Recording noob/help needed

[jaretthale78]

i seriously dont even know where to begin, nor do i know how guitar tracks are even recorded , i know,this might sound retarded but it is what it is,

im getting my gsp 1101 on tuesday and i want to start making recordings,

so, whats an inexpensive way to make quality recordings?

ps: id be recording mostly " metal " tracks if that makes a difference

 

[the-emerson]

hey buddy, what recording software are you using thats the best place to start we can tell you what will work well within the DAW, I am still quite a noob when it comes to recording but the guys on here are really good at giving you good directions.
So list DAW, PC specs (so we can recommend plugins and vsts).
My current set up atm consists of
-quad core amd processor (8ghz)
-4GB Ram
-1tb Hard drive
-Line 6 toneport (probably the best purchase I have ever made)
-Pod farm with metal and f/x packs
-Cubase studio 5
-Superior Drumer 2.0
-Ozone Izotope 4.
However if your on a budget, I would recommend an entry level of cubase 5 (essential) as it lets you expand to the full version of 5 or studio. Essential also has midi drum editor maps pre made so instead of mapping to a keyboard everything is prenamed. If you can afford superior drummer get it if not get EZ drummer and DFH expansion Pack. You may need to look at a soundcard as I am unsure of the ins and outs of the gsp. My toneport has ins and outs so acts as a soundcard in a way which is the main reason why I swear by it.
As far as tracking guitars goes its down to preference and how thick you want your sound to be. For example many people quad track guitars to get walls of thickness, some just stick to two. I however use the dual tone function of pod farm and from that track 2 guitars that sound like 4 so I go for a bit off both. But essentially when you start recording if you can afford it, it is a good idea to buy reasonable stuff otherwise ultimately your sound will suffer or you may find it hard to get the desired results in a mix.
Sorry for the length of this post I hope it helped

 

[the-emerson]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention costs, Essential 5 retails at £110, Superior Drummer is about £180 and a sound card if you need one starts at around £90 for a basic in and out job E-mu 0404 (GAK), this has a midi connection on so will help with editing patches etc

 

[Triple7]

If you are just beginning, download Reaper to use as your DAW. It has a free trial for 30 days and then you only have to pay $60 to continue using it. I would suggest the Pod Studio UX2 for your interface (what you would plug your guitar into). I have one, and it is an awesome product and really easy to use, plus it comes with POD Farm in case you wanna mess around with their tones. I see you are interested in Superior 2.0, awesome choice.

Just mess around with all this stuff to see what it can do, that is pretty much the easiest way to learn unless you know someone that uses all of that stuff and can guide you through it. Feel free to ask as many questions on here no matter how stupid you think they are, because there is a lot of people on here who are willing to help.

I hope some of that helped. I am a noob too, but this site has helped me a lot.

 

[jaretthale78]

so if i get reaper, can i just go: guitar> gsp1101> (usb) into computer than open reaper and continue?..

 

[the-emerson]

that should do it aslong as the gsp's usb device allows audio streaming and isn't just for patch editing

 

[String7th]

Once you get Reaper installed, go to the Digitech website and download thier driver's for the GSP and any software that uses it as an interface. This will negate the need for a Toneport.

If you need vocals recorded then I suggest something as simple as a Tascam US144. It's got 2 preamps to record vocals, live guitars, acoustic or whatever. And comes with Cubase LE4. I've been using LE4 for over 2 years now and have not seen any reason to upgrade to Essentials, and I do 16-channel tracking and prodrucing for many different genres of music. It's got super-easy drum programing if you ever want to get Steven Slate Drums or EZ Drummer