New member, 1st. post: resource suggestions?

[logan3-1639]

The brown delivery truck dropped off my new GT8 last Wednesday. I haven't taken it out of the box. I'm not intimidated by it, but I'm afraid that once I get started my ADL skills such as hygiene, going to work on time, etc. will start slipping. Maybe I should take a couple days of vacation time and dedicate it to setting up this processor and dialing up some "in the ballpark" patches.

I want to start recording with my PC. I'm starting at square one here so I would like some suggestions on books or websites that cover the basics. What resources helped you the most when you were starting out?

:)

[regantone]

I'd say, record using a s/pdif cable. Connect it from the GT8 digital out to the computer's s/pdif input. If your computer doesn't have one, then you'll have to buy a sound card that has that input, or a usb device that has that input. Using s/pdif should give you the best results in recording. A cheap way to record is connecting the GT8 headphone output to the computer's mic input. You'll need an instrument cable for that connection, plus an adapter to accomodate the size of the Mic's input (You can easily obtain that from radioshack). Be careful with this though, because your computer's audio card may be damaged if the GT8's volume is high.

I have the Lexicon Omega (USB device with s/pdif input) which comes with Cubase (a recording prgram), but it costed me somewhere around $300. I haven't tampered with s/pdif recording yet because I haven't had the time to purchase the s/pdif cable, but I had heard that the quality is great. A cheaper way is purchasing a sound card. I have read many articles on this forum about satisfied customers who had purchased the M-Audio 2496 Audiophile Sound Card. Only costs $100. The only reason why I got the Lexicon was because I go back and forth from one computer to another constantly. A sound card requires to be actually installed in the back of your computer tower.

I haven't tampered with s/pdif recording yet, but I'll be sure to do so very soon. I'll let you know how it turns out as soon as possible. Most likely you'll get another response from someone who is more experienced than I am. You should also look through the forums like I did. This site can be very resourceful for you, this is how I learned all ths stuff.

Another thing I want to point out is that you can't record MIDI with the GT8. The purpose of MIDI for the GT8 is strictly for transferring (uploading and downloading) patches and editing them. I know that you'll be interested in this, so I suggest that you search the forum for MrSleepy's GT8 Editor. I haven't had the time to tamper with that yet, also because I need to purchase MIDI cables.

I wish you the bets of luck with your new GT8 Processor.

[regantone]

Oh, and another thing. Be sure to have some kind of recording software on your computer. Not all soundcards or usb devices with a s/pdif input comes with a recording program. If you need a recording program, I have heard of free recording programs such as Krystal Audio Engine and Audacity. I haven't tampered with those programs because the Lexicon comes with Cubase. Perhaps you'll find someone with experience with these programs, or you'll find an article on this forum with the information regarding these programs. Another useful tip is using the "Search" right above this forum. Helps you narrow down the articles in your search, thus save time.

[logan3-1639]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain this. I'll do the homework, make the purchases, and as soon as I'm up and running, I'll start posting my work.

[duffy]

There's a much easier and cheaper way to record into the computer than that. You need one of these and to read the "How do I get started" post by Sweetleaf futher down the page.
Here's a link to what you need. :)

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2110512&cp=2032058.2032231.2032280&pg=3&parentPage=family


and here's a link to what it should sound like. All of the samples were done using a cord like that and the cheap,cheap soundcard that came with the computer.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=352826

If you've got any more questions fire away. :)

d