Creating a "golden" channel (or two)

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by Pokiehat

Theres nothing wrong with Pro Tools. Its very good and an industry standard so pretty much everywhere you go, you are almost guaranteed to have access to some sort of Pro Tools environment whether its a full HD rig or an M-Audio LE system. With Pro Tools you can go to any studio and just plug in, ready to go.

I'm a Digidesign 003R user. It runs with Pro Tools LE. I'm thinking there is a difference between it and M-Audio versions of LE. Maybe that's changed, but I do know some of the M-audio interfaces are USB. I'd steer clear of them. Go firewire. There's usually a reason stuff costs more or less.

I use external preamps and AD conversion.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by flagstaffcharli

1) Please identify your monitors.

They are Edirol monitors. Nothing spectacular.

2) Have you considered (i) recording guitar and vocal at the same time and (ii) recording the guitar and vocals separately (i.e., at different times)? If so, which do you prefer?

Both work. For this CD we did three days in Flagstaff in December and all but one of the tunes was done with me playing and singing at the same time, along with percussion and sometimes bass. Those weren't scratch tracks. They were keepers. But we also just did three days in Chicago, and for a couple of reasons I went back and did guitar and vocal parts individually after all the other basic tracks were finished.

3) What other instruments will be added to your recordings?

Could be anything. But other than voice, acoustic guitar, and possibly mandolin I expect to have most parts done in a professional studio from now on.

4) What is your budget?

I'm still considering that. I need to know better what a certain number of dollars buys. Something comparable to the mics and pres I already have - knowing that I'll likely upgrade the pres at some point.

To back-up a bit: I now prefer using a pro studio for my projects for a lot of reasons. However, a home studio is necessary not only for demos but also for fixes. I just went to Chicago for three days of recording. My daughter lost her voice about two days before my trip. If I'd lost my voice, I'd have had a serious problem that would have cost me some money. The solution, as I see it, is to be able to track my parts at home if necessary. I don't need to compress or treat the files. I just need to be able to import a rough mix and lay down some good parts on my own time. Then I'll export them to the professionals I choose for my projects. That's my goal.

A couple years ago I did pretty much a whole CD on my own - tracking, mixing, and mastering - and I see no advantage in doing that again. The skills and extra ears you get working with good people is worth it to me. I want to primarily focus on writing songs, singing, and playing guitar - not technology. But I understand that I need to learn more about the recording process. It's part of the game. And I need to be able to get some work done at home. I already have a home studio. I just want to streamline it so it does a better job of what I want it to do.

Hey! Thanks for your help!!!

Suggestions:

1) Room treatment (portable 4' x 2' x 4" OC 703 panels);

2) New monitors;

3) A two track recording interface of decent quality;

4) A second KM184; and

5) Appropriate software.

[flagstaffcharli]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

Suggestions:

1) Room treatment (portable 4' x 2' x 4" OC 703 panels);

2) New monitors;

3) A two track recording interface of decent quality;

4) A second KM184; and

5) Appropriate software.

Who makes "Appropriate" software? LOL! Actually I'm on it...

Thanks! Looks like I have some research to do.

[Pokiehat]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

I'm a Digidesign 003R user. It runs with Pro Tools LE. I'm thinking there is a difference between it and M-Audio versions of LE.

Theres no difference except the hardware requirements for running it.

Maybe that's changed, but I do know some of the M-audio interfaces are USB. I'd steer clear of them. Go firewire. There's usually a reason stuff costs more or less.

I use external preamps and AD conversion.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Theres also nothing wrong with USB 2.0 either. I'm not sure how, why or where it got a bad wrap but the mud appears to be sticking. Bandwidth is more than enough. I've been running a Virus TI synthesizer on a USB 1.1 port for years and it doesn't skip a beat unless you run it on a low speed USB port or split bandwidth/power draw via a USB hub.

The TI is basically its own soundcard and you can use it as one. I guess the one issue I have is that I have a dire shortage of USB ports so if theres an alternative I'd go with that. I also think there are stricter limits on what you can bus power on a USB port because it can't supply a whole lot of power but thats irrelevant unless you want to go completely mobile with a laptop. In which case battery life will be the bane of your existence.

As for Firewire, it can be flakey but it depends on the chipset and driver design. I've got a TC Konnekt 48 and thats real flakey because of DICE II and a firewire chipset that it just doesn't seem to like. I do get some pretty severe DPC spikes at times and very variable CPU load.

[Dr.Agave]

Originally Posted by flagstaffcharli

This can all be done on the Yamaha machine, but the truth is that I think it would be much easier for me to work on my PC. My idea is to build two channels for recording. But I'm not sure of the components - how the signal flows into my PC....

I'd like to use my laptop. I suspect I need a soundcard. I know I need some sort of converter and software - probably Pro Tools since that seems to be user friendly and widely used.

My aim is to eventually upgrade the pres and have two "golden" channels. I want to start by acquiring excellent components. So I need a converter, software, and a soundcard? Is there anything else? Any "heads up" info anyone could share?

Thanks a bunch! As always...

I own the compact version of your recorder, the Yamaha AW2816. My only real complaint about it is that it lacks the capability to move files (as data) to the computer for editing.

I've added the MY8-AES card to my AW so that I can bypass the internal preamps for my vocal and guitar. My "golden channels" have a Focusrite ISA with digital card for vocals and DBX 376 for guitar.

I like the Yamaha because it does a great job of emulating a tape deck, has useful automation for mix down, decent on board processing, and lossless recording.

I've been thinking of looking for Yamaha's successor the AW2400, now discontinued, because it enables file transfer without having to mix to CD or record to the computer via real time playback.

If you could easily move files to the computer, would you continue to record outboard and just use the computer for editing?