some questions...

[Canis]

first of all, greetings to everyone (and especially to Andy), i'm new here and i've got a handful of questions about guitar recording... and yeah, i'm a total beginner, i don't know crap about recording and some of the questions might look stupid or something... so bear with me will ya

ok here we go

my goal is to be able to record and mix several tracks of guitar (overdubs and stuff) and midi percussion... to put it shortly, i wan't to record riffs with drums, leads and overdubs.

my situation concerning hardware (yeah very limited budget ) is as follows:

Ibanez RG320 =>
Boss metal zone pedal =>
Crate GX-15 amplifier

the amp is mic-ed with a cheap grade Trust microphone (yeah one of those computer variants for internet voice comm ) which is plugged directly into computer.

this is pretty much everything hardware wise... now for the software... which solution would you recommend? i've got a Nero SoundTrax and a pirated Cubase SX. the problem is that i don't know how the hell to use them, so i would like to know where can i find any GOOD online tutorials, covering the basics and also theory of recording... and last but not least i would like to know if it's possible to record on such worthless hardware at all ... :|

ok thanks in advance... i hope i was clear enough, my english is so-so...

cheers

 

[Bass PE]

Hi !
OK, if you're going for small budget, then I'll suggest something : instead of trying to mic your amp with your little microphone, you should consider buying something like a POD or a V-Amp by Behringer, which is even cheaper (I guess you could buy a used one for around 100 euros). Plug it directly in your soundcard and here it goes ! I suppose you have a pretty bad soundcard also, so definitely you won't get great results.
I suggest you use Cubase SX. It's a very fine piece of software, used by many pros though I know Andy would say that Protools rules the world Anyway, you can try www.espace-cubase.org for some tutorials on Cubase, and there's a forum on www.cubase.net where you can ask questions if you're having problems (though you should definitely NOT say that you have a pirated version or they'll crucify you ! I had a pirated version when I began, before making some money with it and they gave me hell cause I said so !). At the end of the day, you're gonna be limited by your soundcard and computer if they're not up to par, but still you can make some acceptable demos to record your ideas.

 

[Canis]

thanks a lot for the reply and especially for the link... it's an awesome site

hmmm concerning POD and V-amp... i don't think i like their sound... and here in slovenia where i live it's bitch to find any used equipment of that kind. and besides, i've now already succeded to record (after i downloaded a bunch of drivers and lots of other shit) some short clips and was very pleasantly surprised by their sound... for the money i (didn't ) spent it's completely satisfactory, so i guess i'll stick to my cheap mic fo a while

also now that i managed to get cubase working fine (i had to install new asio drivers) i must agree that it's a terrific piece of software. i feel bad a bit as i have a pirated version, but damn it i can't afford genuine software . but then again iwon't be making any money with it, so...

add: does anyone know of any good software drum machines? i'm currently programming rhythms in guitar pro (i'm sure you know the program) and it sure is a pain in the ass... so if you're aware of any better solution, i would be very grateful if you'd share it with me. thanks

 

[Exsanguis]

Cubase should include a VST Instrument called the LM-9. That's a drum machine. It's alright, and would be just fine for your needs.

 

[Canis]

yes i found it but how do i use it? i mean, if i import a midi into cubase and set the output to lm-9 it works, but i can't seem to be able to program it directly within cubase... or am i missing something?

 

[Canis]

ok i figured it out. NOW i feel stupid... it was such a banal move