NEED OPINIONS...on recording gear/hardware...

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NJVenom

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Hey all...I'm new here...glad I found this site. ANyhoo, I was wondering what everyone thought of as the best recording setup for the money they spent...My computer crashed, and after getting it to work again it will NOT let me record or playback old stuff without a whole lot of noise/latency...It just doesn't want to run the program anymore...I was thinking about buying a MAC STRICTLY for recording music only, and leave my current PC for all the internet browsing...
OR..I am considering buying a Tascam (?) or Roland (?) or Fostex (?) hard disc 8 track recorder...Please let me know your opinions, and how much $$ you spent. I just scored a MB Mk. IV...so funds are ...limited.
Also, if anyone uses a drum machine, I'd like opinions on them as well...cost, ease of use...etc.
If anyone wants to hear my bands latest recordings, check out www.cargun.net
It was done with ProTools, several good mics and a mic preamp

PEACE
 
Welcome to the board, it's a good one. Seems to lack the Alpha-Male Jerks that often run rampant elsewhere on the web. I use MOTU Digital Performer 5 on a Mac with a MOTU 896 interface. If I had it all to do over again I would have gotten one of the better all in one recorders. Some of them have drum machines built in and fairly decent mic-pres.

Too many components in my rig to take it elsewhere to record (would be harder to steal but that is not a problem here). Having said that, DP5 is easily one of the best "bang for the buck" recording softwares out there for the Mac. Full MIDI and audio, powerful feature set etc.

Other than wishing I had something more portable and simple, I have no specific recommendations for you. Get the best mics, mic pres and monitors/headphones you can afford and make records. Good luck. :D
 
i love the Presonus FireStudio/Digimax FS system we use with a PC and Cubase SX 3.

16 inputs, 96k capable, <6ms latency, good sounding preamps, the Control Studio software for the presonus is a bit difficult to figure out at first, but we used it with a Rane HC4 headphone amp and were able to route different headphone mixes for the drummer, bassist, and guitarist at a feasible latency for recording.

we aren't concerned so much with portability, so the all-in-one HD recorders just seemed less flexible and familiar to us than a PC-based system, and with the whole setup (Furman conditioner, Rane HC4, Firestudio and Digimax) in a 6 space rack we could easily take it with and pair it with a laptop for mobile recording.

monitor speakers are what broke the bank for us, but they're worth every penny.

oh, and if you go the PC route, get dual hard drives in RAID, a little more piece of mind in case one HD crashes

we use an old Alesis SR-16 drum machine for songwriting purposes only

recordings at xoclore.com
 
I am using a Roland VS2400. It is a great all in one unit. I use it to record our band, and do recording at home. In that regard, the portability is great. I also run a VGA monitor with it, so the display is easy to work with. The Roland units have a card that runs third party software, so you can expand them. They do not have as many software options as computer based recording software though. There are so many options with recording now, it's hard to decide. I like having everything in one unit. It removes patchbays, software problems etc. Some of the guys using them get gas as bad as anyone with guitars and amps and have to have expensive mic preamps, compressors, yadayada...
I personally haven't come close to the capabilities of this machine, so I see no need to upgrade yet.
I really like being able to lay down tracks, add effects, mix 'em, master them and burn a cd. I do use an Alesis SR16 when I can't record the drummer. My next step will be a keyboard with onboard sequencer so I can do midi arrangements without a stand alone computer.
They have been out for awhile now, so the price is really coming down. They still list at some ridiculous price, but I got mine at GC when they were discontinuing them. At $1400.00, it was a great deal (compared to $2400)
 
Mac schmack. You dont need a mac to make good recordings. The only reason MAC's and Pro tools are the industry standard isnt because it is so much better , its because it is noob friendly .. ( let the flaming begin )

If you have a pretty decent pc you can use it to record with. All you need are some interfaces/preamps/mics/monitors/headphone amp/phones.

I use a custom built AMD based system that I put together. With 4 M-Audio Delta 44's when recording at 96khz with my buffer set to 64 you get 0 ms latency .. yes thats right 0 latency. But your system should be pretty robust.

I use the Deltas in conjunction with some ART TPS II preamps .. The 44's will run you 150 a piece.. two of them together will give you 8 ins and 8 outs.
The routing software they come with is very easy to use and pretty self explanatory. http://myspace.com/burnstudios I have some audio samples you can listen to there. and at http://burnstudios.com

for the money you spend on a mac you could build a nice pc and get some really nice gear. My 2 cents
 
I'll be looking for a Mac when Leopard comes out next month.

I plan on running Ableton Live with my MOTU 8pre for home studio and live performances.

And it looks like I'll be needing another rack so I'll be looking for a soft rack or another SKB 4U Shallow X rack.
 
The yamaha AW 4416 seems like a safe bet since they sell for about $500 on ebay.

16 tracks of uncompressed recording (44 or 48khz)

16 motorized faders

mouse input

2 expansion bays (for adding adat, third party effects, analog inputs, etc)

on board sequencer

built in effects

inserts on channels 1+2

comp on each channel

I haven't received my 4416 yet (**** USPS) but hopefully it will be coming within the next week or two.

For me it seems silly to build a home recording PC that is extremely powerful, buy the outboard cards, get the plug ins, get the cabling, etc when all people want is a good MP3. Yes you can make great recordings on a PC/MAC but you can also make the same quality or even better recordings on an all in one unit. You also have to be extremely careful about internet connectivity and viruses too. A stand alone unit isn't going to get a virus.

Gonzo uses a VS1880 to record his stuff and it sounds phenominal (granted he sends it out for mastering) even with the 1880 being dated and cumbersome IMO (i've owned a 1680, 1880, and 1824).

To each his own though.

Greg
 
I've had good luck with my band's setup. We use a Presonus firepod 8 channel with Reaper. Reaper is equally as good as protools but free. www.reaper.fm I love this program. At the studio we use we have a protools HD setup but can't afford that for our home stuff.
 

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