Please Help Recording Problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter gwayms
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gwayms

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Sorry so long but I wanted to cover everything.
Ok here is the problem (I'm a little pissed right now about this)
I have built a jam/recording room and have everything set up ready to go.
I am using a HP Pavilion zt3000 laptop, I move this to the room when I am ready to record. I plug in my M-audio mobile pre, which has my m-audio bx-5 monitors hooked to it.
Everytime I go in to record I hook everything up and I always have at least 30 minutes of set up time. I have to figure out why I cant get a recording signal, or the signal coming thur the monitors is very distorted on playback. By the time I get everything ready I dont feel like recording anymore.
I have been using Mixcraft as the recroding program but ever since I upgraded it I have had nothing but problems. So I downloaded N-track demo, and after I figure out all the settings everytime, I will usually get a Windows error. That might be due to the fact it is a demo. Should I not be moving the pc back and forth?

Thanks
 
half hour set up time? that's no good...

good DAW software should work as soon as you start it up, once you take the time to set yourself up a template and whatnot.

personally, for jamming purposes, i would use software that is less complicated and easier to set up to avoid frustration. I found cool edit pro 2.0 to be an excellent choice for this (over sonar, which is an awsome piece of software too but too complicated to set up quickly).

I guess i would suggest a reformat of the computer fi you are getting lots of error messages. make notes of the settings of yoru hardware once you get them set the way you like.
 
Sounds like what you're saying is that each time you start it all up you can't remember exactly what you did the last time to get it to work, so it's trial and error all over again.

So, get a pad of paper and keep it next to your gear... next time you start up the recording system, write down in the notebook everything you do to get the system working just right... knob and fader positions for all levels, software properties like sound card and driver selection, buffer sizes, operating system settings... everything you adjust to make it work. Then make your written notes into a check-off list. Run through it each time you start the system up. Cut 30 minutes down to 1, I bet.

Tim
 
Might Work, Ill Have To Try That.
What Exactly Are Buffer Setting And What Should They Be Set At?
 
dont' know the technical definition of buffers (or their settings) but i know that a lower buffer is gonna give you lower latency, while a higher buffer is gonna give you better stability. finding the perfect balance is again trial and error.
 
I haven't used n-track for many moons, but I'll just add this little bit of wisdom into the mix:

Restart the computer fresh each time before you start recording. ESPECIALLY do not wake it from hibernation and expect it to perform well with audio. Just restart and give it a new lease on life.

You might also try seraching/posting on Flavio's board over at fasoft.com to see if others are running into the same issues. My experience with n-track (again, ages ago) was that it was very full-featured but not particularly stable- this is where I learned the restart-the-machine-before-even-starting trick. My experience, also, is that flavio and the other n-track users are pretty quick to respond to problems.

Take care,
Chris
 
Another thought...

Lots of things you can do to make your computer more stable for audio. This site is good if you use XP.

http://www.musicxp.net/

And if one wants a computer to be perfectly stable for audio IME it can only be used for audio. Anything else on it (MS Office, virus protection, etc.) will cause you problems. Screen savers are especially bad - not just when it goes into action, but just having it turned on and waiting. Many non-recording programs get their fingers into the workings of the system and mess with it constantly, even when they're not running, causing glitches, pops, stutters, etc. Laptops are especially challenging to get stable because they tend to come with so many manufacturer-installed things that run on their own in the background or pop up periodically with reminders.

Good luck with it.

PS. This recording program is good, and it's the simplest I've seen at just working right without a thousand settings and options. And it uses both VST and DX plugs. http://www.multitrackstudio.com/ The lite version is freeware.


Tim
 
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