Firewire bandwith

[preben]

Hi All,

this is probably a question that is so trivial that no one ever asks it - maybe that's why I couldn't seem to find any info when searching (which I HAVE done - being a good boy and all that).

I need to record a minimum of 16 tracks simultaneously at 44.1/24 + a MIDI track onto an Apple laptop via firewire running Logic. I'll probably go for something along the lines of 2 MOtu pre8's or something similar - at least this is the generic kind of set-up I have in mind.

Stability is a priority and I will have to record two sets of apx 50-60 minutes with no possibilty of stopping mid-set. I don't need ANY plugs - this is just for recording.

This is where the question (possibly?) gets silly but please forgive me - I am totally new to laptops: Is this a possible scenario on something like say a macbook using the internal hard disk.


And if yes can I then use older Apple laptops to accomplish the same thing? How old can they be? I know even less about PC's than laptops so that route is not an option.

Thanks,
Preben

[marty lester]

hi-

i've been testing a set-up using the new-ish Alesis 26 i/o and Boom Recorder software with my iBook 1.33 G4 and a Firewire 400 drive from OWC. i don't think i would try
that with the internal drive.

i was able to record 24 tracks of 48K/24 bit audio for 90 uninterrupted minutes the other day. previously, i had a few errors that popped my laptop out of record, but i think that was a buffer (software) issue.

so in summary, i think a decent firewire drive can handle what you're asking it to handle...assuming your other software and hardware is up to the task. i would also
note that a slower/older computer might not keep up. ymmv.


good luck,
marty.

[Jungle Jazz]

Honestly, if stability is a priority, then I don't know that I'd recommend any firewire device for recording sets that long on a laptop. I used a PowerBook G4 with Pro Tools (M-Powered) to do this kind of thing on several occasions and almost always had problems. I finally gave up and got an Alesis HD24XR which has been rock solid so far. You can always use a stand alone recorder and then transfer your files into Loigc for mixing later.

If you are committed to using a Mac laptop, then you might consider getting a firewire PCI card and using an external drive to record onto. You'll want your recording disk and your firewire device to be on separate firewire busses. I wouldn't rely on the internal hardrive.

[wyndrock]

Yes, you can accomplish this task with a Powerbook G4, MacBook or PC and an external firewire or USB 2.0 hard drive. you will want a drive with a speed of 7200rpm or more, you can use the MOTU 8 pre, linked to another MOTU 8 pre (via smux connection) to get 16 tracks of audio, then you will want to hook your midi device into the "master" 8 pre and go from there. I recommend using the USB port for your audio drive since you're going to be using the firewire port for the two MOTU units. Less possibilty of a conflict.

I will soon be using a similar setup. Two MOTU 8 Pre, audio only, into an ASUS Z84jp Laptop. The MOTU units are great for a very simple and affordable live recording option. Don't expect for your sound to be a match for quality with the remote trucks in service nationally though. It takes that level of gear to get that level of product.

If you're just recording your band for documentary purposes, or for recording experience on the fly, then the MOTU units are great. I'm buying them for the purpose of recording local bands at clubs and being able to carry my rig in my hand and inside another gear bag. These kids need product in hand, but they don't have the cash to lay down for a fully complimented studio session at the time, so mostly i give my time and resources so that they can have something in hand, and this setup is perfect for this situation.

With a clean pull from a good show, you *may* be able to match the pros if you pay good enough attention to detail and fiddle around with plugins and use the right tools in the mix. I've been able to get close, but never, *never* as good as they're pushing out.

...Just sayin'; don't expect too much and you'll be good to go with that rig. I expect to be able to do the same. I've been doing fine with the Onyx console, however it became a little cumbersome for me to run back and forth to gigs because of size and the fact that i was not running FOH, so the whole "mixer" form factor of that unit was a little overkill. I should have been using the MOTU products all along. It comes to the point that you need to determine whether or not that you're gaining from using the MOTU gear or if you had bought a more expensive unit, whether or not you would be experiencing diminishing returns by having bought something more expensive.

Which tie fits the suit? Find your interface, a good fast hard drive, a suitable computer, with USB 2.0 and firewire 400, then look into a transformer isolated mic splitterbox (whirlwind makes a nice option; the SB16T1) and then patch into the FOH mic setup that way. Life will become infinitely easier for you if you aren't doubling up microphones and creating more things that could fail.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I feel that I could save you some trouble and lost time by recommending some of these things that helped me do roughly the same task.

I'm not making a living recording bands. I make my living archiving audio and prepping audio for courtroom use among other things, however i *do* enjoy recording a good set every now and again. It's a great feeling to get it right, when you get a good pull from a sweet show.

Let us know how this works out for you.

[tnjazz]

I've done 20 tracks at 24/48 to a 1.5ghz Powerbook G4 for 90+ minutes with no problems at all (to the internal drive, even).

I would imagine you would have absolutely no issues with doing it on a Macbook. Some recording software is more CPU intensive than others though (I used the low end Cubase SE 1.0.7 and it was fine).

[wyndrock]

most likely yea, if you get a new laptop, you're going to be able to record a couple sets to the onboard drive, no problem. you may have trouble with file size at some point if you go very long.

[preben]

Thanks a lot for your info. There's something to think about here but it's good to see that there are various options open to me. Cheers.