Setting up a recording workstation

Strawbee

New member
Hi, I want to set up a recording workstation for my 12 year old daughter and could surely use your help. I have been doing a lot of research and have learn some things but still have questions.

1. Can I use any audio interface with any software programs? (I'm stuck here and can't move forward until I know more about this, so I could buy the right equipments.)

My daughter sings, dances and plays piano and wants to create a musical video for Youtube. She also wants to create short films and use some of her creative songs in it, and use all this as a resume as well. So I need an interface that she can connect her keyboard piano and mic and possibly her guitar. I know she wants to do a lot and it probably will be costly, so I just want more of a starter workstation for her. I appreciate any help you can give us with his. Thank you.

Strawbee.
 
Can I use any audio interface with any software programs?


These days,yes. In the past there was hardware that needed to match the software. These days, you can use any software with any interface. (The interface effectively replaces the on-board sound of your computer).


So I need an interface that she can connect her keyboard piano and mic and possibly her guitar.

Many interfaces will provide inputs for a mike, instrument and line in. The instrument can be a guitar, and the piano would usually be line in.

However, there are usually two choices with a piano. The first is to record the audio via a line in on the interface.The second is to record midi (which you can then use to generate further sounds within the computer. Midi is transmitted either by DIN midi cables, in which case the interface needs DIN midi in and out, or (these days more frequently) via USB cable.

Here is front and back pic of a basic, but reasonable, interface that would suit most of your requirements (but it doesn't have MIDI):

audio-interface-diagram.jpg

Here is front and back of an interface that does have MIDI:

presonus-audiobox-22vsl-audio-interface.jpg
 
Can I use any audio interface with any software programs?

These days...pretty much yes, though I think it's best to settle on the preferred software, since there can be some significant differences not in the quality or capability, but in the overall layout/navigations...so it's often a personal thing....and then just check if it is compatible with the interface of choice...but most will be.

Since you are talking about video...you want something that does that too, not just audio...or sometimes people use two separate apps, one for audio the other for video, and you import the finished audio into the video app.

Also...it's not going to be real costly...you can snag a decent interface for a couple hundred...and same thing with a more basic audio/video application.

If you want a good video app that also has a decent amount of audio capability...check out Vegas from Magix. It will do pro level video if you go for the full boat, but they also have more entry level versions.

If your daughter want to do heavier audio multi- tracking, editing, FX/process and mixing...then you may want a good DAW application, and the least expensive one out there is Reaper (it might even have some video capability, I'm not sure)...and there is also Studio One, Harrison Mixbus, Cakewalk Sonor...etc....all less expensive DAW apps.
There are also a lot of more basic "movie maker" video apps that will give you simple video editing capability...so you don't need to go to Vegas, which might be too much complexity and cost for a 12 year-old.
 
Make sure the interface has ASIO, has drivers for the OS and that your DAW can support ASIO. At least with a Windows OS. That way you can record with effects (reverb for example) and hear them in a near real time (slight delay as in a chorus) but usually not enough to throw off your timing.
 
Reaper does video as well as audio. However, for video I prefer to use Vegas. Note that Vegas is also ok for multitrack audio.

However, the strength of Reaper is in its audio functionality, while that of Vegas is in its video.

Many interfaces now come bundled with audio software, which is usually enough to get you started.
 
Vegas and Reaper is one option. I haven't used Vegas but it should do well for video editing.

I went with Cyberlink Powerdirector for my video editing, and use Reaper for audio. I do the mixing in Reaper, then dump it into the video track and manually sync it up.

However one possible option would be to get the PowerDirector Suite 365, which is available at a monthly fee. That way she could work with it and would have the option of getting a permanent license if desired. It comes with AudioDirector which does multichannel audio and ties directly to the video editing software. If she doesn't like the program, you can cancel the subscription.

I think you can download a 30day trial of the software. Get your camera and interface, and then you can find software that works well for what she it doing. The trick it to find software that fits her workflow. I tried about 3 video programs before I found one I liked.
 
To: Gecko Zzed, Thank you very much for your help. This morning I was looking at the two interfaces you are showed. The Focusrite is pretty popular on Ebay, Amazon and Youtube. As tempted as I was to purchase it, I decided to first learn more about what was compatable with it (software, OS, etc.). Thanks again. Strawbee.
 
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To Miroslav, Hi, Thank you for your help. As far as video goes, I'm thinking of downloading the free version of Davinci Resolve just to learn it first before I decide to purchase the complete program. I really want Adobe Premiere Pro, but I'm not comfortable paying one large price and then a monthly subscription, especially when I'm just a novice at this. I'm going to check out the Vegas from Magix and the Reaper. I never ran into Studio One, Harrison Mixbus, and Cakewalk Sonor through my research, but will search specically for them. At first, I thought it would be lots of fun helping my daughter make cinematic short films, but then it led me to other materials I needed to get. Wow, there are so many things I have to get and learn about, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. Again, Thank you. Strawbee.
 
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As far as video goes, I'm thinking of downloading the free version of Davinci Resolve just to learn it first before I decide to purchase the complete program. I really want Adobe Premiere Pro, but I'm not comfortable paying one large price and then a monthly subscription, especially when I'm just a novice at this.

I've been using audio recording software for over 20 years and really struggle with most video software so I tend to use Reaper nowadays as it handle video in a similar way to audio (once you discover the video processor plug-in). However, our 8 year old lad is just getting into video editing and he's perfectly happy using Resolve.
 
Vegas and Reaper is one option. I haven't used Vegas but it should do well for video editing.

I went with Cyberlink Powerdirector for my video editing, and use Reaper for audio. I do the mixing in Reaper, then dump it into the video track and manually sync it up.

However one possible option would be to get the PowerDirector Suite 365, which is available at a monthly fee. That way she could work with it and would have the option of getting a permanent license if desired. It comes with AudioDirector which does multichannel audio and ties directly to the video editing software. If she doesn't like the program, you can cancel the subscription.

I think you can download a 30day trial of the software. Get your camera and interface, and then you can find software that works well for what she it doing. The trick it to find software that fits her workflow. I tried about 3 video programs before I found one I liked.

Thank you for your help. We downloaded Cyberlink Powerdirector about two weeks ago and so far it's easy to use, but I will try a few before I decide which one to go with. I'm going to try reaper too and see how it goes. Between me finding a camera that does it all,lol, which I have to learn about, I'm looking at a couple of weeks before I can get this going because of all the learning I have to do.
 
8 years old, wow, that's great. My 12 year old daughter is also going to learn how to work these programs - this might lead her to get a job in this fun field when she's older.
 
If she's got ambitions to work in the business then a professional program like Resolve might be better to learn than a home video program like Cyberlink. I must admit I was surprised at how well our lad got on with Resolve but then he doesn't have any preconceptions of how things ought to work and is happy to just explore and click on things to see what they do.
 
To: Gecko Zzed, Thank you very much for your help. This morning I was looking at the two interfaces you are showed. The Focusrite is pretty popular on Ebay, Amazon and Youtube. As tempted as I was to purchase it, I decided to first learn more about what was compatable with it (software, OS, etc.). Thanks again. Strawbee.

A word about 12 yr olds and their interests.... exactly one word.... Fleeting Don't plan to spend too much until you know your kid is really gonna stick with it. Unless money is no object.

I have a focusrite 2i2 just sitting around. If you're in the US, we could discuss a very low price and shipping. (I am in this mode where I have been selling off guitars and gear that I'm not using, just to lighten the load)

Reaper is ideal for you because the demo version is so generous. You can try it as long as you like and when you're comfortable enough and know it will work for you, you pay for the license. Any of the DAW programs will require a hefty learning curve. Pick one and stick with it to get past the learning curve. Once you do, you will enjoy it.

Vegas Studio is quite functional for a great price. I believe it gives you both storyboard and timeline editing modes.

Or as someone mentioned, you can try Resolve. Looks like it does both audio and video. Might have to give it a spin, myself.

Good luck and have fun.
 
I am pretty good with audio (not MIDI) and just a toddler with video. I was doing some video (mostly stills chained together) with a business PC for a non-profit at their offices and it crashed any time it got close to 20-30 minutes. Most PCs for business share the PC memory and suck it dry. A true video editing PC has separate memory for video disply, etc.
 
Another vote for Reaper here. For the interface I am going to strongly suggest the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6.
A little more expensive than the basic 2 in 2 out jobs but you get two very clean microphone pre amps and two more balanced line inputs plus MIDI i/o and digital i/o, S/PDIF. Thus the mic/line/high Z ins can be used with the 2 line ins to record 4 sources at a time (plus MIDI and S/PDIF)

But the main strenght of the KA6 lies in the quality and stability of its ASIO drivers which not only make the AI very easy to use but give extremely low latency.

Dave.
 
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