T
turntablist
New member
yeah that is why your ram was so expensive. "hamsters". instead of horses? lol!
B
bdbdbucksKID
New member
Gateway conned me into purchasing a Low density memory and asserted that no other (retail) dealer carried it.
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cyclejim
New member
Whaddya know?
WOW..... I just started researching all the new gear for home recording and man I gotta say my head is spinning! All this high tech new gear that was unheard of the last time I laid any tracks down. For reference, my last multitracker was a Tascam 4 track cassette recorder purchased in 1985 or 1986 I dont exactly remember. I still have a few masters left from those days and man do they sound like crap!
So I start looking around and I see that there are now hard disk recorders, hard disk recorders with CD-RW drives, compact flash/smart media recorders, and all the old stuff. Sheesh.
Anyhow, it just so happens that I zero'ed in on a few recorders in my price range ($300-600) that include the MR-8 and the VF80. Then I found this forum. Great forum by the way I think I struck gold finding this place from a google search. Man how times have changed.
So, I read through all the posts on this subject and learned quite a bit already. To summarize what I think I know:
MR-8 can transfer tracks to the PC quicker than the VF80 because it has USB, and then I can edit/mixdown/master on the PC using certain software (n-track?) I can also transfer from the VF80 to my PC via SPDIF but I need a sound card that accepts SPDIF IN, to keep everything digital. This will take longer because I have to transfer the tracks in real time? Ok so far?
The MR8 seems to have some limitations because the memory card it has is small? Could I record 8 tracks at full quality for say 6-7 minutes on the card it comes with? Can it be upgraded and is that expensive?
Lets say I have everything recorded on either machine. Can I re-mix and master right on the machine and then transfer to the PC or would I gain much more flexibility if I use the PC for that.
A final question, assuming I transfer the tracks to PC to mix and master, does this all somehow go into n-track at one time and then I can manipulate the tracks at will after that?
Thanks in advance and go easy on a newbie oldtimer.
jim
WOW..... I just started researching all the new gear for home recording and man I gotta say my head is spinning! All this high tech new gear that was unheard of the last time I laid any tracks down. For reference, my last multitracker was a Tascam 4 track cassette recorder purchased in 1985 or 1986 I dont exactly remember. I still have a few masters left from those days and man do they sound like crap!
So I start looking around and I see that there are now hard disk recorders, hard disk recorders with CD-RW drives, compact flash/smart media recorders, and all the old stuff. Sheesh.
Anyhow, it just so happens that I zero'ed in on a few recorders in my price range ($300-600) that include the MR-8 and the VF80. Then I found this forum. Great forum by the way I think I struck gold finding this place from a google search. Man how times have changed.
So, I read through all the posts on this subject and learned quite a bit already. To summarize what I think I know:
MR-8 can transfer tracks to the PC quicker than the VF80 because it has USB, and then I can edit/mixdown/master on the PC using certain software (n-track?) I can also transfer from the VF80 to my PC via SPDIF but I need a sound card that accepts SPDIF IN, to keep everything digital. This will take longer because I have to transfer the tracks in real time? Ok so far?
The MR8 seems to have some limitations because the memory card it has is small? Could I record 8 tracks at full quality for say 6-7 minutes on the card it comes with? Can it be upgraded and is that expensive?
Lets say I have everything recorded on either machine. Can I re-mix and master right on the machine and then transfer to the PC or would I gain much more flexibility if I use the PC for that.
A final question, assuming I transfer the tracks to PC to mix and master, does this all somehow go into n-track at one time and then I can manipulate the tracks at will after that?
Thanks in advance and go easy on a newbie oldtimer.
jim
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billisa
New member
VF80
I got the VF80 w/CDR specifically to avoid ever having to go to a PC, while creating and burning a finished disk. The VF80 can do a great job in making a final master... My commercials are airing right from a CD from the VF80.
Now a PC, with all the visual editing, plus the ease of using a mouse to do cut and pastes, plus various "plug-ins" available, would offer more user flexibility. BUT, make sure the PC is ready for audio production!
I can take my VF80 anywhere, it's self-contained and there's no danger of competing programs "crashing" my recording studio. A reliable laptop could be a cool alternative, but for $600. the VF80/CDR is very hard to beat. There's also a new Zoom model in that range, but I can't speak to it's quality.
While it's confusing, the range of stuff out there to record is like a paradise. Any direction you take will still yield high quality results. It just comes down to you and your creativity/proficiency.
This, by the way, is a great board...
I got the VF80 w/CDR specifically to avoid ever having to go to a PC, while creating and burning a finished disk. The VF80 can do a great job in making a final master... My commercials are airing right from a CD from the VF80.
Now a PC, with all the visual editing, plus the ease of using a mouse to do cut and pastes, plus various "plug-ins" available, would offer more user flexibility. BUT, make sure the PC is ready for audio production!
I can take my VF80 anywhere, it's self-contained and there's no danger of competing programs "crashing" my recording studio. A reliable laptop could be a cool alternative, but for $600. the VF80/CDR is very hard to beat. There's also a new Zoom model in that range, but I can't speak to it's quality.
While it's confusing, the range of stuff out there to record is like a paradise. Any direction you take will still yield high quality results. It just comes down to you and your creativity/proficiency.
This, by the way, is a great board...
G
gospel
New member
Re: Whaddya know?
I'll answer these the best I can. This is coming from the MR-8 point of view.
The MR-8 does have memory limitations. You get approx. 24 track minutes on the card it comes with. This is 8 tracks of a 3 minute song. I think you can go up to a 256mb card for less than $100.
Final question- With the MR-8 you can use a program that you get on the fostex site for free called wavmanager to transfer tracks to the pc. If you mixdown to tracks 7/8 (stereo wav) you can transfer to the pc and open with n-track but it will still be stereo wave not separate tracks. If you don't mixdown to a stereo wav and just use the wavmanager to transfer tracks one at a time to your pc and open up with n-track they will all sync up and you can manipulate at will.
There is one more thing to keep in mind about using your pc with n-track and other multi-tracking software. This does not come from n-track, but it has been my experience.
Windows ME does not work well with music.
For n-track you need at least 128mb RAM and at least 500mhz processor. The more tracks and effects the faster your pc needs to be.
cyclejim said:
I'll answer these the best I can. This is coming from the MR-8 point of view.
The MR-8 does have memory limitations. You get approx. 24 track minutes on the card it comes with. This is 8 tracks of a 3 minute song. I think you can go up to a 256mb card for less than $100.
Final question- With the MR-8 you can use a program that you get on the fostex site for free called wavmanager to transfer tracks to the pc. If you mixdown to tracks 7/8 (stereo wav) you can transfer to the pc and open with n-track but it will still be stereo wave not separate tracks. If you don't mixdown to a stereo wav and just use the wavmanager to transfer tracks one at a time to your pc and open up with n-track they will all sync up and you can manipulate at will.
There is one more thing to keep in mind about using your pc with n-track and other multi-tracking software. This does not come from n-track, but it has been my experience.
Windows ME does not work well with music.
For n-track you need at least 128mb RAM and at least 500mhz processor. The more tracks and effects the faster your pc needs to be.
Last edited:
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morindae
New member
I'm working on a song at the moment using N-track. The song length is about 4:50 secs. This is what I have running:
Two tracks for drums. Plugins on these are reverb and sonic maximizer.
Bass track with sonic maximizer plugin
Piano track with reverb and sonic maximizer
Second piano track with reverb and sonic maximizer
Strings with reverb and sonic maximizer
Rhythm guitar with reverb and sonic maximizer
Lead guitar with reverb and sonic maximizer
Lead vocal, compressed in Cool Edit Pro and then running in N-track with reverb and sonic maximizer
Two harmony vocals, compressed and again with reverb and sonic maximizer.
I have the reverb running through auxiliary 1. My CPU usage is 56-60%.
What kind of computer do I have?
A Compaq with P2 350 MHZ and 128 of ram.
The reason I can do this is because N-track is great on slow machines. My experience with this software has been excellent, considering how bad my machine is. Flavio (the creator of the software) claims to have run 6 tracks on a 486 machine. So far, the maximum I have run is twelve tracks with effects. I believe I can squeeze a good sixteen with some creative rendering. All the above tracks were recorded on the MR8 and transferred very easily to the pc. The MR8 and N-track, plus a computer, even a slow one like mine, is a wonderful setup for a musician on a budget. I also have Cubasis version 5.1, which is a great piece of software, but it doesn't run very well on my pc. For this reason I prefer N-track, because it just looks a lot better, and 'appears' to be more user friendly. So for $350 (N-track plus the MR8) I got a twelve track machine with a lot of editing capabilites. The memory card shouldn't be an issue if you are transferring to the pc. Stay with the stock card and put the money towards a decent preamp and microphone, or whatever you need to get your recordings to a higher level. I'm sorry if this post is a little tedious, but I wanted to show you what is possible with very little outlay. If you want a stand alone recorder It is best to stay away from the MR8, it will get frustrating very soon. I hope this helps you.
Two tracks for drums. Plugins on these are reverb and sonic maximizer.
Bass track with sonic maximizer plugin
Piano track with reverb and sonic maximizer
Second piano track with reverb and sonic maximizer
Strings with reverb and sonic maximizer
Rhythm guitar with reverb and sonic maximizer
Lead guitar with reverb and sonic maximizer
Lead vocal, compressed in Cool Edit Pro and then running in N-track with reverb and sonic maximizer
Two harmony vocals, compressed and again with reverb and sonic maximizer.
I have the reverb running through auxiliary 1. My CPU usage is 56-60%.
What kind of computer do I have?
A Compaq with P2 350 MHZ and 128 of ram.
The reason I can do this is because N-track is great on slow machines. My experience with this software has been excellent, considering how bad my machine is. Flavio (the creator of the software) claims to have run 6 tracks on a 486 machine. So far, the maximum I have run is twelve tracks with effects. I believe I can squeeze a good sixteen with some creative rendering. All the above tracks were recorded on the MR8 and transferred very easily to the pc. The MR8 and N-track, plus a computer, even a slow one like mine, is a wonderful setup for a musician on a budget. I also have Cubasis version 5.1, which is a great piece of software, but it doesn't run very well on my pc. For this reason I prefer N-track, because it just looks a lot better, and 'appears' to be more user friendly. So for $350 (N-track plus the MR8) I got a twelve track machine with a lot of editing capabilites. The memory card shouldn't be an issue if you are transferring to the pc. Stay with the stock card and put the money towards a decent preamp and microphone, or whatever you need to get your recordings to a higher level. I'm sorry if this post is a little tedious, but I wanted to show you what is possible with very little outlay. If you want a stand alone recorder It is best to stay away from the MR8, it will get frustrating very soon. I hope this helps you.
bdbdbuck
New member
Cyclejim,
Welcome to the board! Man your post looks a lot like my first post here just six months ago. At the time I had just started playing again after taking 17 years off.
Amazing......the evolution of technology!
I'm currently using an MR8 w/computer and n-Track as well. I've gotta say that even with the computer mixing, I'm now leaning toward getting more capacity for the MR8. 512 mB cards are available too. Just be sure to check out the "user experience" thread on this forum before you buy anything. That might save you a lot of headaches....not to mention the cash. Good luck.
bd
Welcome to the board! Man your post looks a lot like my first post here just six months ago. At the time I had just started playing again after taking 17 years off.
Amazing......the evolution of technology!
I'm currently using an MR8 w/computer and n-Track as well. I've gotta say that even with the computer mixing, I'm now leaning toward getting more capacity for the MR8. 512 mB cards are available too. Just be sure to check out the "user experience" thread on this forum before you buy anything. That might save you a lot of headaches....not to mention the cash. Good luck.
bd
C
cozmicslop
New member
VF80
As a newbie to this forum, I can't express how grateful I am to all of you for the info on this thread alone. Many of my questions have already been answered and others touched on. I love my recently acquired VF80 and it's incredibly easy to operate and very dependable. No problems. Here's my fork in the road:
It didn't come with a CD burner and I'm wondering If that 300 bucks might be better spent on a sound card with SPDIF. I'd like to get my files on to my Mac G4 for CD burning and if possible to dump tracks to the PC for mixing/editing. I'd like to be able to overdub on the PC with my keyboards and guitars, so I'd like a break out box or cables.
Dollars being an issue, can someone recommend an inexpensive sound card? Does editing or tracking software come with or will I have to buy it separately? Will I be better off just buying the CD for the fostex and calling it a day? Is there a chance I could use a third party CD burner or get one cheaper than the three hundred dollars that fostex wants for it?
BTW, I'd be tracking to the computer I run my graphics business on. It's 933 mhz 250 RAM 40 gig HD. I could hook up a firewire drive to keep music on a separate back up drive as well as buy more RAM. As long as I'm not using any graphics software, will my audio run OK (system freezes, crashes, etc.)?
Please forgive any redundant questions.
Thanks
-Coz
As a newbie to this forum, I can't express how grateful I am to all of you for the info on this thread alone. Many of my questions have already been answered and others touched on. I love my recently acquired VF80 and it's incredibly easy to operate and very dependable. No problems. Here's my fork in the road:
It didn't come with a CD burner and I'm wondering If that 300 bucks might be better spent on a sound card with SPDIF. I'd like to get my files on to my Mac G4 for CD burning and if possible to dump tracks to the PC for mixing/editing. I'd like to be able to overdub on the PC with my keyboards and guitars, so I'd like a break out box or cables.
Dollars being an issue, can someone recommend an inexpensive sound card? Does editing or tracking software come with or will I have to buy it separately? Will I be better off just buying the CD for the fostex and calling it a day? Is there a chance I could use a third party CD burner or get one cheaper than the three hundred dollars that fostex wants for it?
BTW, I'd be tracking to the computer I run my graphics business on. It's 933 mhz 250 RAM 40 gig HD. I could hook up a firewire drive to keep music on a separate back up drive as well as buy more RAM. As long as I'm not using any graphics software, will my audio run OK (system freezes, crashes, etc.)?
Please forgive any redundant questions.
Thanks
-Coz
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morindae
New member
Cozmicslop, I'm not very knowledgeable about soundcards, and this may well be a question that will get a better response on the soundcard formum. Having said that, here are a couple of low cost cards that seem to get good reviews:
1. MIA 24/96 Audio system $179
2. Audiophile 24/96 $149 (this one also has midi in/out)
As far as I know, neither of these cards come with multitracking software.
Your computer has more than enough power to do a good job (see my post above), if you purchase software that runs well on a low powered computer.
Ultimately, your question can only be answered by you, and what your needs are going to be. If your recording ambitions are modest you may want to go with the burner, stay within the VF80, and thus keep everything simple. However, going to the computer will allow your recordings to grow, with the number of tracks only being limited by the power of your computer. You will then get the most out of your VF80 and also enjoy the freedom that the pc offers. Good luck
1. MIA 24/96 Audio system $179
2. Audiophile 24/96 $149 (this one also has midi in/out)
As far as I know, neither of these cards come with multitracking software.
Your computer has more than enough power to do a good job (see my post above), if you purchase software that runs well on a low powered computer.
Ultimately, your question can only be answered by you, and what your needs are going to be. If your recording ambitions are modest you may want to go with the burner, stay within the VF80, and thus keep everything simple. However, going to the computer will allow your recordings to grow, with the number of tracks only being limited by the power of your computer. You will then get the most out of your VF80 and also enjoy the freedom that the pc offers. Good luck
C
cozmicslop
New member
morindae, thanks foryour response. Good points. I really need to make up my own mind. Will check the forum you've suggested.
Garry Sharp
Lost Cause
Cozmic
If you're running a Mac you should look into the Audiowerk cards by Logic Audio. You could find a used Audiowerk 2 for well under $100 which will work very well with the VF80. Only has 2 ins and outs (but choice of analogue or digital on both) but that's all you need.
It's about the cheapest route and works very well for me.
Garry
If you're running a Mac you should look into the Audiowerk cards by Logic Audio. You could find a used Audiowerk 2 for well under $100 which will work very well with the VF80. Only has 2 ins and outs (but choice of analogue or digital on both) but that's all you need.
It's about the cheapest route and works very well for me.
Garry
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cozmicslop
New member
Thanks Garry, sounds like a plan. When you say it works for you, give me an example of how you use the card with your vf80. Just for CD burning? And, when you say used , do you mean like ebay? Are there other sources for this type of gear?
I like the idea of cheap right now. I don't mind upgrading later, but I have all this music I've created and 'can't get it out of the box' so to speak.
I like the idea of cheap right now. I don't mind upgrading later, but I have all this music I've created and 'can't get it out of the box' so to speak.
Garry Sharp
Lost Cause
OK Cozmic, here's how it goes for us. In all its gory detail. This doesn't stand up to pro srcrutiny; it's a practical set up for a newbie home rec'er.
We record downstairs in our "live" room, through a mixer sending 1 or 2 tracks at a time to the VF80. Let's say we get up to twelve (including different vocal takes, say two guitar parts, couple of bass takes and a stereo drum track off the machine). Eight main tracks and four virtual.
Unplug the VF80 and take it upstairs to the PC room. Hook the SPDIF out to the soundcard (the Audiowerk 2) SPDIF digital in. Bear in mind the soundcard is not doing any A/D conversion so its quality in this context is irrelevant (but it is relevant for the D/A aspect because we play back the tracks for mixing through the card to the monitors).
Set the VF to save programme, via SPDIF, open Wavelab lite on the PC, set it to record, and the VF80 outputs a stereo track, so sends two tracks at a time. Each has a synchronising bleep at the beginning. It starts with 1/2, moves on to 3/4 etc., right through to (in this case) 11/12 without a break.
So three minute song will take about 20 minutes, ample time for a beer and a cigar
What you end up with is a long string, 1/2 followed by a short silence, a synchro beep then 3/4 etc. In the wave editor I highlight each pair at a time and copy / paste them to a new file. The highlighted area starts at each synchro bleep. Takes about five or ten minutes.
Then we open n-Track, import the copied and pasted wav files one at a time, and select split stereo for each track which gives me twelve perfectly synchro'd mono tracks. Slightly long winded but as a proportion of the time spent writing, rehearsing, arranging, re-arranging, tracking and re-tracking a song its insignificant.
The Audiowerk card runs at 44.1/16, same as the VF80, and you'd need much better ears than me to find fault with the D/A quality. Yes, I meant e-bay sort of thing looking for used ones. Mine's four years old and performs faultlessly (German engineering!). Steer clear of anything Soundblaster as they run at 48khz and this makes for all sorts of complications, I think.
Hope this is helpful rather than confusing.
Have fun
Garry
We record downstairs in our "live" room, through a mixer sending 1 or 2 tracks at a time to the VF80. Let's say we get up to twelve (including different vocal takes, say two guitar parts, couple of bass takes and a stereo drum track off the machine). Eight main tracks and four virtual.
Unplug the VF80 and take it upstairs to the PC room. Hook the SPDIF out to the soundcard (the Audiowerk 2) SPDIF digital in. Bear in mind the soundcard is not doing any A/D conversion so its quality in this context is irrelevant (but it is relevant for the D/A aspect because we play back the tracks for mixing through the card to the monitors).
Set the VF to save programme, via SPDIF, open Wavelab lite on the PC, set it to record, and the VF80 outputs a stereo track, so sends two tracks at a time. Each has a synchronising bleep at the beginning. It starts with 1/2, moves on to 3/4 etc., right through to (in this case) 11/12 without a break.
So three minute song will take about 20 minutes, ample time for a beer and a cigar
What you end up with is a long string, 1/2 followed by a short silence, a synchro beep then 3/4 etc. In the wave editor I highlight each pair at a time and copy / paste them to a new file. The highlighted area starts at each synchro bleep. Takes about five or ten minutes.
Then we open n-Track, import the copied and pasted wav files one at a time, and select split stereo for each track which gives me twelve perfectly synchro'd mono tracks. Slightly long winded but as a proportion of the time spent writing, rehearsing, arranging, re-arranging, tracking and re-tracking a song its insignificant.
The Audiowerk card runs at 44.1/16, same as the VF80, and you'd need much better ears than me to find fault with the D/A quality. Yes, I meant e-bay sort of thing looking for used ones. Mine's four years old and performs faultlessly (German engineering!). Steer clear of anything Soundblaster as they run at 48khz and this makes for all sorts of complications, I think.
Hope this is helpful rather than confusing.
Have fun
Garry
C
cozmicslop
New member
many thanks
Thanks Garry, I found the Audiowerks 2 card and it was Under $100 as you predicted. I printed out a copy of your post. It was exactly what I was looking for. The A,B,C,and D, of exactly how you approached getting the sounds out of the box and into the PC were very straight forward. You're absolutely right, after all the time it took to write, arrange, re write, track, etc., waiting around for tracks to load and whatnot doesn't seem a big deal to me.
All that's left to do is acquire the wavelight and n-track programs, right?
I was curious as to why you have a mixer to go into the vf80. Isn't it self contained? Is this to help shape or contour your sound on the way in? I don't have a separate mixer, Does it make that big a difference? I have seen some very inexpensive ones on ebay.
Should I post any further questions to a new thread? I'm new at all this forum stuff and don't want to wear out my welcome 'hijacking' someone else's thread.
Thanks for all your help
I'm on my way.................(yaaaaayyyyy!!!)
Thanks Garry, I found the Audiowerks 2 card and it was Under $100 as you predicted. I printed out a copy of your post. It was exactly what I was looking for. The A,B,C,and D, of exactly how you approached getting the sounds out of the box and into the PC were very straight forward. You're absolutely right, after all the time it took to write, arrange, re write, track, etc., waiting around for tracks to load and whatnot doesn't seem a big deal to me.
All that's left to do is acquire the wavelight and n-track programs, right?
I was curious as to why you have a mixer to go into the vf80. Isn't it self contained? Is this to help shape or contour your sound on the way in? I don't have a separate mixer, Does it make that big a difference? I have seen some very inexpensive ones on ebay.
Should I post any further questions to a new thread? I'm new at all this forum stuff and don't want to wear out my welcome 'hijacking' someone else's thread.
Thanks for all your help
I'm on my way.................(yaaaaayyyyy!!!)
B
billisa
New member
Re: many thanks
While this question was not posed to me directly, I would say, just keep posting. We all learn from each other's questions/answers. By the way, while I don't use an external mixer with my VF80, one would afford more simultaneous inputs. The VF80 allows only two. I do on occasion use an external preamp/phantom power.
cozmicslop said:
While this question was not posed to me directly, I would say, just keep posting. We all learn from each other's questions/answers. By the way, while I don't use an external mixer with my VF80, one would afford more simultaneous inputs. The VF80 allows only two. I do on occasion use an external preamp/phantom power.
Garry Sharp
Lost Cause
I use a mixer because we have 2 vox, bass, guitar and a drum machine. As the VF80 can ony record two at a time, the mixer is a convenient way of sending any two of those to its inputs. Otherwise I'd be plugging and unplugging different things into it all the time. We need a mixer anyway because we all listen to ourselves through a little PA.
If you buy an Audiowerk make sure you download the latest drivers from the e-magic website (google search for audiowerk drivers will find it - any problems let me know and I'll dig it out).
All the best
Garry
If you buy an Audiowerk make sure you download the latest drivers from the e-magic website (google search for audiowerk drivers will find it - any problems let me know and I'll dig it out).
All the best
Garry
C
cozmicslop
New member
You guys are great......just... great
Here's the way I've been working-any advice would be appreciated, Im quite new to all of this. I'd like to work smarter, if I can.
So far what Ive been doing is programming drum, keys and sometimes bass on a roland xp-80. It has 16 tracks. Since I don't know yet how to synch the tracks to run them to different tracks on the vf, I just end up recording the whole thing (usually four to six tracks) all into one track on the vf. I then come back and track bass and guitars. Usually by now the I've run out of tracks so I get the best mix I can and bounce them to tracks 7/8. Up till now, i've played all the instruments myself with a scratch vocal and mixed to my stereo to give cassettes to my guitarist and singer to learn. Then I bring them in (separately) and use the open tracks after I've bounced the main tracks to 7/8. By now I have no control over what I've bounced (as far as tweaking) and sometimes end up with some white noise. So besides just CD burning, I want to keep tracks separate until everything is recorded.
With the sound card I would record up to 8 tracks at a time, bring them into the PC for mixing and go back and add layers of guitar and keys and vocals as needed, bring them into the PC and then have from 12 to 20 tracks in my mixing/editing software to mix all at once. Then I cound have control of all my elements. Make any sense? Garry mentioned virtual tracks. Is this the same as additional tracks? The manual doesn't mention virtual tracks. How do you use these virtual tracks?
Does anyone else use a workstation like the roland? How would I record the separate roland tracks to separate VF tracks and keep them all in synch? So far, I have been having a lot of fun and Those who have heard the tapes have been impressed, but I don't want to develope any bad habits. If my thinking or approach is backward, I want to correct things now. I'm already being approached by singers and musicians that want backing tracks for performances where they can't get or afford a whole band.
Thanks again for all the help
Here's the way I've been working-any advice would be appreciated, Im quite new to all of this. I'd like to work smarter, if I can.
So far what Ive been doing is programming drum, keys and sometimes bass on a roland xp-80. It has 16 tracks. Since I don't know yet how to synch the tracks to run them to different tracks on the vf, I just end up recording the whole thing (usually four to six tracks) all into one track on the vf. I then come back and track bass and guitars. Usually by now the I've run out of tracks so I get the best mix I can and bounce them to tracks 7/8. Up till now, i've played all the instruments myself with a scratch vocal and mixed to my stereo to give cassettes to my guitarist and singer to learn. Then I bring them in (separately) and use the open tracks after I've bounced the main tracks to 7/8. By now I have no control over what I've bounced (as far as tweaking) and sometimes end up with some white noise. So besides just CD burning, I want to keep tracks separate until everything is recorded.
With the sound card I would record up to 8 tracks at a time, bring them into the PC for mixing and go back and add layers of guitar and keys and vocals as needed, bring them into the PC and then have from 12 to 20 tracks in my mixing/editing software to mix all at once. Then I cound have control of all my elements. Make any sense? Garry mentioned virtual tracks. Is this the same as additional tracks? The manual doesn't mention virtual tracks. How do you use these virtual tracks?
Does anyone else use a workstation like the roland? How would I record the separate roland tracks to separate VF tracks and keep them all in synch? So far, I have been having a lot of fun and Those who have heard the tapes have been impressed, but I don't want to develope any bad habits. If my thinking or approach is backward, I want to correct things now. I'm already being approached by singers and musicians that want backing tracks for performances where they can't get or afford a whole band.
Thanks again for all the help
B
billisa
New member
This may not help...but...
First of all, what ever way makes you comfortable is OK, even though if others can make it simpler, great. I'm wondering, why not go straight into the VF80 without the Roland... Then, when you are sure you like the mix of tracks 1-6, bounce them to 7/8. Then, move 7/8 to 5-6 and fill up 1-4. Then bounce down again. You can keep doing this ad infinitum, without adding white noise. However, before bouncing down the original 6 tracks, if you have the CDR, you can copy them, as is, onto a CD for backup in case things go awry. I tried this last Saturday night and it works great.
First of all, what ever way makes you comfortable is OK, even though if others can make it simpler, great. I'm wondering, why not go straight into the VF80 without the Roland... Then, when you are sure you like the mix of tracks 1-6, bounce them to 7/8. Then, move 7/8 to 5-6 and fill up 1-4. Then bounce down again. You can keep doing this ad infinitum, without adding white noise. However, before bouncing down the original 6 tracks, if you have the CDR, you can copy them, as is, onto a CD for backup in case things go awry. I tried this last Saturday night and it works great.
C
cozmicslop
New member
No CD burner
Since my vf80 didn't come with a CD burner, I was looking for ways to bring files into my Mac G4 (933mhz/250mbRAM/40gHD/OS 9.2) for burning. That's why I needed a sound card w spdif.
Now that I've ordered the sound card (audiowerks 2), I'll need editing/mixing software.
I've looked at the programs Garry cited (wavelabe lite & N-Tracks) and was disappointed to discover that they don't support MacIntosh. Arrgghhh!!!
Are any of you Mac users? Can anyone suggest Mac compatible software that will import, edit, and mix from vf80?
Bill, your plan would work fine up until I have to burn a CD.
I'm almost there.
Since my vf80 didn't come with a CD burner, I was looking for ways to bring files into my Mac G4 (933mhz/250mbRAM/40gHD/OS 9.2) for burning. That's why I needed a sound card w spdif.
Now that I've ordered the sound card (audiowerks 2), I'll need editing/mixing software.
I've looked at the programs Garry cited (wavelabe lite & N-Tracks) and was disappointed to discover that they don't support MacIntosh. Arrgghhh!!!
Are any of you Mac users? Can anyone suggest Mac compatible software that will import, edit, and mix from vf80?
Bill, your plan would work fine up until I have to burn a CD.
I'm almost there.
C
cozmicslop
New member
Everything starts with the Roland
Bill, I can't bypass the roland because I compose/program my drum tracks on the roland as well as progam all the keyboard, strings,and sometimes bass. Even though I write on guitar and sometimes bass, everything starts with the roland because that's where my drum tracks come from. I sometimes import a drum file I've created on my Mac into the roland, where I edit and punch them up.
The way you've suggesting bouncing tracks sounds very effective. Better than what I have been doing anyway.
Still need advice on the mac issue. N-Tracks looks like a great program but it doesn't support my System or OS.
Bill, I can't bypass the roland because I compose/program my drum tracks on the roland as well as progam all the keyboard, strings,and sometimes bass. Even though I write on guitar and sometimes bass, everything starts with the roland because that's where my drum tracks come from. I sometimes import a drum file I've created on my Mac into the roland, where I edit and punch them up.
The way you've suggesting bouncing tracks sounds very effective. Better than what I have been doing anyway.
Still need advice on the mac issue. N-Tracks looks like a great program but it doesn't support my System or OS.