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Recording Rig

post #1 of 22
Thread Starter 
So im a musician and i've recently gotten into this whole "build your own rig" thing and I had help putting together my first rig a few months back. That computer is primarily for personal use (Playing video games, watching movies, ect). This new Rig i want to use for STRICTLY just recording and listening to music. I want it to be somewhat small and compact so i can just pick it up, bring it to the studio, set it up. Record some tracks, play it back, make some edits if needed, ect. I would also prefer to have Left and Right 1/4 Audio jacks on the computer so i can plug from the equalizer straight into the computer itself. XLR Jacks would be nice too for a simple, plug in the microphone and record straight in for a quick recording.

I'm well aware that Speakers, Microphones and Acoustics drive the recording and playback quality more than the actual computer itself, but my aim is to achieve the greatest sound i possibly can! Any suggestion for sound cards? How do i get these 1/4" and XLR Jacks (if possible?)? and what are some high quality recommended speakers? Should i use PA Speakers?
post #2 of 22
Well the first thing we'll need to determine is your budget.

After that, I'll be able to recommend some recording interfaces and some monitor speakers for you.
    
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post #3 of 22
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chunky-Bunker View Post

Well the first thing we'll need to determine is your budget.
After that, I'll be able to recommend some recording interfaces and some monitor speakers for you.

Well lets split this into 3 rigs tongue.gif

Rig 1: Money is not an object, there is no limit

Rig 2: $1,200

Rig 3: $900

This allows me to visualize 3 concepts and weigh out the pros and cons to identify which rig would truly be a realistic ideal state smile.gif
post #4 of 22
Go check out presonus they have some great interfaces and now they even give a version of there DAW out for free. Not to mention how killer there preamps sound. The price for a simple 2x2 interface kit is 250 it will give you 1/4in outs to go to what ever speakers you get and since its usb it should work just fine on any system you put together.
 
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post #5 of 22
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by darthspartan View Post

Go check out presonus they have some great interfaces and now they even give a version of there DAW out for free. Not to mention how killer there preamps sound. The price for a simple 2x2 interface kit is 250 it will give you 1/4in outs to go to what ever speakers you get and since its usb it should work just fine on any system you put together.

i like the look of that. I was looking at this one Asus Xonar Essence. It has the XLR but not the 1/4" and IMO the 1/4" would end up being more useful than the XLR since worst case scenario i plug the mic into the mixer which has the 1/4" outputs.

Like i said, im a noob to this computer building. Is it possible to use both in one rig?
post #6 of 22
Quote:
i like the look of that. I was looking at this one Asus Xonar Essence. It has the XLR but not the 1/4" and IMO the 1/4" would end up being more useful than the XLR since worst case scenario i plug the mic into the mixer which has the 1/4" outputs.

Like i said, im a noob to this computer building. Is it possible to use both in one rig?

Which Essence are you finding that has XLR?

Also, along the lines of interfaces: If you build a machine that has Firewire, I would consider the M-Audio ProFire series. I have the 610, and I absolutely love the preamps in it.
    
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23" Acer S232HL Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 750W OCZ Fatal1ty Diablotek Epic 
MouseMouse PadAudioAudio
Razer Deathadder Razer Megasoma ASUS Xonar D2X M-Audio Profire 610 
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post #7 of 22
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chunky-Bunker View Post

Which Essence are you finding that has XLR?
Also, along the lines of interfaces: If you build a machine that has Firewire, I would consider the M-Audio ProFire series. I have the 610, and I absolutely love the preamps in it.

Click the link posted tongue.gif It shows you the exact Essence im talking about ($600) D: and upon closer look... its XLR output frown.gif
post #8 of 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by xtrip View Post

Click the link posted tongue.gif It shows you the exact Essence im talking about ($600) D: and upon closer look... its XLR output frown.gif

Trip, I think I have a build for you since you said you wanted portability. But I have no clue on what DAC to get for you. Something you will need to figure out, if you are using a USB DAC, you should be able to do an i3 ITX build. tongue.gif
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GF Rig
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Xbox PC
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500GB WD Black 64 GB Crucial M4 Sony CD/DVD burner H40 w/ GT AP-15s 
OSPowerCase
Windows 7 Home 64 bit Corsair CX430 APEVIA X-Plorer2 Pink 
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post #9 of 22
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ironman517 View Post

Trip, I think I have a build for you since you said you wanted portability. But I have no clue on what DAC to get for you. Something you will need to figure out, if you are using a USB DAC, you should be able to do an i3 ITX build. tongue.gif

Interesting, we shall talk about this in further detail =P
post #10 of 22
Is this something you would need?
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrack.html

There is more than one model too. tongue.gif
The Sig Rig
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GF Rig
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Xbox PC
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Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3Ghz Asus P5G41T-M LX Plus Asus Radeon HD 7750 2x4 GB 1333Mhz 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
500GB WD Black 64 GB Crucial M4 Sony CD/DVD burner H40 w/ GT AP-15s 
OSPowerCase
Windows 7 Home 64 bit Corsair CX430 APEVIA X-Plorer2 Pink 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Pentium G620 Foxconn H67S ITX Intel HD 2000 2 x 4GB 1333Mhz 
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256GB Crucial M4 Old Laptop CD/DVD drive Windows 7 picoPSU-150-XT 
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4 x Purple LEDs Power button Tranquility Xbox 360 Skin 
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The Sig Rig
(23 items)
 
GF Rig
(11 items)
 
Xbox PC
(11 items)
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3Ghz Asus P5G41T-M LX Plus Asus Radeon HD 7750 2x4 GB 1333Mhz 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
500GB WD Black 64 GB Crucial M4 Sony CD/DVD burner H40 w/ GT AP-15s 
OSPowerCase
Windows 7 Home 64 bit Corsair CX430 APEVIA X-Plorer2 Pink 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Pentium G620 Foxconn H67S ITX Intel HD 2000 2 x 4GB 1333Mhz 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSPower
256GB Crucial M4 Old Laptop CD/DVD drive Windows 7 picoPSU-150-XT 
OtherOtherOther
4 x Purple LEDs Power button Tranquility Xbox 360 Skin 
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