recording?

[cellio]

Dear LazyWeb,

What is the conventional wisdom these days for casual, computer-assisted accoustic recording? If I want to record myself singing against some computer-generated (or at least -rendered) tracks (MIDI, maybe), and I'm looking for basic demo quality, not studio quality, what should I be using (software and hardware)? I have a PC (XP) and an iBook (X.4) available; both have unremarkable sound cards. I have no mic or headphones; I assume I need the latter to avoid feedback from speakers. I assume the headphones don't much matter if they get sound to my ears and the mic matters somewhat. What should I be buying (hardware) and. ideally, downloading (software)?

Comments

[ariannawyn.livejournal.com]

I've also used Audacity on PCs and it's really nice - intuitive, easy to "fix" glitches by deleting, duplicating or adding to portions of a track. Dunno whether there's a Mac version. But if so, get it - it's a free download from their website.

The quality of the mic matters a LOT. I bought a fairly cheap one for home (like $20) and it has a definite crackle of white noise to it. I did some semi-pro recording at work (voice-over narration, which meant speaking, not singing) with a better mic and the difference was marked. A room with decent acoustics, not too much echo and isolated from outside noise, is a must.