So, i just got my sisters computer since she got a brand new laptop. So now recording will be a snap since i can leave the mixer plugged in and the instruments are nearby.
I've heard people talk about how great having two monitors while recording is, so I was wondering how you could set that up, and would a laptop work as a second monitor?
Since I'm free to do taht sort of thing now, I want to expirement.

Thanks, Oldies

Oldies,
Not sure about what you mean about having two monitors - while recording.  Are you talking about 1) sound level monitoring (i.e., checking peak recording levels etc), or do you mean 2) listening to the sound that's being recorded while adding audio tracks?

If it's 1) then the software on the PC you're recording with should give some form of visual display for levels, as will the mixer your instruments are plugged into.
If you mean 2) then I don't see any reason for having multiple sound sources running simultaneously.  That said, if you're using mics to record instrumental sounds then you will have two sound monitors - the instrument amp/speaker source and the PC monitors.

For myself, I use the PC speakers only to record instrumentation as I go straight from mixer to PC line-in.  For vocals, I use headphones to monitor the sound.  For mixing, I listen through headphones and then listen to what I've done through the PC monitors.  Then I'll play the mix through my stereo speakers to see what that sounds like!

Hope that's a little help.

I think you mean having two screens, right?

Well, I think it should be possible to use a laptop as a 2nd screen, however I really don't know how to do this and I'm quite sure it won't be as handy as simply getting a 2nd standalone screen. So I suggest, get a 2nd standalone screen. If you're lucky and ask/look around you might be able to get a bulky old screen for free or atleast, for very little $ - on my old desktop I needed a new monitor and could get a 17" from my job where they were replacing all the old (50 kgs ) screens with TFT's.

Then - well, using Cubase on my laptop, I didn't really feel the need for an extra screen... yet. I mean, IMO having two screens is marginally interesting as having to pop up the various editor windows can be a little distracting at times, but to be honest it doesn't bother me much at all. So you'd have to ask yourself: do you really need it? I know it can look cool but why don't you start pumping out a few songs first before you go through all that fuss of rigging your setup?

Duh!  MONITORS...... I didn't even think about the visual side of it.  How thick am I?  (rhetorical question - no answers needed thank you!)

Setting up dual Video monitors is all down to whether your graphics card can take it.  If possible, then you'll see a setting within the "Display Properties/Settings/Advanced" tab.

You're right that some people find it easier; and I can see that with maybe Fruityloops, or even Cubase - basically, the more bits of the program you can access at any one time, the easier it is to see what's going on.  But it's not an essential part of recording, so not worth going to loads of trouble over (in my opinion)