not knocking anyone really... it is just hard for me to fathom that a person/family does not have a computer in this day and time.
i also cannot understand why anyone would pay to go into a recording studio just to put down tracks... it costs WAY too much money. that money (if spent) would best be used to build a workstation at home for recording purposes. it may cost a little bit or you may have to save for it but the money invested in your own personal workstation would be well spent.
i know i don't have the best setup by far but it is functional for what's needed to be done. here is my modest workstation:
home brew computer (AMD 4000+ single core CPU) w/ 2 Gig RAM
Running XP Home Edition SP2
EMU 0404 sound card w/ 1/4" inputs and outputs
2x Samson ResolV 50a Near Field Monitors (75watts ea. w/ 1/4" jacks)
PODxt Live guitar effects processor w/ 1/4" outputs (connects USB)
EMU Xboard 49 key midi controller (connects USB)
Image-Line FL Studio XXL Edition DAW (out of Belgium w/ free lifetime updates)
Sony Acid Music Studio 7
if you check... the most expensive item is the 'Near Field' monitors... they cost me a little over $400 for the set and are THE most important component of the setup. in my view... the most vital part of any music/audio is the sound factor... how it actually sounds. most all speakers and amplifiers add either bass or treble response to the output which gives a false impression of the true recording. 'Near Field' basically means guaranteed flat response... no add tone to output... it is exactly as it is. it is what ALL professional studios use when mastering audio. understand also that ANY sound card and speaker combo will work. you don't have to have the 'Near Field' monitors they just help avoid misrepresentaion of what you are trying to achieve. Example:
you record on cheap speakers that can't handle much bass so you turn down all your bass during mastering. it sounds excellent. you burn a CD and carry it to a friend's house and put it on his expensive home stereo system. on play back... everything sounds tinny or WAY too much treble and very little bass. what happened? you removed all the bass so it would sound right on the crappy speakers during the final master! bottom line... if you have true representation of the output at mastering... all this can be avoided. what sounded good at the time of mastering will sound good on ALL systems during playback.
what i like about the PODxt Live processor is that it has both USB connection and also 1/4" jack outputs so i can plug my guitar into the effects board and plug the effects board directly into my PC sound card (EMU0404). i can also control the effects board through the PC via the USB connection. no bending over to adjust the foot effects... tweak them through the PC. damn sure wish i had this crap when i was 16... hehe. and since the effects processor is connected via USB... it shows up in the DAW software as input channels. select your input for the track... hit record and have at it!
right now all i have posted to my account are a few christmas carols from a christmas CD i am finishing up on for family and friends. gonna leave them there until after the holidays. maybe after the new year i will put up some of the stuff i am toying around with.
anyways... i hope this helped.
Lmao.
