new to this (help!)

[chris A.]

I need help shoping for a computer recording system. I've never done this before and know next to nothing about it so please excuse me if my terminology on this subject is not up to par or even comical.
I've been recording on Tape for over 10 years now. I've done well with it, made quite a few records on it. Tape will always be my first choice as a tracking medium.
But I've seen friends work on pro tools, cubase and various other computer based recording systems and have been impressed with the editing and mixing power offered in computer recording. So easy! So fast! So I have finaly decided to give it a try in my own studio. Am I the last one to do this? It's my home studio that has grown large enough to work for other artists. With an increasing amount of clients/projects and a deadline for my own record to be finished I think that a computer based recording system would help me be more time efficient.
All I have ever used a computer for is checking e-mail, word proccesing and solitare. (And posting this post on the Tape OP board!)
I'm so overwhelmed. So many choices. So many options. Can someone explain some things to me and point me in the right direction. I need 8 ins/outs so I can work with my 1" 8 track. I want to edit/mix on the computer tracks that I have previously tracked on tape. I want to dump my tape tracks to the computer. There are so many different interfaces and so many different programs, so many price options. The pro tools 001 system comes with 8 ins but I have seen other interfaces with 8 ins for less money. Much less. But what programs will be compatabe with them? What programs go with what hardware? Is there something I should be looking for to figure this out? What about used hardware? I don't want to buy things that won't work together.
Oh my computer is a PC if that helps. It's brand new. I had it built with specifications that I got off of the recording software companies' web sites. I choose PC because thats the OS that I know.
Any advice would be great. I'll trade the info for tape tricks and tips!
thanks,
Chris

[lilcapn]

not sure how much the protools system is that you mention, but i recently got a presonus firestation (while never blowing me away with their mic pre's, presonus has been pretty solid for me in the past) and it seems pretty versatile -- good number of ins & outs, midi, firewire, decent pre's right in it, etc. i wanted to be able to record directly into the computer, but also dump tracks from 8-track analog and my VS-1680 as well.

it's not cheap ($699 i think it was) but nobody seems happy with the cheap interfaces.

a couple good mics and this thing and you're ready to roll, OR you're ready start dumping those tracks off tape into your computer.

it IS kind of overwhelming (i did a couple months worth of web research before i could bring myself to pull the trigger on the firestation) and once you've decided on hardware then the software is a whole other can of worms, but on the relatively cheap side, folks seem to like cooledit and n-tracks... there's a million of 'em out there.

good luck!

[Larsen]

I know what you mean about being overwhelmed. You should prepare yourself to be in computer hell for awhile. But don't give up.
I use a PC as well, and as long as you have plenty of RAM, and lots of space you should be fine. I'm not sure how you built your computer, but I have 60GB of space, and I still think I need more. Audio files can get very large. When you are processing your files (mixing, adding plug-in effects), you are doing it in real time, and unless you have a lot of RAM your system it will crash really quick.
As for interfaces, I'm not sure. I have some crappy thing, and I mix my tracks one at a time from another console. If you like the tape saturated sound, You should record your songs to tape, then mix them in whatever program you choose. (I use Cubase). You will never get that kind of sound in a computer no matter how many "tape" or "speaker simulators" you throw on your tracks.
There are some pretty cool books out there on using these programs by people who are in the know. I picked up a Cubase book as soon as I could and it helped me out greatly. Especially when you start configuring your sound card, which can be a collossal mess.

j

[@?,*???&?]

There are 3 components to recording on a computer:

1. Audio Card

2. Interface box (what you plug your cables into.

3. The software.

There are system available for PCs and there are systems available for MAC. Some companies give you all 3 elements for one low price, other companies only delve in individual pieces. Pro Tools is the defacto standard in any major record making recording studio nationally and for walk in compatibility, the most logical choice. Many people on this site would argue that position, but coming from the record making domain over the last 13 years as I do, I can say that the last thing an engineer wants to be is an island regarding tech support and troubleshooting a system should therebe a problem.

Digidesign has done great things to create a knowledgeable user database on their website taking into account all kinds of awkward scenarios and compatibility issues should you have any. Pro Tools is one of those 'all-in' systems as well which makes shopping for it a snap.