ok 1st i'm a total noob when it comes down to computers+music & have never recorded anything started classical about a year ago & want to start recording stuff & was thinking of picking up cubase system 4 for xmas so i have a few questions 1) is picking up cubase a good idear (i know it is overkill for what i wanna do but i'm planning to stay serious on guitar & buying cheap stuff to start + expensive stuff later total > buying expensive stuff to boot) so it's more of a "is it painfully hard to do simple stuff with it" & "are the added feature totaly useless for composing / recording unless you're a total pro?" if it's worth it i don't mind it being expensive... it's not often i have money to burn>< 2)the description page on theyr website is pretty short so i was wondering if the version of cubase that come with the system 4 package contain vst & if those are what i think (pretty much can be used like midi music except they sound better?) if i understand vst are recorded sample but does it mean you can just mix those sample or does it mean i can actually compose & make it play music? 3)also am i better off buying cubase alone or cubase system 4 (i mean is the card that come with system 4 worth the price added?) & also will i need anything else then cubase system 4 + a mic to record? 4)what kind of mic should i use? 5)are there any known system compatibility problem with cubase (& the card that comes with it) like specific mobo that cause problems or something? (i'm buying a new computer for Xmas to but not decided yet what kind so will take answers about that into account)

1) I think the Cubase System 4 package is ideal for what you want to do.

2) Cubase SL does have Virtual Studio Technology. VSTs can be either effects or instruments (VSTi). The intruments are controlled via midi, but are not necessarily recorded samples; many of them use real-time synthesis.

3) Cubase SX is more expensive than the System 4 package. You could get Cubase SL on its own, but then you'll need to get a separate audio interface for your microphone. However, keep in mind that the version of Cubase SL that comes with the System 4 package will only work when the MI4 is connected to your computer.

4) I'd get a dynamic mic, like a Sure SM58 for example. It'll reject a lot of the noise in your room, such as your computer. Cutting down on the noise in your room is more important than getting a more expensive mic capable of higher fidelity IMHO.

thanks a lot for the info & mostly for the precision about the card

so if i understand well that version of cubase SL will only work with this specific card while if i bought cubase SL standalone it would work with a broader range of cards? if so i have yet one more question hehe

would i ever need to upgrade from this card (is there any benefit later on in having something better or are better cards only for specific tasks/complex effects/lot of instruments simultaneous recording) as long as i only record 1 classical guitar at a time? if so is the card i'm getting with the package expensive (is it worth it to buy cubase sl + that card instead of the package for an extra to allow me to upgrade cards later) & if the answer to there is a need for a better card wich one should i take.?

as i said i'm a total newbee to this so i'll take your advice on the mic (my room pretty much has no noise beside computer but since i have case open i guess it's enuff to mess up recording><)

as for cubase SX or better audio card i don't think i can afford SX (not a better audio card+sl if it's more then 100$ more then the system package) i'm already really at the edge of my price range if i want to be able to afford all i'm planing to get at Xmas

oh yes also forgot to ask but i remember when i was browsing yamaha website for instruments i looked at studio stuff too & noticed they had cd burners for audio cd is this any use or are regular CD/dvd burners fine? (doesn't need to be pro quality or anything it's just to send to family so just must not be horribly painfull to hear><) woulda thought both where fine but i used to have a cd burner & it always messed up on cd audio even at half burn speed (was long ago tho so i hope tech has improved)

once again thanks for your time

I don’t know if you can get the MI4 thing as a standalone product. In some respects, you are more likely to want to upgrade Cubase in the future than you are the soundcard. I suspect the package is competitively priced, and buying Cubase SL and a separate soundcard will work out more expensive…

Upgrading your soundcard will bring more features and hopefully better quality, but it won’t make any difference to the number of instruments or effects you can run (though better drivers can decrease your latency). I think SL has a limit on the number of VSTs you can run at any one time…

One other thing I forgot to mention – these breakout box type soundcards tend to have a stereo headphone jack on the front, but the speaker connections on the back are two mono jacks. You may well need some sort of adaptor to plug your existing speakers in to the MI4…

Regular CD/DVD burners are fine.

K

thanks again for all the help=) 1 last question tho about the speacker issue is it ok to have multiple audio cards active.? i'm only thinking of buying all this for recording & having it played on other's ppl stereo when they receive the cd so if having 2 card is fine i guess i can get a motherboard with onboard audio & use that for listening to music but use the card shiped with cubase for recording?

You should use the MI4 for playback as well as record in Cubase because of its superior drivers (better performance). If you want to use the onboard soundcard as windows default (for playing games or CDs through) then you would have to keep swapping your speakers between the MI4 and the onboard soundcard - not a good setup.

I have a separate soundcard for gaming; what I do is take the digital out from my gaming card and plug it in to the digital in of my recording interface so that I only need one pair of speakers.

The MI4 has a coaxial digital in, but most onboard soundcards use an optical digital out so that isn't an option. You could take the analogue output from the onboard soundcard and plug it in to the MI4. This is getting overly complicated though.

you're right sound overly complicated to me>< i'll just use a adapter or whatever like you said =)

thanks for all the help

ok one last(i swear!) question>< guess i'm overly paranoid there but better paranoid then cashless so since u said the package will not work with other card then the one in the package i was wondering if it was also locked to the computer you install/register it on? (i'm not buying new comp till Xmas but i could already afford cubase 4 package but i want to use it on new comp when i get it... so is it ok to install it on current comp now & then uninstall it when i get new comp & put it on new comp? )

edit: also i'd be interested in knowing of any shop from wich i can buy cubase system 4 online that ships to europe & that someone has tried (to be sure they care about shipping well & safe) since the shop from wich i usualy buy stuff sells it for 600 euro (750$) & that it aparently is worth a lot less here's an example of a price i found somewhere else 399$

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/708095/

[Edited by - ranakor on October 16, 2004 5:50:37 PM]

I can't answer your first question because I don't know the answer for sure, but I think you're being paranoid :D

I've bought online from both:

www.dv247.com

www.gak.co.uk (UK only)