creating a home studio

Unless OP means something completely different he already has an interface, the Line 6 Pod X3 and the guide, https://l6c-acdn2.line6.net/data/6/...20.653911037.1598073273-1739868599.1598073273
Shows a very comprehensive amount of I/O (p13) including MIDI in and out on DIN. They seem to have fallen off the radar recently but the Line 6 interfaces always used to get a good rep and had low latency.

OP, will need a rake of DIN cables to hook things up and some software to generate sounds, drums etc and I would guess Reaper would serve to get him going?

The HD650s are well respected but monitors of some sort are generally more convenient when playing and some say headphones make final mixes difficult.

Room treatment is highly desirable of course but if a typical small bedroom with carpet, bed and other 'soft stuff' about it should be reasonable with small monitors close too. What 'Near field monitoring' is all about in any case! OP is not going to get smooth, sub 80Hz bass in a small room no matter what he does.

Yes, 8 G of ram is totally adequate IMHO for even quite complex audio work. SSD, does not need to be huge, small external USB 3.0 1tB drive to save/backup keeping large files off the SSD.

Yes, get a mic! The Pod has an XLR input and you never know when you will need it. Fork! If nothing else you can use it to 'slate' takes...i.e. "Take ten, trying to nail this *&*^g riff!" If cash is limited the Behringer 8500 dynamic is a steal at ~$20.

Dave.

won't the 'line 6' simply pass the guitar signal to the headphones/speakers (line in - line 6 - line out)? how does the PC/DAW interact with this setup? won't the PC be ignored?
cheers!
 
Right chap. It would seem you have never used an interface, I have never used a Pod 6 and the rear of the Pod is a bit of a nightmare!

Does yours look like the attached? If so, read on...

The pod connects to the PC with a USB 'A to B' cable, probably got one with it but they are a $ or two almost anywhere.
I strongly suggest you read the manual for the pod and if you don't have it, download it. R.E.A.D. The section devoted to "connection to a computer" and download any drivers they suggest you need. (the manual suggests you should have, or be able to download some recording software but if you don't have that, download "Audacity" for now)

Plug guitar in and you should get the meters moving on the computer software. You can listen to the PC output on headphones but there are both XLR and jack outputs to drive external active monitor speakers or a hi fi amp if you have such a rig handy (but go easy on dad's speakers with distorted axe).

I am sorry I cannot be of more help but as I say, I know jack about the Line 6 save what I can glean from the handbook. Rest assured though that you can 'plug about' and try things with impunity, you won't cause smoke. Keep the cans round your neck though, i.e. 'off ears' while you experiment because you could get very loud bursts of guitar or feedback.

"Such fun"!

Dave.
 

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Right chap. It would seem you have never used an interface, I have never used a Pod 6 and the rear of the Pod is a bit of a nightmare!

Does yours look like the attached? If so, read on...

The pod connects to the PC with a USB 'A to B' cable, probably got one with it but they are a $ or two almost anywhere.
I strongly suggest you read the manual for the pod and if you don't have it, download it. R.E.A.D. The section devoted to "connection to a computer" and download any drivers they suggest you need. (the manual suggests you should have, or be able to download some recording software but if you don't have that, download "Audacity" for now)

Plug guitar in and you should get the meters moving on the computer software. You can listen to the PC output on headphones but there are both XLR and jack outputs to drive external active monitor speakers or a hi fi amp if you have such a rig handy (but go easy on dad's speakers with distorted axe).

I am sorry I cannot be of more help but as I say, I know jack about the Line 6 save what I can glean from the handbook. Rest assured though that you can 'plug about' and try things with impunity, you won't cause smoke. Keep the cans round your neck though, i.e. 'off ears' while you experiment because you could get very loud bursts of guitar or feedback.

"Such fun"!

Dave.

Yes the diagram is the same as mine!
I will be having a look at the line 6 manual to see how to connect it to a PC.
As for 'dad', well he died 20 years ago when I was forty.
many thanks!
 
Yes the diagram is the same as mine!
I will be having a look at the line 6 manual to see how to connect it to a PC.
As for 'dad', well he died 20 years ago when I was forty.
many thanks!

Ok well, there are some 20yr old hi fi systems still doing sterling service!

The "Pods" were very popular in the forums a few years ago until the Modellers sort of took over. I sort of wanted one (for son) but was a bit skint and could not justify the outlay. Might look round for a S/H one and have a play.

Dave.
 
I had a POD HD400, which was probably close to the X3 Live, though the patches were not interchangeable. (The 400 was the middle model in the 300-400-500 series. The HD500 sold in large numbers and became the one most supported. Lesson learned on all sides, I think.)

Anyway, I honestly cannot recall if it worked as an audio interface. I used the USB connection with the editor software to download/upload patches when I was using it regularly in the church. Very handy device where you had to go completely direct and were covering a fair range of styles (admittedly, a lot of "U2 does Jesus" stuff though), and needed to go immediately from one sound to another without toe-tapping across a pedal board and bending over to twist a knob or two. As I think I mentioned earlier, I did find that the audio I heard when connected via USB seemed to differ enough from the analog out, even with the same headphones, that I always had to double-check things that way. A major weakness, I thought - maybe not if you were using it for itb stuff all the time, but I had to take the computer created patches to a live/analog use and never felt it was ideal. All in the past of course, but I'd suspect the X3, being maybe a half-generation before, but less digital perhaps, probably works similarly. I did feel that the thing could have an incredible, analog feel when playing, though.

p.s. my assumption on the mic input was that it was for live use. could have been wrong, but I never sang then so didn't plug one in.
 
And...Just noticed the Pod has MIDI DIN ports. IF you do decide to get another interface make sure it has similar MIDI ports, many don't these days but I can recommend the Behringer UMC204HD.

I am not sure how much use MIDI control of the Pod would be but if you don't have an interface with the ports you will never know!

Dave.
 
Hi all,
Just reaching out for some advice based on your experiences if you can?

After years of using Roland vs2480 in a home studio, I am upgrading to a DAW. Pretty open at the moment but looking to go the imac 32gb/logic pro x route, but still open to ideas on this.

The one thing cuasing me to lose sleep is what mixing board/surface controller to incorporate, I have researched loads and sort of narrowed this down to one of the following;

Presonus Studiolive 32SC
Allen and Heath QU24
Midas M32R
Behringer X32

I have an Akai 5000 & a Line 6 Pod HD Pro X that I will certainly be hooking up.

Looking at the above, what way would you go on a budget?
I don't want to be tied to a mouse for controlling and mixing, and would love to use an older mixing board but that's just not feasible.
Any suggestions would be highly appreciated to save me going down the wrong road.
Cheers in advance
Pete
 
currently, Roland vs2480 in a home studio,

I am upgrading to a DAW.

looking to go the imac 32gb

logic pro x route,

what mixing board/surface controller to incorporate,

Presonus Studiolive 32SC
Allen and Heath QU24
Midas M32R
Behringer X32

I have an Akai 5000

& a Line 6 Pod HD Pro X

what way would you go on a budget?

would love to use an older mixing board but that's just not feasible.

Pete

You don't need any of those mixers! The D.A.W. does all that stuff!
You need an audio interface like Focusrite.

Virtually all old style analogue mixers only have a 2/2 USB interface from the master tracks on a mixer, the exception is the Soundcraft Signature 12/22 MTK, but even then it only uses the top input/output section for the D.A.W. everything else in each channel is not used by the D.A.W.! (e.g. EQ/effects etc.), and channels are paired 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, etc. so only half are actually used apparently? So, old style analogue mixers are out for D.A.W. studio production, i.e. waste of money!

Audio Interface Vs Mixer With USB Interface - YouTube
Audio Interface Can Have More Than Two Inputs - YouTube
Understanding and Setting Up an External Audio Interface - YouTube
 
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What the Doc says is partially true. It depends on whether you are open to doing everything in the box, or if you like the workflow that you had with the Roland, like having physical ( and automated ) faders.

Device like the Allen Heath QU24 were primarily designed for doing live mixing, but they have now integrated DAW control/interface functionality. This will be important if you are doing live recording of bands. You can feed 24 or 32 tracks directly to your DAW in real time.

If you are going to mostly be recording single tracks, or even something like a drum track, you can get by with a nice 2 to 8 channel interface. These would be something like the Presonus Quantum, Motu or Universal Audio interfaces. Choose the number of simultaneous inputs that you need and work from there.

Some people really like physical faders, others adjust to doing things on screen easily. It depends on your style of working and comfort level.
 
Consider this:

MAKE YOUR SPACE A STUDIO.

Scarlett 18i20 sits at the heart of more music-making, recording and production spaces than any other range, and 18i20 is Scarlett’s most versatile interface.

The rack-mountable 18i20 gives you 18 inputs and 20 outputs of incredible sound quality. Enough to make any space into a fully-fledged recording studio!

Eight of the best performing Scarlett mic preamps the range has ever heard – now with Air – for miking up guitars or recording vocals.

Two high headroom instrument inputs, for plugging your guitar or bass straight in.

Four monitor outs, featuring anti-thump tech and speaker switching.

Built-in talkback mic, for talking to the band from your studio.

Scarlett 18i20 | Focusrite
 
The 18i20 is a nice unit, for sure, but Pedro specifically mentioned going with an Imac, which provides Thunderbolt. Its an inherently more efficient protocol, and you should get better I/O performance in terms of latency. That's why I mentioned looking at the Quantum, MOTU or UA interfaces.

For Win/PC users, USB is the way to go. I'm running the Tascam US16x08. Similar to the 18i20, 8 mic preamps, 8 balanced line inputs, headphone and speaker outputs, balanced line outputs, USB2.0 and Midi i/O. I also looked at the 18i20 and Presonus units. I definitely wanted 8 mic inputs. I can also feed 4 busses from my old Yamaha MX12/4 to the line inputs for additional feed if I needed them. Haven't so far.
 
The 18i20 is a nice unit, for sure, but Pedro specifically mentioned going with an Imac, which provides Thunderbolt. Its an inherently more efficient protocol, and you should get better I/O performance in terms of latency. That's why I mentioned looking at the Quantum, MOTU or UA interfaces.

For Win/PC users, USB is the way to go. I'm running the Tascam US16x08. Similar to the 18i20, 8 mic preamps, 8 balanced line inputs, headphone and speaker outputs, balanced line outputs, USB2.0 and Midi i/O. I also looked at the 18i20 and Presonus units. I definitely wanted 8 mic inputs. I can also feed 4 busses from my old Yamaha MX12/4 to the line inputs for additional feed if I needed them. Haven't so far.

Sorry! ..must have missed the bit about the Imac.

Yes, USB is the way to go for PC, I think firewire is largely redundant now-a-days?

I agree that if he does loads of live music with several 'real' instruments simultaneously then a mixer is also needed, but not for my limited contact with other real instrument players and home recording projects.
 
Yes, FIrewire is pretty much an orphan at this point. I did have to outfit a video microscope with a FW800 camera, and it worked pretty well, but that was quite a few years back. Today, FW is in the same boat as Centronics parallel ports and serial ports.

There is some movement in Thunderbolt in PCs, but somewhat more promising is USB4 which is SUPPOSED to be compatible with Thunderbolt 3. We'll see if that boat sails over the next few years.
 
What the Doc says is partially true. It depends on whether you are open to doing everything in the box, or if you like the workflow that you had with the Roland, like having physical ( and automated ) faders.

Device like the Allen Heath QU24 were primarily designed for doing live mixing, but they have now integrated DAW control/interface functionality. This will be important if you are doing live recording of bands. You can feed 24 or 32 tracks directly to your DAW in real time.

If you are going to mostly be recording single tracks, or even something like a drum track, you can get by with a nice 2 to 8 channel interface. These would be something like the Presonus Quantum, Motu or Universal Audio interfaces. Choose the number of simultaneous inputs that you need and work from there.

Some people really like physical faders, others adjust to doing things on screen easily. It depends on your style of working and comfort level.

I hear what doc is saying for sure, I guess it is that I like the physical faders and I am reluctant at this point because I know nothing about recording this way. I really appreciate all of your viewpoints and advice. I will check out the audio interfaces that you have mentioned here, thank you very much Rich!
 
If you haven't already done so, you might download Reaper, and give it a spin to see if you really need the faders. The first subjects you should look at is effects routing, followed by the automation. While track automation isn't normally a beginners topic, I figure if you've been using the VS2470, you have a good grasp on recording techniques. Automation is implemented differently in a DAW, but the end result is the same. Volume automation is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. It can either be done with a mouse editing individual points, or you can have it read the fader positions.

I'm not familiar with the workings of the Roland, but if you can export a set of raw tracks, then you can try mixing them down inside the DAW.
 
If you haven't already done so, you might download Reaper, and give it a spin to see if you really need the faders. The first subjects you should look at is effects routing, followed by the automation. While track automation isn't normally a beginners topic, I figure if you've been using the VS2470, you have a good grasp on recording techniques. Automation is implemented differently in a DAW, but the end result is the same. Volume automation is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. It can either be done with a mouse editing individual points, or you can have it read the fader positions.

I'm not familiar with the workings of the Roland, but if you can export a set of raw tracks, then you can try mixing them down inside the DAW.

Once i've put the mac in place i'll give Reaper a go. I've been checking up on the AI's that you recommended and they look good pieces of kit. You have given a great look into the way I have to go. I can see that the mixer I was imagining isn't the way to go to begin with, there are a couple of items that I think miht work but would probably confuse things if I added them from the off, so I am going to stay with this great advise from you all, first thing is to get the Mac, AI etc set up first to get moving.
I am in the throws of stripping the old set up down. I will miss it for sure, but I have been missing out on so much improvements in technology I know, but us old farts get stuck in our ways :0)
Anyway, I want to thank you all, & Rich, you've saved me a lot of time/effort/money, very much appreciated my friend, thank you
 
getting back to OP topic; creating a home studio (my thread):

my:
akai MPD 32
Line 6 POD X3
focusrite-scarlett-18i20
M-Audio Axiom 49
Novation ZeRO SL Mkll

...ALL have midi ports as well as USB 2.

How do i connect all these midi ports to the PC? (e.g. daisy chain? in series?)...
OR ...could I just use the USB 2 instead?

...the person that sold me the 'POD' said I need midi for patch transfer?

many thanks!
 
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