Slutz... your input needed for Music-computer FAQs

[Timur Born]

Hey ladies!

I wrote a somewhat detailed post of howto optimize and solve problems with your Windows PC here (including things like how to find out the physical hardware IRQ lanes on your mainboard to find the best PCI slot):

:: View topic - Diagnose and Optimization of Windows performance


And I just recently wrote howto optimize Bootcamp for optimal Vista performance on (late 2008) Macbook (Pro). I will check XP on Macbook Pro in a few days.

HOWTO: Low DPC latencies (<100 us) on bootcamped Macbooks (Pro)


Feel free to take any informations out of these and do whatever you like with it.

[mprewett]

Topic: What are the different outboard to computer interface options?

[Dysanfel]

There are 2 related questions that I see alot:

1) Yes, you can play back from your 5400rpm internal in an iMac/MB/MBP as long as your sessions are moderate in size (under 50 tracks of audio or so).

2) No, you don't have to get an external hard disk with a iMac/MB/MBP unless your DAW demands that you do (i.e. PT).

[Lagerfeldt]

Originally Posted by stag

AFAIK, and i know, OSX can be run on a off the shelf PC. Let me tell you, bloat for bloat, i prefer the one i master.

No it can't.

[Geoff Firebaugh]

It would be nice to see a breakdown of Converters by price/ quality / interface (i.e. PCI, USB, FW etc) along with additional perks like external clocking, lightpipe expandability etc.)

Also, basic how to topics, some ideas along the lines of:

How to organize your projects: Assigning and naming folders by Project, Song, etc. Very helpful if you take your Hard Drive to another engineer for mixing.
My first project I didn't do this and I was made aware of the incredible inconvenience of trying to locate one WAV or AIFF file in one folder that contained a whole CD"s worth of tracks.

Basic Rules of DAW based recording. i.e. don't plug the output of an outboard pre into another pre in your interface, make sure the phantom power is off before you plug in that AEA R84 you borrowed, gain staging, etc.

more advanced things such as how to set up a basic OTB summing rig using a mixer or summing box.



just some ideas.

[speerchucker]

Ram issues with XP32- A serious synopsis:

Basic limitations of the OS.

Video cards, dsp cards, and shadow-ram.

Pros & cons of the 3 GIG and Userva boot inits. + info on how to fully implement them.

A discussion of why PAE is worthless & even dangerous.

Possibly some quick guidelines for minimizing one's ram use. (smaller VSTi buffers, recording to disk / freeze commands, etc)

==========

2: BACKUP ROUTINES:

An overview of the various options for DAW users to have a comprehensive back-up system / routine. One which is safe (doesn't run in the background, doesn't mess with the registry, etc) yet keeps all new files protected. Discuss both software & hardware issues, as well as actual routines.
============

3: Recommended diagnostic routines:

How often to reformat?

What diagnostic apps are considered safe, vs which are dangerous (some registry cleaners, for instance)

Why Norton s#cks.

Should you always update drivers, or don't fix it if it aint broke?

How to get / boot / run Memtest86+ and Microsoft memory Diagnostic.


etc, etc, etc.
==========================

4: An introduction to overclocking:

Just a brief overview for those who've never been brave enough, or not had the time to learn. The benefits. The possible dangers.

-Then list the urls of a few choice forums dedicated to the subject.

[Alex Specht]

Originally Posted by speerchucker

Ram issues with XP32- A serious synopsis:

Basic limitations of the OS.

Video cards, dsp cards, and shadow-ram.

Pros & cons of the 3 GIG and Userva boot inits. + info on how to fully implement them.

A discussion of why PAE is worthless & even dangerous.

Possibly some quick guidelines for minimizing one's ram use. (smaller VSTi buffers, recording to disk / freeze commands, etc)

.

Cool! +1

Moderator: What is the status of compiling this into a publication?

Need help with editing or making outline?

[Alex Specht]

Also add some illustrations and funny stories of people breaking keyboards, throwing monitors out the window etc... to illustrate the main point of such an FAQ and for comic releif (The FAQ seems awfull dry)

[dstroyallmnstrs]

Here's a couple ideas:

Here's one (don't beat me George!): Divide the forum or at least for hardware separate pc and mac forums.

Another: PC or Mac sticky including what hardware and software is only for one or the other and general benefits. Possibly user interface commentary (ex. whether one can tolerate drop down menus that are mandatory on the mac side - for me personally it isn't. Clearly other people disagree).

Possibly a third for Linux, Atari, whatever.

Antivirus topics sticky for each covered platform (yes macs do get virii just like every other os).

Possibly software as a neutral third sub forum since much of it is cross platform.

A sticky thread about dsp cards incl links to forums and manufacturers sites.

All I can think of for now. Hope you find it helpful.

[Gibson]

I'm not all that happy with any computer. I have an asus quad core built by Steve Smith here in Melbourne. It's got A Hammerfall 9652 card and I'm using Apogee AD/DA 16x for conversion.
I just use my computer for drum loops and not much else.
I much prefere to use another digital medium for audio recording, only because it sounds bigger.

[George Necola]

Originally Posted by Alex Specht

Cool! +1

Moderator: What is the status of compiling this into a publication?

Need help with editing or making outline?

I will ask if I need help, thanx a lot! ... keep it going..

[mac black]

Why is my macbook pro getting so hot ? is it bad for it ?
Why don't software/hardware companies work on compatibility with an integral third party applications before releasing a new product ?

[Mavvok]

Originally Posted by mac black

Why is my macbook pro getting so hot ? is it bad for it ?
Why don't software/hardware companies work on compatibility with an integral third party applications before releasing a new product ?

why would they do that when they could charge you for upgrades?

[R3altruth]

To make it easier... I've sectioned it off into 4 posts/categories
1: Rewire hosts with audio recording capabilities (Except pro tools)
2: Pro tools (So much info it needed it's own post)
3: Software that functions as ReWire hosts/Clients with no audio recording capabilities
4: ReWire Clients only (Propellerheads Reason)
Just a note.. All of this is in my own words.. information can be found pretty much everywhere but pretty much all of this I've always known.... So this info is not taken from any source or used without permission... it's just me talking

Prices accurate as of 2-21-09

Steinberg Cubase - Uses VST plugings.... Mac and PC compatible
Newest version - Cubase 5
Full version - $500.00 USD
Studio version - $300.00 USD
Notes: Steinberg originally created the common VST format

Steinberg Nuendo - Uses VST plugings.... Mac and PC compatible
Newest version - Nuendo 4
Price $1800.00 USD..
Notes: Nuendo is used fore AUDIO as well as VIDEO post production... The video integration capabilities and full surround support lend to the heftier price tag... Doing film scores though??? Nuendo has great tools for syncing audio and video


Cakewalk Sonar - Uses VST and DXi plugins - PC only
Newest Version - Sonar 8
Producer edition - $500.00 USD
Studio edition - $300.00 USD
Notes: Long standing relationship with microsoft. Long history going back to DOS based MIDI editing

Mark of the Unicorn Digital Performer - MAC ONLY
Uses VST, AU, RTAS plugins
Newesr version, DP 6, $500.00 USD
Notes: Originally designed to be the Digidesign hardware front-end before Pro Tools came along

Apple Logic - Obviously MAC only
Uses AU plugin format
Newest Version - Logic 8
versions:
Logic Studio - $500.00 USD
Logic 8 Express - $200.00 USD
Notes: Logic (created by Emagic) was once PC/MAC.... but once APPLE acquired Emagic that obviously changed

Cockos REAPER (Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording)
PC only... Vista 64-bit and MAC versions are at the BETA testing stage
Uses VST and DXi platforms... as well as it's own Jesusonic format
Newest Version... 2
Price: Shareware
Notes: Shareware sequencer... Don't be fooled by the price though.. extremely poowerful for a free application... Uses "ReaMote" to network multiple machines

[R3altruth]

Pro Tools has 3 versions.....All of which are PC or MAC compatible

Avid Digidesign Pro tools|HD uses PCI (or PCI express "PCIe") cards that connect to DIGIDESIGN interfaces..... using internal cards gives you the advantage of being able to record many tracks at once... and at a very high quality... with tons of processing power right on the cards... Taking a lot of the load off of your processor. Back when computers were very slow, DSP cards were the only way to record on a computer.
Uses TDM (Time-division multiplexing) for plugins and to communicate between hardware
There are 3 basic components to a pro tools HD system....
1: The cards (1, 2 or 3 PCI or PCIe Cards)
2: Digidesign PT|HD interface (Connects directly to the cards and provides the I/O for your system)
3: A control Surface wich uses its knobs, faders and Transport (Start, Stop, Record, etc...) to control functions within Protools
Digidesign makes Control Surfaces (Control 24, Icon D-series) for use with PT|HD
Many Large scale consoles serve as a control surface for pro tools as well as having channel strips that provide a preamp, eq, and compression.....


Pro Tools LE - (RTAS Real Time Audio Suite) plug ins
pro tools LE is the version of Pro Tools that comes with any MBox or Digi 003...
They both do three things....
1. They allow you to use pro tools.... If you go to load up pro tools LE with neither one of these (Or a previous model such as the 002) hooked up, Pro Tools Le WILL NOT START...
2. They let you record in through various inputs
and 3. they let you listen to any audio with several outputs that can go to speakers or headphones

Let's look at the hardware...
the Digi 003 comes in 2 forms.. the rack and the console...
both have 8 analog inputs... analog meaning an XLR or quarter inch cable.... 4 of those can use both.. and 4 only allow a quarter inch connector.... a noteworthy piece of info... Phantom power (the power used by large diaphragm condenser mics) can only be used by 2 XLR inputs at a time.... There is the ability to go ADAT input, which is a digital input that allows for 8 channels to be sent over 1 "Light pipe" optical cable... The console version also has a handy control surface with 8 motorized faders... a jog wheel and transport (start, stop and record) controls....
They are both firewire so there is very little to no latency and the work with either Mac or PC.. the console runs you about $2200 while the rack version is anywhere from $1200 to $1400....
The Mbox... which is in it's second hardware generation uses the exact same pro tools software (Pro tools LE) as the 003....
The MBox 2 comes in 4 different versions.... None of which has any type of control surface....
the MBox 2 Pro.... which is a firewire interface which, for $700 gives you 4 inputs (2 of them are mic inputs), and 6 outputs...
The Mbox 2 gives you 2 ins and 2 outs through a USB cable for $450
The MBox 2 Mini is a cute little $300 USB interface that gives you 1 mic input, 1 1/4 inch input and 2 outs... Just so you know, 2 outs means it can go out to 1 pair of speakers...
and lastly.. one of the most innovative and well thought out...
The MBox 2 Micro is essentially a handy little $250 USB Pen drive.... that allows you to use Pro tools LE on your system... it IS the interface.... although all it has is a headphone output....

Pro Tools M-Powered
Avid is the company that owns Digidesign... a few years ago they acquired M-Audio as well... Pro Tools software needs a Digidesign hardware attached to it for it to run... so Pro Tools M-powered was designed to run along side the M-audio interfaces... M-powered is dangerously similar to LE... and really only exist for copyright and licensing reasons so people can use pro tools with the newly acquired M-audio stuff.....

Newest version... Pro tools 8....
Notes: LE and M-powered require special toolkits that will increse your track count past 48 as well as offering 7.1 surround support and other extras... the toolkits prices range from $400.00 USD to $2000.00 USD

[R3altruth]

Rewire Client/hosts
None of these programs can directly record audio very well... and are even worse at trying to mix said audio. Thus, to record one has to either
A. rewire one of these devices into a host sequencer like any of the ones above.
(Rewire is actually a lot easier than it sounds. You open any one of the previous audio recording sequencers, insert rewire device and that program will open up your Reason/FL Studio/Ableton so that the output from those programs can be routed to an input or inputs in the host sequencer.
Fun Fact: Rewire was originally designed by Steinberg and Properllerheads to link Reason with Cubase)
The alternative to rewire is to export a wave file from one of these programs and import it into your recording DAW

A case can be made that these can indeed record audio just fine... and I've tried to be very objective in these posts... and I feel like I've done a good job of that... You'd never tell that my primary DAW is Cakewalk Sonar 8 producer (Unless you read my signature... CHEATER)... I need to interject a personal opinion here though.... The Rewire Client/hosts listed here are not efficient or proficient at recording/mixing audio. They are in most cases easier to learn and are a good way to familiarize yourself with audio signal flow in a DAW as well as plug in usage and bussing... but for full functionality working with a project that includes Audio, VST's, Midi info.. Bussing... FX plugins and higher sample rates... My recommendation would be to step up to the big boys in the previous 2 posts

Cakewalk Project5 - PC only
Latest version - 2.5
Price $300.00 USD
Usage: Can run DXi plug ins to sequence songs using MIDI control OR Piano Roll MIDI editor.

Ableton Live (Ay-bul-ton) - PC or MAC
Latest Version - 7
Versions:
Full - $500.00 USD
LE - $150.00 USD
Uses VST and AU plug in formats
Notes: Ableton is an odd beast.... it actually records audio.... uses virtual instruments... Busses tracks... A case could be made for it to go with the full DAW sequencers... Live gets a bad rap because it was always advertised as Remixing software more than anything else.. and with loop controls and time stretching it can be an effectvie remix tool... Live has since grown into quite the handy little DAW... but because it's workflow is so far removed from the other sequencers, it has yet to be accepted by many people. The live stage applications of it are amazing though....

Sony Acid Pro - PC only
Latest version 7
Price: $300.00 USD
Uses VST format plugins
Notes: Acid is most probably the direct competition of Ableton... Pretty much everything that was said for Ableton also applies to Acid.... except... if you thought the UI in Ableton was weird... wait til you see ACID..... Yes it does Audio AND MIDI but does not do audio as proficiently as the DAWS from my previous post. Therefore ACID is listed in the REWIRE client section.

Ableton AND Acid may not be as powerful as the big DAWs... but they are easy to learn and use, making them perfect for the just starting out musician, or for use on stage by bands and DJ's alike.

And I saved your favorite Client/Host for last!!!

Image Line FL studio - Essentially PC only
Latest Version: 8
versions
Fruity Edition?!?!?!?!: $100.00 USD
Producer edition: $200.00 USD
XXL edition: $300.00 USD
Uses VST and DXi formats
What can be said about Fruity loops that has not been said already....
Fruity loops has gotten a bad rap for a long time....
For good reason though... In the beginning... Fruity Loops had no VST support... No Audio Support and basic stock instruments. Urban producers quickly gravitated towards FL because it was an inexpensive way to make music with just a computer and speakers.
It's hard to rise above humble beginnings... but FL has done just that... Today it features VST and DX support... MIDI controller funtionality... Rewire capabilities.... Audio recording support albeit not very efficient...
Making a song in FL and using rewire to track the song into Pro Tools or Sonar means that you can make high quality music... add vocals and mix with the best of them... SO yes... FL users.... you have indeed arrived...
Anyone using FL today has just as many tools at their disposal as any other DAW user...

[R3altruth]

Propellerheads REASON, distributed in the US by Line 6
PC or MAC
Latest Version Reason 4
price: $400.00 USD
Uses Reason instrument rack in conjunction with refills
Notes: Reason is a novel idea... Make a MIDI production program that is intuitive and powerful... yet easy to learn.
At first glance reason looks like one big rack that can be loaded with virtual samplers that take the appearance of 80's and 90's rack gear
Reason has a pretty easy to learn sequencer coupled with built in instruments that provide no external VST support. You can, however, buy refill packs that add sound patches to the preexisting virtual rack instruments.
At the touch of a button, you can flip the entire rack around and change the way reason is wired so that instruments can use send/returns or be routed to FX modules before heading to the main mixer.
This internal rewiring can be pretty advanced in terms of skill level... but the average noob should be able to get by in the program without having to do so until his or her noobish self can fully understand signal flow and such...
Speaking of signal flow... reason is a GREAT learning tool.... Using reason can make understanding Pro Tools or Logic a little easier... Things in a real sequencer are generally routed the same way... the big difference being you can't see the wires... I think this is a great way to learn what Send/returns do...
The sound quality in reason is not bad either.. and the extra refills you can get really add to the number of sound choices you have so that you don't really miss being able to use VST's
Because reasons routing is visible.. advanced mixing is not always as easy... so rewiring reason tracks into your host DAW is a must for acheiving that perfect mix!!!!!

[R3altruth]

George I'll continue to answer questions... I just need a little break.... I can pretty much answer everything that has been asked thus far in the thread and straighten out a lot of confusing subjects... I just need a little break... Later tonite/tomorrow I'll get at it some more...

Keep an eye out for USB vs Firewire vs PCI (In laymens terms without all the techno mumble jumble)

Keeping your computer maintained

Building/Upgrading an Audio PC

Etc....

[R3altruth]

Ok... so you want to build/upgrade/renovate your home studio... I've got you.....
There are 4 and a half basic functions your studio can cover.... (not including DJ'ing)

1 Song creation - Making the beats... playing instruments.... The meat and potatoes of the music process
1.5 (The half is film scoring... it's similar to song creation... You'll need software that supports surround sound and possibly video capture devices as well)
2. Microphone Recording - Yes... recording vocals.... but any instrument can be recorded for a more live feel to any song.
3. Mixing - Some people just mix and that's it (and God bless those people). Engineers who just mix, and do it well, are extremely useful to any production team
4. Mastering - Making the song ready to be commercially used. This includes any volume adjustments as well as converting the songs to the target format (Bit rate, sample rate and file type) on the appropriate medium

ok... now that we have those.... let's look closer at what is needed for each

Let's preface this with a small disclaimer.... This guide assumes you want to use a computer to record.... You can do it with a tape or digital recorder, and these are still around.... but this is the Music Computers forum for Christsake

Second to the computer you'll need a Hardware Audio interface and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) Software. These both depend on what you want to do, what you've used before, what you can afford and if you're using PC or MAC.
First and foremost... I'm gonna come out and say it.... Sound cards that come built into motherboards SUCK... you will NOT and I mean NOT be able to use them in this field..... The "sound cards" you buy... all your soundblaster type cards are not really any better.... The main problem is the converter... the part of the card that turns analog electrical signal into digital files... An interface is considered hiigh quality if it has High Quality converters... Also, The soundblaster cards generally lack the connectivity (1/4" and XLR) as well the multiple outputs needed for recording audio
There are more Audio Interface choices than 1 article can outline... But they come in 3 types. USB, Firewire and PCI
(PCI is the internal connections on a desktop. USB and Firewire installation is a novice endeavor whereas PCI installation requires intermediate PC experience)
All have their pros and cons... If you use mostly virtual instruments, Reason, FL Studio, Project 5 or ableton Live to make music than a USB interface is cool. If you use a ton of keyboards... drum machines and midi modules then you'll want something with more inputs: which leads to the firewire or PCI interfaces.
Look for one that is first and foremost built solidly. Then look at the inputs... the number of inputs pretty greatly affects the price... a 2 channel (2 inputs) interface will cost significantly less than an 8 channel. Also look at what type of inputs are there... Quarter Inch (Standard Instrument cable, Can be balanced TRS or unbalance TS), XLR (Mic input), eighth inch (consumer headphone size), RCA (Like on turntables). Always think ahead... if you know you're going to be recording a live drum kit... you may want an interface with more inputs (at least 8). Conversely, if you're just mixing already recorded music then very few inputs (and in some cases no inputs) will suffice.

ok.... You'll need to hear the music....
Your speaker or headphone choice is actually a big decision. Headphones are handy... and probably necessary if you live in an apartment, but cheap headphones deprive you of the bass that the music so desperately desires. OK, that was overdramatic, but it's true, Cheap headphones sound bad.
Look for headphones specifically designed for music production.
If you're recording something with a microphone you NEED headphones. Ideally ones with quite a bit of isolation. So the sound coming out of the headphones isnt going back into the microphone. This is bad... it can cause noise in the recording at low levels and at high levels can cause a squealing sound from the acoustic loop (The sound constantly looping from the speaker into the microphone, increasing in pitch with each loop until it's pretty much just squealing really loud, also called feedback)

When it comes to speakers.... Bigger isn't always better... bigger IS usually lower though. I'm talking about frequency response. If you can, you should invest in a couple different speaker pairs in different sizes... or even a smaller size like a 6 inch pair and a subwoofer for the bass.... Smaller speakers give you more clarity in your highs.... bigger speakers give you more presence in the low end. For Mixing engineers, look for monitors with a very flat, true to the actual sound frequency response. Another good practice is playing your mixes on different sets of speakers to see how they stand up to different environments.

Now you've got your computer, interface and speakers.
You need something that makes sound to go into your software. There are a ton of great choices. You can mic instruments, You can use instruments that output using a cable (Keyboards, Midi Modules, guitars, Drum Machines etc....) or you can use internal Virtual instruments (VST) that run inside your DAW.... If you're deciding to make music.... You probably already know where you want your sounds to come from. Just remember, you can get high quality sounds from any one of the aforementioned choices!
A good studio has all of these...
I use Keyboards, midi modules, an electric guitar and a drum machine going straight into my interfaces inputs, An acoustic guitar mic'ed, and a ton of VST's... On any given song I may use them all.
If you use Midi modules or VST's, you will ideally need a midi controller to play/trigger any sounds. These come in the form of drum pads, 1 octave keyboards up to 88 key fully weighted controllers.
Always make sure you use the right cable.

Microphone recording
Microphone choice is a years worth of discussions... Talk to people... research and even listen to microphones in your price range before choosing one for you.
Although using a mic and your interface will work... Some additions to your "signal chain" can increase the quality of your recording.
Most people will want some type of Microphone preamp which boosts the level of your recording. Mic Pre's also add to (or detract from) the quality of the input by adding harmonics in certain frequency ranges... Most add some level of warmth... others can make your vocal stand out... some add shine and sheen (Are shine and sheen the same thing???)
Many interfaces automatically amplify any signal coming in through the mic inputs. But is this enough? It's usually enough to record.... but hardly ever as sonically pleasing as using a real Mic Pre. Be warned though, cheap mic pre's are most often no better than the pre's on your interface. For instance, if you have a Digi 003, buying a $100 mic pre nets you pretty much nothing in terms of quality.
Mic Pre's can get VERY expensive though... so just like microphones, do your research and plan ahead.
EQ processors can shape the sound before it goes into your computer. Because most of this can be done after you've recorded, EQ on the way in is not recommended for the noobish engineer HOWEVER this is a game of trial and error so embark on a recording session for fun... call your buddies over... and try out as many new techniques as you can.. For instance... many engineers like using a hi pass filter to cut low frequencies out of vocals on the way in....
A compressor allows you to control Volume (Dynamics) going in...
You've got "Quavon the Church singer" in the studio and he does it all... Low, quiet serene during-prayer parts... and loud holy ghost catching, filled with the spirit volume.... A compressor helps you turn up the quiet parts (By turning up the gain) while taking the extra loud parts and reducing them using the parameters you set.
Now Quavon is the extreme... bu most singers can benefit from some compression going in.
(Technical note: recording at 24-bits, which you should be doing anyway if you can, makes it so you can record at lower volumes and turn it up later to higher levels with less distortion. Which means you can record softer so the high parts don't overload the input but the low parts can still be heard... and then use a compressor plug-in, or even automation, in the box to level the volume. Is a compressor necessary? Not as much anymore thanks to 24-bit digital recording, but still nice to have)
Nicer Comps add colour (yea.. the english spelling) to your recording but be careful not to overdo it going in... There is no "Decompress" button

[R3altruth]

You'll probably also want plug-ins inside your DAW that do things like EQ, COmpression, Special FX like Chorus and Delay. Most DAW's come with plug ins that do this, but a lot of engineers and producers purchase third party plug-ins that impart different characteristics on the material.... Fortunately many plug in manufacturers offer demos of their product so you can decide for yourself.... Even waves offers a 14 day free trial of their largest bundle

Last but definitely not least is your actual space...
When recording, with a mic, the room greatly affects your sound...
Check out the acoustic treatment forums for an infinite amount of knowledge on the subject

There are miscellaneous hardware components like Patchbays, Headphone amps, Control Surfaces... All of these add to your experience... and can help you do what you need to do, but are not necessary in all studios....
Figure out what you wanna do and take advantage of one of the best audio resources out... GEARSLUTZ

[kasprouch]

How to tweak XP to work. Full Stop.

Considering how phenomenally crap Vista is...

How to build your own Music DAW PC and not pay a quadrillion dollars for a Mac Pro.

Seriously been building my own pc's for years now, and only had to learn how to do it once. All the details like which firewire cards work for the most used soundcards, which/how many drives to buy at what speed, which Ram that would go well with your processor and how to calculate it, which power supply and how to calculate it, graphics card, BLUE AND GREEN LED's FOR WHEN THE PINK ONES DIE OUT, which case and why, followed by the mb with all the details about pci connections.

[kasprouch]

Originally Posted by R3altruth

Keeping your computer maintained

Building/Upgrading an Audio PC

Etc....

exactly

[Matt Hepworth]

What format should be used to transfer projects from one studio to another to maximize compatibility with other DAW's and across Mac & PC platforms?

How do we archive (not backup) projects to be usable months or years later?

[R3altruth]

but as far as formats... I guess OMF...

OMF files store the wave files of a session... the track assignment.. arrangement of clips, volume and pan of each track....

I have never tried in Cubase, DP, Logic or Reaper... so someone would be nice to chime in on the effectiveness of OMF files....

Barring that you could just combine all the clips for each individual track.... make sure they all start at measure 1, count 1 (even if that means dead space at first) and then export each track as a separate audio file...
This way when the person imports each one... they don't have to try to piece anything together.... just have all clips start at the beginning...
It is a good idea to properly label each track name with what track it is....

[George Necola]

Originally Posted by R3altruth

George I'll continue to answer questions... I just need a little break.... I can pretty much answer everything that has been asked thus far in the thread and straighten out a lot of confusing subjects... I just need a little break... Later tonite/tomorrow I'll get at it some more...

Keep an eye out for USB vs Firewire vs PCI (In laymens terms without all the techno mumble jumble)

Keeping your computer maintained

Building/Upgrading an Audio PC

Etc....

thanx!

[manning1]

topic ideas.
1.being carefull loading other devices on the same puter bus as your sound device.
(pci//usb//fw). a common topic that leads to problems.
and understanding BUSSES ARENT INFINITE IN BANDWIDTH.
eg the pci bus with lots of add in dsp cards. and other pci devices.
2. geurrila recording on the cheap. for 500 buks total cost for a studio daw/mics etc etc. .
eg useing used pc's with decent drives. diy mics. mic pre's in cassette deks. diy mic pre's etc.
triks recording with crappy on board sound. useing a cheap toneport gx to record with
as ones sound device.
3. useing dpc latency checker to optimise your pc for low latency.
and finding out which devices are mucking up your pc. eg tv cards for example.
6.useing old ide drives in cheap 20 buk enclosures for added back up.
7. useing 9 buk usb pen drives to record to and for song back up.
(use ones with good mb/sec xfer speeds.)
8. the importance of a good power supply.
and why you might need it if your gonna add lots to your daw.

[ElMosca]

Hi George,
I think this is a great undertaking. In the "FAQ section" I'd love to see stickies for "Help me troubleshoot my X" where X may be:

- Pro Tools
- Reason
- Live
- Cubase
- Logic
- Nuendo
- Reaper
- etc. etc. etc. (add more packages as FAQs are compiled on them).

In each sticky, we'd (Royal "We") compile the most frequently encountered problems (-9036, no sound, how to rewire, etc) as well as the most common solutions (trash the prefs, trash the prefs, trash the prefs...).

Hopefully, these will be sticky in a separate "troubleshooting" folder (or sub-forum) and hopefully, they will be read.

My 2cents,
++aldo

[MickeySmid]

quad core pc with xp
cubase 4 (full version, not the studio)

You can have external effects, using a send to a analog device, that comes back into the mix without latency... it's magic.

And the price is really ok compared to slowtools

m.

[paul2009]

Originally Posted by George Necola

let's start here..
Hardware: what kind of pc should I buy
Software: what kind of OS (operating system) should I use
Sequencer: advantages of sequencers.. blahblah

mac mac mac
OSX
Logic

OR - if you have a slightly larger brain

Mac
Gentoo
Ardour


is this what you mean?

[gfinale]

Seems to me that there are probably more ITB than OTB out there. There are a million combinations in between as well!

I would suggest just having one Music Computers forum topic is much less than is needed. In fact, some other topics could be broken into several as well. This could be a reason I see several discussions that I think of as computer related in other sections. It may be best to have multiple computer forum topics something like

PC Hardware - motherboards, cpus, memory, bios, hardware in conjunction with audio interface and os, etc.
PC Operating System - issues with OS, OS in conjunction with audio interface, OS tweeking, etc
PC DAW - Reaper, Pro Tools, Samplitude, Cubase, comparisons, advantages, settings and issues for each, etc.
PC Plugins - Waves, Sonnox, comparisons, settings, etc.
PC Tools - erasers, backups, etc.
...
Mac Hardware
Mac Operating System
Mac DAW
Mac Plugins
Mac Tools
...
These could even be broken down.

I'm not sure High End is a good way to go either. I mean, that encompasses everything. Unless it's really clearly explained then it will tend to get the majority in there about everything under the sun because most are striving for high end. And high end is not just high end, it's high end instruments, high end gear, high end computers, high end software, etc. etc. Guess what I'm saying is I think the topics need restructuring and that when the topics are, they will lead to more obvious faq.

Jim
Digimediate - the best mix of people and technology