DAW vs. PC - pro's and con's ?

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kesterdevine

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I would like to hear different people's opinions on stand alone DAW's compared to PC based recording systems. Anyone willing to share opinions, ideas, experience??

I'm currently trying to decide which kind of system to invest in. My primary goals are to be able to record acoustic drums and/or a full band, so i need at least 8 simultaneous ins. I'm looking for a streamlined/user friendly set-up . And I want to be able to mix using real faders, not a mouse.

My budget is definitely in the low range. Need to keep the entire set-up under $2000. Just hoping to get some feedback maybe from folks who have had experience with both kinds of systems.

One of the DAW's I'm considering is the Yamaha AW16-G, or if I go with a PC it will probably be a Dell with a M-Audio Delta 1010 soundcard and nTrack software for starters.

I'm still very torn and undecided. Just looking for some insights. THANKS ALOT!

~Kester
 
Yo Kester:

A SIAB [studio in a box] is really a PC without a big screen and most often without a mouse.

The Yamaha AW16 is pretty popular because of its price. I use the 2816 which is similar and related to the 4416.

If you need to do big time editing, the PC will offer you more.

There is a learning curve for either type. If you are savvy with computers, and some terms are in your ken, then, it is easier.

For your budget, the AW16 might be all right as it will leave you $$ for mics and a good pre amp.

If you can go to a major vendor like Sweetwater Sound in Indiana, you can get your hands on about anything and hear it. A friend of mine just did that.

Good luck,
Green Hornet:D
 
my position

i would choose a pc everytime because of FLEXIBILITY.
and more choices. when you get a standalone your locking
yourself out of some great freebies like the SIR reverb plug in and many thousands of other free or cheap audio software solutions.
if a pc were 10k then i might change my mind.
but considering a amd 2500 clone will do 48 track recording all for under 500 bucks is a no brainer imho.
 
thanks

Green Hornet & manning1,

I appreciate you all taking time to share your thoughts. I just seem to be agonizing over this decision right now.

I think what concerns me most about going the PC route, is that I am extremely "right brained" and only have average computer skills, at best. I guess I'm looking for the highest sound quality I can get (with at least 8 simultaneous ins) while still employing my "old-fashioned" recording methods. (I've been using primarily 4 track cassette for many years now.)

manning1, I have to admit you lost me with your terminology.
I really don't know what a amd 2500 clone is, but the $500 price tag has sparked my interest. Could you please clarify?

For now the debate continues in my mind.

Still open to suggestions...

THANKS ALOT!
 
clarify

an amd 2500 clone is a PC ie : personal computer.
by putting a GOOD soundcard in it you can get very high quality songs multitracked and produced.
amd is american micro devices. they make the 2500 processor ie;
the brains of the computer. its very fast and good for audio.
a standalone recorder is also a computer. its just dresssed
up differently. problem is standalones cant be upgraded as easily as PC's.
it sounds to me WITH RESPECT that you need to get your feet wet. and you have a lot of learning . i wopuld suggest you consider a very cheap used 1 ghz computer with a cheap sound card. put something like the free audacity multitrack software on it, or muzys from a computer music mag. and take your time learning.
this will cost you about 250 bucks if you find a good used pc deal.
then with some understanding maybe in a year build your own DAW. frankly you wont be able to escape being computer literate these days. the whole world is computer based. so just dive in and get your feet wet.
 
I think a combination of the two is best.I use the yamaha
aw4416 and it is a great machine when it comes to quality
sound and hassle free tracking,but editing can be slow.I
found a nifty program called aw extract which allows me
to convert the back up disc I make on the aw4416 to wave
files,which can then be opened and lined up using the software
of your choice,so you are not limited at all.
I cant speak for all the computer based system out there,but
the ones I have seen used(Pro tools,Cakewalk)had latency issues
when overdubbing,and thats why I chose a stand alone for tracking.
 
Latency issues and not wanting to mix with a mouse have kept me far away from using a PC to replace my 16 track, one inch analog reel to reel and 24 channel TASCAM analog mixing console.

I can't do cut and paste editing but, everything else about stand-alone systems seems to be more user friendly and reliable IMHO.

Cheers! :)
 
no problem for me

i dont get latency issues or any other issues.
for me i way prefer the pc to 2 inch multitracks.
latency occurs because people have poorly set up systems or choose a poor driver set. or maybe the soundcard is
incompatible.
i dont get issues because i keep my system free of
gaming junk , and other things not related to audio.
with todays 2ghz plus processor speeds , fast harddrives
and low latency sound cards the only reason you will get problems is if you dont configure your system correctly.
 
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