Tenative Titan

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Titanship

New member
Hello,
I'm new here and have a question/concern: I'm preparing to upgrade my studio. I'm leaning towards the standard Mackie/Adat setup because there seems to be TOO MANY DAMN CHOICES out there in the world of computer recording. I fear the learning curve is too great.

Are my fears justified? (i realize you can't say without knowing me, but you know what i mean) I'll try to go through the archives and do some research. Thanks for any reply. Titanship
 
There are many factors to consider.....especially $$$ and how many of them you want to spend......
 
i'd seriously consider going straight to pc for 8 to 16 tracks...how much are adats these days anyway...three hundred? that's pretty expensive for 8 tracks...........then you have to worry about dumping to pc to edit.
 
There is a learning curve

As with anything, there's a lot of information to digest when getting into computer-based recording, especially if you're looking to set up the studio and the computer itself.

The more computer-literate you are, the better off you will be, since a lot of the basic information (what's RAM, what's an AMD, etc.) will already be answered. However, there is still a lot to pick up, especially with regards to detailed specifications for computer components, and compatibility issues.

On the plus side, if you've dealt with the digital side of recording (DATs, etc.) and have been working with studio equipment, you will most likely have a good knowledge of digital music terminology. (S/PDIF, ADAT, etc.) That will definitely help.

As far as a recommendation, if you can afford the time and weather the learning curve, computer-based recording seems to be the way to go, as it offers the most flexibility and expandability.

For a shortcut, Pete Leoni has an article on building a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) at www.prorec.com, and www.advanceddesignky.com has the system pre-built, so you won't need to worry about building a system, just tweaking it.

A lot of info, but I hope it helps you out. Good luck. :)
 
Random access recording on a hard drive is a wonderful thing. Having given up an analog reel-to-reel for a DAW I could not see myself using an ADAT except if I wanted to open up shop and just have the capability of reading customer's ADAT tapes. PCs and hard drive are CHEAP; use the power!
 
Ok,
It looks do-able. Can I get started for under $1000? I mean record ready for at least 16 tracks? If so, what's the easiest to learn- not sacrificing quality. Thanks-
 
Titanship said:
Ok,
It looks do-able. Can I get started for under $1000? I mean record ready for at least 16 tracks? If so, what's the easiest to learn- not sacrificing quality. Thanks-
Click to expand...

With computer: Possibly...

Without computer: Definitely.

The average good-quality DAW by itself will set you back at least close to $1000, most likely more. A low-end computer and a standalone sound card (Delta 66, for example), might come in under $1000, but you would definitely be sacrificing quality, at least in the computer, and possibly in the recordings themselves. Lower-end computers most likely lack some key elements that would make them well-suited for digital recording.

In addition to number of tracks, the hardware, software, and recording mode you want to use will affect your computer requirements. (There's that research I mentioned... ;) )

If you already have a computer you can use, at least for the short-term, you can pull in some fairly good solutions for well under $1000.

Look around, ask a lot of questions, and you'll start to get a sense of what you need. Check out the article I mentioned:

http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/articles/D6A94D6B2F7DA99186256A7F00747CC9

It mentions a lot of component requirements, and why you need them.
 
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