Newb Question

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Rondor

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This looks like a great place to get help and advice. Thanks in advance for your suggestions...

We are using the new E-Mu 0404 which has but 2 xlr inputs on it. I would like to know if people feel it is better for me to get a mixer with 8-10 xlr inputs and then run both outs to the MIDI interface or get a MIDI interface with 8 inputs?

I want to be able to record the whole band at once as well as lay tracks one by one.

One other question is how will I control gain stages? Obviously the mixer has gain for each input but so does the E-Mu. Would it be better to simply set the E-Mu's levels somewhere in the midrange and use the levels on the mixer to adjust so I dont get clipping?

Thanks again!
 
I think you may be confused about what midi is/does.

I sure as fuck am, but I know that recording the whole band at once has nothing to do with midi inputs, unless you're in Nine Inch Nails or Devo.
 
OK...maybe this newbie didnt explain it well...

Say I am gonna use 8 mics to capture the entire band at once. 4-5 mics on the drums and 3-4 mics to cover the other members. I was assuming I would rout each inbound sound source thru a mixer with enough inputs to handle all the mics and then run the 2 outputs from the mixer into the MIDI interface.

I felt this would give me level control on every mic.

Hope that helps...
 
Rondor said:
OK...maybe this newbie didnt explain it well...

Say I am gonna use 8 mics to capture the entire band at once. 4-5 mics on the drums and 3-4 mics to cover the other members. I was assuming I would rout each inbound sound source thru a mixer with enough inputs to handle all the mics and then run the 2 outputs from the mixer into the MIDI interface.

I felt this would give me level control on every mic.

Hope that helps...
I'd agree with ez_willis that you have no clue what MIDI means. You have way too much to learn, and honestly I don't have the time right to help you right now.
 
i had some good links for you but i cant seem to find them ???

ssscientist should have those links for you if he pops up here.

midi basics i believe they were called, from a magazine or seomthin.
 
Browse the Forum for awhile, there's a vast amount of relatively helpful information here, and there's walters, too.

To answer your question, forget midi. midi has nothing to do with accomplishing what you are trying to do.

I record all tracks myself, but I can use my setup as an example.

When I record drum tracks, I use 8 inputs. Kick, snare, 2 overheads, 3 toms, and 1 room mic.

Each of those mics goes into a tascam tm d-1000 digital mixer. Then each track goes into an RME Hammerfall HDSP 9652 card via a lightpipe connection. Bringing them into Logic separately allows me to modify the sound and volume of each track(microphone) independently.

If I wanted to, I could take the 8 tracks and submix them down to 2 tracks and bring them into the computer llike that, but then I'd lose the ability to modify each track(instrument).

You have two options, by a soundcard/interface with 2 inputs, or spend a little more money and get something with more inputs to allow you flexability.

This is more time than I've spent on 1 question in a long time.

Please use the search function and browse the forum for answers. You'll learn a lot by just looking for an answer to a specific question.
 
TragikRemix said:
i had some good links for you but i cant seem to find them ???

ssscientist should have those links for you if he pops up here.

midi basics i believe they were called, from a magazine or seomthin.

No. Forget midi altogether. Record music. Use instruments amplified percussively or electronicly. Learn to get the most out of each instrument. Learn its strong points as well as its limits. Learn how to record each of those instruments to get the most out of them. Learn the gear you'll be using to record those instruments with, and learn to get the most out of it. Or become a dj.

midi is not music.
 
i didnt know that E Mu 0404s had XLR inputs

Anyway, what I would do is invest in a cheap 8 channel mixer, run all my mics through it, play the instruments and mix them as best as possible on your mixer, then use the stereo out on the board and run it to your 0404. Set up your DAW for recording, hit record and see what happens.

If you want to record your instruments one by one, you can either go DI through the 0404, or through the mixer then through the 0404.

If you think you're ready to move up a step after that, I would look at something like the Presonus Firepod. It will allow you to record 8 individual tracks at a time. Just make sure your computer has a firewire input.

hope that helps. good luck
 
midi is music if you are playin it IMO.

clicking buttons with a mouse isnt though.

i use midi softsynths and a keyboard, i dont consider that not to be music.

but i agree with ez. just play the music for now.
 
Thanks to all. I know I have lots to learn and appreciate the help.

Mad..it's ironic the word of the week fits your pompous ass.
 
Eh, Mad provides useful information a lot of the time... I was thinking the same thing when I read this post originally because MIDI got thrown around so much, it confused me what you were tryin to do.

Anyhow!

Midi is not a digital or analog representation of a musical instrument's AUDIO signal. It is simply a protocol for sending data. More specifically, let's take a synth or electric piano that has midi Input/Output, and you have an interface that has (in part) midi I/O.

Once you plug the cables in to attach the two, you set up your recording/sampling/recording/whatever software to send/receive midi information. This information is, once you start playing the piano/keyboard, data that describes what keys you are hitting, how hard you hit them, any information about what pedals you have pressed down, and what knobs on the keyboard are set to.

The software that is sync'd to this midi I/O then takes that data, and plays sounds according to what keys you are pressing, etc etc (or records this data for future playback, depending on what you want to do). However, the keyboard itself in this situation is NOT making any sound. The keyboard and midi interface to the computer are equatable to, say, setting up the keys on your computer keyboard to make different sounds when each key is pressed, respectively, and that's it. The method of receiving the data is different, but the concept is the same.

If you are confused about any of this, feel free to ask. I was very confused about how data was transferred via midi connections when I first got into all this myself, so I know your pain (and people here can be rather unforgiving on occassion, if you don't word questions properly).

As for recording live sounds (guitar amps, drums, etc), you will need to either get a multi-input interface such as the firepod, mentioned above, or a mixer. The benefits and drawbacks are different between the two.

If you buy a Firepod, you can, as described above, record 8 individual mics worth of audio into 8 separate tracks on your computer, and manipulate them individually before mixing them all together. This is the most flexible recording means, but you would have to buy a Firepod.

On the other hand, you can buy a mixer that takes as many mics as you have/need, but you would then have to run the stereo output of your mixer to the Emu, so you would need to have the mixer's settings as you want them before hitting record. Once you are done recording, you can't do things like increase/decrease the volume of an individual instrument/vocal. The plus? You didn't have to buy the Firepod. However, if you are already buying a mixer, why not go for the most flexibility?

I didn't think of it before, but there is a third option... Alesis and some other companies make mixers that have firewire output that you attach to the computer, and (I believe), this allows you to record each channel of the physical mixer in your multitrack recording software, on separate channels. You'd have to hunt around for info on that though, as I've never used one before.

Sorry for the rant, but I got rather into the explanations... and Im bored at work before meetings, so long explanations are a nice way to pass the time - if you already knew any of this, sorry for the extra reading! Im off - feel free to ask questions when searching yields little or no results :)
 
Cubebassman: Your info really helped! Thank you kindly for the advice.
 
MadAudio said:
I'd agree with ez_willis that you have no clue what MIDI means. You have way too much to learn, and honestly I don't have the time right to help you right now.

EZ: You dont see the rudeness in that response?

I think my response was easily provoked.

Anyway, it's not imortant. I dont want a flame...just was hoping for some help from people who are ok with dumb newbie questions.
 
Rondor said:
EZ: You dont see the rudeness in that response? .
No, not really, and if you'd have caught me on any other day in the last year my response would have been worse.

Browse the Forum and post in the Newbie Forum. Replies like Mads would have been unwarranted.

Whatever though, I hope you enjoy the Board and learn a lot.
 
People here are not bad....they just get to the point.

Rondor said:
Mad..it's ironic the word of the week fits your pompous ass.

Mad was only saying what seems true for anyone who understands recording. When you learn more you will see why some folks are just plain burned out on posts that clearly show they have not looked over the many forum places that have answered the same questions over and over, only to find some new person.............who is in a big hurry. It takes effort and yes some help along the way. Here is a place to learn many good points on recording and what to buy for the job. http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm good luck on dealing with the learning curve and all the crap that comes with it. Both from other people and even the equipment itself.
 
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I think the only issue here is really that the question was not posed in the "newb" portion of the forum. If somebody doesn't want to help, they shouldn't chime in...

Yeah, its naive to post in the wrong place sometimes, but we're all here trying o get at the same general goal, so we should all just calm the Hell down a bit. Its just a forum, after all :)
 
cusebassman said:
If somebody doesn't want to help, they shouldn't chime in...


AMEN.... Not too long ago was I confronted with so much condescendense when making a newb question, I had to pos-rep the bastard for achievement... :D

We're bastards.
 
I dont know about people but my parents taught me to be nice with people that are just learning what is second nature to me. Give a kind word or nothing at all. If some folks are burnt out on newbie questions why say anything? Just dont help newbies and stfu instead. Maybe you like high post numbers...not sure.

It is obvious that it was my first post and although hindsight makes it clear it should have been in the Newbie area of the forum I dont think it called for a rude reply.

To those that helped I truly appreciate it.
 
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