recording equipment

Hi all,
MY husband wants to get the kids some recording equipment so that they can record vocal and guitar tracks together (benefits me if I ever want to record) He would like something that he could input directly into his computer, he's downloaded audacity there.
My son also uses mixcraft and may want to add vocal and/or guitar tracks to that too..
We are not looking to have a professional studio just something for them to have fun with. MY husband does't play music but is an engineer so I think he would enjoy this part of music in our house and bring us all togther..
Ay suggstions would be great.. Thanks in advance..

fitncrafty said:

Hi all,
MY husband wants to get the kids some recording equipment so that they can record vocal and guitar tracks together (benefits me if I ever want to record) He would like something that he could input directly into his computer, he's downloaded audacity there.
My son also uses mixcraft and may want to add vocal and/or guitar tracks to that too..
We are not looking to have a professional studio just something for them to have fun with. MY husband does't play music but is an engineer so I think he would enjoy this part of music in our house and bring us all togther..
Ay suggstions would be great.. Thanks in advance..

Click to expand...

I am sure others will probably have better advice. I used old restored bullet mics for harmonica with new old stock parts. So... I looked up Shure mics for computer and found this.

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-PG42-US...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

if you're looking for a usb mic, the blue mics should fit the bill and are plenty affordable. the mxl 990 is also supposedly pretty good. i've used the samson co1u and that's also pretty good. my current preference is to use an interface like something along the lines of a presonus audiobox - it allows you to plug mics and instruments into it directly and offers a lot more performance/flexibility in general.

I haven't recorded ukuleles with it but we use Zoom H2 audio recorders at work for field recordings, and they're very nice and easy to use. USB connection etc.
The H4n is nice too but not as good as the H2.

I agree with jalapeno - I would suggest using a digital audio interface with a conventional microphone rather than a USB mic, especially if you're going to be plugging in instruments like guitars or ukuleles with pickups.

I use an older version of this M-Audio Mobile Pre interface because I got it on sale for a great deal. It seems to work fine, although some of the experts on here might have a better recommendation.

Look around on Musician's Friend and Amazon at microphones. Find one from a reputable manufacturer and spend as much as you can on one that has good reviews. I've used mics ranging in price from $60 - $750. I thought my first $60 mic sounded great until a friend loaned me a much nicer microphone - you definitely get what you pay for in the world of microphones....

Lalou said:

I haven't recorded ukuleles with it but we use Zoom H2 audio recorders at work for field recordings, and they're very nice and easy to use. USB connection etc.
The H4n is nice too but not as good as the H2.

Click to expand...

I have a Zoom H4n that I really like - the built in mics are great and it can also serve as a digital audio interface - it has two microphone/instrument inputs and can be plugged into the computer to convert the audio signal to a digital signal that can be used by your recording software. It's kind of pricey but very slick.

My last video (Down in the Willow Garden) was recorded with the Zoom and I use it as an interface on a regular basis....

fitncrafty said:

Hi all,
MY husband wants to get the kids some recording equipment so that they can record vocal and guitar tracks together (benefits me if I ever want to record) He would like something that he could input directly into his computer, he's downloaded audacity there.
My son also uses mixcraft and may want to add vocal and/or guitar tracks to that too..
We are not looking to have a professional studio just something for them to have fun with. MY husband does't play music but is an engineer so I think he would enjoy this part of music in our house and bring us all togther..
Ay suggstions would be great.. Thanks in advance..

Click to expand...

A USB interface is what you want if you want to go directly into the computer.

I recommend the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface. It runs about $135 and works with both PC and Macs.

It has two built in microphone pre-amps to handle two microphones. It also has +40 volt phantom power for condenser mics. It can handle line-in from instruments.

It is only a two input device meaning the maximum it can handle at once is:
- two mics at once
- two instruments at once
- one mic and one instrument at once

If you wanted to add more individual inputs at the same time (mics or instruments) you would plug a small mixer into the Scarlett 2i2. The mixer would have inputs for both mics and instruments.

For mics for home recording and messing around I recommend the Behringer XM8500 dynamic mics. They cost about $25 each, are solid metal, and sound just fine for hobby use and family fun.

If anyone in your family is computer inclined, you can compile Audacity to work with ASIO audio drivers. Audacity compiled for ASIO works great with the Scarlett 2i2.

Have fun.

I use the Alesis USB Multimix 4 USB (a four channel USB mixer) with a Sterling Audio ST 51 Condenser Microphone. I also use a Blue Snowball USB Microphone at times and plug directly into the computer.

For software I use Audacity and Adobe Audition on the PC and then add in Garageband on the Mac and iPad.
--G

I use a Blue Snowball. Great mic for vocals and guitar, either recorded separately or together - it handles both well. I don't play guitar but friends do; I do record uke and vocals and the Snowball works well there too. Also good with hand percussion. It's a USB mic, just plug it in and go. Even when I had Windows XP no drivers were required. Great mic, I paid $99 for mine.

little bit nice info here thanks