track count

[twist]

I'm still assembling my DAW piece by piece. Right now I'm doing my homework in preparation for the sound card purchase.

I've read numerous posts here about recording projects with large track counts, and I believe I could easily use 16-24 tracks for some projects.

I assumed that the track count limit was a function of the recording software ie: cakewalk, n-trak, etc., and the software mixer would have one "strip" for every track recorded. You would then mix down to stereo in software, and the sound card would require only 2 outputs for monitoring while mixing.

I became confused when reading sound card specs that listed things like :Capable of recording 8 tracks while playing back 16." And some are even fewer.

Aardvark Direct Pro 2496 comes with its own software that appears only to be able to mix down 4 tracks, corresponding to its 4 outputs.

Can someone please clarify? Can I record and mix large track counts with perhaps even a two channel sound card?

Thanks,
Twist

 

[Emeric_2]

Can someone please clarify? Can I record and mix large track counts with perhaps even a two channel sound card?

Yes. Track count of the popular, current software multitrackers is limited by how much horsepower your computer has. Processor speed, hard drive speed, system memory.

So, your limited to recording 2 tracks at one time with 2 channel sound card. But, you just arm/enable another 1 or 2 'virtual' tracks and add more, all the while monitoring the tracks (how ever many you've recorded) via the 2 channel output of the soundcard.

As far as playback tracks - as many as your machine can handle. How many tracks you can record at one time - limited by how many inputs your soundcard has.

Now most multi I/O soundcards allow you to do some internal routing. Meaning you can route any inputs to any output.

the Aark Direct Pro 2496 comes with its own software that appears only to be able to mix down 4 tracks, corresponding to its 4 outputs.

If your doing the mixdown in software, than you can mixdown as many as your machine can handle, to a 2 track stereo mix. If you want to route tracks out of your soundcard, into external processing or a mixer, than you would be limited to the 4 outputs. (which could be indiviual submixes, or seperate instruments, depending what the software can do).

Maybe a little more info as to what you plan on recording. And the rest of your setup plans. I think the short of the answer is 'yes'.

 

[twist]

Thanks Emeric,

So I guess I'd need cakewalk in addition to the aardvark software.

I believe you answered my question. I'm a closet rockstar recording in a corner of my basement while eveyone is asleep. It's just me and a drum machine, so I only need the two inputs to record one instrument at a time.

It's a PIII RAID setup, so although I haven't recorded anything yet, I've tried to follow all the good advice I've gotten here, and I believe it will be a worthy machine as far as getting a high track count.

I may very well be interested in routing signals out for external processing and back in, so I'm looking at sound cards that have more than one input, usually including a breakout box of some kind. The idea of having the converters outside the computer is also appealing to me,
and I've found several that seem to fill the bill for what I need.

Thanks again,
Twist