Preparing a new Delll for song writting tasks.

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pisces7378

pisces7378

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I have had a PC (cheap no name) that I sort of "outfitted" for home recording and I worked on it for a couple of years with Logic Audio Platinum. I just added a second 7200 rpm HDD, beefed up the RAM to 512, and stuck in a Delta-66.

Well now I am back in the US, and I just bought a new Dell for normal household use thinking that I would get my dream machine G5 Mac soon. Well some financial bullshit has happened, and I do no think that my "dream" of an Apple based super studio will not be coming true.

I am in a band now though and we are writing a lot of songs, and I just want to have SOMETHING to get these ideas out and tweak them around. I have the EXS24mkII software and Logic 5.x that I can install on this Dell. But I do NOT want to mess around with the Delta-66 anymore. I want to spend the little money I do have for this on a new MOTU 828mkII firewire interface. (please all you Delta-66 folks don't start in on any kind of, "WHAT!?!?! You don't like the Delta-66?!?!?!) It isn't that. I just want more inputs for live "jam" recording and a lot of other reasons.

My only problem is that the MOTU 828mkII is a Firewire unit and my Dell did not come with Firewire ports. How can I get this Dell to have IEEE 1394 and/or IEEE 1394-B FIrewire ports?

Now, I had NIGHTMARES installing, configuring, and just dealing with the Delta-66 PCI card. I do NOT want to get into complicated IRQ bullshit. I don't want anywhere near the headaches the Delta-66 presented.

What do you guys recomend? To summarize...

I have:
-Dell
Pent IV 2.4 gHz
512 MB DDR-RAM
1x 60 GB 7200 rpm HDD
Windows XP Home Ed.
CD-R/W
-Mackie 1604 VLZ Pro Mixer
-Rode NTK Mics
-2x AKG C 451 B Mics (Stereo Pair)
-Logic Audio Plat. 5.6
-EXS24mkII
-SONY MDR 7509 Headphones

I am buying:
-MOTU 828 mkII

I want:
-Minimum of 10 simultanious tracks recording capabilities at a 24/48kHz res.
-Minimum of 20 playback tracks at the same resolution.
-A few plug ins here and there. I will try to bus the vocals down through one Plat. Verb to save CPU power.
-Lots of simultanious samples. At least 10 tracks of sample tracks. (This is not in ADDITION to the 20 audio tracks. I mean 10 sample tracks and 10 Audio tracks to give me the above mentioned 20 tracks.)
-AS LITTE HASSLE AS POSSIBLE IN ESTABLISHING A PRACTICAL WORK FLOW!!!

I greatly appreciate your help or any tips on getting my Dell Firewire ready and any other holes that you might notce in my idea.

Thanks guys!

Mike
 
Oh yeah... by the way I am talking about recording southern western country rock in the ilk of Rolling Stones, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Johnny Cash, and Robert Bradley.

BUT... I also experiment around with very sample based music like Fat Boy Slim, Techno/house/back-beat/what-the-fuck-ever type stuff that has a Amnesiac/Kid-A meets Mr.Bean on mesculin.

Just so you all will know where I am coming from.
 
EXACTLY!!!

I need help figuring out which card... The real difference between 1304 and 1304-B besides, "One is faster than the other." I would greatly appreciate just ANY tipps on my needs and how to acheive them.

But thanks for the link.
 
I would start by returning that Dell. Seriously way more headache than it's worth with all the proprietary garbage in there, especially since you mention already having configuration problems with a previous PC incolving IRQs.

A PC built with off-the-shelf components by a local shop (there are probably hundreds in your area) would cost half as much and be much more reliable.

As far as the 828, I have not been convinced that it's glitch-free. At the very least, your latency will be increased. Might be better to get something that's PCI, and use firewire for external storage.
 
MOTU has a rep for making some very friendly stuff --- as long as you're working in an apple environment.

Careful!

Daf (happy D66 owner - but you don't wanna hear that, right?;) )
 
charger said:
I would start by returning that Dell. Seriously way more headache than it's worth with all the proprietary garbage in there, especially since you mention already having configuration problems with a previous PC incolving IRQs.

A PC built with off-the-shelf components by a local shop (there are probably hundreds in your area) would cost half as much and be much more reliable.

As far as the 828, I have not been convinced that it's glitch-free. At the very least, your latency will be increased. Might be better to get something that's PCI, and use firewire for external storage.
Click to expand...

Yep - I see no justification for the 828 when you're not using a laptop and PCI cards cost less.

Its a plain waste of money.
 
Are Amerticans just plain pesamistic?

I have several forums where I post things on Home/Project recording and I very often post identical posts in this HomeRecording.com and then copy and paste into Sound On Sound forums in England. The English guys are, with a 99% reliability much more like, "Go for it man! You should be able to get some great results from that. Get going mate!" Where as Americans tend to bring all kinds of personal preferences and their own opinions rather than basic facts. And in general I tend to get more often than not, negative responses to all my questions.

I had a VERY cheap piece of shit off the shelf PC with NO name in Germany for years. I was able to get at least 10 simultanious recorded tracks and close to 20 playback tracks with plug-ins on almost each track. All with a 933mHz Pent III, 128MB SD-RAM, slow HDD and tons of Office and other crap software all over it. There should be no reason why a firewire card stuck in my relatively high spec'ed out Dell should give me plenty of resources for writing songs. But there is VERY little hope in your responses. And ever a reference to taking my Dell back for a refund.

I am of course not angry or annoyed. I just was wondering why it is like this?
 
Re: Are Amerticans just plain pesamistic?

pisces7378 said:
I have several forums where I post things on Home/Project recording and I very often post identical posts in this HomeRecording.com and then copy and paste into Sound On Sound forums in England. The English guys are, with a 99% reliability much more like, "Go for it man! You should be able to get some great results from that. Get going mate!" Where as Americans tend to bring all kinds of personal preferences and their own opinions rather than basic facts. And in general I tend to get more often than not, negative responses to all my questions.

I had a VERY cheap piece of shit off the shelf PC with NO name in Germany for years. I was able to get at least 10 simultanious recorded tracks and close to 20 playback tracks with plug-ins on almost each track. All with a 933mHz Pent III, 128MB SD-RAM, slow HDD and tons of Office and other crap software all over it. There should be no reason why a firewire card stuck in my relatively high spec'ed out Dell should give me plenty of resources for writing songs. But there is VERY little hope in your responses. And ever a reference to taking my Dell back for a refund.

I am of course not angry or annoyed. I just was wondering why it is like this?
Click to expand...

Computer equipment is cheaper over here for one.

You apparently don't get my point about the 828.

Why spend the extra money when you really don't need a Firewire device (you have PCI slots and no onboard Firewire ports)? Why spend more money on Firewire when a PCI counterpart is just plain better/faster and costs less?

Its a no brainer decision IMO.
 
Which PCI solution offers the same functionality, quality, flexibility, expandability, and reputation for less money than the 828mkII?

It has:
- 10 analog ins and outs
- 2 pre-amps
- Further digital optical I/O
- Front Panel Headphones w/ independent volume control
- Dedicated Stereo L & R outs for near fields PLUS suround sound
- Daisy chain capabilities up to 4 units.
- AWESOME software for Mac and PC (no matter what people say about MOTUs software for PC)
- I can use this interface with my laptop as well.
- Costs less than $750

If you can give me a PCI soultion that fills all these requirements then I will fly to wherever you are, give you a back massage until you fall asleep from relaxation, mow your lawn, wash your car, babysit your kids while you take the wife out for a night... MY TREAT, and then drive you to and from work for a week... in the new Ferarri that I just bought you!
 
pisces7378 said:
Which PCI solution offers the same functionality, quality, flexibility, expandability, and reputation for less money than the 828mkII?

It has:
- 10 analog ins and outs
- 2 pre-amps
- Further digital optical I/O
- Front Panel Headphones w/ independent volume control
- Dedicated Stereo L & R outs for near fields PLUS suround sound
- Daisy chain capabilities up to 4 units.
- AWESOME software for Mac and PC (no matter what people say about MOTUs software for PC)
- I can use this interface with my laptop as well.
- Costs less than $750

If you can give me a PCI soultion that fills all these requirements then I will fly to wherever you are, give you a back massage until you fall asleep from relaxation, mow your lawn, wash your car, babysit your kids while you take the wife out for a night... MY TREAT, and then drive you to and from work for a week... in the new Ferarri that I just bought you!
Click to expand...

How about a Layla?
Get it here for $699
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...0072666366/g=home/search/detail/base_id/45080
Btw can you make it a Viper instead of a Ferrari?
 
Bulls Hit...

Well I have to admit... the Layla does look to be a pretty steep competator for the MOTU 828mkII as far as hardware features are concerned. In fact they seem to be manufactured to be identical.

BUT...

The controling software that comes with the MOTU is MUCH better. And my God... the price for the Layla is the still a few dollars higher than the MOTU. Musicians Friend is running some special at the moment, but the normal price is $799 for the Layla while the MOTU is $749.

Plus with the Layla when I want to use it with my Laptop I would have to buy an expensive PCMCIA card for it, where as the MOTU 828mkII along with my firewire exuiped SONY laptop fit together like cheese and grits. And for less money.

So it looks like I can save my money on that Viper. :)
 
And I mean, shit.... it's Firewire for God's sake. I might never have to open up my computer again. That would be a dream. I had never done it before I got into recording about 4 years ago and I thought it was soooo cool in the beginning to actually SEE the hard drives, RAM etc. Now though... fuck RAM, hard drives and the speghetti of wires spewing out the back. Fuck PCI cards! I am all about some plug in once and it works Firewire, USB, IEEE1394-B, and USB2.0 technology. Hell I wish that the whole thing was wireless and I could just go throw my machine in a closet in the basement and just have wireless keyboards, mouse, monitor, speakers, interfaces and the like. Oh, a man can dream. :o
 
Well, if you're already convinced, why ask the question? You can get several interfaces that would do everything you want, EXCEPT work with your laptop. And believe me, it's not going to be some sort of stunning performer on the laptop.

As for the generic PC thing, I have a three year old system, a PII 866 (!), that records 24 tracks and plays back 24 tracks, with a bunch of plugins (as long as they're not big reverb plugs).

I have watched so many friends suffer through music configuration on a Dell, I just thought I would mention it. It's a fairly common thing you'll hear on audio discussion boards (don't buy Dell, Gateway, etc.)

Delta 1010... Aardvark Q10... a bunch of others in that range.
 
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