What's a poor boy to do?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mjhigg
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mjhigg

New member
OK. Here's one for all of you out there who AREN'T totally sick of long newbie posts.

I've been reading the posts, and checking out the resources, and I think I might be getting an idea of what what I might be able to do. Keep in mind that I am trying at all costs to avoid spending boatloads of cash, but rather to use what I have and a little ingenuity to hopefully make up for it.

I have been using a Tascam 8 track for several years, and just recently, I have started reading the posts, and I got SoundForge, which came recommended. I have been sending the stereo mix from my Tascam into the serial input of my Creative SoundBlaster card to SoundForge, where I do a little mastering. Sounds pretty good, but I don't have any flexibility with the individual tracks once I get it on the 'puter. So if I add a little reverb with SF, the bass and the kick drum get muddy. If I add the reverb at the Tascam, and then compress with SF, the reverb gets all screwy and hissy.

So I was thinking (feel free to tell me if this sounds ridiculous)...

Maybe I could record one track at a time with the computer, and put them all together with Cakewalk, or something. That way, I could manipulate the individual tracks in SF, and import them into Cakewalk, where I could mix them (pan, volume, etc.).

Is this a feasible resolution to my problem, or will I have synch problems, or other issues? Or is Cakewalk not well-equipped for this?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
 
mjhigg - you could, as you say, just record them directly into cakewalk but there is one problem. SYNC. Unfortunately tape recorders aren't very reliable where timing is concerned. Digital always syncs up because it's locked to to a sample clock rate but tape recorders vary ever so slightly from one pass to another.

If you had the syncroniser card for the Tascam then you could send MTC to the puter and it would stay in sync otherwise it would be touch and go.

cheers
john
 
Greets, my first post here. After an anyoing personal email from someone who posted in the news.cake group I though I'd check the place out. I prefer news reader based groups, but you take what you can get.

Even with MTC you could still have sync issues, esspecially when doing multiple passes.

First bit of advice would be to take the plunge and grab an 8 ch audio interface. Delta 1010's are hard to beat at the moment, and include a bundle with Vegas pro * A killer non midi app. contact my friend JIM st studiocat.com for the low down.

2nd If you have space at the begining of the tape, Arm all tracks for recording, and send a sync tone blip to all of them at the same time - You may or may not have this capability. A trip to radio shack for a bunch of Y abapters may be in your future : ) If you have space between songs, repeat the process -- Just be really careful that you don't overwrite anything.

Also the sequence you track them in is import - to avoid phase relationship problems. For instance any stereo track sets should be sent together, (Drum L/R as an example)

Once you get them in to cakewalk, you can zooom wAAAAAAY in on the waveforms and manually line them up -- Down to the sample level. (A nice square wave pulse makes this real easy) From this point -The digitl world of multitracking is yours.

Again an 8 I/O interface would not require this at all - you could just track all 8 tracks at once.


Alternatively, you may be able to find a local studio with a muli-i/o setup that could pull them in and bun them on to cd-r rather inexpensively.

Jeremy Taylor (not exactly a newbie)
 
Hey, thanks for the posts, fellas! Very helpful.

I think I can figure out the rest. Anyone know of a good book on Cakewalk that reads a little better than the manual? Something tells me I should get to know this program a little better, and maybe avoid some hours of frustration.
 
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