[Naren]

I'm going insane. I've been trying to record the Megaman 3 Boss selection screen music, which requires about 5-6 different guitar tracks with the way I have it set up. I'd been recording through a free recording program called Audacity, which allows me to record several tracks, while listening to the previously layered tracks and what I'm playing. But no matter what I do, when I play it again, the timing is off. At first I thought "how the hell did I get the timing on that wrong? I've got a great sense of time." Eventually, after getting very frustrated, I got it so that it would record what was coming through the speakers and it was about 1/2 of a second off. So, the recording I listened to next, instead of having doubled up sound like it should have, had the second track delayed about 1/2 second after the first which sounded horrible.

I'm fed up with this program, but I haven't been able to find any good free recording programs that allow me to record multiply tracks and hear the new product while recording...

Any suggestions? I'm at the end of my rope.........

[Vince]

What's your recording device? I ask because you may have a latency issue.

Other than that, maybe we could talk sometime about some software "upgrades" that might benefit you

[Naren]

Right now it's my guitar into my amp and then my amp "phones" with adapter into the speaker jack of the computer.

I'm not looking to spend any money. I'm not out to turn my tiny apartment into a recording studio, although I appreciate the advice.

[Vince]

the speaker jack of the computer. Ok, so I assume you're using the onboard sound card on your motherboard. I would advise getting maybe a $100 Soundblaster Audigy 2... just a thought. It's cheap and extremely high quality. I recorded an entire band demo back in 2000 with nothing but a soundblaster card and Cool Edit Pro software. If you have decent multitrack software (I'm not familiar with Audacity), then my assumption without seeing your system is that you have a hardware latency issue.

You either 1) need new hardware, or 2) need to click and drag tracks you record until they line up with each other. I strongly advise #1 because #2 is never exact, as close as you might get it, you're still not going to be 100% accurate with drag & drop placement unless your multitracker can quantize (to measure, seconds, samples, etc.), which it probably can't.

You could spend $500-$1000 on quality multi-track recording equipment, or you could spend $100 on a Soundblaster Audigy 2, which has a stereo Line-in on it, perfect 24 bit/192 khz quality, and a great signal-to-noise ratio.

My advice is get the Soundblaster, and that's probably going to solve your problems. I have that card that I recommend, and while I don't use it for instrument/mic recording, I do use it for MIDI, as it is extremely fast and precise. Creative Labs makes some great equipment

[Naren]

I agree with you. I believe that probably would solve my problems...

However, I am using a laptop and therefore don't believe I could install a Soundblaster Audigy 2 into it...

Unfortunately, it seems I'm just going to have to give up on recording...

[Vince]

ah. All is not lost! Firewire. It's the "wave of the future".

I'm not abreast of the lower-end firewire or USB interfaces, but this sucker is amazing, and if I had the need for more tracks than I use now, this would be the next purchase on my list:

http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/828/body.html/en

[Vince]

Here's an affordable one that's $400

http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--FOCSAFFIRE

[Naren]

Tempting, but I do not have a firewire port on my laptop. (although I do have 2 USB ports). I also live in a small/medium-sized city in Japan, so I could not order from 99% of internet sites (I also do not have a credit card since I have never had a reason to own one). And I cannot justify spending as much as $400 on something that will return no money to me...

I am very bitter about the fact that I have not played music with anyone in over 4 months (since I moved to this little city). Where I live now, I can't find ANYONE who I can even play accoustic guitar with. There are no guitar or computer shops in this city too. Had to go all the way to Tokyo to get a 7-string. When I lived in Kawagoe, I played music with other people about 2 days a week. But, even then, Japan is a HORRIBLE place to have a band.

Ah.................... (sigh) All is lost, Vince... All is lost... (goes into the corner and starts to cry)

[Vince]

Originally Posted by Naren

Ah.................... (sigh) All is lost, Vince... All is lost... (goes into the corner and starts to cry)

Man cannot live by picks alone. You gotta get some gear man! $400 may seem like a lot of money, but if it's something that makes you happy...dude, it's only money.

I can't tell you how much money I've put into my music over the years. A small fortune, I'm sure. It's all worth it because I love what I do, who I am, and the music I create

[dpm]

How about the edirol gear? Being in Japan it may be relatively cheap there (maybe not).
Have you looked at ishibashi.com?