New soundman here

[scottengstrom]

Hello everyone, first thanks for allowing me to join this forum. I look forward in reading and posting.
I have a Peavey SRC 4026 connected to Pavilion with Windows xp Media center. I have a 1/4 with an 1/8 adapter in the back of the computer going to a multiplexer then to Aux 4 which is a 1/4 insert. It is a mono hookup and I'm going to get a sterio 1/4. I also play the worship music from the computer 1/8 adapter to 1/4 to the soundboard channel 17 1/4 insert. I'll have more details on this setup but right now I'm at home and typing by memory here. I hope I can help others out here as well as get some help with the best possible connections and best results with reocording from microphone to the computer as well as output form computer to soundboard. I use goldwave to record. I save all recordings as .mp3. I use Itunes to play from computer. The CD player is really just a backup. Ok, I hope I Can hook up with some of you, right now I am doing a lot of trial and error pulling cables and replacing others trying different conneciton setups and I'll be more than happy to share my results and post them at the right place here.

[ffwbsoundman]

I would suggest doing away with your setup and go with a usb setup for recording if money is tight, if you can afford it I would suggest recording to a CD Recorder. You really cannot play tracks from the same computer you are recording to. I had our system hooked up that way for awhile but was getting a lot of cycling when recording and playing at the same time. I bought a usb device for playback and a CD recorder for recording and it was the best decision ever. I can still rip my CD to the computer and upload online if need be. Below is a list of choice for upgrading. Some other advice would be find someone around your area that is willing to stop in and show you a few things. Sometimes trial and error are not the best method. It can often back you into a corner you cannot get out of.

M-Audio Fast Track USB

Tascam CD Recorder RW900

[bpalermini]

Recording:
Most of us would try the easy setups first 3.5mm stereo cable to two RCS connectors (red & white) for the recording you would come from a tape output or two aux outputs if you have two available. You just use the appropriate adapters to make things connect together (rca to 1/4" or rca to XLR).

Using the aux will give you the opportunity to send a different mix to the recorder which is sometimes good. That way if say the bass player's amp is loud on stage so you don't put a lot of bass into the PA you can bring it up for the recording. If not the recording would be lacking bass.

If you find that you have a buzz in the recording you will need to isolate the computer from the mixer. You would do that with DI boxed or balanced splitters which would let you "lift ground" on the feed.

Playback:
For playing music you would take a similar cable and connect the 3.5mm end to the computer and the rca end to either the tape in (typically rca) or to a stereo channel, (typically 1/4" or XLR) or to two mono channels (1/4" or XLR). Again, you may find problems with buzzing. If that is the case DI's need to be inserted to lift the ground. With DI's for input you would need two short mic cables to make the connection from the DI to the mixer.

Another option is using a box that combines the stereo signal properly into a mono signal. We have one that comes with a 3.5mm connector on a short cable to the box. The box has a single XLR output that you connect to a mono channel on your mixer. This works well when you don't want to use two channels on your mixer and you don't really care about stereo in your room. In most rooms even if the system is L/R most seats don't get a useful stereo image anyway.

As for playing and recording at the same time I'd say you need to test it and see if it works with your computer. I wouldn't recommend it but it may work for you.

[wogster]

Originally Posted by scottengstrom

Hello everyone, first thanks for allowing me to join this forum. I look forward in reading and posting.
I have a Peavey SRC 4026 connected to Pavilion with Windows xp Media center. I have a 1/4 with an 1/8 adapter in the back of the computer going to a multiplexer then to Aux 4 which is a 1/4 insert. It is a mono hookup and I'm going to get a sterio 1/4. I also play the worship music from the computer 1/8 adapter to 1/4 to the soundboard channel 17 1/4 insert. I'll have more details on this setup but right now I'm at home and typing by memory here. I hope I can help others out here as well as get some help with the best possible connections and best results with reocording from microphone to the computer as well as output form computer to soundboard. I use goldwave to record. I save all recordings as .mp3. I use Itunes to play from computer. The CD player is really just a backup. Ok, I hope I Can hook up with some of you, right now I am doing a lot of trial and error pulling cables and replacing others trying different conneciton setups and I'll be more than happy to share my results and post them at the right place here.

If your playing a CD, the best way to do so is a CD player, a cheap CD or DVD player will do wonders in this regard, most will output to RCA, I bought a couple of RCA to 1/4" mono adapters for 88¢ each at the surplus store, which plug the RCA output to the board input.

One thing, DO NOT USE MP3 TO RECORD.!!!! The issue with MP3 recordings is that MP3 is a lossy format - it compresses really well, because it throws away information it thinks it does not need, so if you edit your recording for any reason you lose significant quality. This is because, each time you edit it throws away more information. JPEG is another format that does this. Use uncompressed formats to record, yes the file is much larger, once it's edited, then convert to MP3.

[erasmus]

For audio recording on a dime, I suggest the following:

Mono input - use one of your aux outs (if you have the option of pre-fader or post-fader, choose post-fader so your recorded mix automatically benefits from your live mix changes while still being able to boost an instrument in the recording mix that is quiet in the loud mix, like drums or bass), connect using a mono 1/4" male to mono 3.5mm male cable (or get a 1/4" female to 3.5mm mono male adapter and use a standard 1/4" cable). You keep it mono because mixing a stereo mix for your PC recording while mixing a live mix will cause one of the mixes to suffer... unless you're trying to capture audio to use to product a pro CD... then I say forget cheap, you need expensive equipment to do that right, so stick to mono for your cheap setup.

Recording unit: simple computer with Audacity for recording (I recommend this only because you already have a PC. For cheap, I'd really have gone with a dedicated CD recorder since they are in the hundreds, but computers can reach a thousand or more in costs). Audacity has functionality built in like compression and normalization that are useful when outputting the audio for an online stream or other mp3 uses (for spoken word, I use compression with 4:1 ratio, -60db noise floor, -7db threshold, and a .2 second attack and decay... seems to sound decent and consistent, essentially acting like a limiter but with a softer touch). Audacity records in a lossless format, but can export to MP3, so you get the best of both worlds.

Playback unit: don't use your computer - you will eventually forget you're recording and playing back at the same time, so you'll get feedback. If you really must use your computer instead of a dedicated device (ipod, cd player, etc.), make sure you set Audacity to not playback audio while recording, or you *will* get feedback.

What state and general region are you in? Perhaps someone on here is nearby and can stop in and help you with your setup.

Oh, and to add one more thing: if these recordings are important to you, rip the lossless format to CDs and store the CDs elsewhere, or invest in an online storage system like dropbox or Google Drive to back up your files off site and off the machine. One fire, one hard drive crash, etc, could lose years of recordings in a second.

[Paris MkVI]

Another option for simple recording when you can budget for it is a unit such as the Tascam SS-R100. These units eliminate the recording time limit CD recorders have. We have the earlier units, the SS-R01's, and would not go back to CD recording again. These units have unbalanced inputs; they make a unit with balanced inputs (R-200).

You have to purchase compatible compact flash cards for them, but using those over and over again means you reduce the amount of CD-R stock you buy substantially, so over time, they pay for themselves.

Maybe not a solution for everyone, but a good simple recording solution for us.