phantom power but I’d see how you go with a basic setup and then upgrade if you get bitten by the bug. 

DavidR

Lots of options.

A cheap one is Zoom handheld recorder (currently Zoom H4n most popular), SD card into PC, download raw recording to PC, use Audacity freeware to edit a .wav file (sound a bit better than .mp3), name and save file to PC before deleting raw file from PC and SD card, then download to free capacity on SoundCloud (enough for approx 70-80 3 minute .wav files). Then you're on web and available to the World!

A new PC will probably have Bluetooth to connect wirelessly to a cheap Bluetooth speaker. The sound quality on those can be surprisingly good. (avoid the boomy ones). Or you can plug a Bluetooth receiver into any sound system or hifi you have. Modern radios sometimes have Bluetooth reception function too.

Total cost £3-400.

Have fun

Revolutions

Focusrite 2i2 comes with free Ableton Lite & other free software like amp plugins if you register the product.

Ableton takes about 5 minutes to get started with recording with the online guides. Amp plugins are easy to add once you watch a tutorial (loads of videos can be found via Google).

only £99 for this b-stock unit in their current sale: https://focusrite.com/products/scarlett-2i2-refurbished

icu81b4

You can download Cakewalk by Bandlab which is free (at the moment) which is a really good DAW, and plenty of free tutorials on YouTube 

Macca_25387

There’s lot of starter kits available now, which would probably be a good start point for you. Interface, mic and headphones plus some lite version of software will get you up and running. SSL, Audient, focusrite, Presonus should see you right. 

Kalimna

Thank you all for your advice. Ableton, Audacity, Cakewalk - in simple terms is there much to choose between them?
Likewise the interface, is their much to choose between? Or, as usual, am I overthinking it?
I would like some speakers too - any recommendations there? 
Thank you for assisting a noob!

drofluf

My view is that Audacity is the easiest to use. But that may be because it was the first one I tried so got used to the way it works. It’s probably the most limited in terms of functionality but may also provide everything you need. It will probably also get you up and running the quickest. If you have a Mac you’ll already have GarageBand which is another option. 

like everything with monitors you get what you pay for. The more expensive ones will be better built, have more features and possibly a higher sample rate (a loose measure of sound quality). Whether you need that for your home recording is up to you. 

Some helpful threads

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/260058/cheap-mics-for-recording#latest

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/248302/budget-mic-for-recording-acoustic-work-teams-calls-etc#latest

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/253020/budget-monitors

Musicwolf

You can add Reaper to your list of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation).  Not free, but very reasonable, and you can trial it buckshee.  Audacity isn't really a DAW (I use it for editing) but, whichever one you go for, the limitations will be the user / learning curve.  They all do most things but I've stuck with Cubase simply because I've been using it since the Late Cretaceous period, and I know my way around.

If you know somebody who's already au fait with one particular DAW then it may be worth adopting the same in order to get one-to-one advice.  Failing that, there's always YouTube.

icu81b4

Typically the speakers will be attached to whatever audio interface you chose to buy, and depending on how detailed you want to be can vary a great deal in sound quality. 

I know that some people just use a good set of headphones but they can be tiring on the ears and you need to ensure they have a flat response (Beats headphones are bass heavy for example) 

how are you planning to attach the audio interface to your PC (for eg: thunderbolt or USB) as that has a bearing on which you can buy 

Kalimna

Once again, thank you for your advice - very helpful. I suspect that I am overthinking a little (at least from the software side).
Regarding the hardware, Id be attaching the interface via USB, and Id also expect to be using the speakers for general PC sound too (e.g. games, Spotify)
I'm not averse to spending a bit of money, but only if it's 'worth it' to do so

TTony

Do you want to record acoustic, electro-acoustic or electric guitar?

Mic is necessary for the first, not the others.

For electro/electric, you connect guitar to PC via an interface, with DAW software running on the PC to capture, record and manipulate the sounds of your playing.

Most DAWs include a range of FX to allow you to "enhance" the raw sound.  You can also buy "plugins" for even more capabilities, including amp sims and much much more.

I started with an interface & DAW bundle from Presonus (search Amazon), which I still use (albeit upgraded) many yrs later.

For single person home use, a 2 input interface is enough - eg guitar & mic.  You can't really play any more instruments simultaneously - the DAW allows you to record more as separate tracks to (eg) layer your guitars.

There are many, many rabbit holes...