ORIGINAL: ND8L
Papa...
Thanks for your words. If, wisdom is knowing what you don't
know...I'm the smartest guy on the Forum.
Bear with me here...
1) Do you have any specific recommendations for a mixer? The
one problem I see is that the Dell laptop only has a mike input and
headphone output...I may need to go back to the desktop and
replace the soundcard!?
If you have a USB or FireWire port you can get an external soundcard such as the
M-Audio Audiophile USB . Then there are options such as the
TASCAM US122 which is a compact mixer and USB computer interface. It act as a "soundcard" for your laptop. There are many affordable options available to you in this area. You will have to make your final decision(s) based on your budget and what your actual needs are.
BTW, many of the equipment recommendations I post links to are from Sweetwater.com so I should add that I do NOT work for them, I am not affiliated with them in any way whatsoever other than the fact that I have purchased a good deal of equipment and DAW software apps & plugs from them and have never been disappointed. I have also used Music123.com & other online music e-tailers, but Sweetwater is my first choice because I have consistently received excellent customer service from them.
2) Do you think there's any merit in purchasing a small mixer with
digital recording capability...and transferring that file to the PC
via USB or Smart Card and editing in HS?
For broadcast applications the TASCAM US122 should suffice. If you decide to expand into music applications such as recording soundtracks for HDTV programs and/or film productions, music video editing, CD/DVD mixing and/or mastering, etc., you would definitely want to upgrade to a mixer with more capabilities. I see no reason to do so based on what your immediate needs seem to be.
3. Yep...thought that deal about "plugging in the microphone and
then magic..." was a bit too easy. Blessed are those who expect
nothing...they shall not be disappointed.
At least you learned something from that...
4. Actually, I've been doing voice-overs for about thirty years. I've
been out of the broadcast side of the biz since 1984...worked for
WDVE in Pittsburgh (ABC O&O) and KDKA as a weekend jock
while in grad school. That being said...up 'til now...I've just stood
in front of a mike and talked. Now...two of the studios I work for
would like me to cut my own audio and e-mail to them.
Herein lies a bit of a problem (not insurmountable)...HS is not the ideal DAW program for audio editing. A more appropriate DAW for extensive editing apps is Adobe Audition...(Apologies to the fine folks at CW and their diehard fans)...
You mentioned exporting your audio tracks to MP3...Is that due to file size limitations of the e-mail servers you & the studios use? If so, you should consider sending them raw data files of the audio; they can then (depending on their DAW software) convert the raw data file to wav files and have no lossy-compression issues (what MP3 is)...
5. Any recommendation for reading material you could pass along would
be appreciated.
A good place to start is
TWEAKHEADZ.COM for basic info on home studio setups. Hard copy books such as
THIS ONE, or
THIS ONE, or
THIS ONE, or
THIS ONE can offer a great deal of assistance in getting your studio setup up & running.
You should also make sure your system is "tweaked" for audio apps...To learn more go to
THIS SITE and follow the instructions. Your audio applications will run much more efficiently.
Glad you came through the storms ok...my son lives in Sarasota with his
Mom...I have a feeling I'm going to be lighting a lot of candles this season.
I hope they remain safe and sound during the storm season...I will keep you (and them) in my thoughts and prayers.
If you have any more questions about your endeavors, let us know.
Regards,
Papa