Portable DAW

Author
Post
Essentials Only Full Version
jkim67
Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 94
  • Joined: 2004/03/16 12:38:26
  • Status: offline
2005/11/22 00:20:21 (permalink)

Portable DAW

Looking for some help in building a portable DAW. It'll be used to record a Church Praise Band. I'm looking to build an AMD 64 X2 4400 system on a 3U rack space (http://www.servercase.com). I have a Tascam FW-1804 and a Behringer ADA8000. I'm looking to record 16 tracks at 24/44.1 on Sonar 5. This is what it looks like:

Gator 6U enclosure on wheels
AMD 64 X2 4400 3U
Tascam FW-1804 2U
Behringer ADA 8000 1U

Should all fit. That should give me 16 tracks to record. Since I've never tried recording 'live' multi-track, I'd appreciate some feedback and/or ideas.

Thanks!


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/9/jamesyoungkim.htm
#1

6 Replies Related Threads
    Guest
    Max Output Level: -25.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 4951
    • Joined: 2009/08/03 10:50:51
    • Status: online
    RE: Portable DAW 2005/11/22 00:48:29 (permalink)
    you should be fine with this set up.. i guess the only question i have is about your
    hard drives ... how much, what kind and how fast? .. and how much RAM?

    i just got an x2 as well ... it's the fastest system i've ever owned .... my
    stuff which was sputtering out at 80% load is purring at 40% or less.

    jeff
    #2
    jkim67
    Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 94
    • Joined: 2004/03/16 12:38:26
    • Status: offline
    RE: Portable DAW 2005/11/23 20:15:06 (permalink)
    I'm looking to put in an internal SATA 300GB Hardrive 7200 rpm (for programs) and get an external 300GB Firewire hardrive (for recording). I like the firewire external so I can easily use my home DAW for post production. I'm using the portable DAW for recording only. I'm putting in 4 Gigs of ram also. I just want to make sure, the system will capably handle 16 tracks simultaneous recording at 24/44.1 without halts for about 1 and a 1/2 hours every Sunday. Glad to hear your x2 system is running fine!

    Hmmm, that leads me to another question. In Sonar 5, can I switch off recording tracks on the fly? I mean, have all 16 tracks recording for the praise band. Then on the sermon, just have 1 track recording. And then back to all 16 when the praise band kicks in again. This without stopping the recording process?

    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/9/jamesyoungkim.htm
    #3
    johnkempton
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 14
    • Joined: 2004/01/26 17:59:09
    • Status: offline
    RE: Portable DAW 2005/11/23 22:00:42 (permalink)
    Note sure how much noise is an issue, but rackmount 3U cases are not known to be quiet. Might want to ask the supplier before you purchase.

    This case looks to be made more specific for recording environments. Can't say much else about it other than I've been satisfied with their desktop products.
    http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=94003

    Cheers,
    John.
    #4
    bill durham
    Max Output Level: -81 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 460
    • Joined: 2003/11/09 11:26:23
    • Status: offline
    RE: Portable DAW 2005/11/24 20:25:07 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: jkim67

    I'm looking to put in an internal SATA 300GB Hardrive 7200 rpm (for programs) and get an external 300GB Firewire hardrive (for recording). I like the firewire external so I can easily use my home DAW for post production. I'm using the portable DAW for recording only. I'm putting in 4 Gigs of ram also. I just want to make sure, the system will capably handle 16 tracks simultaneous recording at 24/44.1 without halts for about 1 and a 1/2 hours every Sunday. Glad to hear your x2 system is running fine!

    Jkim,

    You might have a problem here with the size of the file that you would be creating. I think that there is a limit of 2 gig in a wave file..which you might run into if you just hit record for an hour and a half. If you have somebody that can operate the computer, you can setup a template for the band that you would use for each song that should keep you from hitting the limit.


    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/4/bdandfriends_music.htm

    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/billdurham_music.htm
    #5
    Kicker
    Max Output Level: -81 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 477
    • Joined: 2004/06/08 23:31:37
    • Location: Amherst, MA
    • Status: offline
    RE: Portable DAW 2005/11/24 20:58:39 (permalink)
    I have a Take 3 case. It is quiter than any other rack case out there, but the air moving through the rack enclosure will still cause some noise.

    It only has space for 3 internal hard drives. One is mounted horizontally above the power supply, and the other two are a pair mounted vertically next to the external drive cage.

    The two chassis fans have 3 position switches to adjust their RPM.

    Make sure to get a couple of extra splitters for the internal power wiring. There are only two "old-style" wires with a pair of connectors on each, and they barely reach the external drive cage.

    One big plus is that the exterior paint is very resistant to scratches and rack rash. I must have pulled the case out of the rack 10 times already and there is not a single scratch on it.

    One final note about the case: Don't plan on using rails. The case is a little wider than most and there isn't enough space for the rails.


    I have a question about your plans for mobile recording. Will there be an isolated room that you can use to monitor the audio? It's nearly impossible to get the sound right if you are only using headphones. You may be planning to get the correct levels for each track while on location and make it sound good in your studio, but this almost never works out. Because of the difference in rooms and microphone placement, you can never be certain that you have captured enough of the sound to work with in the studio. It always ends up missing some frequencies or blowing up from standing waves.
    #6
    jkim67
    Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 94
    • Joined: 2004/03/16 12:38:26
    • Status: offline
    RE: Portable DAW 2006/02/03 00:59:16 (permalink)
    Okay - finally got a portable rig set up. I'm basically using a laptop with a firewire connection to a Tascam FW1804. I've been recording 8 tracks with the drums on one stereo track. But then there's so much bleed on the drum mics that it's impossible to really get a good clean drum track. I just got a Presonus Digimax on ebay and am waiting for it to arrive. I'm hoping to hook it up to the FW1804 via ADAT and use the extra 8 mic-pres to record the drum set. I'm a real newbie when it comes to live recording but I'm thoroughly enjoying the 'humbling' experience of listening back to what we played live and thought sounded nice LOL. I'm hoping the Digimax will be a bit boost. I'll be able to record 16 tracks live! I could get an additional 2 tracks if I got a dual mic-pre with SPDIF! That'd be 18 tracks. Does anybody have any suggestions for an affordable dual mic-pre with spdif? How about the aphex?

    I also posted one of our live recording on my soundclick (with the stereo drum track) should you want to listen to what this portable rig sounds like.


    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/9/jamesyoungkim.htm
    #7
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1