need some audio equipment

[jverne]

my creative side has been active for the past few weeks and i wanted to record a song. problem is my audio equipment quite sucks.

starting with my sound card, which is integrated and doesn't even work properly...can't record because the volume gets delayed (yes...you read it right, the volume gets delayed not the signal...have no ****ing idea where to even start looking for the problem).
and my PC speakers are from 2001 and not in a good shape, the amp is playing tricks with me.

i'd like to buy a decent cheap sound card...and i think the E-MU 0404 from creative is the best choice. everyone is praising it, so i'm gonna go for it.

as for the speakers...i don't know where to start. do i buy separate speaker boxes and a separate amp, or do i look for some decent 2.1 PC speakers. the first choice will probably cost me a lot of money. but i could cash out maybe 100$ for some 2.1 speakers. i have no need for 5.1 and i'd rather pay for a better 2.1 system.
should i just get 100$ worth of good headphones instead? but guitar doesn't sound so good on headphones...the bass is missing. at least on my cheap philips ones.

take note that i'm just a complete amateur and my guitar/composing skills are still alot to be worked upon. so getting a pro audio system might be a bit overkill. i had some impressive results on my old integrated card on my ex Abit motherboard so i'm looking for an upgrade.

should i go for used stuff? for the speakers specifically

 

[VirusType2]

If you get PC speakers, they'd only be used for your PC. If you get some Hi-Fi stereo speakers, then you can use them for radio,TV,Movies,game systems and your computer.

I've never used anything but a 2 channel personally, but that's mostly because I bought my speakers when 5.1 had just come out and it was thousands of dollars.

For just music, 5.1 wouldn't be worth it probably. I'm really not sure how much of music uses 5.1 these days, but also the price: you need six speakers instead of 2, and not only that but those speakers are going to be low to average quality unless you spend quite a bit of money. They won't kick ass like some loudspeakers. For around $400 you can get some house speakers that you will be happy with to the day you die. Exciting, powerful, crystal clean, and very dynamic (the highest highs and the lowest lows).

However, I've been feeling a bit left out with all of the 5.1 support in movies and games. I literally don't know what I'm missing. Speaker placement is critical, especially for surround sound systems like 5.1. For speech, it will mostly come through the center channel, and if you aren't lined up with it, it's going to drive you mad. They don't look like they are the ones talking. And if you have a TV and a computer, you will have to put the center channel between the two, which will sound horrible unless the speaker is centered far behind your TV and monitors.

Of course movies and even games would probably sound more proper with all of the audio channels that is designed to have - sounds behind you, in front of you, to the sides. 7.1 would be even more appropriate for movie freaks, it would be like a movie theater, especially if you plan to watch BluRay.

If you do get large house speakers, you need to make sure that you get the right size because the bigger the woofer, the further you need to be from it to hear the bass correctly. If I stand in the back of my room with my loudspeakers (with two 12" subwoofers) about 10 feet away, it sounds insanely perfect - I can't describe how good this sounds - it's orgasmic, however, sitting closer, it still sounds truly awesome, but it's not nearly the same. So, 8" woofers would be much better for a normal sized bed room. And even smaller sized ones if they are right in front of you. I think 8" is the best all around size. The smaller woofers can't produce the really deep bass. Good 15" woofers can go as low as about 7 hertz, which is inaudible, but it moves the house like an earthquake. Awesome.

Keep in mind that compressed audio (like an .mp3 is missing the ultra highs and lows.

 

[Kinslayer]

Good headphones are a must in my opinion. Find a good pair and take care if it; they'll last you for a loooong time.

I personally use the Denon HP700 headphones, and I love them. Bass is a little heavy, but you get used to it pretty easily (and if you don't, you can always adjust that in your audio equipment anyways).

 

[Pulse]

Definitely get yourself a separate sound card, onboard sound is generally always terrible and it's a sound investment as you'll appreciate the difference when your both making and listening to music, gaming etc. Invest the majority of your money into a good pair of 2.1 speakers too, I wouldn't worry too much about decent headphones as you'll want to concentrate more on mixing and mastering through good speakers, particularly if you want to share your music with others. I use a pair of 2.1 Philips speakers with a separate subwoofer and for a budget pair they're fantastic considering the quality of audio produced.

Also look into getting a small usb mixing desk, saves you having to piss about disconnecting cables behind your computer and so forth and you'll have much more control and generally better recording quality. Even cheap mixing desks usually come with noise gates, hi/lo pass filters etc. so have a search around.

 

[Vegeta897]

it's a sound investment

Heheh.

Why bother getting a USB mixer if you're buying a sound card too? Just buy a regular mixer and have it hooked up to the soundcard inputs. Why do you need to ever fuss with that connection again?

 

[Viperidae]

cheap mixing decks come with... hi/lo pass filters

What.

 

[Vegeta897]

I think he means EQ.

 

[Viperidae]

Shh I was going to berate him for mixing terms.

 

[Pulse]

derp derp I wasn't; http://www.commsandsound.com/phonic-am220-compact-mixer-7003-0.html

I did mean low cut however but I'll put that little mishap down to the stella. I find low-cut is essential especially for home recording as there's always a certain amount of background noise/hiss even if you're recording directly via a line rather than a mic.

 

[Viperidae]

Low cut != lowpass. In fact, low cut is a static high pass. They have the same principles, but the term lowpass/highpass is generally given to an adjustable dedicated filter.

 

[Pulse]

Fascinating!

 

[Viperidae]

No doubt.