"I would also like to know how much it´s like a 8 channel simultaneos recording PC audio card, if anyone knows, i would really appreciate to know... "
pablo: you must be very artistic, because it is hard for me to understand you
If you want to know how much a stand alone DAW is like an 8 channel card-- that depends on alot of things. Like all the specs of the card. And the specs of the DAW. Are you talking about sound quality? The number and types of ins/outs? Either a DAW or PC w/soundcard could be better than the other. Remember what I said, a DAW
IS a computer. Its just packaged differently; it HAS a sound card inside it.
So, it all depends on specs. It depends on the specs of the PC you are plugging the card into-- like processor speed, motherboard, chipset, disk drive speed and size, amount of RAM, AND the manufacturers of all these parts. THEN you get into the compatibility issues. Then there's the software you are using on the PC. Many variables. Many things that can affect the usability and ultimate quality of the final product. Many things that can cause problems. DO YOU HAVE A HEADACHE YET? IF NOT, YOU WILL!
"I was thinking of the Shure 55SH Series II, I don´t really have seen it working but it really looks great!! and HEY it´s a shure, that´s what brands are for, that makes me think that it´s a good mic... "
Pablo, you're a nice guy, Im sure, and don't be thrown by my remarks, but this type of talk will drive some of the less tolerant folks around here crazy. Of course they already are crazy, but that's another issue entirely. Look, you don't want to make a decision based on what a mic
looks like, nor do you want to make it based on the brand name. Most manufactures have a LINE of products, some might be shitty, some might be great. You need to try to understand the specs and then you can take a look at what the user community thinks of the item. I am not a mic expert. All I can say is I use
a Neuman TLM103 condenser mic for vocals, and I love, love, love it. I also have 2 sm57s for micing amps and other things. I understand they are good for that.
Pablo, with great love I say this: based on what you have said so far, clearly you aren't the engineer type-- and don't get me wrong: that's not necessarily a bad thing. You are probably more interested in the music, and expressing yourself. I respect that. I am being serious now. Many of the REAL artists I know are just not interested in all this recording stuff. They just want to make music. I think you fit in this category. You are someone who obviously has balls. All the same, these kinds of statements are all the more reason I think you would be better off avoiding a PC solution in the short term, and going with a DAW. You can get used older ones on ebay. Roland VS1600 I hear is a good, used recording tool. Check it out. With your budget you could go higher too.
Pablo, I am a geek by trade. I don't particularly like fixing computer problems, but it is what I do for a living. And I know that problems like these can be intimidating to anyone-- me included. Usually I end up talking to myself by the end of the day. But this is especially discouraging for someone with limited experience.
If you are interested in the specs on my Korg, here they are, in plain English. See below for a more tech version of these specs:
------------------------------
• LCD touch screen
• full-digital processing (24 bit internal processing, 16/24 bit uncompressed recording and playback, 44.1 kHz sampling frequency). From recording to effect processing to mixing down
to CD-R/RW all processing is performed completely in the digital
domain.
• 16 track recorder, a 24-channel 8-bus mixer, and effects.
• When using 16 bit recording/playback: 8 tracks can
be recorded simultaneously, and 16 tracks can be
played back simultaneously.
• When using 24 bit recording/playback: 4 tracks can
be recorded simultaneously, and 8 tracks can be
played back simultaneously.
• User-installable internal hard disk. (you can change disk drives pretty easily) You can install either a separately sold Korg HDD-20G hard disk drive or any Korg-recommended 3.5
inch IDE hard disk drive. An internal hard disk
allows approximately 3.1 hours of recording for each
gigabyte (16 bit, 1 track). If the HDD-20G hard disk
drive (sold separately) is installed, approximately 62
hours of recording is possible.
• A maximum of 100 songs × 16 tracks × 8 virtual
tracks can be recorded, for a total maximum of
12,800 tracks of data.
• User-installable internal CD-R/RW drive. You can
install either a separately sold Korg CDRW-2 CD-R/
RW drive or any Korg-recommended 5 inch ATAPI
internal CD-R/RW drive. If a CD-R/RW drive is
installed, you will be able to create original CD’s and
back up song data, and record audio data from a CD
without connecting any other equipment to the
D1600.
• All analog inputs in the mixer section use high-per-formance
balanced preamps to take full advantage
of the audio quality of full-digital processing.
XLR inputs with +48V phantom power and a dedi-cated
guitar input are provided. A wide variety of
audio sources can be connected directly, from mic
level to +16 dBu (higher than professional level).
• All phone jack inputs use TRS balanced jacks to
support balanced input. Of course, unbalanced
input is also supported.
•The S/PDIF digital input provides a sampling rate
converter that automatically converts 48 kHz or 32
kHz sources to 44.1 kHz.
channel can be sent to the two master effects, and an
independent final effect can be applied to the mas-ter
output.
•For the insert effects, master effects, and final effects
you can choose from 98 different types of high qual-ity
effect, and use up to five effects simultaneously.
•The D1600 provides 128 insert effect presets, 32 mas-ter
effect presets, and 32 final effect presets created
by professional musicians and studio engineers, for
a total of 192 preset effect programs. Based on these
preset programs, you can edit your own settings and
save them in one of the 192 user effect locations. An
expression pedal (separately sold option) can be con-nected
to control an insert effect in realtime.
• The built-in tuner lets you tune a connected guitar or
check the tuning of a playback track.
• The fader, EQ, pan, and effect settings of the mixer
section can be saved in a scene, and 100 scenes can
be registered for each song. You can cause scenes to
change automatically as playback progresses, or
recall them as general-purpose settings when
needed.
• Operations such as recorded, copy, and delete are
performed as non-destructive editing. You can use
the Undo function to reverse any record or edit oper-ations
previously executed. Then use the Redo func-tion
to cancel the “undo.” Undo allows up to 99
prior recording or editing operations to be undone.
• Songs or phrases that you create by recording or
editing will be saved to disk automatically by the
Auto Save function when you switch songs, elimi-nating
the need to save the data manually.
• Each track provides eight virtual tracks.
For example, you might record different takes of a
solo part on different virtual tracks, and then choose
the best performance later. When using bounce
(ping-pong) recording, currently-unused virtual
tracks can be specified as the bounce destination,
allowing you to combine multiple tracks of data into
two tracks without erasing any of the 16 tracks. By
repeating this “16 to 2 track bounce” operation, you
can theoretically create a song of 16 x 8 tracks = 128
tracks without erasing any of the original track data.
• In addition to a conventional metronome sound, 215
rhythm patterns in a variety of musical styles are
built-in, allowing you to hear a more musically inter-esting
rhythmic guide as you record. You can select a
favorite rhythm and start recording right away,
without having to connect and set up a drum
machine. These rhythm patterns can also be
recorded on a track.
• Auto and manual punch-in/out recording make it
easy to re-record the desired portion of a perfor-mance.
• The Trigger Recording function allows recording to
start automatically in response to an audio input, so
that it’s easy to begin recording even when both
hands are occupied playing an instrument. You can
also use a foot switch to start or stop recording.
• The Scrub function lets you listen to the recorded
sound of a track just as if you were manually mov-ing
the reels of an open-reel tape recorder – a great
convenience when you need to find the exact begin-ning
of a phrase.
• The Locate Point Memory function (four points for
each song) and Mark Memory function (100 points
for each song) allow you to register locations within
a song, making it easy to mark and jump instantly to
transitional points within the song. Names can also
be assigned to marks.
• The Program Play function lets you play back multi-ple
songs in the order you specify. These songs can
then be recorded to MD or DAT to create your own
album.
• When recording and editing songs or phrases from a
record or CD, you can use tap input to input a
tempo that follows the song. Alternatively, you can
create tempo maps, or record MIDI clock messages
from an external device.
• The D1600 can synchronize with MIDI Clock, MTC,
or MMC-compatible sequencers or rhythm
machines.
• Standard connectors such as SCSI and S/P DIF (dig-ital
interface) are provided, allowing connection to
numerous external devices. The SCSI connector
allows external hard disks, CD-R/RW, or removable
disks to be used to record/play or backup data.
The S/P DIF connectors allow you to record digital
audio from an external digital device such as DAT or
MD, and to directly output the mixdown of a song
you created for recording on an external DAT or
MD. AUX OUT jacks allow external effect devices to be
connected.
• WAV files can be imported/exported, making it easy
for audio data to be exchanged with your computer.
• Mixer parameters can be controlled via MIDI. An
external MIDI sequencer can be used to implement
mixer automation.
---------------------------------------
here are the same specs, in more technospeak:
Analog/digital input and output specifications
INPUT= 1, 2, 3, 4
INPUT= 5, 6, 7, 8
GUITAR INPUT
MASTER OUTPUT L/R
MONITOR OUTPUT L/R
Operating temperature range:
+5 – +35 degrees C (do not allow con-densation)
Number of tracks:
128 tracks (including virtual tracks)
16 tracks simultaneous playback, 8 tracks simultaneous recording @ 16 bits
8 tracks simultaneous playback, 4 tracks simultaneous recording @ 24 bits
Recording format:
24 bit/16 bit uncompressed, 44.1 kHz
Recording time:
16 bit recording: maximum 62 hours
24 bit recording: maximum 31 hours
* When internal 20 Gbyte hard disk is used
Maximum storage capacity:
internal + external 1,000 Gbytes × 7 drives
Number of songs:
100 songs per drive
Locate points:
four points per song
Mark points:
100 points per song (marks can be named)
Metronome patterns: 96
Rhythms: 215
MMC functions: Transmitted and received
Synchronization: MTC transmission/reception, MIDI Clock transmission
Tempo map (200 points per song)
Sync track (1 track per song)
Tempo rec
CD-R/RW functional-ity:
Create audio CD, backup/restore,
import WAV file (ISO 9660)
SCSI functionality: Recording/playback/copy song
(playable), create audio CD, backup/
restore, import (FAT 16, ISO 9660)/
export (FAT 16) WAV file
Track editing: Copy, insert, erase, delete, swap,
reverse, time expansion/compres-sion,
fade, normalize, optimize (tracks
can be copied between songs)
Song editing: Copy, move, delete, rename, protect
Counter/locate format: Min/Sec/mSec, Meas/Beat/Tick,
Min/Sec/Frame (30NDF only)
MIDI functionality: Mixer control, effect control, MMC
transmission/reception, MTC trans-mission/
reception, MIDI Clock trans-mission
Structure: 24 channel input, 8 BUS, 1 AUX, 1
MASTER
Signal processing: 32 bit 44.1 kHz
Equalizer: HIGH (f:10 kHz G:±15 dB)
MID (f:0.1 –20 kHz G:±15 dB)
LOW (f:100 Hz G:±15 dB)
Scene memory: 100 scenes per song
Structure: insert × 8 (maximum)
master × 2 (maximum)
final × 1
All usable simultaneously
Signal processing: 44 bit 44.1 kHz
Programs:
insert (128 preset, 128 user)
master (32 preset, 32 user)
final (32 preset, 32 user)
Algorithms: 98
Effects: 106
Display: 240 × 64 pixel
LCD with backlight and touch panel
Power consumption:
31 W (with HDD-20G installed)
38 W (with HDD-20G, CDRW-2
installed)
Dimensions:
510mm (W) ×363 mm (D) ×138 mm
(H) (Including protrusions)
Weight: 6.0 kg (main unit only)
7.8 kg (with HDD-20G, CDRW-2
installed)
Frequency response:
10 Hz –20 kHz ±1dB @+4 dBu, 10 k load
S/N:
96 dB (typical) @IHF-A
Dynamic range:
96 dB (typical) @IHF-A
THD+N: 0.02 % (typical) 20 Hz –20 kHz @+16
dBu, 10 k load
A/D conversion: 24 bit, 64 times oversampling
D/A conversion: 24 bit, 128 times oversampling
Sampling frequency: 44.1 kHz
Connectors:
XLR-3-31 type (+48V phantom power,
SW), 1/4" TRS phone jack (balanced)
Input impedance:
4 k/XLR-3-31, 10 k/TRS phone jack
Nominal level:
–60 dBu @TRIM=max.
+4 dBu @TRIM=min.
Maximum level:
–48 dBu @TRIM=max.
+16 dBu @TRIM=min.
Source impedance:
600 Ω
Connectors:
1/4" TRS phone jack (balanced)
Input impedance:
10 k
Nominal level:
–60 dBu @TRIM=max.
+4 dBu @TRIM=min.
Maximum level:
–48 dBu @TRIM=max.
+16 dBu @TRIM=min.
Source impedance:
600 Ω
Connector:
1/4" phone jack (unbalanced)
Input impedance:
1 M
Nominal level:
–60 dBu @TRIM=max.
+4 dBu @TRIM=min.
Maximum level:
–48 dBu @TRIM=max.
+16 dBu @TRIM=min.
Source impedance:
600 Ω
Connector:
1/4" phone jack (unbalanced)
Output impedance:
150 Ω
Nominal level:
–10 dBu
Maximum level:
+2 dBu
Load impedance:
10 k or more
Connector:
1/4" phone jack (unbalanced)
Output impedance:
150 Ω or more
Nominal level:
–10 dBu
Maximum level:
+2 dBu
Load impedance:
10 k or more
Accessories
AUX OUTPUT
PHONES OUTPUT
S/P DIF INPUT/OUTPUT
SCSI
MIDI IN/OUT
FOOT SW
EXPRESSION PEDAL
Connector: 1/4" phone jack (unbalanced)
Output impedance: 150 Ω
Nominal level: –10 dBu
Maximum level: +2 dBu
Load impedance: 10 k or more
Connector: 1/4" stereo phone jack
Output impedance: 100 Ω
Maximum level: 50 mW @32 Ω
Connector: optical
Format: 24 bit S/P DIF (IEC60958, EIAJ CP–
1201)
Connector: HD SCSI-2 (D-sub half-pitch 50 pin)
Format: SCSI-2 compatible
Connectors: DIN 5 pin × 2
Connector: 1/4" phone jack (use separately sold
PS-1)
Connector: 1/4" stereo phone jack
(use separately sold XVP-10 or EXP-2)
Power cable
Owner’s Manual
Demo song backup CD
PS-1 pedal switch
XVP-10 EXP/VOL pedal
EXP-2 foot controller
CDRW-2 CD-R/RW drive
(internal type)
HDD-20G 20GB hard disk drive
(internal type)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Lots of Luck,
Jerry
) That´s the good thing about forums, you get many ponits of view!!