Korean Job Discussion Forums

[smitchlovesfunk]

i'm looking to buy a new pc, maybe speanding 500k won. this is to include monitor, keyboard and mouse.
the main thing i want it for is to record my guitar and mix songs so alot of RAM is a must. can anyone recomend a good audio interface, i was thinking just the simple m-audio usb interface. anyone got one?
will also be used for downloading and watching movies and comedy etc. so a decent size monitor would be nice.
could anyone help me out and tell me what sort of specs i could get for 500k??? or do i need to be looking at spending more?
thanks in advance!

[Cheonmunka]

When you get an interface like E-Mu 0202 you also get Cubase LE, C
a Cakewalk program, vst software and some other stuff - three CD's that enable you to multi track and more right from go. The pack is about 100k won. Pretty cheap really.

[smitchlovesfunk]

well i would have been happy just starting off with some free software, but cubase and cakewalk would be even better, thanks for that tip

[bassexpander]

How about a free download of Audacity?

This is a really great little mic for what you want to do, and you wouldn't need a mixer or expensive soundcard:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--AUDAT2020USB




As far as audio interface, are you looking for a mixer? Behringer makes some great little mixers like this:

http://www.behringer.com/502/index.cfm?lang=ENG

That's their smallest, and can be had for around 70,000 to 80,000 in Seoul. They have larger models with more phantom powered mic inputs too (about 100,000 for a model with 2 phantoms, and 150,000 for the model with 4). You can get these at several audio stores in Yongsan's ETLand building. I am looking at picking up the smallest model for my podcasts.

You don't need the phantom power for what you're doing, unless you want a really good mic in excess of a few hundred bucks. The AT4040 is a great bet for that, but I think it's overkill for you:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--AUTAT4040SM

or the AT2020 is a little cheaper:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--AUTAT2020


For everything else, and for the money, the Shure SM57 can't be beat, and it's a very versatile favorite of recording artists. You don't use phantom power for it. You'll get it for just over 100,000. all over the place.

http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WiredMicrophones/us_pro_SM57-LC_content

[smitchlovesfunk]

my recording was just gonna consist of electric guitar, so was gonna use the line out from my amp and go straight into the audio interface. was gonna use some free drum machine software for some beats, but i guess i might a mic would be usefull for random noises i could make and also if i got an acoustic. don't know if i'd wanna spend that much on a mic tho.
thanks for the ifo anyway!

[smitchlovesfunk]

so what about the actual computer, what sort of processer could i get/ would i need? and how much RAM. is 500,000 enough money to spend?

[pandemic902]

I'd recommend the ESI Maya44 (PCI)

http://www.esi-audio.com/products/maya44/

It has 4in/4out capability, 24/96khz, and it's easy to find in Korea. Also, inputs are 1/4", just like a guitar jack.

[SirFink]

[RoyBatty]

Have you made your purchase yet? Ever consider getting a Mac? I'm running a MacBook with dual core 2 gHz processor and 2 GB of RAM. Works like a dream. Logic is a great program to use and is Mac only. But the real kicker is the Apogee Duet audio interface.

Apogee makes amazing audio interfaces and is a staple in most pro studios. They have a kick ass entry level device, the Duet, but it's also Mac only. It sounds incredible due to a pro quality pre-amp and top notch A/D converters, and is very portable and runs through firewire, so no power chord needed.

This all might be over your budget, but just think, you make this purchase once and you won't need to upgrade in a really really long time as you will be able to make professional sounding stuff right away.

here's a few links in case you're interested

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet.php

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Duet/

It's so damn sexy!

[RoyBatty]

I must also add that with my set up, I can carry a pro quality studio in my backpack. Being able to record or perform anywhere is a really nice ability (I took my "studio" down to San Diego to record some tracks with a friend; piece of cake).

I'm assuming you're living in Korea temporarily, so why splurge on something that will be a pain to move when you can go big on a laptop that is easy to bring back with you? Just my two cents. Also, if you insist on PC, a Presonus Firebox is a very nice option.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FireBox/

[smitchlovesfunk]

to be honest before i came to korea i almost bought a new laptop in england but didn't in the end, then when i got here i started thinking about a pc as they're cheaper, but in the last few days i've been going back to my initial thought of a laptop. macs do appeal to me, but are a little more expensive, but i think i'm leaning closer and closer to a mac, i'll have to up my budget though!

thanks for all your great help! keep it coming if there's any left!!

thanks again

[Cheonmunka]

Using solely a mixer like the Behringer one won't cut it. The generic soundcards on the pc (AC97 etc) suck poos. But, the audio interface, like the E-mu usb, is also a soundcard. So, you don't get any latency problem. The mixer doesn't confront that issue.
You also get phantom power on your inputs, like with the mixer, on many interfaces on the market. The interface does a decent job as a DI.
I bought a small Behringer mixer with powered inputs when I first started. It is now redundant.

Someone was talking about just going direct in. When doing with gain you really should mic up the amp and record that way. For clean sounds though I just direct in and add the reverb after recording. Such a hassle to mic up with fucken leads everywhere and the end result sound is almost the same for clean.