If I wanted to start recording at home as a hobbyist, what would you personally recommend?

Quote from waraba

Hello,

You'll obviously need a good spdif audio card, I use a Roland quad capture which is excellent so far.

Then, you want to start with a good DAW : they are plenty of 'em and each one has its qualities. Are you on PC or mac ?

On PC, I mostly use reaper & riffworks for the demo, riffworks is an old app but super easy to use and very straightforward. You'll be recording and layering tracks 5 minutes after installing. There is a a free 4 track version that is excellent to try the soft (with it's great drumbox).

For more complex works, reaper &EZ drummer match for a very good combo, you can still add keys or strings with other quality VST later (you'll need a midi or USB controller )

You don't need more to do some simple or even complex songs , the bass for instance can be played on a regular guitar , like a strat, with the KPA octaver.

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Quote from hal2000

As Waraba said:
A good Audio Card. This card should have the following features:
- Inputs, Inserts and Outputs as much as you need
- Depending on future requests and your existing hardware (PC or MAC) a firewire or USB connection
- S/PDIF (for me very important to use reamping with Kemper)
- Midi
I'm using the MBOX Pro Interface at the moment. Before that i had an M-Audio 1814 (which was good enough).
As DAW i use REASON.
I would recommend to spend more money on a good Audio Card and look for a free Version of a DAW.
While making music with a free DAW you will notice which features you are missing and then you can decide
better which DAW is suitable for YOU.
But before we continue gessing your future equipment it would be interesting to hear what you already have:
Computer, Speaker etc.

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Hi Waraba and Hal2000,

I have seen the term "audio card" used frequently. I assume, however, people really are referring to a dedicated, stand-alone external Audio Interface. I imagine most people are using a laptop to run their DAW. Is the term "audio card" simply a throw-back / hold-over to when desktop PC's would be upgraded with an onboard, internal audio card (e.g. PCIe)? Do they even make internal audio cards, anymore?

Just curious as to the terminology.

Cheers,
John

One other quick question for a home recording newbie (me).

I have a Zoom R16, which is a dedicated digital multitrack recorder, but also functions as an audio interface and DAW controller.

How would I go about integrating and connecting the Zoom R16 with my Dell Laptop and my KPA? I do not believe that the R16 has S/PDIF...is that a deal breaker? Should I forget about the R16 and just get a dedicated USB audio interface, such as by Focusrite or MAudio?

Cheers,
John

Quote from Tritium

I have seen the term "audio card" used frequently. I assume, however, people really are referring to a dedicated, stand-alone external Audio Interface. I imagine most people are using a laptop to run their DAW. Is the term "audio card" simply a throw-back / hold-over to when desktop PC's would be upgraded with an onboard, internal audio card (e.g. PCIe)? Do they even make internal audio cards, anymore?

Just curious as to the terminology.
Cheers,
John

Yeah, I think the term audio card is a throw-back.
Audio interface seems the more appropriate term to me nowadays.

Quote from Tritium

One other quick question for a home recording newbie (me).

I have a Zoom R16, which is a dedicated digital multitrack recorder, but also functions as an audio interface and DAW controller.

How would I go about integrating and connecting the Zoom R16 with my Dell Laptop and my KPA? I do not believe that the R16 has S/PDIF...is that a deal breaker? Should I forget about the R16 and just get a dedicated USB audio interface, such as by Focusrite or MAudio?

Cheers,
John

I think that apart from the lack of S/PDIF the R16 is a great interface.
You cannot do reamping with the profiler of course.
OTOH Integration with another DAW should go via SD card.
When the R16 records to SD you should be able to put the SD into a card reader connected to your PC and drag the recorded files into your DAW.

Quote from Ingolf

I think that apart from the lack of S/PDIF the R16 is a great interface.
You cannot do reamping with the profiler of course.
OTOH Integration with another DAW should go via SD card.
When the R16 records to SD you should be able to put the SD into a card reader connected to your PC and drag the recorded files into your DAW.

Hi Ingolf,

Thanks for the reply and answers. I think I would use the R16 simply as an audio interface and physical controller for whatever DAW recording software I end up running on my laptop. So, if I understand this correctly, the recorded tracks are sent immediately to DAW/laptop via the R16's USB connection. In other words, since the R16 is simply acting as the audio interface, I am guessing there is no need to use the SD card reader, and drag and drop files. Do I have this right?

Cheers,
John

@Tritium, I don't own the R16 but I think you got this right. When you use it as an audio interface it will be USB Audio all the way.
My answer above was related to 'how can I integrate tracks I have recorded to the R16 itself?'
Sorry for my misunderstanding.

Quote from Ingolf

@Tritium, I don't own the R16 but I think you got this right. When you use it as an audio interface it will be USB Audio all the way.
My answer above was related to 'how can I integrate tracks I have recorded to the R16 itself?'
Sorry for my misunderstanding.

Understood, Ingolf. Thanks for your help. I really am a newbie when it comes to the whole home recording thing. So far, my experience has only been preliminary research and reading, to get a basic understanding.

Cheers,
John

Sorry Tritium,
sure, i mean an Audio Interface and not an Audio Card. I find those compact Audio Interfaces with USB or FireWire very useful.
You can carry it with your Notebook to the rehearsal room etc.
If you plan to get a new one, i would recommend a S/PDIF in and out to be able to make a high Quality reamping...
I choosed a all in one call MBOX PRO 3. It has S/PDIF and MIDI and enough In and Outs, balanced and unbalanced so that
i have a complete Studio in one thing.