Been away for awhile - need a new interface and some advice...

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amonte

amonte

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Hey everybody, how's it going? I used to be a regular poster on this board when I was actively recording, but I haven't done anything in a few years now. I'm looking to get back into recording again. I've got a pretty solid PC (well, it was pretty solid when I got it):

Dell Dimension 2350
Pentium 4 1.8GHz Processor
768K RAM
60GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
Windows XP Professional

While I'm sure it isn't up to date anymore, I'm assuming it still has enough power for recording (especially since it replaced a beast of a system that I was able to use in the past).

Software wise, I've got Cakewalk Pro Audio 9.0. I really don't have the cash at the moment to chuck it and start again, so I'd like to use Cakewalk Pro Audio 9.0 if at all possible. Last time I was here, some people had mentioned that it doesn't work in XP, but I didn't have issues the last time I tried to run it. If it is a real problem, I had bought a second HD that I've yet to install - my original plan was to load this hard drive with Windows 98 and run Cakewalk in an entirely seperate environment.

What is my best option here? Run in XP Pro and use the second HD for all of my audio? Or install Win 98 on the second drive and keep my recording enviroment seperate from the rest of my PC?

That brings us to the interface/software issue. I'd like to record 4, 6 or 8 tracks at the same time. Money is an issue at the moment, and I'd like to find something that is pretty "solid" as far as performance goes - my last attempt at using a PC based multi tracker didn't go very well - it was an older DMAN something or other and never worked right. Something with an interface would be great, but money is tight, and I'm trying to keep it below $500 (not sure if that's possible). If dropping down to 4 tracks will help this, I'd be willing to do that, but I'd like to have 6 so I can track a guitar/vocal guide track while recording live drums.

Finally, something that works with Cakewalk Pro Audio 9.0 is pretty much a must. If there is a piece of really affordable software that will offer the same (or better) quality of audio as Cakewalk without as many features (something like N-track comes to mind), I'd be willing to look into that as well.

I'm sorry to post such a long message. Any assistance you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
 
You should have a second hard drive for doing audio work, whether or not you use the extra drive you already have. BTW, if you absolutely must install win98, you can partition your existing drive, dual boot XP and win98, and leave the second drive for audio. I've only used Dells for home and office work, not audio, but I have a 1.8 Ghz PIV custom job that can handle the load fairly well. If you can keep using XP, try to do so -- properly tweaked, it'll give you more stability. And I don't mean just fiddling with XP display features -- I mean shutting down ~80-90% of default systen services. Win98 will be a liability going forward, insofar as MS doesn't support it, and neither will vendors.

Pro Audio 9 -- I'm new to Sonar as of 3.x, which you can upgrade to frm PA for $150 (Studio, that is, not Producer). I like 3.x a lot, I find it to be very stable, and it has the right feature set for doing audio, MIDI. Not too complex, not too pedestrian, IMO. [EDIT: oh yeah, you can download the 3.x demo from cakewalk's site; definately worth a trial run]

Audio -- you're in luck -- M-Audio just lowered prices on their older gear. About time to roll out the new stuff, I suppose. Anyway, you can get a Delta 1010 (8x8 bal/unbal audio, SPDIF, WordClock) for $450 new, a Delta 1010LT (2 bal line/mic + 6 unbal in, 8 unbal out, SPDIF, WordClock) for $230. The 1010LT at $230 is the deal of the century, IMO (I own two). One of the most important things to look out for is drivers -- they need to be stable and well supported, which is a tall order these days, it seems. I was really hot to get either 2 x E-MU 1820M or a MOTU 24I/O recently, and was scared away from both based on what I was reading about driver support. (Well, with the MOTU they only recently stepped up to the plate on the PC side, but the damage was done from my perspective). M-Audio did take some lumps on driver support in the past, but things are in pretty good shape now, from what I can see. I had no trouble whatsoever with their last several drivers -- .27, .29, .36, .46 (current) -- on my Gigabyte/Intel 845 board. Others had problems with VIA chipsets, I believe. In the end I upgraded my two 1010LTs to two 1010s, because I knew what I was getting on the driver side.

Mic ins -- keep in mind the Delta 1010 is 8x line in only -- no mic pres. To get mic pres you need to spend alot more than $450. Do you already have a mixing board? If not, here's two suggestions: 1.) save up $500-$800 for a decent Mackie, Yamaha, Soundcraft, etc., 2.) take the plunge and grab a low-priced Behringer.

Here's my recommendation for getting started on the cheap:

Behringer UB1832FX (new) $260
Delta1010LT (new) $230

The berry gives you 6 mic pres with channel inserts on each of those mono channels (which is where you would patch out to the delta), plus the delta gives you 2 more mic pres on channels 1+2. Enough to record a small drum set. Just keep your patch cords of reasonable length, and you'll be fine.

Take a small step up to 8 mic pres and inserts with the Behringer UB2222FX for $280, plus the Delta 1010 at $450 for a toal of $730. Personally, I'd spend that extra money on the $150 Sonar upgrade.

Disclaimer: I have heard really good things and really bad things about Behringer mixers in particular -- from "I've been using mine for years without a problem" to "it didn't work right out of the box". Post elsewhere on this board to get the real poop. I don't own one myself.

Are you in the US, and not NJ? Go to zzounds to get free shipping and no sales tax. Great service, too. It looks like they're out of 1010's (but they still have 1010LTs) -- you can also get the lower M-Audio prices at:

http://www.americanmusical.com

http://www.audiomidi.com

- Keith
 
Another alternative to the Behringer mixer is the Yamaha MG12/4 with 6 mic pres. They're under $200
 
That's right, there are other cheap alternatives for the mic pres: I forgot about the Nady PRA-8 -- 8 mic pres for $100. You get what you pay for, I guess, but that should definately get you by, esp. if you don't really have a need for a mixer.

- Keith
 
hi kbaccki, thanks for the relpy.

"You should have a second hard drive for doing audio work, whether or not you use the extra drive you already have. "

Done - I've got one sitting around that I should throw in at this point.

"BTW, if you absolutely must install win98, you can partition your existing drive, dual boot XP and win98, and leave the second drive for audio. "

I was only planning on installing Win 98 because I had heard that PA 9.0 doesn't run or doesn't run well in XP Pro. I used it breifly in XP Pro (mostly playback) and didn't have any issues, so I might just try to forge ahead running it in XP Pro.

"If you can keep using XP, try to do so -- properly tweaked, it'll give you more stability. And I don't mean just fiddling with XP display features -- I mean shutting down ~80-90% of default systen services."

Is there a guide somewhere that lists all of the services/features that can/should be disabled? I remember there used to be a site for tweaking this stuff. Also, is there a way to setup a user account with all of these functions already shut off, so I don't have to go through the trouble of doing it manually each time I log on?

As far as PA 9.0, if i'm using this only for digital audio (ie, no MIDI), do you think I can get away with not upgrading just yet? I'm not 100% convinced that I want to put another long term investment into Cakewalk/Cakewalk-related products. I'll use it for now, but when the time comes, I may consider other software options. Would using N-Track be better than continuing to struggle along with PA 9.0?

Actually, I should have mentioned it earlier, but I've got some other things that I forgot to mention - specifically, a Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro mixer and two tube mic pres (Art and Belari). So that should cover me on the preamp department.

As far as M-Audio goes, I've had issues with them in the past, but it was a long time ago (back when they were MidiMan), and given some of the reactions of folks on this board, I think I'm going to be willing to give them another shot.

The 1010LT sounds like a solid choice - what are the simaltaneous record/playback totals? Have you had any issues with this unit? Sync problems?

What is the difference/advantage of the 1010 vs the 1010LT? I'll go read through the descriptions on the M-Audio site. Will the 1010LT work with PA 9.0 or N-Track in XP Pro?

I do live in NJ, so I'll probably go the AmericanMusical route.

Thanks again for all the help!
 
NICE! So this is some well covered territory...

is it possible to make these changes in one user account called "Recording"? Or do I have to do this each time before I start?
 
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