• SONAR
  • What to use on the road?
2013/12/01 23:34:13
Ori
Not sure where this post should go.
I have Sonar X3c Studio in my home studio.  It runs on a fairly powerful desktop, and everything works great!
For the first time I am asked to record on the road.  I wonder what hardware do Sonar users use on the road?
 
Help most appreciated.
2013/12/05 07:59:43
mettelus
I would post this in the X-Series forum. There are typically more eyes in there, and some of those folks are running laptops with X3c.
2013/12/05 19:32:34
michael diemer
Ask Willie Nelson.
2013/12/05 23:00:09
lawajava
Ori - I may not be the most supported person when I say this, but I ditched using a desktop altogether.

It has been great for me. As long as you have enough memory in your laptop and it's relatively up to date as a machine I think it can be extremely liberating - as it has been for me.

I can attach to my full studio and I have everything just like I had with a desktop. This is especially great when I'm mixing with monitors and want the whole studio set up available.

When I detach from my studio area and take my laptop elsewhere I can still do 80 percent of the work just with Sonar X3 on the laptop and a few extra pieces I take with me.

One is my audio interface. I use a Focusrite Scarlett 18i6. I have one of these tethered in my studio area to 18 inputs from all kinds of studio gear. I have a second Scarlett unit I bring around with my laptop so that all the audio settings are the same and I'm good to fire up Sonar anywhere.

I also usually have my Line 6 KB-37 keyboard with me as well. This is great for inputting keyboard tracks and allows me to use PodFarm for electric guitar inputs. (I input guitar through the Scarlett, but the KB-37 enables PodFarm to work). The KB-37 is a really handy portable keyboard and looks cool to boot. Mics and headphones would be as much as needed to record / mix by yourself. Add guitars etc.

If you need to record a small combo of folks live, just add more mics and an ADAT connection to the back of the Scarlett for plenty of live, manageable and clear sounding inputs.

Final note, I have a Focusrite VRM box which is another plus for mixing and is very portable.
2013/12/07 21:55:07
gswitz
Typically when I go out...
 
I take a laptop (one of 2 depending on the screen size I need). I have a 17 inch and a 15 inch screen laptops and I pick based on whether I need to see 3 rows of devices in RMEs digicheck or 2.
 
I take my RME DigiCheck, and sometimes my MAudio FastTrack Ultra. The FTU gets me to 10 inputs.
 
When I need more than 10 inputs, I leave the FTU at home and bring my Tascam 2488 and link it to the RME using SPDIF. That gets me to 16 tracks.
 
Then I bring all my mics (12) and assume the band will have some. I talk to the band before I go.
 
I try to run all devices that could possibly cause a ground loop into the same jack on the wall.
 
The laptops are not usually a problem for recording. I turn the latency all the way up and disable wifi, screen savers, virus scanner, and maybe battery depending.
 
All real-time monitoring (sends to mains and wedges) happen through the interface. I use reverb, compression and EQ from the interface or Tascam.
 
I never stop tweaking before the show ends.
2013/12/21 06:59:18
uncleswede
We do a lot of motorhome trips and I have a small setup for remote recording. See here:
http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-121292.html
2013/12/21 10:49:39
davii
I put together a 1u ITX PC, and use a pair of M-Audio Profire 2626. I have previously used a laptop, but decided to change to the 1u PC to keep more options open for changing components.
2013/12/21 23:45:13
rebel007
I use an Octa-Capture interface to record two vocals and a bass guitar. At the same time I use two inputs for a stereo track via an Ensonique keyboard. I also run a midi output from the Ensonique into the midi input of the Octa-Capture, that feeds a simple instrument track of True Pianos. This gives me a lot of scope to mix a good keyboard sound. A total of 6 tracks at once on a Compaq 15", Core i5 with 4GB RAM and 32bit Windows install. I have used this setup now for over 4 years and it has never let me down. The recorded midi track is a real bonus as it allows me to add other instruments at a later date, that are tied to the original performance.
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