View Single Post
  #18  
Old 12-15-2020, 05:00 PM
raysachs's Avatar
raysachs raysachs is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Eugene, OR & Wilmington, NC
Posts: 4,706
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by KevWind View Post
So here I think is what appears to a fairly objective of the feature benefits and pros' and con's Curious what the current users think of this Review ?

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews...e-spire-studio
I think that gets it about right. I started playing around with recording with a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder back in about 1984 or so. I had no problem getting up to speed and working that machine, but the sound was not even in the same league of today's tools and there were no effects or manipulation possible - just basic recording, punch in and punch out, and mixing. I've tried a number of times to use Garage Band to record and I find it hopelessly confusing. If I was recording a LOT, I'm sure I'd internalize it's methods and get reasonably good at it, but I don't record that often. And when I do, I just want to be able to play and not spend a lot of time setting up mics, checking levels, etc.

I got the Sprire two years ago and it's exactly what the doctor ordered for me. It's dead simple to use, it takes me no more than 5 minutes to be totally set up and ready to go, and the sound quality is fantastic. I LOVE the soundcheck feature - it makes setting levels a snap. I love the app controls. and the simplicity of the mixing screen.

There are only two things I miss from using my old Fostex 4-track and, less so, from my frustrating experiences with Garage Band. First, the ability to punch in and punch out with a foot switch. There's a pretty decent punch in capability that I've gotten good at, but there's no way to punch out without just reaching over and hitting the "record" button. So I really can't do overdubs of a botched section except when I'm singing and have both hand's free. Which is OK, because singing is where I need the most help. But for guitar tracks, I can start recording again from the spot of a mistake, but then I pretty much have to replay the rest of the track from that point. I'd LOVE a foot switch to be able to punch in and out. Second, the mixing, while dead simple, is static for the whole track, not a dynamic thing where you can change levels and pan DURING the track. You set it up for the whole track and that's where it stays. I've learned to work around the pretty well, just by using separate tracks for lead fills during the vocal portions of songs and for lead breaks, that I'd generally rather have a a higher volume. This isn't a huge deal for me, but ideally, it'd be nice to be able to change the mix properties in real time as a track plays.

There are tradeoffs for sure. For any level of pro level or even high level amateur recording, I'm sure the Spire would be too limited for most folks. But for a guy who just likes to play around with building multi-track songs for the fun of it, it's a great tool. For me, the tradeoffs are great - I'll deal with it's limitations in exchange for it's extremely easy setup and simplicity in use.

-Ray
__________________
"It's just honest human stuff that hadn't been near a dang metronome in its life" - Benmont Tench
Reply With Quote