couple of questions

J

Judge

New member
now i need a software sequencer to use for my s2000 do u guys now of any and do u think that using fruity loops (real easy) will fuk up my sound quality.

wat multi track recording software is simple but of good sound quality is there (or is the sound quality all dependent on the sound card)

the only real effects i use is really a little delay, reverb and some eq.

are the plug ins on software comparitble or should i be looking for hardware delay reverb and equalisers.

do i need a mixer and if so keeping in min i only really need a small amount of channelse wat is a high quality mixing board......i'm really lookin for ease of use and high sound quality money (to a point) doesnt really matter
 
I would suggest you try the demos out of some software and see what you like... calkwalk, cubase, n-track, pro-tools, etc. I know this probably isn't the answer your were looking for, but your question was rather open ended. The user interface and learning curve might be a deciding factor for you as well. Plus you need to know what your soundcard's capabilities are. Can it record at better rates than 16/44 (or whatever). Does the soundcard use ASIO, WDM, or MME drivers? That might also be something to look at. When you say that money is not an object to a "point". Well, that point could aslo determine how much you can spend on software.

Plug-ins... Well, plugs come in two main varieties, dxi's and vst's. I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I am more familiar. They work with programs like Sonar or Cubase and some can work as stand alone programs as well. Are they better than hardware. That's an argument that has been debated on this bbs more than once - use the search button.

Do you need a mixer? Well, again that is up to you and how you choose to work. If you are only recording material that comes from line equipment (ie. synths, drum machines, etc.) then not necessarily. If you are recording with mics, more than likely. If you will need the routing capabilities of a mixer then definetely get one. Again, if you are on a budget, price is always an issue. Give us more detail as to the setup you will be using, how much you can afford, etc... The answers you receive will be more specific.


Vice
 
thanks man

OK basically i'll have about a grand u.s. for the time being.

i want a software sequencer to use with my akai s2000.....
wat i'm wondering is wat effects the sound quality.....is it the program or just the sound card........i've got a m audiophile 24/96 card with midi in and out spidf in and out and rca in and out.

i also want a program to multi track with


and i guess if i'm not using any hardware effects then i wont need a mixer.

will this work fine?
 
Re: thanks man

Judge said:
...wat effects the sound quality.....is it the program or just the sound card...
Click to expand...

Your audiophile 24/96 is good enough. Since you are basically going line in to your soundcard, your sound will be affected by the quality of your sounds coming out of the s2000, any plug-ins used within the sequencer/muli-tracking program of your choice, your monitors and room acoustics.

What are your computer specs? What are you using to monitor? $1000 is more than enough to get started software-wise, but tell us what else you are working with? Are you only going to be tracking the s2000? Give us some more details...

No hardware effects, you still more than likely do not need a mixer.

Vice
 
ok heres the set up

technic 1200 ------- vestax 06pro mixer----------akai s2000---------- m audio 24/96---------wat program (sequencer)????

i'm looking for a basically a step sequencer that wont adversly effect the sound quality comming out. i like fruity loops cos its simple and doesnt get in the way of me producing with too many functons i dont use. but i'm not sure wether fruity loops is holding me back from attaining a good sound quality recording

nt1000 ----------- joemeek MCQ3------------ m audio 24/96 --------wat program (multi-tracker)


i have up to now only used a vs880ex but have found it too difficult to edit on and the number of tracks are too small....the reason i didnt upgrade to say a roland 16 track was i needed to increase the amount of trtacks but not the simultaneos amount thus paying for features i wont ever use. i've used cool edit and it seems easy but again i worry wether this program is adversly effecting my sound quality.

the only effect i really use and i dont use to much of it is reverb delay and a bit of eq.....so i dont think i need all the bells and wistles of something like nuendo or protools if u know wat i mean


i monitor through event ps6's


thanx for the help so far.....u've been alot better the the fukin sales ppl at the shops i've visited they only seem to know about grove boxes, guitars and behringer shit
 
I don't think that cool edit would hold you back sound quality-wise. Your equipment seems to be ok as well. I think you will find that probably mixing your tracks together will more adversely affect your sound quality than your equipment. If you are dealing with audio tracks then your soundcard and cool edit should support that nicely.
If I am understanding you correctly when you are talking about sound quality you are talking about how your material sounds after you have mixed down to a stereo track. Is that correct? If so, then make sure your source material (samples or whatever) are good. Record (track) them hot. Then mix your tracks. Things that can affect your mix would be stuff like mixing through your headphones, monitoring room acoustics, not giving instruments their own space in the mix, etc... Use your eq sparingly when needed. Try to get the sound you are want while tracking... it makes mixing a little easier.
I hope this helps you. It is, of course, easier said than done and I am still learning!

Vice
 
am i right

in presuming that perhaps the effects are wat may cause the degradations (anyone else can jump in) like the reverb, delay and eq in fruity loops......and the hiss reductions....compression and boosting of vocals in cooledit?
 
in presuming that perhaps the effects are wat may cause the degradations (anyone else can jump in) like the reverb, delay and eq in fruity loops......and the hiss reductions....compression and boosting of vocals in cooledit?
Click to expand...


That could be what causes your degradation, or it could be how you use your effects.

I think if you are doing stuff with eq, I believe subtractive eq is less damaging to your audio tracks.

What type of boosting of vocals are you doing? Are you normalizing your vocal track? From what I understand, normalization raises your noise floor.

The guys in the mic forum can better direct you on your mic selection and recording vocals (I don't do too much with that, myself).

If you are using cool edit you might want to take your $1000 and invest in some decent plug-in effects. That way you can leave all your effects processing to be done in cool edit rather than Fruity Loops. That might make a tad bit of difference.


Vice
 
the joemeek

is a pre amp eq and compressor.....i use it for the vocals but add total compression in cool edit after i've bossted the track and eq it from there
 
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