Music Banter - View Single Post - Specific recording-on-laptop search for opinions.

Crate4 · 10-09-2009, 02:58 AM

I have a general idea of what I need from what's available for someone of my means and lack of experience, compared to professional quality essentials; meaning I'm mostly looking for something a little more than the basic, but that isn't complex to figure out, or demanding financially and resource-wise.

First, I'll state what I'm working with: A modest TOSHIBA laptop that runs on Windows Vista Home Premium, a pretty crappy soundcard with mono audio, and 4GB of ram.

Instrument-wise: I'm looking to mostly do electric guitar/vocal recordings, nothing too high on production. I am afterall, pretty much a novice when it comes to true music recording.

What I'm trying to do: Record acceptably quality recordings without having to buy and install a new soundcard for my computer, with external hardware that's Vista compatible and reliable, with relatively easy to navigate software.

I've tried seeking out the internet for some pretty precise opinions on the matter, but so far have only found wide and varying options that really get me no closer to figuring out what would suit me and my needs best.

What I've been looking into: Mobile USB audio interfaces for laptops. I've read up on things like the Griffin IMic which turns out is Mac-specific, so that's no good. And, the M-audio fast track series, which sounded like more trouble than it was seemingly worth.

Currently, I found myself close to settling on the Behringer UCA202 U-control audio interface, but with some questions still going unanswered in my mind, enough to make me second-guess it. Such as not being able to use just any guitar cables with the thing, issues with volume control while recording, and I've heard some complain about a "dead" lifeless sound in the final product...

So, I'm hoping to find a tad better guidance here when it comes to recording music on a laptop. With what I've been looking at currently, am I the right track, or way off it? And what type of microphones should I be looking at for these options, dynamic or condenser mics?

What would you guys recommend for what I'm trying to accomplish?

If this all comes off a bit too clueless-like, well... I'm trying.

That's why I'm here with this post.

10-09-2009, 02:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
Crate4 Groupie Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1	Specific recording-on-laptop search for opinions. I have a general idea of what I need from what's available for someone of my means and lack of experience, compared to professional quality essentials; meaning I'm mostly looking for something a little more than the basic, but that isn't complex to figure out, or demanding financially and resource-wise. First, I'll state what I'm working with: A modest TOSHIBA laptop that runs on Windows Vista Home Premium, a pretty crappy soundcard with mono audio, and 4GB of ram. Instrument-wise: I'm looking to mostly do electric guitar/vocal recordings, nothing too high on production. I am afterall, pretty much a novice when it comes to true music recording. What I'm trying to do: Record acceptably quality recordings without having to buy and install a new soundcard for my computer, with external hardware that's Vista compatible and reliable, with relatively easy to navigate software. I've tried seeking out the internet for some pretty precise opinions on the matter, but so far have only found wide and varying options that really get me no closer to figuring out what would suit me and my needs best. What I've been looking into: Mobile USB audio interfaces for laptops. I've read up on things like the Griffin IMic which turns out is Mac-specific, so that's no good. And, the M-audio fast track series, which sounded like more trouble than it was seemingly worth. Currently, I found myself close to settling on the Behringer UCA202 U-control audio interface, but with some questions still going unanswered in my mind, enough to make me second-guess it. Such as not being able to use just any guitar cables with the thing, issues with volume control while recording, and I've heard some complain about a "dead" lifeless sound in the final product... So, I'm hoping to find a tad better guidance here when it comes to recording music on a laptop. With what I've been looking at currently, am I the right track, or way off it? And what type of microphones should I be looking at for these options, dynamic or condenser mics? What would you guys recommend for what I'm trying to accomplish? If this all comes off a bit too clueless-like, well... I'm trying. That's why I'm here with this post.