To compute or not to compute: that is the question.

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HapiCmpur

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Okay...this may be too much a newbie question for this forum, and if it is, tell me and I'll take it elsewhere. But I'd rather show my ignorance in here among familiar faces, so to speak, if you'll allow it. You see, I'm trying to figure out if I should add a computer to my studio.

All the recording I've ever done has been on stand-alone units like Boss' BR-8 and Yamaha's AW2816. (Mixer, recorder, processing, and some effects, all in one package.) But when I look at the studios displayed in this forum -- even studios smaller and more humble than my own -- I see CPUs and computer monitors everywhere.

Yes, I know that my stand-alone unit is, in fact, a computer. And I know that some folks (perhaps most) use software on their PCs to do what I'm doing with my stand-alone equipment. So perhaps that accounts for why everybody else seems to have CPUs and computer monitors when I don't. But I just want to check that out and make sure I'm not missing out on something huge.

I'm thinking about adding a little laptop to my studio (or just borrowing my wife's from time to time) so I can use Finale's PrintMusic to turn my sudden inspirations into sheet music. But maybe I should be thinking bigger than that. The only other reason I can think to add a computer, however, is to add extra processing and effects, and frankly, my music probably isn't complex enough to warrant that.

So... my question (finally) is, what benefits could I wring out of a new computer that would add significant value to what I've already got in my Yamaha 2816?
 
for me it is a lot easier to be able to see all of the files on my computer and to be able to see the waveforms and how what i'm doing is affecting them. i record on a standalone portastudio and then transfer the files onto my computer for mixing.
 
treymonfauntre said:
for me it is a lot easier to be able to see all of the files on my computer and to be able to see the waveforms and how what i'm doing is affecting them. i record on a standalone portastudio and then transfer the files onto my computer for mixing.
So could you mix on your portastudio if you wanted to? Are you transferring to computer when you mix just because it's easier to see what you're doing, or do you have better mixing software on your computer than on your portastudio?

How about others out there? Is anybody else in the forum using both a stand-alone unit and a separate CPU? If so, how come? And am I the only kid on the block who doesn't have a couple of computer monitors on his mixing desk?
 
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