good 80's/90's analog consoles/mixers.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Simppu
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Most one-man bands can get by with just a 2 channel interface like the Twin, especially you will be doing virtual drums. BUT!!!! UA is offering a free satellite unit if you buy a rackmount Apollo. The satellite unit has a UAD-2 quad card which is a lot of processing power. The promo expires on Dec 31. Look at the details to see if it's worth it for you. I think the satellites are thunderbolt or firewire.

Otherwise that one would work but i don't have a firewire or thunderbolt input on my laptop :( only usb 3.0
 
Otherwise that one would work but i don't have a firewire or thunderbolt input on my laptop :( only usb 3.0

Ok, so now we need to verify what your laptop is capable of.

USB2.0 can handle at least 24 tracks recording at once. But that does not mean your laptop can keep up while adding effects and VST instruments. That to be determined by you when you get set up.

I wish I had a link to how this shit works at hand.

So first off I would ask that you give your exact specs for the laptop you plan to use. I will immediately suggest that you get a tower PC dedicated for recording only. Not necessarily off internet, but don't let your kid find kitty videos on the web with it! Not a good thing!

Looking for link..
 
Found it. Watch this man. It makes it clear what happens in audio recording and why you PC components are important. Not just the speed of the PC. You can't change much of this on a laptop. That is why a tower setup is ideal if you plan to make it the best it can be. Laptops are for portability in the field. Desktops have way more options and ability to be powerful enough so you don't have to ask why it not keeping up. And way cheaper, as long as you build it with hardware that is compatible with each other, the OS, and the software that you plan to use.

LINK
 
Ok, so now we need to verify what your laptop is capable of.

USB2.0 can handle at least 24 tracks recording at once. But that does not mean your laptop can keep up while adding effects and VST instruments. That to be determined by you when you get set up.

I wish I had a link to how this shit works at hand.

So first off I would ask that you give your exact specs for the laptop you plan to use. I will immediately suggest that you get a tower PC dedicated for recording only. Not necessarily off internet, but don't let your kid find kitty videos on the web with it! Not a good thing!

Looking for link..

Found it. Watch this man. It makes it clear what happens in audio recording and why you PC components are important. Not just the speed of the PC. You can't change much of this on a laptop. That is why a tower setup is ideal if you plan to make it the best it can be. Laptops are for portability in the field. Desktops have way more options and ability to be powerful enough so you don't have to ask why it not keeping up. And way cheaper, as long as you build it with hardware that is compatible with each other, the OS, and the software that you plan to use.

LINK


My laptop's specs are the following:

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4200U CPU @ 1.60GHz

Video Card NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M

Video Card #2 Intel(R) HD Graphics Family

RAM 6.0 GB

Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 (build 14393), 64-bit

And thanks, i'll check that video out!
 
Yeah, actually this PC is also kinda slow as i have so much stuff in it and really don't wanna delete em so i think all the plugins and other programs would lag on this like hell.

How much should i spend on money on the PC then? And any threads here about getting the best parts etc?
 
Re: UAD, this is what I'm listening through tonight...

1227161921_HDR.webp
 
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Yeah, actually this PC is also kinda slow as i have so much stuff in it and really don't wanna delete em so i think all the plugins and other programs would lag on this like hell.

How much should i spend on money on the PC then? And any threads here about getting the best parts etc?

I will be cautious about what I recommend there. I am no computer guru. I went through a bit of hell on my last build (a couple years ago). In the end the only problem was because the particular motherboard (ASRock Z77 Extreme 4) USB controller did not work nice with Steinberg interfaces. I had to throw it away after a warranty replacement and countless hours of lost time.

I did however obtain great build advice from members here. There are many threads about the subject. Problem is that things change quickly in regards to what is best for current OS, mobo's, processors, etc.

I can send you a list of what works flawless for me now. But you may not be able to even purchase those parts anymore and doubt you can find W7 Pro OEM anymore. So I refer you to others with more recent knowledge.
 
I agree with the tower PC. Buy a clean, used rebuild Win 7 from Ebay for 150 bucks, US. I use Win 10 and it works perfect, this is my new laptop... but my studio main is an older Win XP pro that works perfect also. I cleaned out the Win XP one and so far so good! Maxed out RAM and a big add on HD seems to be my answer, for now.
 
I will be cautious about what I recommend there. I am no computer guru. I went through a bit of hell on my last build (a couple years ago). In the end the only problem was because the particular motherboard (ASRock Z77 Extreme 4) USB controller did not work nice with Steinberg interfaces. I had to throw it away after a warranty replacement and countless hours of lost time.

I did however obtain great build advice from members here. There are many threads about the subject. Problem is that things change quickly in regards to what is best for current OS, mobo's, processors, etc.

I can send you a list of what works flawless for me now. But you may not be able to even purchase those parts anymore and doubt you can find W7 Pro OEM anymore. So I refer you to others with more recent knowledge.

I see, well i have a degree in IT so i think i know little about these things, and especially when i found that thread i think i have a grab already for building that computer. And sure! I think i can actually pick something from that and also from the thread that i posted. I don't think that all the parts needs to be some top notch anyways so i'll work something out.

I agree with the tower PC. Buy a clean, used rebuild Win 7 from Ebay for 150 bucks, US. I use Win 10 and it works perfect, this is my new laptop... but my studio main is an older Win XP pro that works perfect also. I cleaned out the Win XP one and so far so good! Maxed out RAM and a big add on HD seems to be my answer, for now.

I think that in the end i will just go for Windows 10 to ensure that every plug and software that i get works fine with my computer.
 
Anyways, i was actually thinking something like this:

CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K 4x 4.00GHz So.1151 WOF 343,61€
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 70,68€
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 TH Intel Z170 So.1151 Dual Channel DDR4 ATX Retail 198,56€
Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro Series blue DDR3-1600 DIMM CL9 Dual Kit 112,83€
storage 1: 256GB Samsung 850 PRO 2.5" (6.4cm) SATA 6Gb/s MLC Toggle (MZ-7KE256BW) 125,44€
storage 2: Western Digital 1TB WD Blue, 3.5", SATA III, 7200rpm, 64MB 59,90€
Video card: The integrated graphics will probably do
case: BitFenix Aurora White 109,90€
Power supply: 420 Watt LC-Power Office Serie 420H-12 Non-Modular 17,79€
Optical drive: LiteOn IHAS124-04 DVD-RW SATA 1.5Gb/s intern 13,83€
OS: Windows 10 25.99€
Monitor: I have a one already.
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN851N WLan 1 Port 300Mbit/s PCI 11,70€
Keyboard: LC-Power BK-902 USB 4,85€

Total: 1095,08€

Well that's actually not bad at all.
 
Anyways, i was actually thinking something like this:

CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K 4x 4.00GHz So.1151 WOF 343,61€
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 70,68€
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 TH Intel Z170 So.1151 Dual Channel DDR4 ATX Retail 198,56€
Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro Series blue DDR3-1600 DIMM CL9 Dual Kit 112,83€
storage 1: 256GB Samsung 850 PRO 2.5" (6.4cm) SATA 6Gb/s MLC Toggle (MZ-7KE256BW) 125,44€
storage 2: Western Digital 1TB WD Blue, 3.5", SATA III, 7200rpm, 64MB 59,90€
Video card: The integrated graphics will probably do
case: BitFenix Aurora White 109,90€
Power supply: 420 Watt LC-Power Office Serie 420H-12 Non-Modular 17,79€
Optical drive: LiteOn IHAS124-04 DVD-RW SATA 1.5Gb/s intern 13,83€
OS: Windows 10 25.99€
Monitor: I have a one already.
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN851N WLan 1 Port 300Mbit/s PCI 11,70€
Keyboard: LC-Power BK-902 USB 4,85€

Total: 1095,08€

Well that's actually not bad at all.

That's definitely a good looking system. A few notes:

- make sure that Z170 mobo will support the DDR3 RAM that you listed. I'm not sure that DDR4 DIMM slots are backwards-compatible with DDR3. It would be great if it is compatible because DDR3 is so much cheaper, and there's not much of a real-world performance benefit to DDR4

- I would go for a modular power supply since your case has a clear side panel. it's purely aesthetic, but being able to omit any unused cables really helps keep things tidy. Since your computer's innards will be on display, thoughtful cable management will go a long way. Plus it helps air flow when you don't have a big ball of unused cables stuffed inside the case.

- I'd also budget to replace all of the chassis fans with something very quiet (I'm a fan of Noctua, myself). Make sure they're PWM so their RPMs can be controlled by the system, and you can set the fan speed curve yourself either in the UEFI or with the Gigabyte system application. Use the biggest fans that your case can accommodate (140mm front, 120mm rear it appears)

I think that's a sweet system, the Z170 and 6700K combo is pretty much the standard top of the line at this moment. It's total overkill for most home recording, and I like it :) Looks like that mobo supports Thunderbolt as well, I'd be curious how well it's supported. It could open up a whole world of cool audio interfaces from Apollo/UAD and Focusrite.

Good choice on the SSD + HDD combo. Maybe even add another 1TB HDD for samples, if your Superior Drummer library grows over time as you add SDX expansions. And maybe consider WD Black instead of Blue for better performance while writing multiple audio tracks to disk at the same time.
 
Man that's a sweet rig you got there! Is that a apollo firewire at the bottom?

Well, it's not my rig, just what I was using at the moment. I believe it's an Apollo 16, connected to a Mac by Thunderbolt. It sounds good and it hosts a pile of UAD plugins. We're mixing a project that all sounds like it came from '69-'76. Mixing ITB is no hindrance in that regard.
 
Well, it's not my rig, just what I was using at the moment. I believe it's an Apollo 16, connected to a Mac by Thunderbolt. It sounds good and it hosts a pile of UAD plugins. We're mixing a project that all sounds like it came from '69-'76. Mixing ITB is no hindrance in that regard.

Ah ok. The thunderbolt's the best input!

And sounds good, actually if i understood the right the apollo interface actually changes the incoming signal from data to analog and that's why it really can pull out a vintage sound?
 
Ah ok. The thunderbolt's the best input!

And sounds good, actually if i understood the right the apollo interface actually changes the incoming signal from data to analog and that's why it really can pull out a vintage sound?

The other way around. Any audio interface converts the incoming analog audio to digital data and, for output, the reverse.
It's not a perk or selling point; It's the backbone of recording to digital media.
 
The other way around. Any audio interface converts the incoming analog audio to digital data and, for output, the reverse.
It's not a perk or selling point; It's the backbone of recording to digital media.

Oh i see. Well it sounds awesome and the plugins are like the real deal to me. :D
 
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