recording advice

K

k3n51mm

New member
Getting ready to build my first real DAW and could use some advice.
Thoughts so far:


COMPUTER

1. I have a spec and know what I want; this is complete.
2. I have Cubase, ProTools, CEP, etc. All software is OK.

------------------

MIXER/INTERFACE

We currently use a Korg D16XD mixing board, which has a stupidly archaic
display screen. It's also pretty painful moving files on and off the board,
so we end up trying to use a 4x6" monochrome screen with no multitrack view.

I want to move our live mixing to a software solution, but I'm concerned
about latency. The computer will be a 6-core 16GB/1TB monster, so we're
OK there. What are the ways around latency, if any?


Needs:

1. 8 tracks input; mixer must accept mic or instrument on each channel
2. Also want to be able to patch in external line sources, preferably on any channel
(from other devices like Roland TD-9 electronic drums, MP3 players, computers etc).
2. Mixdowns, bounces etc can be completed on computer with Audition or CEP;
I don't want to continue using the board for these tasks since we have such
powerful (and expensive) software.


I was thinking of a MOTU 828 or something, but I really want the recordings to go
directly onto the computer hard drive, not some mixing board's drive - and the reviews
of the mk3 are mostly negative.

One last thought, can we use the D16XD in the manner I've outlined? What I mean is can
we hook it to a computer and use something like Pro Tools as a user surface?

I hope I made enough sense here to elicit some advice; I know just enough to ask a bunch
of dumb questions, and I'm not even sure I'm asking the right ones... My best question
would probably be: how do the rest of you do this kind of stuff?

Thanks in advance!
k5
 
Hello.

The first thing you are going to need is an audio interface. An audio interface connects to the computer through a usb or firewire port. With this, you record directly onto the computer. The M-Audio Profire 2626 sounds perfect for what you need. It has 8 octane preamps and has 8 xlr and 1/4" inputs. All audio interfaces have latency but is virtually unnoticeable because the latency is in milliseconds.

I've never used an all in one mixer like your korg so I am unsure if your mixes can bounce to the computer and am equally unsure if you are able to use it as a control surface for a daw.

So if you are ready to start building your first daw, set the korg aside and pick out an interface that meets your requirements. Guitar Center is a perfect place to demo and play with audio equipment.
 
Just so you know, a DAW is a Digital Audio Workstation: So you already have plenty of these: "Cubase, ProTools, CEP, etc."

All the best with the set up.

G
 
One thing regarding latency is making sure you are using ASIO drivers for your audio interface. And your OS is optimized for audio recording.
 
Thanks for the replies.

"And your OS is optimized for audio recording."

Aside from throwing 16GB of RAM in the box and using the best interface I can afford, exactly how would I "optimize the OS" for recording? I am OK using Linux or Windows - no Apple. As a 20-year programmer, I would be intrigued to learn about this.
 
MOTU as an interface is extremely well thought of in the professional world...but, particularly if you're talking about the newish Mk. III version, you may be paying for features you don't need. I'd probably look at the Profire 2626 that was already mentioned or perhaps a Tascam US1800 (though that doesn't have quite the flexibility of all inputs being line or mic level--but, in the real world, this is usually not as much of an issue as you think).

As for optimising your OS, there are lots of links out there on Google...but have a look at THIS for a start. It's a Focusrite site but the optimisation applies to pretty well any DAW/interface combination. The main things are to get rid of unnecessary stuff running in background and tweak things like page file size.
 
Bobbsy, great advice and links - just what I needed. Good news is I do a lot of that optimization already, but there are some advanced items I wasn't familiar with.

THANKS!
 
steinberg

You must not have seen the steinberg mr-816. That's what I use, and it's awesome. Reading about it, (my friend bought it) my bud found a ton of praise for the pre's, being quiet & crystal clear. I don't have experience with anything else, but this thing is perfect. If need be, you can get another one and link them together to have a total of 16 in's. I can't think of anything I don't like about it.

EDIT: I record live onto fruity loops. 2 of the eight inputs are usually Left & Right outs from a separate (behringer) mixer (for drums/additional mics). Our bottleneck is that fruity loops doesn't allocate all of our RAM; only up to 2 or 3 gigs.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top