multitrack recording on a pc

[StupidKid]

I was just curious does anyone have any advice on what is the best for under 400 bucks to get multi-input channels to my pc. My pc has plentyof juice, athlon 3000+ 7200rpm hard drive with 8meg buffer, gig of 3200 ram. i was looking at something like a behringer ultragain, but i dont have an adat pci card so i havent read much about adat to know much. I would happy with getting 8 inputs, as long as i could buy 8 more someother time. Any advice would be nice. (my goal is to mix my drums in POST)

-Alex

[BJW]

If you want 8 inputs you can do it for under $400, but if you want 8 inputs with 8 mic pre's, then that might be a bit tougher. Your cheapest bet with decent gear might be an M-Audio Delta 1010lt with a Yamaha mg-series mixer with 8 inputs. If you buy used, you could probably swing that combo for around 400 (or maybe you could get it all new for around 400. . .)

You could also go with a card with 8 xlr inputs (mic pre's). The Aardvark Q10 has it, as well as something like the presonus Firepod (which is firewire). There are some more out there, but I don't know them off the top of my head.

Another thing you could do that would give you way more versatility is go with a card like the E-Mu 1820 or 1820M. These cards give you 2 mic pre's plus 6 line inputs, so you could get that yamaha mixer and to into them, or you could buy several different outboard mic pre's, like an M-audio dmp3 plus some other stuff. The expandability comes with the ADAT lightpipe input on the card. You have your 8 ins from the card (the two mic pre's plus 6 line ins), plus you can get a Mic pre channel (like the behringer or the M-audio octane) and run that in via ADAT lightpipe, so suddenly you've got 16 ins. It's a bit pricier, though. The cards run about $400 to $500, and with the cards alone you've only got 2 mic pre's. As far as the A/D converters, the E-Mu 1820M has probably the best quality of all the one's I've mentioned. I'm running an M-audio delta 44 on a similar computer system as you, and I'd love to upgrade to the E-Mu 1820M, or, even better, the MOTU 828 mkII, but it's more like $750.

If you need anything else, send me a pm, or just keep asking questions. . . .There are lots of people way more experienced than me on this board, but maybe these suggestions will give you a place to start.

[manning1]

kid. you have an excellent computer.
lets see how well set up it is. just trying to help.
if you can run diskbench from prorec.com on your hard drive.
if it says 100 tracks plus , you should be fine.
also do yourself a favour. if you only have one hard drive, get a second.
ideally you want windows on one small hard drive and the second is for your tracks.
search under my name for more tips ive posted in the last year regarding computers and recording. including sound cards etc.

[StupidKid]

hmm, yeah i would like to stay away from buying a yamaha mixer and running 8 trs cables, thanks for your reply. Ive been reading about the behringer ultragain ada8000 and that has 8 mic pres. and adat out roughly $230. So then if get that and an adat pci card would that do the trick, there was a terratec one that said it had adat ins for $150? or would that not do it. -I would like a rack unit (the motu is what i want, but i cant afford it.)- And if i do that im not sure how i would route each input to a different track.

sorry im a little new to adat stuff

-Alex

maybe i just need a brief run trhough of how adat actually works.

[StupidKid]

well currently i record allllll the time. always multitracking, ive ran 40 channels at once like cake so i know i have the juice. I have 2 of these hard drives (8 meg buffer handles it like nothing). my computer is fine, i just want to be albe to record more than my SINGLE line in with my audigy sound card because i currently have to mix my drums before i record them, WHICH SUCKS!

thanks
-alex

[StupidKid]

nevermind the terratec, the emu 1212m http://www.emu.com/products/product....incategory=754
looks way cooler its $200, so i could to that, 450ish wouldnt be bad, especially if i could run ProTools

[manning1]

weell i would test the behringer mic pre first and see if you like it.just search under my name for loads of tips. including software i use for 50 bucks that gives me 48 tracks.

[Strryder]

Originally Posted by StupidKid

nevermind the terratec, the emu 1212m http://www.emu.com/products/product....incategory=754
looks way cooler its $200, so i could to that, 450ish wouldnt be bad, especially if i could run ProTools

Even tho they say it has 'the same converters" as the Digidesign unit, it is not a Digidesign unit, and you need to have Digidesign hardware to run ProTools.

[LemonTree]

Emu doesn't suck by a long shot but the convertors couldn't patch a hole in the ass of the M-Audio Delta cards.

I run a Delta 1010 and two Delta 410s for 12 in/24 out back to my desk.

[StupidKid]

so if i got this emu 1212 and the behringer ada8000 would this allow me to record 8 tracks at once into seperate channels?

[BJW]

Originally Posted by StupidKid

so if i got this emu 1212 and the behringer ada8000 would this allow me to record 8 tracks at once into seperate channels?

Yep

One note, though, speaking of converters. I might be wrong, but I think your digital conversion will happen in the behringer ADA8000 before it's sent to the card.

On the other hand, I think the 1212 and the ada8000 would be an awesome combo, and pretty inexpensive at that. Plus it would be rack-mountable. I've heard lots of good things about the ada8000, though I don't own one. You would have 8 separate inputs from it, plus I think there's 2 more line inputs on the E-Mu card, so you could hook up something like a DMP3 or a FMR RNP (or any other dual channel mic pre) and have 10 xlr inputs, or just 8 xlr ins and 2 line ins, all on separate channels.

Another thing about that E-Mu card - it's got onboard dsp effects, so the effect processing happens on the card and not in your computer which equals lower latency. Delta cards don't have that, and I think it would be a cool deal.

I think I'm convincing myself to go with the 1212M and the ada8000. If you get it, let us know how you like it.

-Brian

[dwdruman]

your in the same deal i was, i have yet to go buy something but am most likely going to get the 1212 and ada8000

[StupidKid]

yeah, i am need to sell a few things i have on ebay first then... its a done deal. i need to find more about what i can do with the adat inputs.. then its as good as ordered

[manning1]

the only thing that makes me leery about the ada 8000 is...
1. will it last in the long term.
2. the quality of the mic preamps. a lot of people on this bbs seem to question the quality of B pre's.
one of the reasons i build my own mic pre's is if i get a problem i can fix it in
house without the studio being down. these new units these days are full of smt like the ada 8000. so they have to be sent out for service.
its not like the old days where if i had a channel go down i could fix it easily.
something to think about.
for me i'm looking at a major upgrade i'm saving up for this year maybe to a lynx solution. so i'll just plug my custom pre's into that.

[crankz1]

Nothing ventured .... nothing gained!
For just over $200 it's hard to beat 8 pre's with A/D D/A.

[StupidKid]

yeah, i wasnt counting on MAGIC from this ada , but its a great intro I think into "true" multitrack recording. and for the price im all about it. ill let you all know how the quality actually is once i get it.