Can you guys help me choose the right gear...

[Nicholestien]

I'm just curious, I was wondering if this would give me some good sound quaility for a price that fits my wallet.

I want a set up that allows me to do half decent recording of my electric guitar, and allows me to use sounds for a keyboard I got, and also allows me to use a software synth I got. Here is what I plan on getting from Zzsounds once I'm done saving up.

Is there an easier way of recording takes of the guitar? I got this information from Tweakheadz and I know about the mixerless setups, but, why I'm hesistant to use that set up is because I don't know how else to use monitors. I am willing to do anything if it means saving a buck and freeing up space, I don't want all this equipment in my bedroom, it's small enough as it is.

Audio Interface: M-Audio Audiophile 2496

Mixer: Behringer Xenyx 1204

Monitors: KRK RD5 Rokit Powered 2-way Monitor (Active)

Microphone Condenser: Behringer B1 Single

Microphone: Shure SM57 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

Keyboard: Yamahah MM6-61-Key-Synthesizer

Headphones: Sony MDR NC6 (Already have these)

Behringer Di100 Active Direct box, says I need it for guitar, why?

Do I need two microphones?

Computer: It's defanantly good enough, I'm almost 100% sure that I won't be needed a new computer any time soon. I'm not even going to connect it to the internet just to keep it safe., it's a pc, and it's os is xp. it was built to be specifically versatile for optimizing it in every way thinkable.

my software synth is reason 3.0 I like it.

I don't want to use Cubase or Sonar as my sequencer, but on tweaks site, those two are the only two he recommends, sometimes he puts "or choice of sequencer" in his rigs photos. but he didn't on this one and it's starting to make me wonder if I must use one of these sequencers, I've been using ableton live with reason for awhile and I really really like to use these two, cubase and sonar look crazy I don't want to learn a new program.

[Splunkle]

Tweak mainly talks about the big three DAWs - Sonar, Logic and Cubase. Logic is Mac only (unless you get one of the oooold versions), so that leaves Sonar and Cubase. Of course, there are a great many other programs that can what those do, so don't feel that you have to use those.

That being said, Reason isn't enough, purely because it can't record audio. I was also driven up the wall by its rather basic sequencer. But if you can control Reason from Albeton live happily, and Live can record audio, then you don't need anything else.

Okay, so moving onto hardware, the big question is, do you have an Amp for your guitar, and is it sexy awesome? Because if it is, then you shouldn't need a DI box. Just set up you guitar and amp and whatnot as you normally would, but put a mic in front of the amp - you will need stand, most probably - and then plug the mic into the mixer, and get your mixer all set up with your computer, then just hit record on you computer, and play!

If you don't have a amp you want to record off, then you can plug your guitar into a DI box and then plug that into your mixer (in fact, some DI boxes use phantom power, which is pretty neat as you don't have to futz around with batteries). The advantage of this is that you don't have a huge amp disturbing your nieghbors - hell, you play just with some headphones if you wanted to. The disadvantage is that you have to emulate an amp in software - you can talk about that with the actual guitarists that hang aroud here.

As for the two mics thing, well, condensors and dynamics are used for different things. You would probably be best micing up your guitar amp (if you have one) with the SM57, though some people use condensors for great effect. I'd just buy the SM57, and then see if I want another mic for different stuff later.

1204 Xenyx isn't half bad - I have one myself. Of course, it won't give you Mackie quality mic preamps, but unless you have a really good room to record in that will hardly make a noticeable difference. Something to note is that you can save yourself a fairwhack of money by avoiding the 1204FX - Behringer effects aren't as good as free software effects you can find on the internet. The Audiophile 2496 is also a fine sound card, so no issues there. I haven't used the monitors, so I shan't comment on them.

As for how to rig this all up. Well, I assume your keyabord has line outs, right? They will go to one of you stereo channels on the 1204. The mics will go to the mono channels. So that gives you a stereo channel free, and two mono channels for other mics and whatnot.

You could go mixerless, but you would have to get one of those hugely expensive multiple in/out soundcards. I know next to nothing about this, but I thought I should mention it as an option. You wouldn't have to pay for the mixer in this case, though depending on the soundcard you might still need a preamp for you mics.

[Yoozer]

Keyboard: Yamahah MM6-61-Key-Synthesizer

I wouldn't do that. Get a controller and then save up a little more for a decent module. The MM6 is a step back in technology.

[Fray]

Doesn't the Xenyx come with a USB audio interface? If it's decent you could skip the Audiophile entirely.

[Splunkle]

Errr... by "USB audio interface" they mean a box with RCA in/out and a USB plug to your computer, so it can only record stereo. I actually haven't tried it out, having gotten my Audiophile before my mixer... I might do that now. I can't do much recording right now, it being 3am and my neighbors might get angry with me being loud, but I'll do a few latency tests - thats what I'm mostly concerned about, as it installs itself as another sound card.

Well, that was hilarious. The right channel is really, really, quiet for some reason. Also, it uses DirectX as its driver, so ASIO latency is not possible. So yeah, I'd stick with the Audiophile (or equivalent, like the E-mu 0404) as your soundcard if you are doing any sequencing at all.