USB interface questions

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DreamlandNoise

New member
So I've been recording since 1999 but have never bothered to make the switch to PC. I've used plenty of different portables (Akai, Tascam, Boss ..etc.. ) and in both analog and digital formats. I've used some PC software to finalize mixing and edit (Acid Pro, Reason, Cuebase, Soundbooth..etc..) and have even gone as far to record via the mic input one track at a time with tolerable results for the sake of experiment and drafting ideas. I'm ready to dump all the extra equipment and use my laptop exclusively but I'd like to be certain everything is going to work the way I want it too before I sell my portable BR-1200 and dump a bunch of money into a USB interface and possibly a control surface. So.. questions..

1.) I have a DELL 17r with an i5 processor, 8 gigs RAM. Are latency issues due to the PC or the interface (or both) and does this computer have the umph to deal with several tracks at the same time (say 4 max)? I have an Alesis keyboard controller for Propellerhead Reason and it is barely usable (a waste of 80 bucks) which is why I'm skeptical about buying any sort of interface equipment at all.

2.) Is there an affordable control surface (with faders and all that) that has an integrated USB audio interface for XLR inputs so I don't have to use two separate external devices?
 
I personally, would say forget the control surface/interface option. Just a interface is the only thing you really need. What it is you purchase, will be mostly based on how many inputs you wish to record at once. Read the sticky's on this forum. There is much more to learn by reading, than I could ever type here.

I would say that your PC should be just fine, as long as you optimize it for audio recording. Google would be your best friend here, though THIS is my favorite site to recommend. There are others, if W7 is not your current OS.

Always here to help. :)
 
I've just logged in to HR for a coffee break from working on a project with about 32 tracks using a laptop with a much lower spec than your computer. The only time things get dodgy is when I load up lots of real time effects but there are ways around even that.

As Jimmy69 says, part of the trick is optimising your computer for sound--and shutting down everything you don't need from running in background. Networking, WiFi and anti virus stuff in particular can be killers.

On the control surface question, I'd suggest trying it without--but, if you decide you want one don't be worried by having two boxes. An interface and a control surface have very different roles and you're probably best off picking and choosing what you want rather than trying to find a one size fits all solution.
 
Thanks for the input. Yeah I'm not worried about playback for multiple tracks. It's recording simultaneous tracks that I'm trying to get more info on. The only reason I've never bothered to use PC much is because I can only record one track at a time with the on board sound card. So how many tracks via USB interface can these specs handle (best guess)?

Dell Inspiron 17r, i5, 8g RAM, 750HD, Win7 (64),

....considering a TASCAM US-600

Thanks for the advice on optimizing. That never would have occurred to me unless I was trying to edit video not sound.
 
First post here;
As said before your laptop should be enough, if in the future you face problems one fix could be to change of the hard disk for a 7,200 RPM one as most likely your disk is 5,400 RPM.
As for the control surface there's a cheap simple one, Korg nanoKontrol, than have several presets for common DAW's.
I own a Tascam 1800 And the only thing that seems doesn't add to your request is that's a rack unit. Remember that adding more inputs normally means changing the interface and this is true with tascam as only one interface can be connected at a time because driver contruction
 
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