hey there, i hope i've posted this in the right place, but just built a recording studio in my house and the sound quality is really bad, and i dunno what to do i have this equipment: a 16 Chanel mixer(Skytec 172.583UK), Behringer UCA202 Audio interface/soundcard) and Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro Version 3 software. My band are trying to record some demo's but nothing worth putting on the site is being recorded. what does any of you guys suggest i've spent at least 500GBP on this studio.
thanks in advance for any help.
Umar

Is this input, output quality or just the basic mixing?

What do you mean by sound quality? Is it distorted/clipping? Can`t get a balance? The tonal qualities aren`t what you expected? Buzzing on tracks?
How are you recording? DI or mic`ing up?
First piece of advice I give to everyone.... lower your levels and try again.
I`ve been recording this week and they all sound crap as well.... but that`s cos I`m a crap singer!

DI everything you can and like Modo said check your levels.
Just because you are the loudest live band in history doesn't mean you record the same way...unless you're Lemmy of course.
The default output levels on a lot of guitar multi FX need tweaking for recording (if you DI them) or they sound like a goose farting in the fog.
Mic'd up drums can be a black art in a small scale recording studio, if you want to sound like John Bonham use virtual/software/sample drum sounds.

Also nothing shows up sloppy playing, singing technique more than recording (I usually find beer & sloppy technique go hand in hand ). Live playing style doesn't really cut it in a studio, you need to be precise and damp those strings that usually don't get noticed when you're blasting away live.

Apologies if i'm telling you stuff you already know.

thanks for the help guys. well, when i play back what i've just recorded, i get this annoying clicking noise repetedly. but this noise drowns out everything else and makes it sound bad, and i know it isn't the metronome because i've checked that off on the software.

I suggest going back to basics. Record 5 - 10 seconds of silence on each mixer channel making sure that the channels that are not in use are turned off or slid down to minimum. Play the recording back and see what you've got. If the clicking noise is still constant you can rule out the mixing desk and move on to another piece of equipment.

Is the clicking rhythmic ( it`s picking up something being tapped or knocked) or apparently random? If the latter it may well be digital clipping. That`s the problem with recording in the digital domain, clipping creates a sound like clicking.
As it happens I had that prob today... none of the tracks was overly loud but all played together in the mix, and with some added compression and effects, it was close enough to clipping to create clicking sounds as it hit the loudest bits.
Could also be something picked up via the mains voltage... lights being switched on / off, fridges, freezers etc kicking in.
Can you tell if it`s on any particular track, on all of them, or only in the final mix? they`re all clues.
Again, good luck.

yeah the clicking is just random, whatever i record, even the silence, there is a slight clicking. and it's on all the tracks i record. it's really frustrating , but the funny thing is, when i exported what i recorded as a test into an audio file, the sound was perfect! but, i want to get rid of the clicking so i can level the tracks exactly how i want them to be heard. thanks for all your help guys, isthere a way to say "goodbye!!" to this sound?

Only if you can find our where it`s coming from.
If it`s NOT on the recorded sound (that`s lucky!) then it`s being introduced in whatever system you`re using for monitoring/foldback. I`d start there.

Just as an afterthought... although they may work well in most systems I never had much luck using USB for video or audio, it just couldn`t cope. That`s why I ended up buying a dedicated card (M-Audio 24/96).
Also, don`t think I`m "having a go" but you`ve not exactly bought the best gear.... Sky-Tec are pretty low down the evolutionary scale when it comes to pro gear and you do get what you pay for.
The same applies to Behringer, although they have improved in the last 9 to 12 months having moved their manufacturing base and upgraded some of their components. They must be getting better cos I just bought a Behringer graphic EQ and it ain`t bad.
I also bought the Behringer C1 condensor mic. OK it was only 28 quid but I should have saved my money and got a RODE-NT1 or similar. Although it`s 3 times the price it`s the dog`s danglies.
You wanna buy a . C1?