Newbie trying to record at home

barrymanilow

Hi ,

Im a bit of a technophobe so bear with me .

Im trying to setup a home recording studio . What I am interested in doing at this stage is simply creating beats using a program like llms or fruity loops and then in putting basslines with an electric bass using audacity , cubase or ableton . Then I d like to add some keyboard .No vocals just yet .

I went out and got a yamaha audiogram 3 usb audio interface .
I only need to put in one track at the time .
The problem I am having is that the quality on the inputted bass and guitar is not great at all and at high volumes there is a constant white noise sound behind the recording . My laptop is very old and was cheap in the first place so I am wondering if the problem is with the laptop and not the audiogram .

I have been told that an externalsound card is the way to go . Is the audiogram 3 an external soundcard ? I ama bit confused about that .

And for the keyboard ,I havent got one yet but it seems like Ill need one with a midi connection which my laptop does not have , or is it possible to get a usb keyboard that acts the same as a midi and is recognised by programs that support midi?the audiogram has no midi connection on it .

So basically Im wondering is it important to have a great laptop for good sound quality or is the audio interface more important ?

any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated .:)

If anyone could tell me what I should be looking for in a new laptop like soundcard etc then that would be great also .

peter05

having a decent card should be top 3 of your list.

Post a sample here, you could be distorting your card and inputs.

I doubt the conversion in that yamaha card is any good to you.

barrymanilow

peter05 wrote: »

having a decent card should be top 3 of your list.

Post a sample here, you could be distorting your card and inputs.

I doubt the conversion in that yamaha card is any good to you.

Hi thanks for the reply , ok ill try to get a sample up

when you say sound card I automatically think of somthing inside the laptop or is it the audiogram3 you are referring to ? could you recommend a reasonable soundcard ?

when you say distorting inputs does that mean a problem with the instruments ?

what would the other 2 things in the top 3 be ?

mickgotsick

I just looked at a review of your audio interface on amazon, could this be your issue:

*Updated*Great product, Great quality. DONT USE Windows Drivers.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-Audiogram-USB-studio-Cubase/dp/B001F21RJ0


Also, most controller keyboards will have a USB connection nowadays.

mkegvn

What I am interested in doing at this stage is simply creating beats using a program like llms or fruity loops and then in putting basslines with an electric bass using audacity , cubase or ableton .

Forget Audacity. Download Reaper. It's technically free. http://www.reaper.fm/ - There's some great tutorials on Youtube to help get you started

I went out and got a yamaha audiogram 3 usb audio interface .
I only need to put in one track at the time .
The problem I am having is that the quality on the inputted bass and guitar is not great at all and at high volumes there is a constant white noise sound behind the recording . My laptop is very old and was cheap in the first place so I am wondering if the problem is with the laptop and not the audiogram .

I have been told that an externalsound card is the way to go . Is the audiogram 3 an external soundcard ? I ama bit confused about that .

Could you post a sample of a recording? It's difficult to diagnose without hearing what you're hearing. The Yamaha Audiogram is an external soundcard. It's just a label, and it's more than adequate for your needs.

And for the keyboard ,I havent got one yet but it seems like Ill need one with a midi connection which my laptop does not have , or is it possible to get a usb keyboard that acts the same as a midi and is recognised by programs that support midi?the audiogram has no midi connection on it .

USB keyboards use the MIDI protocol via the USB cable. So yes, any USB keyboard is what you're looking for. You'll need a VST software instrument
for sounds. Like a virtual piano plugin or something. And if you go with Reaper, it's MIDI capability ain't great. Ableton or Cubase would be best for this.

So basically Im wondering is it important to have a great laptop for good sound quality or is the audio interface more important ?

A good interface is more important, but if your laptop is barely plodding along, it won't make much odds. If your buying a new laptop, you don't need an internal soundcard. Just a couple of USB ports and a good amount of RAM. 4gb is more than enough for your needs.

barrymanilow

mkegvn wrote: »

A good interface is more important, but if your laptop is barely plodding along, it won't make much odds. .

Thanks for the input guys ,

@mkegvn as in the quote above , do you mean to say if the laptop is crap then it wont matter how good the interface is ?

Ill try put somthing up , whats the best way to put an audio file up so it can be heard ?

mkegvn

barrymanilow wrote: »

@mkegvn as in the quote above , do you mean to say if the laptop is crap then it wont matter how good the interface is ?

Well it won't affect the audio quality, but you may experience crashes or glitches for various reasons, which is just annoying really. Only time will tell really.

barrymanilow wrote: »

Ill try put somthing up , whats the best way to put an audio file up so it can be heard ?

10 or 15 seconds of a WAV on soundcloud should do!

barrymanilow

ok here are a few wav files recorded from audacity with the audiogram , with bass , guitar , guitar attached but not playing and no instrument attached .

https://soundcloud.com/jambonsambo

Im listening to it with good headphones as I play so the buzzing /clicking and white noise stuff is very obvious .

Is it possible that im expecting too good a quality of sound from an eighty euro interface ?

Im also wondering if guitar pickups / connections has anything to do with it .

As you can listen to in the wav files , even with no instrument attached there is a lot of white backround noise when the volume is turned up , maybe this is normal ?

I can only get the unwanted noise stuff out if i turn the instruments input level down extremely low which is no good as i want to play loud and for the recording to be played loud . i want a nice audible bass tone without the unwanted extra noise really .

Thanks again for all the tips , if there was a way to send pints through the internet Id send a round :-)

mkegvn

barrymanilow wrote: »

ok here are a few wav files recorded from audacity with the audiogram , with bass , guitar , guitar attached but not playing and no instrument attached .

https://soundcloud.com/jambonsambo

Im listening to it with good headphones as I play so the buzzing /clicking and white noise stuff is very obvious .

Is it possible that im expecting too good a quality of sound from an eighty euro interface ?

Im also wondering if guitar pickups / connections has anything to do with it .

As you can listen to in the wav files , even with no instrument attached there is a lot of white backround noise when the volume is turned up , maybe this is normal ?

I can only get the unwanted noise stuff out if i turn the instruments input level down extremely low which is no good as i want to play loud and for the recording to be played loud . i want a nice audible bass tone without the unwanted extra noise really .

Thanks again for all the tips , if there was a way to send pints through the internet Id send a round :-)

Try disconnecting your laptop charger if you have a working battery. Sounds like a power issue to me. Your interface is fine for what you want, and it shouldn't be introducing noise by itself. If there are lights/chargers of any kind plugged in next to your laptop, they could also be adding to the problem. Unplugging your laptop should improve the situation.

barrymanilow

@mikegven ,

My laptop doesnt have a battery but I took the audiogram and my bass over to a friends and tried it on his laptop and there was a noticeable difference in the fuzz in the backround (still a little at high volume ) ! So now I know its not a fault with the instrument or the interface ! Thanks a mill , problem solved !

Now that I have your attention , I have a question about using effects on instruments in programs like cubase . What Im wondering is if its possible to put an effect on an in put using cubase so that I can hear the effect as I play the instrument or is it only possible to put on an effect after you have recoded a piece and then listen to it after playing ?

peter05

You have an Earth loop problem. You prob can find it by unplugging and plugging things back in. Change the plug when you find it. Or worst case it could be the power coming into your room.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_loop_%28electricity%29

I would put a DI box in front of that interface if your plugging anything straight.

Yes, you can put the plugin on the input how you describe(both)