trying to create home studio where to start?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BillyJack
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BillyJack

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I've got a guillemot I.S.I.S. MAXI STUDIO PACKAGE, AND AM GOING TO GET THE COMPUTOR TO RUN IT RIGHT AWAY BUT I HAVE NO CLUE AS TO WHAT KIND OF EFFECTS UNITS TO GET SO AS TO GET THE SOUND I WANT LET ALONE USE THEM?
 
How long are you having the card now?
If possible, sell it or give it back and get a refund or different card. Many people are having trouble with the Maxi Studio Isis' drivers. Just my opinion.
You will not need external FX units when you are going to buy sequencer software. You can use DX or VST-plugins, there's tons of free stuff on the web that should do the job for you.
You will need a mic-preamp or a small mixing desk in the first place to get a decent signal into your PC.
 
so since you say sell the isis what do you recomend as a sound board then, and what do you think about the eurodesk?
 
and by the way since I haven't bought the system for driving the studio yet am I making a wise decission to be going with a pc rather than going with a mac?
 
The ISIS is good for it's price (it's cheap). Just make sure you buy from someplace that lets you return it in case you get driver problems (it does happen, you just have to try eand see). PC's are good if money is a concern. Otherwise just go MAC and buy a nice Protools mix plus system for 100000$ :)
 
You are definitely on the right track with a pc - again, my opinion.
Pcs are great as long as you don't try to use it for more than one purpose. So if you use a pc for music, use it for music ONLY. No games, no internet, no graphics (like Photoshop) and for heaven's sake no microsoft office.
The pc should have nothing else on it than your OS (I prefer Win 98se over ME yet, but win2000 is very reliable, too. With Win 2000 you will [at this time] run into problems getting drivers for certain soundcards and some plugins don't run under 2000)
So, again:
OS:
Win 98se
Software:
Sequencer Program (Cubase or Logic Audio or Cakewalk or...)
If you need, a Wave Editor (WaveLab, CoolEdit...)
PlugIns (VST and/or DirectX)

Keep in mind that if you decide to go with Cakewalk, you will not be able to use VST-plugins, only DirectX - and there are tons of free VST-plugs out there!)

That is it.
Oh, Microsoft DirectX7a or 7.1 - not DX8!

Hardware:
Athlon or PIII (PIV still a bit buggy)
Graphics: Matrox G400 / 450 (dual head) or, for low budget, ATI Xpert 2000
Audio (NOW here we are!!!)
Look at these:
http://www.rme-audio.com
my favorites!!! All time. Reliable, professional, expandable.

Or
http://www.midiman.com
has nice solutions as well. Cheaper.

There are tons of other cards/systems of course, but i like these and they have proven to run smoothly with a lot of systems.
I'm running my pc for about one year (every day use, music only) and it never crashed on me! (Well, except you put in too many FX and thus overrun the CPU, but that is human failure.

btw, RME have good tips on their site how to optimise your machine for audio-use!
 
Sorry, forgot about the Behringer Eurodesk.
Behringer specialized on making products with a great value at LOWLOWLOW price. (German company, Chinese production facilities). For the price offered, you won't get any better.
In the beginning, they were a bit noisy, and I still would not connect more than three (well, actually more than one, for me) Behringer-devices in a row.
But with their new Desks they promise new low-noise design. Might have to see if they can stand up to a Mackie - beeing half the price there is no discussion what desk to take if your on a tight budget.
So, conclusion:
You won't find anything else for that price. They have gotten better over the years, so it is a good start.
Don't expect it to last your whole life, though.
I'd say: Not much of an alternative!
And when you've had your hit, you can always go out and get an SSL or NEVE :-)
 
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