New Computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter hk_mike
  • Start date Start date
H

hk_mike

New member
This is my first post to the forum, so hello to all. I've spent a week or two reading posts before registering, and have already learnt a hell of a lot, so thank you to all the knowledgeable and helpful posters for sharing their knowledge.

I'm a guitar player and have been home-recording for a couple of years now. My (fairly basic) set up consists of a Yamaha MD4 min-disc 4 track, an Art Tube MP pre-amp, an AKG C2000B condenser mike, a couple of dynamics (AKG and Senheisser) and a Line 6 Pod.

I'm now looking to move to computer based recording in order to expand the number of tracks available to record on, take advantage of "CD quality recording" without ATRAC compression, have access to software based drum machines and start fooling with digital audio editing.

I've been reading some of the recommendations on this forum (and elsewhere on the web) and making enquiries at various shops here in Hong Kong, and am considering the following system:

Echo Mia soundcard
Intel Pentium III, 1GHz on Intel 815EEAAL motherboard
256MB PC133 SDRAM
48X CD-ROM
Creative 12X10X32 CD writer
40GB UDMA 100 hard drive
Intel 3D (i754) Display with AGP slot
Integrated audio (presumably a sound chip built into the motherboard)


As I am a bit of a computer illiterate, I was hoping that some of you forum members may be able to help me with a few (probably stupid) questions:

1. The Mia soundcard comes bundled with a special edition of Cool Edit Pro - Can anyone tell me how the SE version differs from the full version? Neither the Echo site or Syntillium site seem to explain this).

2. Cool Edit Pro apparantly allows up to 64 audio tracks to be recorded. I'll be layering 1 or 2 at a time. The Mia has 2 audio ins and outs and 8 "virtual" outs. Does this limit me to layering only 8 tracks, or can I just assign the inputs to up to 64 tracks in Cool Edit?

3. I understand that there can be conflict problems between plug in soundcards and the ones that come bundled with the computer - will having the "integrated" sound card that is set out in my spec sheet cause real problems, or can I just turn it off?

4. Would people recommend me getting 2 separate hard-drives so as to keep one purely for storage of digital audio, and the other for storage of everything else? Will this be harder to set up and operate (by a computer illiterate like myself)?

5. Any general comments or warnings about the suitability or otherwise of the above system for my stated requirements would be much appreciated.

Any responses would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Mike

Mike
 
the best thing going for a P3 setup is ASUS CUSL2-C mainboard.....get the coolermaster P3 heatsink and a good power supply....300w.......no onboard video or sound....you don't want onboard sound or video.........hope you check out the M-AUDIO stuff before you buy a soundcard..

don't buy a second hard drive until you think you need one...
good luck...
 
Thanks for the info J - I'll talk to the computer shop about availability of the components you recommend. I'll also look into M-Audio (though I'm not sure about its availaibility here in Hong Kong - I have found a shop that stocks the Echo products).
 
my guess is that things will be fine with an intel chipset and MIA card....though i'd go with either an intel board or an asus....the CUSL2 features the intel chipset for P3....
 
Hey Mike...

You don't work at a microphone facrory, do you? :D
J is right..look at boards without sound or video chips. Waste of space and potentialy conflictory. Does that Mia card support midi?
 
Mike, the Cool Edit LE that ships with Mia is real basic. 8 tracks,
no effects, no Midi, etc. It might be good for getting your feet wet, but that is about it.
 
DavidK - thanks for the update on the Special Edition of CoolEdit that ships with Mia - you don't get much for nothing obviously! I'm sure that the limitations would bug me before too long, and I'd end up having to pay for the upgrade.

On J's recommendation, I've also looked into the MAudio products. The Delta 44 looks good and has two more ins and outs than the Mia, which I'm sure would come in handy. Price difference is about US$80, but I'll have to pay for the editing software (and probably a midi interface), but on the Mia I'd end up paying for the software upgrade anyway.

getuhgrip - I don't think 3 microphones (2 shitty dynamics and an entry level condensor) qualifies me for working in a microphone factory. I will admit to having bought one or two guitars too many (but not to my wife, bless her). The Mia doesn't have a midi in, so I'll need to get some form of midi card and input if I want to use some of these software drummers (same problem with the Delta 44).

Thanks for the feedback guys.
 
hey mike,

just thought i'd mention that you don't need a midi input to use software drum machines, or synthesizers for that matter. you do need a midi interface on your pc if you plan on controlling the software drum machine with an external controller like a keyboard or something like a BOSS or ALESIS drum machine (or anything with midi output). however, you can sequence software drum machines like HAMMERHEAD or FRUITY LOOPS entirely within the software, in a way analogous to sequencing with a BOSS or ALESIS. some software drum machines will also play back midi drum files if you don't want to sequence.....sequencing with a mouse is tedious, but so is doing it with a midi keyboard if you aren't already pretty good at doing it....latency is also an issue when you attempt to play a software drum machine with a keyboard, though it is becoming less of one with soundcards that have good drivers.....M-AUDIO has inexpensive midi interfaces if you opt for external control of your midi drums...if it turns out you're not into sequencing individual drum sounds , you might also consider using drum loops, which also obviates a midi interface.
 
Thanks J - I'm going to display my ignorance here, but if I go for the Delta (which doesn't support Midi) and don't have any other sound card in my computer, what will make produce the synth sounds (i.e. what will the midi signals trigger)?

What I'm hoping to do is to use the sequencer in the digital recording package that I buy to build up drum loops and fills - probably triggering from a cheap casio keyboard that I have which has midi in and out. I've fooled around with this method in a "real" studio a while ago, and it seemed to be a good way for a non-drummer to lay down simple rythym patterns.

By the way, I have got Hammerhead on my existing computer so am familiar with it. However, the sounds I get our of my current soundcard are pretty ordinary, so I haven't tried to record any loops on to my mini-disc (the only out is a really small stereo plug that the computer speakers are connected to).
 
hey mike,

if you are working without external midi devices, the software you have will play back any prerecorded midi sequences which will trigger the sampling and synthesis engines in your software . it's all done in the software , so you don't need a midi interface...of course not all software that will record audio will also support midi.

the main reason for a midi interface is to record live midi input, or to manipulate prerecorded midi stuff with a controller like phat boy. some people are good at making beats with a keyboard...there's a lot of music based on that..and REASON is a really cool program for doing keyboard based music.......however, you can also record a real drummer with a midi interface and drum triggers....with good drum sampler software, something like NATIVE INSTRUMENT'S BATTERY, you can have a lot of control over each individual drum sound....this would probably sound great thru a kit from the SONIC REALITY drum kit sample cd.
 
Thanks J,

I do intend to br working with external midi devices (my keyboard, and a drummer friend's electonic kit). However, it's not on the "critical path" so I'll just get the new computer, sound card and software first and worry about the midi interface later. In the meantime I could in any case use the analogue outs from the electronic drums and keyboard to record as WAV files, though it does limit the ability to change the sounds after recording them.

Thanks again for all your input.

Regards,

Mike
 
Just wanted to say a couple things.

First of all, the sounds you can get out of a program like Hammerhead are only as good as the sample library you have amassed. There are a bunch of free samples all over the net and you can always use a program like soundforge to edit them and make them your own. I'd say that once you get some good samples, a program like hammerhead or fruityloops is FAR more versatile than using midi to trigger mediocre samples on your keyboard.

Second, for the mobo with onboard audio, while this is clearly not optimal, you can usually disable them relatively easily by moving a couple jumpers. Although I have heard of cases where the built in sound cards still screw things up even when they are disabled, this is pretty rare methinks.
 
hey mike,

you have a friend with an electronic kit? that is cool....one of the next things i want to try is to record live midi drums...if that makes sense.
 
Gnarled - I'll keep messing with Hammerhead to try to improve the sounds I'm getting - so far I've just been using the sounds that come with the free ware version. I'll have to try to use some different samples.

J - The electronic kit is useful. I used to play in a band with my drummer friend, and it was particularly good for lower volume practice (though we all preferred the sound of a real kit for gigs). The drummer also much prefers the feel of hitting real drums rather than the trigger pads (he's a Yorkshire lad from the "'it 'em 'ard" school of drummers).

Having done a couple of "vanity disc" recordings (i.e. self funded and not likely that anyone in their right mind would pay for a copy) in "real" studios, I am aware of the challenges of miking up real drums though, and the fact that your not going to do it in the spare room of your apartment. So the electronic drums do present a great way to get a live drum sound without the neighbour problems. I'm sure we can also follow up on Gnarled's suggestion and try to use better samples to improve the sounds as well.
 
hi mike,

i haven't used HAMMERHEAD in a while...but i think it's a great program for what it is...i believe the guy who wrote FRUITY LOOPS originally was inspired by HAMMERHEAD..FRUITY LOOPS is really just HAMMERHEAD with a whole lot of additional stuff...a sample player, with a step sequencer built in..(though i don't think HAMMERHEAD has external midi)....i wonder if HAMMERHEAD has any new features since i used it last...i'll have to download it again sometime. the HAMMERHEAD sounds are just wav files..so if you want more sounds, you could try downloading a demo of FRUITY LOOPS and load the samples that come with it into HAMMERHEAD. this goes for any demo that plays wav samples...you could just load those into HAMMERHEAD. i'm not sure if HAMMERHEAD reads stereo samples, at least i doubt it does....but you could convert these to mono with an audio editor..(GOLDWAVE is an excellent shareware audio editor).. this type of stuff should be 16 bit across the board, so there shouldn't be any problem there..
 
I just read your original post and that is exactly the system that I have up and running, more or less. If it's simple recording your going for this system is great. The MIA is a great card for the price. I considered M-Audio but decided against it because it didn't com with software to get me started. You can always expand your software but if you are first learning, Cool Edit is a good starter. MIA is a small card and I push it to the limit and it works great for me.
 
Thanks Pugskank - it's comforting to know that my proposed system works.
 
I highly recommend fruityloops software for sampling and drums!

john
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top