[Koolkat]

I am thinking of dipping my toe into recording and have been looking at the Alexis Multimix 4 USB as an all in one starter option. Is this a good choice? I will initially want to mix and record such things as a guitar amp, a mic for vocals and the line output from a CD player (drum and bass backing). These will be fed into a computer via USB. I am going to look at microphones next. Thanks for any help.

[habiTat]

I have only limited knowledge of this area but I went for the Samson G Track - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samson-GM1U-Condenser-Microphone-Cakewalk/dp/B0015MJE22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349385806&sr=8-1

The recording quality is excellent and it doubles as a usb audio interface for plugging in other equipment. Along with the packaged software (Cakewalk Sonar) or Audacity (I use this, which is free to download) you can mix, add tracks and get some pretty good results.

Good Luck

[Ramshackles]

Why do you want a mixer? You can record that all into seperate tracks into your computer, one by one and mix it after....

Are you planning on recording a whole band at once?

A better option I think would be a channel strip and an audio interface with 3 or 4 inputs..

[Koolkat]

Initially it will be myself on guitar and vocals, playing along to some drum/bass backing tracks that I have produced over the years. The multitrack option would seem a good idea based on this. So I guess I will need some sort of external input device plus A/D converter. Do these all input to the PC via USB? Then I just need the software. This is probably the direction I will go. Any recommendations for equipment that will give good results for a modest outlay?

[Boydie]

It would be useful if you could quantify "modest" and then we can recommend the best gear for your budget

If you already have a powerful enough PC then you can get "free" multi track recorders such as Audacity and/or Reaper, as well as the Computer Music Magazine one found on theor cover CD

The main thing to look for on an audio interface is the number of inputs/outputs and the quality of the pre-amps

The number of inputs can be confusing as you will need to know how many you want to use SIMULTANEOUSLY

If you are recording to a backing track you could import/record this first and then overdub the vocal

If you are recording stereo you need 2 tracks to record simultaneously (left & right)

Once this is done you can "overdub" guitar & vocals

You can either do this "one at a time" using the multi-track or many people like to do it at the same time to get a better "feel"

If you do this you will need at least 2 inputs simultaneously

You can do all your mixing within the DAW

I would recommend MAUDIO or FOCUSRITE as brands with good "bang for buck"

This is a popular AI, is good value and gives you some room for growth

http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/focusrite-saffire-6-usb--67804

Here is the baby brother:
http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/focusrite-scarlett-2i2-usb-audio-interface--90034

There are also some good bundle deals available with mics

Good luck

[Ramshackles]

Initially it will be myself on guitar and vocals, playing along to some drum/bass backing tracks that I have produced over the years. The multitrack option would seem a good idea based on this. So I guess I will need some sort of external input device plus A/D converter. Do these all input to the PC via USB? Then I just need the software. This is probably the direction I will go. Any recommendations for equipment that will give good results for a modest outlay?

I'll get back to you a bit later with some ideas based on what I generally use....but it is near impossible to recommend anything without an idea of your budget?

[Koolkat]

On the basis that I was going to spend £60 - £70 on a simple mixer, I suppose this is the budget area I am looking at. I still have a mic to get as well.

[seriousfun]

As others have pointed out, if its solely recording yourself then a mixer might be over the top as a chanell strip would give you abetter chain for a similar price. However, if you want to record ore than one track at a time or if the budget is of  liberal nature then a mixer has deffinate advantages.

I use a USB Alesis Multimix8 in my home studio and it has performed faultlessly for me. Its great in that I have each channe lset up for different guitars, keyboards etc and can record my band if we need to, but by and large I find myself just using a single chanel most of the time. So in that respect its a bit of over kill.

The quality though is pretty good IMHO.

Take a listen to some of my recodings with it and be the judge yourself.

http://soundcloud.com/allan-kilgour/memory-lane
http://soundcloud.com/allan-kilgour/walking-the-dog
http://soundcloud.com/allan-kilgour/throw-in-a-goat

What every you choose to run with, the results will ultimately be governed by your ability to mix and record using the equipement and software plugins that you elect to use.

Good luck and all that
Al.

[Ramshackles]

On the basis that I was going to spend £60 - £70 on a simple mixer, I suppose this is the budget area I am looking at. I still have a mic to get as well.

Based on that price I would be looking more at audio interfaces from the likes of m-audio, tascam, behringer than mixers. Many cheaper audio interfaces will allow you to input 1-4 mics...