Can I record loops with FBV Express MKII & Spider III?

[goonergaz]

Hi, as title really. Firstly I'm a total noob and have no idea on these things but essentially someone at work was selling the above and I bought it for my 15yo daughter as she is really into her music (plays guitar, drums & keyboard). It was a bit of a steal at £75 and seemed a no-brainer, a half-decent amp and the bonus of a loop pedal...like I said, I'm no expert but I expected the loop pedal to allow her to record and play back so she can create many 'layers' of guitar music.

 

Having looked into things I'm not sure but I think the amp lacks the recording ability - sorry, either I'm stoopid or the instructions assume I know something about what I'm doing. Either way, hopefully someone here can help clarify/advise. I did a lot of googling and am finding it hard to pin-point answers/demos on this setup - I did find a demo on youtube of a kid doing this with a Spider IV but the buttons he used are not on the Spider III.

 

So, long and the short - can my daughter use this or do I need to track down a Spider IV/an other amp? Also, while I'm at it, as I said she plays keyboard too, so is there a way to use this setup to record and playback keyboard?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice, it'd be really appreciated :)

[BillBee]

You could pick up a used audio interface and use the headphone out of the Spider to go into it. It would probably allow for the keys to be recorded as well (which is neat as usually those come with a heap of drum patterns).

[goonergaz]

Thanks for your input :)

 

A quick search gives me a UX2 @ £50 and a Spider IV 75W @ £120 (a wash as I could sell old amp) Am I right in thinking;

 

UX2 would allow recording of guitar & keys (and drums) but require a laptop? Would she be able to control through the FBV?

 

Spider IV would allow recording of guitar only but will be easier to setup and controllable through FBV and no need for laptop?

 

As I said, this is for my 15yo who's just starting out - so which would be the best option (also considering future possible upgrades she might want/be interested in)? Is there anything else I should consider? BTW the keyboard is the EZ220 FWIW.

[BillBee]

You really don't even need to go the UX route - there are many choices out there. Small mixer with USB out for example. Depending on the OS of your computer be sure to read up on any compatibility issues too.

 

Pretty cool you are scoring gear for your daughter btw. ;)

[goonergaz]

Cheers, she has the talent and drive and fortunately I'm in a position to help her along. We have a games shed which is now a bit of a music studio with all her kit lol.

 

So, as I said before - I'm totally new at all this and am out of my depth, I just asked and she'd prefer the mixer route as it will allow (I'm assuming) a lot more options (recording and editing etc)...whilst you say I don't have to go the UX route, is there something you can advise I should look at (or maybe something I should avoid).

 

FTR the laptop is W7 but may end up being W10 as I suspect the current laptop I have in mind may not be up to the job so envisage an upgrade later in the year.

[BillBee]

We have some pretty talented guys here who do record and I am sure they will pop by with some suggestions. I hate to recommend items I don't use or haven't tried.

 

 

Myself: I've used a small 4-channel Alesis mixer which has a USB out just to give you an example. But usually its Pod HD direct into the DAW though. As a first go more than likely a small compact model (no high $$$) will do to learn on and some great work can be done on them.