What is a good way to record with guitar for under $500

[skaterdylan101]

I was wondering what a good way to record my guitar songs without going over around $500...or would the pods or the g-10 be good?

[MrSandMan]

I managed to get good recordings out a VOX Tonelab (desktop) straight to the PC and using Audacity as the recorder/editor.

Line 6 is good too. Also check into the Line 6 Toneport.

[cubis]

yeah Audacity is freeware, and all you really need is a direct input box, which will convert your hi-z connection to lo-z, then you can plug it into your computer, or you can get a fairly cheap fairly decent audio interface, usb or firewire, and record from that


if you don't want to bother with the computer, get a multi-track recorder

if you want something small, there's the new TASCAM DP-004 Pocketstudio for $199 that will record guitar and vocals

there's also the Zoom H4 Handy Recorder, about $270, a portable recorder with a lot of features

or Fostex MR8 MKII 8-Track Digital Recorder, about $250

[crazy_guitar_man]

i forget what model it is but i believe it is the rp 500 from digitech has inputs so that you can plug in.

[skaterdylan101]

out of those recording devices which one would you say is the best and also is audacity as good as the others?

[crazy_guitar_man]

umm well i don't really know about some of the recording devices but i would say go check reviews on them...but as for audacity to me its the best for free haha but if you would want something that would give you really really really good quality then you might want something else, as a note i recorded some songs with just a microphone and put them on me and my friends myspace and they sounded fine :w:

[cubis]

yeah just get a usb audio interface, like the m-audio mobile pre (make sure it works for your operating system) and just record on audacity


audacity is fine for simple recordings. if you want to go better, you can buy a major DAW program like Sonar, Cubase, or Pro Tools, or Logic for the Mac

[MrSandMan]

Audacity rocks. And best of all, it's easy to use and it's free.

[cubis]

yeah, i will have to agree with that


i use audacity for pretty much all my recordings, except for one of my classes, Audio Technology II, where I need to use protools

[skaterdylan101]

yeah just get a usb audio interface, like the m-audio mobile pre (make sure it works for your operating system) and just record on audacity


audacity is fine for simple recordings. if you want to go better, you can buy a major DAW program like Sonar, Cubase, or Pro Tools, or Logic for the Mac


those look like their good but they are prolly expensive :frown:

[cubis]

yeah, those programs are in the hundreds of dollars


http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/EMu-0404-USB-2.0-Recording-Interface?sku=242516


you can get the Emu 0404 usb 2.0 recording interface


it comes bundled with a whole bunch of "Lite" software - the best are Cakewalk SONAR LE and Steinberg's Cubase LE. these have a lot of functionality for being "Lite Editions". you could do most of what you want with those.

I have this interface, but the PCI model, and I like it. I'll be moving it over to my new computer as well. it costs about $200 for it, but i'd say its definitely worth it and its quite a bit less than $500

I would also recommend TweakHeadz: http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

its a great site, with an extensive guide to learn how to set yourself up for recording

but don't just take my word for it - read some of the guide and start shopping around, read reviews, etc


good luck and let me know if you need help with anything

[Tsunami_Cables]

Well I would say that if you are going todo a DAW then go for the new ProTools 9 Mbox mini $329. From GC and then get a Shure SM57 and mic your cab you can do that for all under $500 and you get to do a lot more then just that!!
Hope that helps!!