I'm getting a laptop in the next couple of weeks and I'd like to use it for recording. What kinds of Hardware and Software should I be looking into. I have a desktop with FruityLoops that has been decent for some stuff I've recorded with a little RCA handheld recorder but I don't have the Midi controller or a sound card to hook up mics with plus it's old as hell so I'm not going to invest in it at all. Most of my recording experience has been with 4 track tape recorders and a Boss BR1180. I'm patient enough that I don't mind fairly complicated to use software that I can grow into.

thanks in advance

If you liked the workflow of Fruity Loops and are interested in doing a lot of sequencing, beat slicing and other electronic programming in addition to audio recording, FL Studio 10 is pretty boss. Otherwise, 9/10 posters here will likely recommend Reaper.

For hardware, that really depends on what you’re wanting to record (single instrument, a mic’d set of drums or up to a full band?) and how much you are looking to spend.

I recently got a Zoom H4N handy recorder/interface. It can record straight to your computer without a soundcard via USB, has two mic/instrument inputs and also has two built-in condenser mics, which are alright.

It's got a bunch of optional guitar/bass amp and effect simulators you can use while it's connected to your computer, some are pretty decent. The bass amp ones in particular are pretty useful since there aren't many bass VSTs out there, though they can be a bit gainy.
It also comes with a free version of Cubase, don't know if it's the program or my computer, but it hates guitar amp VSTs, and automatically crashes when I try to load my Tubescreamer.

I'd recommend checking it out.

At the moment I use FL Studio 10 for my drum and keyboard programming and the free version of Cubase for recording stuff.

Can anyone suggest me the easiest user-friendly recording softwares which do not need to much of hard work to operate?

I recommend M-Audio Fast Track Ultra for recording, my album guitars were recorded by it, and it couldn't sound better (as a dry guitar signal). As for software, the cheapest and the most customizable software Reaper, it has got a cheap license and it's extremely fast. I mainly use it for everything.

Honestly, the only "high quality" (digital, and in good condition) hardware recorder I have ever used is a Sony MiniDisc recorder, but I think it sounds great.... I just use a Mackie mixer and go straight from the tape out into the MD recorder if mixing down to that.

You probably want to have SOME kind of mixer first and foremost, regardless of what sort of recording you do, and being able to cut your teeth on shitty gear will help you to self-edumucate yourself on how to record stuff well on the computer too.

As someone who has begun with computers (actually, screaming into boomboxes before that) and has been doing amateur home recording since, like, 9-10 years ago now (I still use FL Studio 5!!!), hardware is a far better sonic alternative. Computers are for mixing down to a final digital master and doing some final mixdown sound reinforcements. Not so much multitracking... because, regardless of what you do, using computers for everything is going to always either sound one of two ways: absolutely horrendous, or freakishly, unnaturally "good". there's not really any sort of middle ground in my personal experience with all-computer tracking/editing.

PS: Plugins for "TAPE WARMTH" and similar shit are a fucking hilarious joke and a waste of money. Save that money and buy a rickety reel recorder at some thrift store for a fraction of the cost of some worthless voodoo-magic-tone-injecting software that claims to do anything more than the mastering basics one needs in a DAW, and which computers can manage well without claiming to have magical properties about them (compression, limiting, gating basic reverb/delay shit).

Just my humble opinion (and, again, based on a lot of experience just learning how to use mixing/recording/processing gear without a manual, all as a completely uneducated, non-professional musical caveman and hobbyist).


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In general, I'd suggest also just downloading audacity first to get the hang of recording digitally (without paying for software)... and never waste money on software if and when you can find a freeware alternative. Save the money for a nice, basic mixer, and maybe even an audio interface of some kind (which I have never owned but always wanted to).

Can it be used for recording Vocals? And moreover for that do I need to get a M-Audio Souncard? or any normal soundcard would do?
Problem here is I have to download the free software....over here in India...such original softwares are very rarely available and very high cost...

M-Audio fast track is an audio interface, my friend has got it, It has got an XLR for dynamic mics, but If you use condenser it won't work since it doesn't have phantom power, but as an audio interface I believe it's quite good. If you were searching for something to record vocals, I'd recommend Shure SM58 (though I don't own it, but female vocals in my album were recorded using it, it sounded good actually) If you only record harsh vocals, Shure SM57 would be the best (since it's perfect as a cabinet mic as well as being good for harsh vocals).
That's my info about stuff, I hope other guys have some more to share here.

Hmmm..really thanks for the info...I would try to find these out in the market (if available)....If it is good for harsh vocals then I need it...

But I'd like you to search for other options too, ask other users, SM57 is originally made for cabinets but It works for vocals, but maybe If you wanna buy SM57 + M-Audio fast track ultra interface, It might be expensive (at least to me), but If you have got some good cash then I'd buy them especially when I can use both for cabinet and vocals.

Whom should I ask? I don't know other users over here.....most users over here are arrogant!

what the best mic for your vocal style is depends entirely on what kind of voice/singing style you have.

Like said above a sm57 will do fine for screaming vocals(the slightly more expensive sm7b is like one of the standard metal/punk vocal mics), but softer and/or more intimate stuff will probably sound nicer with a condenser mic. A cheap one that has got good reviews is the audiotechnica AT2020. (around the same price of a sm57 if I recall correctly)

I think it's hard to go wrong with any DAW, seeing as theyre all pretty much the same nowadays. A friend of mine swears by REAPER, I still use logic 8, others like cubase.. it's all pretty much the same just a digital representation of a tape slicing machine and a mixer (oh and a host for your plugins, like the guy above me said, get these open source!)

Seeing as how you're going to be using a laptop I think USB will be your best bet for an interface (not many firewire laptops these days right?) the m audio fast track C series has a (considering interface standards) decent preamp and midi interface, a DSP (digital signal processing ... effects!) chip which is handy for headphone mix when singing or maybe even to use in your final mixes.

Or maybe look for a secondhand apogee duet or RME babyface. No use in buying stuff from zoom or similar companies I think. chances are you are going to outgrow it in a year, and you'll be wanting something that at least has decent ADA conversion. Everything Ive heard from zoom sounds muddled and small. If you want to record a lot of channels I think you should get a firewire card for your laptop seeing as firewire still has way more options in the bigger interfaces. (8+ i/o)

I hope you are beginning to get a feeling of what you need, and what you want and wish you the best in your computer interface endeavors (easily the most annoying piece of gear to replace/choose.buy etc)

Bingo! I get the hint now...thanks a lot..
Now, recording will be easier I guess...

Right on, Thanks everyone. I'll get my setup running over the next month or so and I'll report on how it went.

Any experience with the software that's specifically for orchestras? Synths, sims and keys just sren't cutting it for me.

Eh, raytownian, if you have a preference for hardware that's fine but there's a bit of jibber jabber in your post.



I'm not sure what experience has lead to that opinion but honestly it's a little bit bizarre. Whether one is using hardware or software, you use essentially the same tools and techniques. Assuming someone is using decent gear/programs the biggest difference is whether you are pushing sliders and turning knobs or clicking a mouse.

Although I definitely agree on one thing- 'tape warmth' or 'analog' plugins are generally heaping piles of shit.