Need some advice (daw vs multitrack recorder)

[hsnyder]

Hello,

This is my first post here, so greetings to all. Anyways I've been thinking about setting up a pretty serious studio for a band I'm in, but am having some trouble picking what to actually record onto.

I'm going to be doing analog summing, and most of my effects processing is going to be outboard in an Eventide H8000FW ultra harmonizer rather than with plugins, because this band wants to use the same rig live and in the studio, and the harmonizer is very portable. I also have a Fractal audio systems axe fx which we use for extra tones and backup rigs incase some tubes decide to explode (live). Also at my disposal are a GML 8200 dual parametric EQ (actually, its on order we dont have it yet), and a pair of Empirical labs EL-8 distressor compression units, plus some quite good mic preamps. We're planning on using Lavry A/D and D/A convertors (quite a few channels of D/A for analog summing, but only a couple A/D).

So anyone familiar with this gear already realizes that basically all I need is something that takes multiple channels of AES digital audio, records them, and then can play them back at the same time without mixing them together - sounding like a hard disk recorder so far.

Except the drums screw things up a bit: I'd like to be able to record triggers (either with a trigger to midi interface or just into a cheap convertor with multiple inputs like the ones from presonus) and do sound replacement on the toms and bass drum. So.. basically i need a DAW for that (as far as i know). Also the harmonizer can do some cool firewire stuff when you use a computer - another reason to pick a DAW.

But a computer seems overkill - I dont know if i'll be using many of the plugins available in most DAWs since the whole intention is to NOT rely too much on anything that can't be done live (minus the drums). How much processing power do you think I'll need? As for the AES in/out, whats the best way to do that? The RME cards? Should I run Logic or do i need to spend the extra money and get ProTools HD? Or am I misguided and could I do everything I want to do on a RADAR or Tascam X48 (keep in mind i wouldnt be using its convertors)? If i get a mac pro what specs is it going to need?

Thanks for reading my rant, and for any suggestions you may have

 

[dementedchord]

forget the recorder... get a good card... rme is good... i'm looking into the new ssl's... what are ya using for summing??? if you're intending to do all the fx durring mixdown you're gonna need a great little mixer...

 

[hsnyder]

Well the summing mixer is my next issue. I don't actually have it yet. I just assumed I was gonna get the neve along with the associated fader pack, cause it seems to me that short of a $20k+ console, I'm not gonna find a mixer that really sounds great other than a simple summing mixer. I might be wrong, i havent checked out EVERYTHING available. Rather i was gonna forgo auxes and groups and all those admittedly useful features and instead effects process using the firewire ins/outs on the Eventide mostly, straight from/to the DAW, record the effects tracks, and then mix them all down. Bit of a pain, but i dont mind it if it saves so many thousand dollars. But maybe it'd be worth an expensive analog console, I'm not really sure.

 

[Jim Lad]

There are plenty of excellent, digital recorders out there and no PC records as well as they do.
I have the Korg D3200 and highly recommend it.
Computers are far better for editing though and it's in your DAW that you would be adding effects.

 

[hsnyder]

well, but does the korg have 16 simultaneous channels of AES out? 96kHz capability? I really don't think something like that is gonna work, i went over what i need the system to do in my first post.

I'm still having a bit of difficulty picking a summing mixer (though I have my eye on the neve), and I dont know what specs the studio computer should be/will need.

 

[dementedchord]

There are plenty of excellent, digital recorders out there and no PC records as well as they do.

that's absurd... do you for one moment think that the big boys would be using puters if the single box solutions had ANY advantage??? sure there's IZ's Radar... the rest are compromised to say the least!!!