DAW vs other Workflow. Frustrated with computers...

mariosapm said:
But it seems that I always have problems working with DAWs and plugins. They give enormous potential but somehow I spend most of my time troubleshooting my DAW, hardware and plugins, and I don't have enough energy left to work on my music. I am not a pro by the way. But I don't have too much free time, and I hate spending it trying to be a sound and computer engineer all the time.

I was just wondering if other people had these same sentiments.
Click to expand...

There are times where I want outboard stuff, mic the amplifier, and etc....mic and channel strip going in and leave the DAW bare-boned, just a track, no plugs, nothing...just treat it as a reel to reel.

my software problems are almost always Windows related, and due to updates or some crap that rearranges my "custom config for audio".
Rule # 1 is have a separate pc for your DAW...Rule #2 once you are up and running never update Windows again, dont even get on the internet...
Rule # 3 use a garbage pc for surfing, if it gets crammed with virus and malware who cares.

Ive had good luck getting a off the shelf pc, and using a interface from a few years past. This way the pc is way ahead, more powerful than needed, and over built for the older driver and older interface software.

as for the DAW, the only time its froze up on me is too many plugs = not enough memory. My Reaper froze up the other day, and I started turning off/removing plug-ins one by one and it unfroze immediately.

Ive a Line 6 UX2 by a throw away deal, and it doesnt use the CPU and the sounds going to DAW are like having outboard. Its been a fun little unit, probably the most enjoyable of all Ive had because of the Gearbox / PodFarm software. The actual unit is pretty bland.

going back to the old stuff like cassettes and 8-trcks would be a drag, imo. that stuff was a pain. or the timy screens on the hd recorders all in one was tough too.....
 
jigfresh said:
Last week, after 5 weeks or so of cubase running perfectly, when recording the track would be going along fine then just stop picking up. The time bar would keep moving like it was recording, and I could still hear myself through the headphones, but nothing would get recorded anymore. It would happen at random times. I searched for a solution, found where someone said to uncheck the box for "ASIO-Guard". I did that and things started working perfectly again. That was basically all my time for that day I had to spend on recording, and nothing got recorded. I, as well don't have much time to spend on this hobby.
Click to expand...
This is by no means easy. But it is doable. I was stuck on 24 track 2 inch tape. It was all I knew and the only thing I'd ever done. I adamantly refused to admit that technology had progressed, and in the interim had left me behind. I finally woke the hell up, bought some books, and worked my ass off when time permitted. Three years and hundreds of hours later I'm almost to the level I was at using analog. It's just like anything else, you have good days and bad days. The main thing is to work through the bad days. Good luck.
 
mariosapm said:
I was just wondering if other people had these same sentiments. Sometimes I wonder if working with a simple cassette 4 track and a drum machine would yield better results than what I achieve using Cubase.
Click to expand...
I doubt it, to be honest. I'm a supporter of using whatever one wants to use to record as long as one is recording and enjoying. The tools don't matter.......until they matter.
Then they really matter.
You have Cubase. Get to learn it for where you need it to take you. You're unlikely to know it as well as the developers that put it together, but you don't need to. As has been said, there are learning curves to everything. It took me a couple of years to work out how to record with effects and how to add them after the event in my DAW. The first time I tried, nothing happened so I assumed the effects weren't included {you could buy them separately on the Akai}. I found them almost by accident !
mariosapm said:
On the otherhand there must be a reason why all-in-one compact studios are kind of extinct except for TASCAM.
Click to expand...
Progress.
The computer route is more cost effective and many feel it's an infinitely more powerful tool. For me the standalone is the perfect halfway house between the two worlds.
That however, doesn't consign everything prior to the computer onto the scrapheap of uselessness. I often use the cooking analogy. Some use wood and fire, some gas cookers, some electric cookers, some hybrids, some only microwaves and others always eat out.
There's room for them all and the user gets to eat.
So it is with recording machines.
I have to say that going from 8 track portastudio to standalone DAW, the machine has changed, not the workflow and the problems existed in both formats. I'm not someone that takes to mechanized stuff easily but I plod on and get there.....eventually.
mariosapm said:
People must not share my troubles I guess. Or simply I might have been unlucky?
Click to expand...
Don't you believe it.
The simple fact is that some people take to some things easier than others. Some people have songs coming out of their teeth, it's so easy for them. They're prolific. For others it's like pulling teeth and they'll struggle to write 8 songs a year.
When you're enjoying the music as a listener, you won't be able to tell the difference.
Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect but practice does make permanent.
 
I too reisted going the DAW route at first. I had tried Audacity with my gaming soundblaster card and a slow old computer. The latency (no direct monitoring) was enough for me to quite that idea and go wiht a Boss recorder.
Then I started reading at this place. Found out about audio interfaces, direct monitoring and the myriad of other things that go with DAW use.
Downloaded Reaper and the 400+ page manual. read the whole thing, even the MIDI and advanced routing sections that were Greek to me.
All I can say now is that a full-featured DAW is a wonderful tool!
 
"Learning Curve".....there's no way to avoid it. Take the time, keep at it, it will become comfortable.
 
You've come to the right place. If you are having problems then this is the best place to find answers. The people on this board have helped me tremendously and answered all my "stupid" questions. Have a little patiance and you will get it together. Welcome to The Board
Pat
 
Welcome! Cubase has never been the easiest to use. I use Reason because it is exactly "plug & play". Very little setup (templates), easy upgrade paths, never had a glitch, never had a dropout. Great program. Most around here use Reaper (and for good reason). It's one of the most stable pieces of software on the market.
CoolCat's advice on having a separate PC is spot on. People think they have to have a HexCore i7 and the greatest graphics card in history to run a home studio. No, you need that to play games. Build your gaming machine and play games. Build your studio machine and play music! A good studio machine should be running an older OS that is stable and NOT being updated. If your drivers and patches are running stable, don't mess with them unless you upgrade your DAW and start having problems. (If it ain't broke...)
 
Chili said:
Cubase has a reputation for being difficult to learn, to connect hardware, and to become productive.
Click to expand...
BroKen_H said:
Cubase has never been the easiest to use
Click to expand...

This++. I remember starting to work with Cubase, and they're not fond memories at all.... it's effing weird at first, even compared to other DAWs. I was pretty fluent in ProTools and Sonic Foundry/Sony software when I first used Cubase, and still didn't know wtf was going on for a while. I remember watching videos and clicking along with them for hours trying to wrap my head around it...that was before YouTube, though... probably a lot better (and a lot worse, lol) out there now to get started with. It really is pretty rapid and smooth after you finally get over the initial learning curve.

@OP: Learn the shortcut keys - J,G,H, M, and the F* keys are pretty huge time-savers off the top of my head, and there's tons more.
 
Oh, and:
XploZiveToyz said:
REAPER is open source
Click to expand...

It most certainly is not! There's like 4 little modules they have to open source to use (L)GPL libraries, but the vast majority of Reaper is closed source... I would do all kinds of horrible things to see the rest of their source code....man that would be badass.
 
TyphoidHippo said:
Oh, and:

It most certainly is not! There's like 4 little modules they have to open source to use (L)GPL libraries, but the vast majority of Reaper is closed source... I would do all kinds of horrible things to see the rest of their source code....man that would be badass.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. They provide API's so that it can be extended.

Which is, to the point above, different than open source. Just for clarification, Open Source is where they give you the code and you can modify and compile. If it were Open Source, there would already be a complied version for Linux, and there is not.
 
No, I noticed the site screwing up posts. If you're quoting a post that has another quote in it, it screws up.
 
What happened is that Atkron edited out the quote end tag when he quoted a post. It should have looked like this:

Atkron205 said:
RAMI said:
Well, I went from a FOSTEX reel-to-reel 8 track, to a TASCAM 2488 to REAPER (DAW). I would never look back. I think the whole "I need to turn real knobs" thing is a little weird. This isn't live sound. You're not sitting there twiddling knobs all through a tune, most of the time. I don't miss "turning real knobs" at all. It actually sounds like a weird fetish if you ask me. :D
Click to expand...

LOL, I am leaning towards Reaper, I have been playing around with it but am still lost. I am very comfortable with computers so thats not the issue. I would like to do mixdown and mastering on a DAW. as to a weird fetish it's not knobs!:eek:
Click to expand...
 
Copy and paste:

No, I noticed the site screwing up posts. If you're quoting a post that has another quote in it, it screws up.
 
DM60 said:
Agree with this. They provide API's so that it can be extended.

Which is, to the point above, different than open source. Just for clarification, Open Source is where they give you the code and you can modify and compile. If it were Open Source, there would already be a complied version for Linux, and there is not.
Click to expand...
I stand corrected. I should have said that is has an open-source kind of atmosphere/vibe. LOL!:cursing:
 
OOps....My last post wasn't directed at you XPToyz. We posted at the same time. :)
 
I'm another Tascam 8 track to DAW guy.
I HATED DAW recording when I first started. I had one issue after another, but in the long run I found out that most of those problems stemmed from my computer at the time.

I since switched to Mac (I'm still a Windows guy at heart though) and have not had one issue in that year and a half. I'm not saying you need to switch to Mac at all, but most common DAW issues are user error computer influenced things. If you haven't already you should see how many of your issues come from your computer. (For instance when I used Windows I learned quickly that I need to stop the Windows updates. Then I learned my power supply had some hard drive issues. I had some 32/64 bit plug-in issues. blah blah) I remember spending days going back and forth talking to Jimmy just trying to get my soundcard recognized lol.

Ableton Live is great for getting music recorded. It's laid out pretty intuitively and has a simple set-up process. I think Cubase and the other DAWs feel better (and are probably more powerful) for mixing, but I'd still say I spend 60% of my time in Ableton. It's easier on the CPU and if it ever crashes it re-opens where you left off and tells you which plug-in had the issue. Not sure if Cubase does that cause I've never actually had it crash.
 
miroslav said:
"Learning Curve".....there's no way to avoid it. Take the time, keep at it, it will become comfortable.
Click to expand...

That's so true! With Cubase and some other varieties of software, making it through the registration process is a major accomplishment! I used Cubase, Pro Tools and a few others early on, and then went to Reaper and don't miss jumping through all those hoops at all.

As far as recording with Reaper, I just learn as I go on a "need-to-know" basis. Forums such as this, reference books and videos are priceless when coupled with hands-on recording. I paid the $60 for Reaper gladly! I won't live long enough to do more than scratch the surface of what Reaper can do, but you don;t have to know it all to make good recordings.

My old Fostex 4 track, Yamaha AW16 and Tascam 2488 are gathering dust now...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top