Getting back into home recording...

[popsock]

It's been 10 years since I've had the time and inclination to record a decent amount at home, back then I used a mac with Digital Performer, which was really good.

I now own a decent PC, but no audio interface. What's good right now? I don't have a huge budget.

I'm thinking of buying Pro Tools 10 as two people i want to work with also have it. I've heard the new Digital performer handles Pro Tools files - any experience there? I'm guessing I'd be nuts to try and use DP with 2 folks using Pro Tools - sounds messy.

Thanks for your advice in advance! Any tips are welcome, thanks. Pops.

 

[Chili]

Crossing over between DAW's is not a big deal. Don't let that stop you from buying the best fit for you. If you get Cubase, Sonar or whatever, you can still share projects with studios using PT.

That said, what type of interface you buy depends on your needs. What you're recording, your budget, etc. I always say if you're the typical one-man home recordist, then a simple 2 channel interface is the most you'll need. The only time you need more is if you are recording a drum kit. A good 2 channel USB interface will run about $150USD.

have fun,

 

[Blue Jinn]

The M-Audio cards are a pretty good buy too. US$<200 for a Delta 66 (4 analog I/O and S/PDIF I/O) or Delta 1010LT (no breakout box) gets you 8x analog I/O. Also, the Delta cards are supported in Linux, so you can get a turnkey setup with something like 64Studio, or UbuntuStudio.

 

[Mr. June]

If you're going to constantly collab with folks that use Pro Tools, I'd go ahead with purchasing Pro Tools as well. Yes, you can go back and forth between different DAW's, but there's something to be said for using the SAME DAW with the SAME capabilities, plugins, etc. Good luck!

 

[popsock]

Thanks for your opinions. Have any of you any experience between Pro Tools 9 and 10? I'm tempted to pick up 9 as it's bundled almost for free with audio interfaces at the moment. Is there anything in 10 that I'd really miss?