Recording drums with computer in a different room?

  • Thread starter Thread starter exodus82
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exodus82

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I'd like to record my drums. Here's the problem:

My computer (2010 iMac) is in my living room, while my drums are in a bedroom down the hall, 28-30 feet away. I assume this is a common problem. I've been told that trying to run USB that far will just not work. Is it possible to find a very long Firewire cable? Are there other options?

I haven't bought or set up any recording equipment.

Not sure what my best option is here. The drums and my iMac have to stay where they are. I would like to avoid buying a laptop. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
How many mics are you planning on using? Maybe just get some 50ft mic cables.

or

I'm not sure of the maximum length of firewire or USB, but I've seen some "boosters" somewhere that boost the signal to get longer distances.


Google is a wonderful thing............

Taken from Wiki:

Cable length is limited to 4.5 metres (14.8 ft), although up to 16 cables can be daisy chained using active repeaters; external hubs, or internal hubs are often present in FireWire equipment. The S400 standard limits any configuration's maximum cable length to 72 metres (236 ft).
Click to expand...
 
Ohh... nice! Does that still work with various processing demands of the recording equipment?

I think I'll be using at least 3 mics.

I'm somewhat skeptical, but this sounds like it could work. Does anyone have experience with firewire repeaters?
 
Recording myself. I'll most likely just record a long session and edit it down, so I won't be running back and forth.
 
To elaborate:

I'll most likely just record long sessions and edit them down, so I won't be running back and forth. If I'm recording drums over something, I would probably just put the track on my iPod and listen to that while I play. Not ideal, I know, but the best I can do.

I would prefer to use a single cable so I can run it under the floor. (Not sure I want to drill a hole big enough for 3-5 mic cables!)

Honestly, I'm only concerned about a solution that works technically, i.e. will make the full connection between the computer and the audio interface.
 
I asked a similar question a while ago and had no luck. I ended up getting another computer... It was cheaper in the end than buying a bunch of crap to make it work poorly. If you're only doing this once why not move the computer into your bedroom for a few days?
 
unicursalhex said:
I asked a similar question a while ago and had no luck. I ended up getting another computer... It was cheaper in the end than buying a bunch of crap to make it work poorly. If you're only doing this once why not move the computer into your bedroom for a few days?
Click to expand...

This was gonna be my first suggestion. An iMac isn't that hard to move.
 
I thought that they make USB cables that long for sale and that they will work at a 30' distance.
 
why not just put the imac in the same room and record surely its not that noisy?
 
exodus82 said:
The drums and my iMac have to stay where they are
Click to expand...

How much do you want to spend to uphold that dictum?

Your best option is to set up a system that isn't a workflow nightmare right off the bat. Is the iMac not yours?
 
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