PC or Multitracker

  • Thread starter Thread starter geoff956
  • Start date Start date
jeffree said:
Thanks for the tips, Manning. I appreciate your time and effort. But no, for now I'm totally happy with my yamaha aw16g--I know it so well that I can fly around it like I used to do with my tascam cassette rig, which allows me to focus more on my music and less on the engineering (I'm a musician first). I'll remember this thread, though, if I ever think of switching.

Best,

J.
Click to expand...

I'm the same with my Korg D16. I know it so well I don't have to think about it when trying to get ideas down. However, that's mainly due to the fact that I've been using Korg recorders now for over 5 years. Once I get through the learning curve of my pc rig, I probably won't be using the Korg for nearly as much, although I'd say the ideal scenario is to have both. Track on the stand alone if you're more comfortable with that, and edit/mix on the pc. :-)
 
lascala boy - youll have to tell me your set up.
pc confign ? what processor ? do you have dma enabled on your hard drives ? what multitrack software ?
do you have pci slots filled up with cards ?
go to control panel / click on SYSTEM icon - do you have any flags showing against any devices ?
if each track you lay down is more latency than the first then it could be drivers. TRY THIS - as a test - tell me if you still get latency.
download the DEMO of magix music studio from magix.de.
the reason i suggest this is ive not found a sound card YET (even latent
ones) that it cant accomodate. i think magix must have built in some sort of latency compensation. ive thrown it all sorts of junk sound cards including
friends lousy systems with junk sound cards. so you will be the first if music studio dont work.
other than that need more info on your set up.
 
OK..
I've got a compaq laptop with a celeron 2.6
30gb hard drive (only around 10gb left)
I think my dma settings are the way it says on a pc optimisation webpage I went to from here somewhere..
laptop so no pci slots (spare?)
M-Audio Quattro usb.
I was using an old copy of CEP
Although, I'm probably going to upgrade to the full version of n-track.

That help?

Thanks.
 
manning1 said:
geoff - i really dont know your set up on pc.
if your getting latency it can be a number of issues.
like sound card drivers.
BUT TRY THIS TECHNIQUE. tell me if you still get latency doing this.
plug your sound card output into an old cassette deck.
plug phones into the cassette deck while recording track 2 listening
back as well to track 1.
Click to expand...

Hi Manning,
I tried the cassette deck thing as you suggested and as yet there appears to be no noticeable latency (touch wood). Only tried a couple of tracks so far and hope nothing goes wrong as I add more.
Thanks very much for the advice.
 
geoff. glad it worked.
by the way geoff when i testa new sound card i lay down a click track on track one then record on track 2 a strum to the click track ...1 2 3 4 etc.
immediately then i look at the two waveforms.
if the strum doesnt line up perfectly to the click i know i have issues to address.
lascala boy - try the same trick as i suggested for geoff with the cassette deck. i personally dont like usb.
the celeron although not the fastest cpu should be able to do a healthy number of tracks. possibly your hard drive might be an issue. particularly if not 7200 rpm. i just got a friends old 500 mhz pentium working with magix music studio. did 24 tracks. so with that celeron you should do lots of tracks. at least 24. my recommendation....if cassette deck trick doesnt work. get a tech to look at your laptop and if the hard drive is 5400 rpm
look at upgrading possibly. and maybe try a different sound interface
- not usb - maybe firewire perhaps.
out of curiosity do you get problems using laptop on board sound ?
because if you dont and everything works cool as mustard and no latency and all tyracks line up. its gotta be the usb sound card.
i like n track as well. but also try magix,powertracks,and many others listed at hitsquad.com.
 
one vote for pc here...

my multitracker doesn't line up the tracks anymore... (doesn't synchronise...) COsts of repairment will prob get me a new unit. Plus it was in the middel of a drum session. I'm still not finished banging my head
 
latency problems after switching to XP

Hi,

I am having major latency and software problems.

I am trying to run a Roland VSR-880 (rack Roland VS digital recorder), Triton LE, and a computer with an M-Audio Audiophile card (24/96 2xSPDIF and 2xRCA analog). I am using the VSR-880 to record/playback live takes, the triton is being used as a midi controller/sequencer for REASONS (and other softsynths) and I use CUBASE (VST 32 and SL 1.x) and Cakewalk 9.0 for multitracking and mixdown.

1. I have major latency problems with Cubase VST and Cakewalk. How do you set up the 'ASIO' for Cubase? Cakewalk audio tracks do not keep timing with the grahics- is it an XP issue? REASONS (2.0) works fine - except with REWIRE.

2. I could not get Cubase SE 1.x to re-install (or uninstall)- it keeps freezing. How do I solve this issue?

The other reason I use the VSR is because I do not trust computers. The VSR have never crashed yet.

Please give me your advice-

1. Keep the computer (2.6 gHz P4, 800 FSB board, 1 GB Ram, Dual monitor graphics card, two 72000 rpm hard drives), dis the VSR & m-audio sound card & software and get protools digi001 set-up, or

2. dis the whole computer & VSR and get a yamaha 16G or Fostex VF16, or

3. ?????????????????????
 
wow. you really ARE having probs.
firstly your computer is a good configuration.
question - did you build it yourself ?
TIPS - at prorec.com is a utility in the software section called diskbench.exe
or it might be dskbnch.exe or similar. if you run it - tell me the results.
if you get low figures on your drives. prolly your dma is not set up for the drives.
next and this is purely for TESTING purposes. download powertracks
from pgmusic.com. it has a nifty utility(look in the menus) that tells you how many tracks you can expect to run. if you see 48 tracks or over your drives are good. tell me if powertracks runs ok. i have it and normally it runs with even the most doubtfull configns (which yours is not).
next - check the waveforms of the tracks. just do this.
record a steady 1234 beat from a drum machine. then strum a guitar or play a single note on the synth 1234 in line with the drum track.
do they line up? if they do then fine. tell me if they line up.
also try the cassette deck trick i mentionmed earlier in this thread where geoffs latency/monitoring probs disappeared.
also do you have the latest drivers for the audiophile which is a good card by the way ?
just trying to help. but need a bit more info.
am i cotrrect in assuming your using the vs 880 as a mic pre to the sound card ?
 
also please go into much more detail on your latency probs mms shop.
do you mean ?? for example like geoff in an earlier part of this thread
that you record a track and then playback first track while recording a second track and the track is out of synch that you just recorded and the
waveform does not line up properly also. OR do the waveforms line up
BUT the playback of the two tracks is out of synch ? OR and this is important - you record a midi track THEN an audio WAVE track and the
two dont synch up ?
try this - record just midi tracks - do they all synch up and playback OK.
now do the same with ONLY audio wave tracks , do they all synch up ??
or is the problem occurring with when you intermix audio (wave)
and midi tracks ?
on the asio issue you should see in cubase and cakewalk the asio drivers listed together with other drivers. are they displaying ok ? are they selectable ? in the software i use you select BOTH the audio (wave)
in and out drivers AND the midi in and out drivers.
please tell me what drivers you see displayed for selection....
 
mmm... I only just bought the sound card.. and I can't afford firewire....

with on board sound it could do about 8 tracks before getting some latency.. I'll check out my HD..

I was getting a better match when I used the headphones out on my on board and the line in on my usb... but I'll definately try the cassette thing.. will my aux input on my not so old hi fi do the same trick?
 
Without reading everyone elses, I'm voting PC. Definitely. Without question. Personal Computer. Pee Cee.
 
lascalaboy - if you got 8 tracks then latency occurred something is wrong. you should be getting with computer confign loads and loads of tracks.
try ntrack (free to try the demo) and record a bunch of tracks . see if you get latency. it could be purely that the usb cant keep up with the playback stream. do this for me will ya ? go into control panel /system and tell me if your running usb ONE or TWO. if your running USB ONE then this could be a limitation right there. i have to be frank with you i dont like usb.
audio needs high throughput rates. al;so i dont consider the usb protocol
mature enough yet. i'm still pci on towers.

on the aux thing - try this. take the stereo line out from the quattro into the aux in or line in of your hifi and plug your headphones into the
hi fi headphone jack. NOW try recording with this set up and tell me if you still get latency problems. use this approach with ntrack doing the recording.
ntrack ive found is pretty forgiving. if still pronlems try this -
STILL USING the hi fi for monitoring, try the demo of magix samplitude or music studio and see if that works. or MULTITRACKSTUDIO.COM.
these multitrackers ive found seem to really nail the latency problem down on difficult pc configs. try these approaches with both the laptop on board sound and the quattro and tell me hopw you get on.
you might also make sure you have the latest quattro drivers.
hope this helps lascala. your celeron should do lots of tracks - plenty enough to keep you happy once set up right imho.
 
Thanks... I'll definately try that.. but not until next week... I have a scholarship recital this weekend where I'm going for very large sum of money for overseas study.. But I'll try it and report the outcome

Thanks!
 
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