Budget Home Studio Question

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pianoman1976

pianoman1976

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Hello friends,

I am building a small Mac based Pro Tools LE studio. I have yet to determine if I will be using a 002-003 or an M-Box type set up. I am a keyboardist/vocalist. I would like to be able to create, mess around and record as easily as possible. I have always had just a live performance set up. My PC-88 piano, my sound modules and my mic all running to an Alesis Studio 32 mixer - then off to the amp and speakers. Bringing in a computer is new to me.

Here's my question. Do I still need a mixer? I'm aware I can use the computer for this, although I'm used to my external mixer as being the control central for everything. I like the idea of being able to adjust levels on the fly without having to go to the computer and click around with a mouse.

I guess I need to first determine how studios work. Is the recording mixer different from a keyboard/mic input mixer, or are they the same unit?

If I did use a separate external mixer for my keyboard mic inputs, wouldn't it need to be digital, so I would not lose sonic quality?


Maybe I'm asking the wrong questions? I'm hoping you can help me here.


Thanks,

Ryan
 
If I were building my first studio I would stay away from the expensive Macintosh world and out of the clutches of Digidesign by choosing their 'ProTools' software. You can get just as good results from a PC and Reaper for a fraction of the investment.

I would recommend a multi-input computer interface to take your instruments into the computer all at the same time, so they can all be ready to go when you boot up the computer. The Presonus Firepod has eight channels and can be had for around $500 or less, and if you think eight channels doesn't sound like enough they can be piggybacked. You could dispose of your aging Alesis mixer and do your mixes "in the box" --- in other words, inside the computer.

Reaper has a virtual mixer built in (as does 'protools') and with a little experience you can learn how to automate track levels, pans, eq's --- just like the big studios.


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Ok, I suggest you forget about ProTools LE, it's quite basic. There is much better software out there, which doesn't tie you down to only their program/equipment.

You can certainly use your old mixer, although things are made much easier now with mixing in the box(computer). If you want the hands on feel, you can get a control surface.

Ok, so to get the audio into the computer it has to be converted to digital. Most interfaces convert anyway, so you gotta work out how many channels you need, what your budget is, and what you hope to acheive, then we can help you. There are quite a few interfaces out there that would work for you, but like everything else, it's just what suits you the most.

It's really upto you if you want to use your old mixer or not. I assume it has direct outs or inserts. There are a lot of good quality interfaces out there with good preamps(presonus firepod), which means you don't necessarily need the mixer, but if you like the preamps etc, then you certainly can use it. Check out the m-audio delta 1010, and echo layla 3g. These both allow 8in/out, although the echo can be expanded to 16i/o and is generally considered a better interface. With this, you could use the mixer simply for its preamps, and mix the whole thing in the box, or with a control surface(like this with moving faders, they move with what happens on screen). Another option is to return the signal to the desk, via the insert or line input, then re-record the main mix as you mix down.

You have many options, and just have to define exactly what you want and your budget... :D
 
The easiest way to start would be to leave your setup as is, and run the mixer output into ProTools. Treat it as a recorder, in other words.

A mixer is also useful for routing audio to monitors, listening back, etc.

However, depending on how many inputs you need, you may be able to get away without the mixer. But I personally would start with the mixer first, then gradually experiment with recording without it.

As far as Mac/ProTools, I use an Intel Mac and ProTools LE/002R and I'm very happy with it. There's a lot to be said for buying the software and hardware from the same company. It works together perfectly, I've never had a problem with Digidesign or with the Digidesign stuff working with my Mac. Or any Mac, I've used it with a number of them.

For what you are doing a ProTools LE setup will be ideal, I think it's a good choice.
 
Keeping my Alesis Studio 32 mixer is not an option. As soon as humanly possible, I'd like to throw it off the nearest cliff. It's giving me all kinds of trouble.

I understand a PC would be cheaper than a Mac. I really like the idea of using a Mac though! Unless I learn that the iMac will not suit my needs memory wise, I'm going to stick with my decision.

I have more questions, and will get back to this thread when I have a better grasp on what I need to be asking.
 
If you're gonna scrap the mixer, then i definitely suggest the presonus firepod. You can't use this with protools though...
 
And you'll get a much better(higher spec) pc for the price of the shittiest(up-to-date) mac...
 
How many sound modules do you have? In other words, how many inputs do you need in your audio interface?

It's possible that a Digi 003 along with something like a Behringer ADA8000 feeding the ADAT input (making 16 analog inputs) will be enough for you.

But it's hard to make a recommendation without knowing your setup.
 
SonicAlbert said:
How many sound modules do you have? In other words, how many inputs do you need in your audio interface?
Click to expand...

I'll be using a Kurzweil PC3 piano controller, a Roland XV-3080, and at least one vocal mic. This is the minimum. Ideally I would like to be able to bring in more mics for additional vocals and guitar. Chances are I'll eventually get another sound module as well.

So the virtual instruments like the NI Komplete 4 don't count as far as an audio interface goes? They transcend the interface by already being in the computer?
 
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8 (simultaneous) channels on your interface should be plenty.

No, they don't count as far as your interface goes. Virtual instruments are as you said - virtual. They exist within the computer only and you can run as many as you would like (limited only by your CPU power). You don't even need an interface to use virtual instruments.

You play these virtual instruments with Midi. Midi can either be controlled by drawing in the notes on your computer/sequencer or by playing a MIDI keyboard (the preferable option).
 
An 003 has enough analog inputs to handle that. If you need more inputs you can always get an eight channel analog to ADAT converter and hook it up to the ADAT input on the 003. That will give you 16 analog inputs.
 
SonicAlbert said:
An 003 has enough analog inputs to handle that. If you need more inputs you can always get an eight channel analog to ADAT converter and hook it up to the ADAT input on the 003. That will give you 16 analog inputs.
Click to expand...


Hi Alby,

I listened to some of your music From what I can tell using my PC speakers, it sounds great. Did you use the 003 for the songs on your myspace profile? I'm interested in hearing vocals recorded with the 003 - any suggestions?

Thanks!
 
ssscientist said:
It's your money, so suit yourself.



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Click to expand...

cheaper does not = better ;p

My G5 running Logic does so much better than any PC based DAW I ever had did. It crashes once in a while, sure, but it generally works, every time, all the time, and gives me a fucking gigantic track count.

You get what you pay for in some circumstances, and you can invest in something that will last you a long time without replacing or upgrading, or keep spending over and over to upgrade, and repair broken peripherals because you wanted the cheapest solution. Hell, there are even still some people that still use G4s to do music, too slow for me, but just goes to show there's a little more under the hood, even beyond the advantages of an OS that has the ability of running audio processing at the core, or however that works specifically.

Remember, OS X is UNIX ;)

If someone is more comfortible using a PC for music, then cool, you could make just as good of music with one, it would just potentially run into more pitfalls because of the OS.... you would also be dealing with driver conflicts endlessly, and windows crapping out... but wait... here it comes.. "if you know what your doing and spend 30 hours a week tweaking and wrestling with your OS, it should work correctly" Why is that ever considered a good thing? I don't have to do anything from a fresh install of OS X other than install the audio shit to make it run like a dream. I could litterally buy a new mac right now...take it out of the box, plug it in, install all the audio shit, and be making music within the hour, never having to fight the OS.

I really hope that OS X and Linux become the only OSes left, and windows, in the future, becomes something that we jokingly load into a virtual machine, on our 850gigahertz machines just to joke with our nerdy friends about the nostalgia of it... I suppose all the folks over at McCaffee and Norton would have to find new jobs, or figure out Linux and OS X viruses to code, in order to keep making money.
 
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