Old Guy. Starting again Ditch HD24,DM-24 and just go with DAW?

R

RSullivan

New member
Background:
I used to do home recording, which I have not done for about 8 years now.
About a year ago I pulled my guitar out of the closet and started playing again.
Now I am going to dive back into recording.

I have now pulled ALL of my recording gear out of the closet, and I have a lot of it
(Of course it is all at least 10 years old).

I am a programmer, so when I previously recorded I had written my own MIDI sequencer.
(Basically for MIDI drums (Alesis DM5, D4, Sr16's) and keys).

The equipment I have for the main recording (I am ignoring all of the other equipment for this topic):
1.) Alesis HD24
2.) Tascam DM-24
3.) Lucid GENx6 (Word clock generator).

Now:
So I am now looking at a mess of S/PDIF cables, BNC cables and Light Pipe cables.
I am getting a headache just thinking about how to figure out how to connect it all.
I also no longer have the PC that I was using 10 years ago.

I have Reaper installed on my PC (Dell 8900, 16Gig ram, 3.4Ghz Intel I7).
I also have installed SSD4.

My intention is to:
1.) Record live electric Guitar (No DI, I am not interested in software emulators and such).
I am going to mike the cabinet.
2.) Record electric Bass. I have a Behringer Bass V Amp Pro. I will use this to get started.
3.) Use Reaper and SSD4 for Drums.

What should I do?
So, any opinions on what I should do?
1.) Is there any benefit to figuring out / remembering how to set up my HD24 (tracking to), DM-24 (Mixing with), WordClock, and Reaper?
1.1) Is there any benefit in retaining the HD24 as a dedicated HD recorder besides HD space on my PC?

2.) Would I be better off ditching the HD24, DM-24 and GENx6 and simply using Reaper to record, track and mix?


Thanks for any input.
 
You're more than halfway there. Probably not a bad idea to ditch the old stuff. They might be usable, but you don't need them. For your specific needs, most any USB 2 channel interface will work. You only want one mic and one DI input. The rest will be in the computer.

Here's a list of interfaces that will work for you. I prefer something where I can balance input and playback, so the 2i4 gets a nod from me. But most any of them will have nearly the same functions, features and quality.

You already have Reaper, so no need to shop around for a program. (Hope you pay for it, honor system and all that.)

You didn't mention monitors or headphones, probably have those from your previous recording time.

You didn't mention your room or acoustic treatment. A good Live room is nice to record in to get a good sound. Maybe you won't be doing vocals and you will close micing the guitar amp cab, so the recording space won't be so important. But for mixing, you need (should have) a well treated room. The room will respond to sounds. If it isn't acoustically treated, it will respond poorly creating peaks and nulls in the frequency spectrum. Bass trapping and absorbers will work to reduce those and give your room a flatter response, so what you hear is what is actually happening. Without treatment, you don't actually hear a difference until you play your tunes somewhere outside your studio.

Treating a room doesn't have to be expensive nor intimidiating. If you have any kind of DIY sense, it's pretty easy. Search through the Studio Build forum for ideas.

Welcome to the site.
 
I have an HD24 which I got for live recording. It's great for that, fits in a rack, needs no mouse or monitor, takes up no surface space, starts up quickly, pretty much always works. But for studio work I would never use it. A computer/DAW setup is a million times better.

In theory you could use the HD24 and DM-24 with a DAW but in practice it would probably be simpler to go with an USB interface that has all the mic preamps and takes care of the input monitoring function. Judging by your stated intentions a basic two-channel interface would probably do the trick.
 
Chili forgot the list of USB interfaces, here are some:
Focusrite Scarlet 2i2
Presonus Audiobox
Alesis iO2 Express
M Audio M-Trac 2x2
Steinberg UR12, UR22
Tascam US2x2
 
Thanks Guys.

So I will ditch the HD24, DM-24 and GENx6 (Unless there is some reason I should keep the GENx6? I cannot think of a reason).

Thanks Chili:
'Here's a list of interfaces that will work for you'. I think you intended a link here?
No issue though I understand you preference is the Focusrite 2i4, good enough for me.

I have plenty of newbie type questions about the Focusrite VS an old ART DSP II Pro DI/O Preamp (among my gear).

Instead of asking on this thread I will start another with my questions about these interfaces.
 
The DPS II is just a preamp with digital output. The 2i4 is an interface. It has preamps, line out for monitors, headphone output, connection to the computer and facilities for monitoring both playback and live inputs at the same time.
 
RSullivan said:
Instead of asking on this thread I will start another with my questions about these interfaces.
Click to expand...

Honestly, this is as good a thread to continue the discussion. In the future, people with the same questions might find this thread in a google search. It is always good to maintain continuity with a topic. But I'm OCD like that. :)
 
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