What am I after?

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jimmy54

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I've currently got a Boss BR900 that I use to track but I always export the wav files into Adobe Audition for mixing etc, so I don't use any of that functionality within the BR900.

I want to upgrade my recording interface for something with decent mic pre's in and the ability to record more than two channels at once.
I then want to use that interface as a control surface to connect to the PC and have control over whatever program I end up using.
I would like to have motorised faders for this etc.

I know about the Zoom R16 but I'm after something a little more up market with motorised faders. I've also read about the M-AUDIO - ProjectMix which seems a bit better but have read about the mic pre's being a bit shite.

Any ideas of what is available out there?

Cheers.
 
Thanks Jim, they look interesting systems. Not come across those. Do they have the ability to control a DAW (haven't seen any mention of that yet)?
 
In terms of integrated interfaces / control surfaces...

M-Audio Project Mix I/O
Tascam FW1884 and FW1082
Alesis MasterControl
Digidesign 003

On a higher budget than this you would be looking at something like the Tascam or DM-3200 or DM-4800 (either feeding into a soundcard via ADAT or with the firewire expansion card).

Alternatively you could get separate interfaces and controllers... you don't have to tie yourself to them being integrated into each other. This would open yourself up to a much much wider choice of products (both in terms of interfaces and control surfaces) and give you more flexibility with your setup.
 
mattr said:
In terms of integrated interfaces / control surfaces...

M-Audio Project Mix I/O
Tascam FW1884 and FW1082
Alesis MasterControl
Digidesign 003

On a higher budget than this you would be looking at something like the Tascam or DM-3200 or DM-4800 (either feeding into a soundcard via ADAT or with the firewire expansion card).

Alternatively you could get separate interfaces and controllers... you don't have to tie yourself to them being integrated into each other. This would open yourself up to a much much wider choice of products (both in terms of interfaces and control surfaces) and give you more flexibility with your setup.
Click to expand...

That's a point Matt. I hadn't considered that approach and I suppose it would give me more flexibility concerning choice as you say.

I'll check out the integrated ones you mentioned but have you got any recommendations with regard to interfaces and controllers?

I don't want to record direct to a PC though.
 
To give better suggestions we really need an idea of your budget. Gear prices range hugely!

jimmy54 said:
I don't want to record direct to a PC though.
Click to expand...

Ah, that completely changes everything then (and crosses off all the suggestions in my previous post) :p

If your mixing on the PC, any particular reason why you don't want to record directly to it in the first place? After all, this is what an interface is for...
 
mattr said:
To give better suggestions we really need an idea of your budget. Gear prices range hugely!



Ah, that completely changes everything then (and crosses off all the suggestions in my previous post) :p

If your mixing on the PC, any particular reason why you don't want to record directly to it in the first place? After all, this is what an interface is for...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I should have made my budget clearer. Probably looking at £500-1000.

The PC I currently have is probably not up for the task (and is used a lot my the missus too) and I don't fancy forking out for an additional PC for recording.

I'd also prefer the portability option by not needing the PC for tracking. I do however prefer the visual aspects when mixing etc. on a PC as opposed to doing it within the recorder.

I suppose this resticts my choices a lot?
 
jimmy54 said:
Yeah, I should have made my budget clearer. Probably looking at £500-1000.

The PC I currently have is probably not up for the task (and is used a lot my the missus too) and I don't fancy forking out for an additional PC for recording.

I'd also prefer the portability option by not needing the PC for tracking. I do however prefer the visual aspects when mixing etc. on a PC as opposed to doing it within the recorder.

I suppose this resticts my choices a lot?
Click to expand...

Don't over look the fact that you may not need a new computer maybe you just need an external hard drive.!!.



:cool:
 
Yes. Everyone of the Korgs, except for the D888, will act as a control surface.
Cubase and some of the others have a "Generic" setting for surface controllers so you would be limited to those.
The two models I suggested are the only Korgs that meet your full criteria.
Mind you, they are top of the line recording studios.
A thousand Quid would not be too far out of line for a used one.
I can check my D3200 but I'm pretty sure without looking that you can switch from 120 - 240V.
 
Well, after doing a bit of reading it looks like I'm really restricting my choices by avoiding recording on a PC.

So to investigate this option a bit more what sort of spec PC would we be looking at? Also, PC's have fan noise etc associated with them. Does everyone who use a PC have them isolated from their recording space?
As a one man operation so to speak, I'd want my recording interface near to where I record and monitor.
 
Regardless of what some may tell you, Stand Alone Studios are far superior to any computer be it PC or Mac, for recording and Computers are far more intuitive when it comes to editing. That's why I do both.
You were headed in the right direction and only need a decent soundcard to add to your PC.
In the long run, by the way, stand alones do work out cheaper.
 
I have a TAscam FW 1082 and just love it. Got a pretty good deal on it from Ebay for about $800 bucks. Also, it works great as a daw controller as well- works fine with Ableton and has many other templates as well.
 
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I'm really liking the look of the Tascam FW1884 from what I've read. If you could record on it direct I'd buy it straight away.

Like you mentioned Jim Lad, I'd much prefer to track independent of a PC and then use the PC to do the editing.

I've been doing some reading re the PC route for tracking and it looks like I'd have to get either a silent expensive PC or have a standard PC located in a different location to where I record (not really an option), otherwise I'd be picking up fan noise. How are others here dealing with this issue?

So far then my choices are:

1) Tascam 1884 (or similar) + PC/monitor
2) Standalone recorder that has the ability to be used as a controller for mixing on a PC

What are my options re number 2?
 
I have many hobbies but PC building isn't one of them.:)

Can you buy reasonable low price PC's off the shelf that are good for audio recording (i.e. specifically have quiet fans and can be in the same room as the microphone when recording)?
 
Jim Lad said:
Regardless of what some may tell you, Stand Alone Studios are far superior to any computer be it PC or Mac, for recording...
Click to expand...

This is an excellent example of someone stating something as fact, simply because they want it to be so. It doesn't make it a true statement...

Regardless of what some may tell you (like Jim Lad for example) recording to a PC and/or Mac is absolutely a perfectly viable option for both the home recordist and the professional audio engineer. And both methods (analog and digital recording) are widely used throughout the audio engineering world.
 
Well, I decided to go the standalone route for tracking and have just took a punt on a used Korg D3200 which should be with me in a couple of days. Got it for just over £400 which seemed a decent price.

I sill plan to do some edting/mixing on a PC so need to get a decent soundcard that's external.
Any recommendations?
 
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