Hey guys, I was just wondering what I could use to record myself recording. Would this be ok for a beginner(i have no recording experience): http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=240744V

Would I be able to input a play-along track(drum less)....and have my drums going at the same time?

or should i just buy a macbook pro, and use garageband....I'm looking for anything that's cheap..

any other suggestions would be highly appreciated.

-EML.

You should always buy a MacBook Pro, regardless of what you're doing. I have no idea if it's true, but I've been told we could solve global warming AND global hunger if everyone would buy a Mac.

Otherwise, what's the purpose of recording yourself? If you're just wanting to hear yourself play (which I always recommend), you could run a computer mic out and just capture the overall sound. If you're wanting to learn more about getting a good recorded sound (yet another brilliant idea), I'd recommend spending your money on some quality mics and renting time in a studio. I think you would end up with a better experience while spending your money on something you will need in the future if you plan on getting paid as a drummer in a studio.

Was the Macbook Pro comment sarcasim?..And man, I dont have that type of money to be renting out a recording studio and buying 100 dollar mics.

would this do what i want though http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=240744V

-EML.

yeah man, i just want to use it for practice. and eventually step into the digital world. i'm approaching it just like learning drums, slowly. and just keep practicing. however i am getting a macbook pro really soon.

Yo man, is that thing a mix board? And what the heck is Cubas LE? Is it basically the same as Pro-Tools?

please respond 


-EML.

You said you only wanted it for practice? One mic can pick up a whole drum kit, it's just not a standard recording technique because it's mono, and it offers no control after the recording is done.

Anyway, it has two mic inputs, yes. There's a number of options there, such as:
one overhead mic, and a mic on the kick drum.
One overhead mic, and a mic on the snare.
Or two overhead mics.

Now if you want to expand, it does also have a S/PDIF input, and some pre-amps have S/PDIF outputs, such as, I think, the RNP (Real Nice Preamp). That can give you another two inputs, which would easily allow you to mic, for example:

Two overhead mics (for stereo techniques), with a mic on kick and snare,

or perhaps one overhead mic, one mic on the kick, and a mic on each tom (in a 4 piece set).

Now Cubase LE... Well that's a piece of recording software. The Firebox will plug into your computer via Firewire, and the recorded audio will come up in Cubase LE. From Cubase LE you can also load up tracks to play along with or, do some multi-track recording. What that means is, say you have a band, and you want to record a demo, well you might record drums first, to a click (because Cubase LE can easily give you a click track), then you might record the bass, guitar, vox, whatever, after that, with each musician listening to the parts that have been recorded thus far.

It will also allow you to record MIDI, and assign an instrument to it (playback the MIDI as a particular instrument). And also, allow you to mix your recording after you have recorded it. So I guess, you could say Cubase LE is your mixdown "board", and the Firebox is your recording "mix board".

EDIT: I just noticed that you mention Pro-Tools, so the two paragraphs above could be summed up as "Yes, sort of"

EDIT EDIT: So I just looked up the Really Nice Pre and found it doesn't have S/PDIF outputs, but I'm sure I've seen them on a 2 channel preamp before, I just can't remember which ones, I'm sure there's someone else who could name a couple.

It should be noted that some of the biggest drum sounds I've ever heard recorded used a single overhead mic (Sennheiser) in a big room recording to tape. Isolation ain't everything. The room, the drums, the heads, the tuning, the player, the recording medium -- they all play a factor in recorded sound.

I like Antman's idea. You could really learn a lot about recording drums with that kind of rig. You will also learn a lot about your playing on the playback. What you're doing is one of the most important and underrated things a musician can do!! If you walk into any competitive situation (being a professional musician counts) already knowing exactly what you sound like, you have a huge advantage over most everyone else.

Really? What drums should I mic then? And also, when the day comes when I may need to mic them for a studio job(which i hope happens one day) what would I use?

And are sure mics the best mics to use? I know of the  SM57's I heard they are the best snare mics ever.

-EML.

Ok thanks Chris, but what about making videos? Would I just need a regular video camera? I'd just like to view how I'm play too.


-EML.

like mic jacks? or just some type of chord  that can connect to the mix board or whatever?

Thanks again


-EML.