[Mental_Medical]

I'm in the market for some decent equipment for recording guitar and vocals at home. I'm going a little crazy trying to decide on what to get. So far I'm considering the Audioengine A5 pair resting on Auralex Mopads to help with the lows since they'll be on my desk.

But my next issue is interfacing. I'm not an audiophile yet, and I'm not wealthy enough to lay down some cash on a mixer and all kinds of gear. For the last couple months I've aimed at getting an M-Audio Fast Track Pro. Aside from people having Vista driver issues, it seems like a solid solution for easy recording.

As far as my computer goes, I'm using the onboard sound on my Gigabyte GA-MA770-DS3 (Realtek ALC888 chipset). Obviously it isn't premium sound or anything. I want to take advantage of whatever studio monitors I get for general music listening and, of course, recording guitar and vocals.

Summary:
Audioengine A5B w/ Auralex Mopads
M-Audio Fast Track Pro

 

[obobskivich]

I would just get a firewire or PCI interface, replace your junk onboard and ignore that m-audio all in one pass

you can stick with m-audio and go with ProFire or FireWire series boxes, if you wanted M-Powered or something, or you can go with E-MU, MOTU, PreSonus, or RME in a similar price range, which will outperform that unit to a degree (depends on what you buy honestly)


I would look at the new ProFire unit, or maybe the NRV-10 which gives you an actual control surface as well, not quite sure where you budget is, both of these units will give you M-Powered (I'm guessing this is why you're leaning towards M-Audio?), and have better features relative to their price, if you upgrade to one of M-Audio's mic pres (there are others out there), you can run your mic into the unit a bit higher quality than the built in pres, although the built in pres will work as well

the monitors you've selected should be excellent for this though

and as far as what microphone(s) to get, you'll probably want to ask someone else (I would look at Shure and Sennheiser, which both offer a decent range in the $100-$200 price region, if you're going from a guitar amp, you'll want dynamic, otherwise, put your money into a condenser and a good preamp for it)

 

[Mental_Medical]

I already have a microphone. I have a Shure SM58. What are my options with that?

I can't spend too much on the interface/DAC. The Fast Track Pro is currently $156 at Amazon though, so I'd like to keep it around that. I like the idea of a breakout box rather than a bunch of cables coming out of a PCI card, but then we start talking big money. The Fast Track Pro seems to be a decent middle-ground.

 

[Mental_Medical]

Also, I don't need to approach a professional setup. I just want to lay down guitar and vocals and listen for areas I can improve, change, etc. If I ever need a professional session, my brother works at a studio.

 

[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mental_Medical /img/forum/go_quote.gif I already have a microphone. I have a Shure SM58. What are my options with that? I can't spend too much on the interface/DAC. The Fast Track Pro is currently $156 at Amazon though, so I'd like to keep it around that. I like the idea of a breakout box rather than a bunch of cables coming out of a PCI card, but then we start talking big money. The Fast Track Pro seems to be a decent middle-ground.

yeah, I just remembered the pro and the non-pro are different parts, the pro is quite nice, gives you 24/96, etc, I was gonna suggest the FW Solo, which gives you 24/96 (the normal fast track is only 24/48), and similar features, yes, the Pro will do everything you're wanting

sorry for the confusion

as far as the mic goes, its not bad, you might consider getting a second mic, as the FT Pro can take two mics in, so you can mic your instrument, and yourself (other other solutions (unless you want to record your instrument by itself, and then add vocals in later))

 

[Mental_Medical]

Awesome. It's only about $7 more than the Fast Track Pro. It's a little nicer-looking as well.

Thanks. I'll check it out.

 

[obobskivich]

yeah, I was thinking of the Fast Track USB at first, which is somewhat (more than somewhat) dated, and doesn't really offer much expansion

however the Ft Pro and Fw Solo give you 24/96 and should have better output stages, as far as the input quality, honestly, don't expect miracles, but it should be more than passable

 

[EnOYiN]

Another option is the E-MU 0404. Pretty much the same thing as the Fast Track Pro for as far as I can see. Not sure how they compare since I've never used the M-Audio. Probably both are pretty much the same thing. The only thing I couldn't find on the M-audio device is phantom power.

Edit: Since it does have a LED with the text 48V next to it I assume it can provide phantom power after all.

 

[Mental_Medical]

Too many choices!

The FireWire Solo seems built better, and it looks better, and I only need one mic input and one guitar input. Plus people say using FireWire offers slightly better quality.

Thanks for your help, fellas.

 

[obobskivich]

firewire can offer better quality due to lower latency, which matters for ASIO and similar "high end" recording, even in your situation it'd probably be a good move, would suggest it, if you dont mind spending the extra $7

 

[Mental_Medical]

Well I got to thinking about MIDI support, and the Firewire Solo doesn't have a MIDI port. It might not be something I'd use right away, but maybe once I get some songs put together, I'd hook up a keyboard or controller and tinker around.

So maybe I'll be going with the Fast Track Pro.

 

[Mental_Medical]

Would a PCI card like the Delta 1010LT offer better sound quality for playback? I listen to music pretty much the whole time I'm at my computer, and I want to make sure I'm taking advantage of whatever monitors I get, especially the expensive Audioengine A5s.

 

[Mental_Medical]

Wait, would I need a DAC if I got the 1010LT? I don't see why I would, but I came across a guide here that says once I find a sound card, I should then choose the right DAC.

 

[Mental_Medical]

Ugh, I'm not quite understanding what equipment I need.

If I get a PCI card, do I need a mixer and/or amp?

 

[EnOYiN]

You won't need an external amp or mixer when using the 1010LT. It has a DAC as well. Every soundcard has a DAC. (to convert digital signals to analog ones) You don't need an external/extra one.

I don't think the 1010LT is much better than the other options mentioned in this thread. It might have a slightly lower latency though.