Slugbaby
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New setup
Hi, I dropped off the face of the earth for a couple of years, but am back with a new plan. In the next few months, i'm planning to replace my current PC setup. Right now, i'm using a Dell PC on XP, and Producer 8.5 that I bought when X1 first came out. For in/out, i am using a cheap Behringer 12-track mixer and an M-Audio 2496. I pretty much record one track at a time, but the mixer allows me to keep the drum machine, keyboard, guitar, bass, and mic all plugged in and ready to go. I plan on upgrading the X1 when I move to the new PC (let's face it, the old stuff works but it's unsupported on anything newer). I'm looking for suggestions for: New PC Soundcard Non-Behringer mixing board or other I/O device that has 5-6 inputs. I don't really need the multiple-in feature for recording 8 tracks at once. Ideally in the $1500-$2000 range for everything. Any suggestions or advice?
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AT
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Re: New setup
2013/11/13 17:20:27
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I'd think one of the PC builders here on this site would be your first stop. That price floats, depending upon what you want. But at least you know you've got that part of deal done. And are you sure you a mixer and a soundcard? More bang for buck getting a muti ADDA interface. Unless you need the external mixer. Otherwise, you just plug into the interface and use the soft mixer to, well, mix. Within your budget you could get a Focusrite 18i20 or 6i6, the Steinberg usb, Roland or such. They are all about the same, quality wise. Cheap analog mixer? There isn't that much difference, either, between competing units at the low end of the scale. You could find a mixer that outputs digitial stereo via USB, which might make sense. If I had to choose I'd go w/ Allen & Heath, since I've used other stuff of theirs and it was good. Or just keep the behringer and go a step up by buying the focusrite Forte interface, or RME baby face. That way you won't have to worry about "upgrading" your interface ADDA anytime soon. @
https://soundcloud.com/a-pleasure-dome http://www.bnoir-film.com/ there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
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Slugbaby
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Re: New setup
2013/11/14 09:45:05
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Thanks AT! I hadn't thought of just using an ADDA interface. I never really use the mixer without the PC, so it makes sense to streamline. The 18i20 looks promising, and the Steinberg UR44 might work too. That's the type of suggestion i was looking for.
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AT
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Re: New setup
2013/11/14 12:20:02
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Glad that helped. An analog mixer is nice to have. It makes it easier to do headphone mixes and makes a darn good patchbay as your system grows. But for just choosing synths etc. that are plugged in, it really ain't necessary since you can choose that input up in your soft mixer. Something like the Forte or Babyface mentioned above is a good, long term investment. The idea is to get enough quality you won't feel the need to replace it in a year or two, whether for outboard or the computer itself. The Forte has 4 ins (2 mic preamps, two lines), which is flexible enough for small studios, and the preamps should be better than your mixer's so you can use them directly and plug in instruments into your behringer mixer to choose which instruments to send for recording instead of having to patch. I prefer at least 4 outputs - one to montior and the other for outboard effects and such. The Forte has a hands on knob like my TC Konnekt 48 remote. While a custom built computer is great and can save a lot of time and headscrathing, a well-choosen Sony or HP (I've used both) works great too. They do put a lot of extraneous software on those, but that is not the killer it used to be w/ single core, memory-light slower computers. Something else to think about. research before you start throwing money out there. Understanding how and what you want to record is the first thing, then the hardware to make it happen. A few days or weeks can make your money work for you. Figure out how much you can spend, and get the best quality hardware you can afford. Don't be afraid to skimp on one part to get good on the others, as long as you realize you'll probably need to upgrade later as soon as you get the money. There isn't usually a night-and-day difference (say, between the forte and and the forusrite scarlet line) but if you stick w/ recording you'll end up wanting a better preamp, etc. That is natural growth - or greed. @
https://soundcloud.com/a-pleasure-dome http://www.bnoir-film.com/ there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
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2:43AM
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Re: New setup
2013/11/15 06:53:45
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You'll need a graphics card as well, unless you keep your old one, at which I don't know what you have since it isn't listed in your signature. Whatever it may be, or whatever you plan to purchase for your future rig, then please consider something other than an nVidia card. Until nVidia admits their drivers/cards cause inherent latencies, and they engineer and roll-out a software solution, these cards will continue to cause grief.
post edited by 2:43AM - 2013/11/15 06:55:46
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