Which Recording Unit?

[Turkey]

Hello,
I've been recording and creating my own music by myself for 13 years (self taught). I play many instruments but am originally a guitar player / singer.

For the past 6 years I've been using a Fostex D-80 accompanied by a Mackie 1604. Its been nice but I'm getting so fed up with having only 8 tracks to work with. As you may understand I have to take my drums (5 trks) and mix them down to 1 or 2 trks. A very tedious and tiresome job that must turn out perfect. Not to mention the multiple guitar and vocal trks etc that I end up bouncing and ganging up and in-turn muddying up the sound.

For the past while I've been playing with the idea of purchasing ProTools 002. That also means purchasing a Mac or PC. Probably big bucks but is it worth it? My other thoughts are upgrading my system to the Fostex D2424LV. I've seen this advertised on the net for $1100 (some kind of shady discount?). 24 tracks would be amazing. Man, I'd be pretty happy with 16 for that matter.

My problem is I'm so out of the loop I'm not understanding all of this newschool lingo (as well as the old stuff). I just want to have a decent set up where I can record a drum kit and multiple instruments and have them all on their own seperate tracks.

I'm also not sure if my existing gear would be compatible with the 002. I also imagine that if I got the Fostex D2424LV I'd need a bigger board for mixing the end product.

Any advice on what road to take?
Your wisdom will be much appreciated.
Thanks

 

[manning1]

search under my name for lots of tips posted in the lasst year.
get an amd athlon, 512 ram, two 7200 rpm hard drives.
put powertracks that i use on it for 49 bucks. this gives you 48 tracks of audio and midi. just try the demo.(pgmusic.com)
get a delta sound card. take direct outs of mackie into say 8 ins of the delta.
also look at phase 88 sound card.
for the above , the cost is around 900 bucks if you shop wisely.
or if you can find a used athlon around shave off a coupla hundred bucks.
peace.

 

[Turkey]

Thanks for the advice Manning (very much appreciated).
I've been reading many posts and some of this computer talk makes sense to me but then some of it's like reading Japanese. Without seeing the setup and knowing what all of these different items are in their specific function it's difficult for me to visualize how it all comes together. My cherry has yet to be popped in this computer recording world. I'll keep on reading and probably ask more questions later. It's difficult to know what to ask when you're somewhat of an alien to this computer recording subject. I've been recording in my basement for a long time but for me my old gear feels very much like plug in and play (I guess it's just second nature cause I'm so familiar with it).
Thanks

 

[crankz1]

You could continue to use the D-80 for your recording, yet enter the realm of computer sequencing.
There are a number of low cost and even free audio sequencers out there.
Kristal Audio Engine (16 tracks Free)
n-Track (Unlimited tracks $49 for the 16 bit version .... $75 for the 24 bit version)
PowerTracks (48 tracks $49 ..... manning1's favorite)
MultitrackStudio (Unlimited tracks $69 Pro version ..... multi-channel recording $119 Pro Plus version)
Plus a multitude of others including the big ticket ones.
All you would need is a soundcard with the required digital input .... like an Emu 0404 and a computer with enough balls to process the number of tracks you would like to achieve and some effects processing (if plugins are your forte).
Record your 8 tracks on the D-80 and then move them, two tracks at a time (or 1 if they are stereo tracks), over to the computer to be sequenced in the software of your choice via the D-80's optical digital output.
This would allow you to continue using what you are comfortable with, while at the same time you'll be getting your feet wet in the computer based DAW world.
Once you become comfortable working with a computer, you can always upgrade your soundcard/interface to one that offers the amount of I/O you desire.

Just a thought.

-Ken

 

[manning1]

good post crankz.
turkey its not difficult. visualize a big ol' tape machine - remember those ?
or if you never saw a big studio recorder visualize conceptually
a cassette deck , except this tape machine (the pc) has 48 vu meters and 48 seperate tracks you can record on. its just the display is different.
and the tracks are stored on a disc instead of tape.
you are very lucky actually turkey. big ol' tape machines used to cost
an inheritance. now anyone can afford it.
theres nothing like hands on imho. take a test drive.
one of the reasons i like the powertracks product is the help manual
is very good for newbies. its all covered, recording, effects, right through to mixdown. the whole process. some people spend thousands on a recording
school that the help covers. it even comes with videos.
couldnt be easier.

 

[Turkey]

First of all this is great, thanks so much for your time and input manning & crankz. The links that crankz added were visually very helpful.

I do like the idea of still using my D-80 in conjunction with the computer. But can they work simultaneously, will this become a hassle, what is the connection between the two (sound card, how many in's?)? What if I recorded acoustic first, then drums (on the D-80) and then dumped the drums into the computer. How would I go about hearing the drums that are on my computer and the acoustic on the D-80 through one set of headphones so I can proceed to record more guitars, vox, etc?

When you say “sequencer”, does that mean software that will sync my D-80 with the computer tracks?

Okay, I've now seen the Emu404. Things are coming together a bit. This is the sound card which is the connection between my D-80? Would my mixer also be connected to this if I was recording directly to the computer?

Now I'm quite dull when it comes to the word "MIDI". I've never worked in/with MIDI and for some reason when I hear that word I think of the early 90's industrial bands, sound samples and computerized instruments which I've never gotten into. What would I use these MIDI in/outs for (on the D-80 and sound card)?

What about mixing? When I've completed the song I imagine all of the tracks will have to be dumped from the D-80 to the computer for final internal computer mixing? Does PowerTracks have programmable auto mixing?

It appears that this gear is made for PC’s? I'm a Map Maker so I do a lot of graphic work on my PC and I'm estimating that there'd be major benefits to having a computer dedicated only to recording creations – True? Should I lose the internet connection as well or is that not an issue?

Now as for a new computer would you suggest piecing one together? Will computer stores customize like that or would I have to put it together myself (probably not such a good idea)?

All night I’ve been searching and reading up on different software and computer components (I’m so cooked out). I don’t want to say that I’ve got money to burn cause I certainly don’t but I am willing to pay for quality components that will stick down that road and won’t have to be upgraded so soon. The ability to keep working at a pace is very important. Nobody wants to wait for a slug chug machine.

Sorry for the extra long message.
I'll understand if nobody wants to answer all of my adolecent questions.
I'm gettin blown away, and I'm learning.

Thanks
Turk

 

[manning1]

turkey. heres a simple description...
mic>>d80(using the d 80 mic pre's or a seperate mixer)>>>sound card input on pc.
you could use your d80 with the computer. but i dont. i dont need one.
my mics go to mic preamps (or a mixer) to feed the sound card in the pc.
midi doesnt record audio. all it records is the fact you hit a note
on a midi keyboard device. (best thing is to read up on it on the net).
i record all tracks on the computer. and yes - once you click the "mixdown button" in the multitrack software on the pc. it creates a final stereo master you can burn to cd if you wish. you know - as i said the best thing for you to do is get hold of a pc and try the software i suggested with its great HELP file and record away. this will give you a far better learning experience than us exchanging words on a bbs. theres nothing like "hands on".
and youll learn a lot much FASTER. also note - you can try the demo,
and there is a 30 day money back guarantee on the software i see on the pg web site. youll learn a lot.