Right well I decided that instead of getting a poweramp, which i can live without for a bit, i'm gonna upgrade my homestudio/computer.

I have around $200 to spend. I'm DEFINATELY getting a new pair of computer speakers/studio moniters AT LEAST, since my computer speakers just blew out or something and there's not bass response at all

Any recommendations?

I also have a shitty soundblaster soundcard. should i upgrade that thing or just get a mixer to run into its line in? are there soundcards with stereo ins? (one left input and one right input?) How hard would it be for me to install the soundcard myself? How much would it cost to have the soundcard installed?

thanks. I know it's a REALLY FREAKIN tight budget but i MAY be able to get my other bandmates to pitch in....even though none of them have strict jobs yet. (i'm getting one soon if this goddamn deli accepts my app...) My singer is an on-call construction area supplier (drives to places with contracters, gives 'em wood 'n shit....no, not that kinda wood :P) and my other guitarist may be getting a job with his grandfather that pays light but steadily >_>. So do your best..i'm a n00b when it comes to studios, and i'm not even looking for any good really. Just something that'll do it's job and nothing more.

also, i have the option of mic'ing my guitars (i wanted a stereo direct in for my ENGL cause I think it'd be easier for me to mix...less "room ambience" and more "full" but since my soundcard is shit...) so soundcards/mixers with just one mic in could work too. I only need one mic channel...would a mic pre work? i keep thinking no matter how good a mixer/mic pre i get though my soundcard might fuck it up?

sorry that i keep tacking posts on...but could i save money on moniters and just use some really nice headphones to mix/moniter?

The soundcard, yes, you can get stereo inputs, usually on the higher end ones, you will have RCA (phono) I/O, and often digital and MIDI too. Installing it is a piece of piss, if its a PCI card (good, but not the best, but a little cheaper usually), just open your computer up and whack that shit in there If its USB, its even easier, just plug it in, no need to switch the machine off

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dude...theres an edit button

calm down asshole^


you can get cables that send a stereo signal into 1 plug. remember to be creative, with so little money theres no doubt in my mind that your settups gonna get really ugly. i have a marshall amp with a digital line out to a four track tape player because that uses a stereo line out....and i send that stereo line out (red and white) into a cable i got at radioshack that preserves the stereo signal and turns it into one plug however. so, it seems stupid, but it works!

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Yeah, i have very little money (and that fucking deli deny'd me for a job! assholes...) to work with so I just want something that can get a nice sound easily.

If i just get a new soundcard and some Radio Shack 2 Stereo In/1 Out cable could i pull it off? I might just mic everything too...or combine the sounds.

What would be cheaper/sound better? DI'ing or Mic'ing?

The cheapest new soundscard for recording is probably an m-audio audiophile 2496. My first one buggered out on me, so I got a replacement. The driver CD didn't work on the replacement so I downloaded the drivers from the net. It has two RCA inputs and two RCA outputs. It costs $99. Comes with a bunch of free software.

You can't mix properly with headphones. You'll need studio monitors. The cheapest studio monitor I'd go for are the passive Behringer Truth's, which are $129. I'd personally save up for Alesis M1 MK2 passives, which are $199. Actives are going to cost you a fuckload more. I don't know how loud the passives can get with the soundcard.

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For your soundcard go to www.newegg.com. Mine is the chaintech one that costs $25 and it's very good. No stereo inputs, though, just a mic or a line in. Both are mono. But I record all my tracks as stereo though, so it don't really matter that much.
Don't know about the monitors. I use my PC's stock speakers, the ones that came with my original piece of shit Compaq years ago. Every now and then, the left speaker won't work, so I have to fuck around with it a bit, but other than that, they're just fine. The sound quality probably doesn't rival that of studio monitors, but hey, I'm on a budget, too.
I don't think you need to have studio quality recordings in order for your music to sound good, though. I've recorded a bunch of shit so far, and it sounds really good. I do a direct line out from my amp into my PC's mic input. Sound quality isn't top notch Pro Tools multi million dollar stuido quality level, but hell, you can hear everything pretty good, ther's hardly any background noise or hum, and my distortion sounds extremely dark, kvlt, gr1m and really n3cro.

could i get a sample recording from you? if you cant host it email it to me at

tastemyscythe@gmail.com