Re: [MLUG] multitrack digital recording

["Vern Green" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Mike,

 

I do this on a weekly basis, here is what I have for this purpose:

 

http://www.presonus.com/firepod.html

 

This is a small unit that will do 8 tracks all at one time into the computer using firewire. If you need more, you can daisy chain three of these together to get 24 tracks. Mine cost $500 when I bought it, but now there is a new one out:

 

http://www.presonus.com/firestudio.html

 

Which is taking over this market from the original Firepod. This one does 26 tracks in and out and has a number of advanced features that can be added to it. Pretty nice unit and at $899 retail it is not a bank breaker.

 

All of these come with Cubase LE which will do most of the recording for you on the computer side and is available on PC and Mac platforms.

 

I can only speak of quality on the firepod as I have not had a chance to use the Firestudio as yet, the Firepod does good work, is it on par with what ProTools will do? Well I think a lot of the allure of ProTools is the software package and that is where more of the real work is going to take place. ProTools probably has better A/D converters than Presonus does, but I seriously doubt you or anyone listening would be able to tell the difference.

 

I also have this unit

http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=94

 

The reason I bought this and started using it was because it had analog style controls for EQ and Auxiliary sends. It also has some effects on board. This small mixer gave me more flexibility to use this as a live mixer for some of the smaller venues where I needed to set up my PA. At the same time, I could use my laptop at the gig to record the band live as well. This worked very well and with the EQ and effects made this board very useful for those purposes.

 

The sound quality on this board is alright, it is very clean sounding, but most newer Alesis equipment suffers a little in sound quality, (sometimes sounds a little tinny).

 

The nice thing is that this unit was even less than the Firepod I bought.

 

You of course might not need all of that, and if not there are many products that work in the 4 to 6 input range.

 

http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=36

http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html

 

There are many other products that live in that range as well.

 

You can also use your soundcard, the newer Soundblaster cards from the Live to the present Audigy are actually not too bad as recording inputs. The problem I have with them is that unless you buy the interface module that has the larger 1/4 inch inputs, you are stuck with the small inputs in the back.

 

Like I said, I do this all the time. Almost every day I am working on my equipment, right now I have three bands that are all in the studio writing materials for CDs and all of our work is recorded on a daily basis with this equipment. I record on my Gateway Tablet PC. I Use Cakewalk Producer Edition 5 for this purpose and I have a number of VSTs running on it as well. I have played back 28 tracks of solid audio on my system, including using effects and not had any problems with processor drops or hard drive bottlenecks.

 

I love to talk about this stuff, and I would be glad to help you out anyway I can.

 

Thanks

Vern

 

 

 

On 1/11/07, Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED> wrote:

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007, Fallert, Adam Christian wrote:

> I don't speak on this subject with any authority, but I have dabbled a
> bit with professional grade recording equipment within the past couple
> of years.
>
> Personally, I prefer the stand alone equipment myself and you can always
> find new and used equipment for relatively cheap all the way up to the
> "bend over and take it..." prices.  I also think you are going to be
> hard pressed to find a sound card (if they even make them) with 16
> inputs plus software at a price the average person is willing to pay.
> I know that many of the modern digital recorders allow for direct
> interfacing with a computer via a USB.

The 16 tracks don't have to be recorded simultaneously.  I would usually
record one at a time.  It's just nice to be able to maintain the
separation and then mix the 16 tracks together in the end.  For right now,
for me, I'm sure that 4 tracks will be great.  After all, The Beatles
recorded Sgt. Peppers on 4 track, so you can do plenty with it.


> Cakewalk is good.  My mother currently uses that plus a few other audio
> packages for her music studio.  Currently, when she wants to import her
> multi-track recordings from her 4 track Tascam analog recorder into the
> computer, she simple plays one track at a time.  It seems to work for
> her alright.
>
> Hope this helps.

Definitely.  Thanks much.

Mike

_______________________________________________
members mailing list
EMAIL:PROTECTED
http://mlug.missouri.edu/mailman/listinfo/members

-- 
Thanks
F Vernon Green 
_______________________________________________
members mailing list
EMAIL:PROTECTED
http://mlug.missouri.edu/mailman/listinfo/members