suggestions for mobile 32 input rig, Macbook pro ? or ....

[coffeeanan]

Hi, I want to build a mobile rig with 32 inputs.
I have the preamps already at my disposal and a Macbook pro 2 GHZ intel dual core.
What do you suggest for DAW on the Mac platform ? Software and Convertors.
Or do you say drop the Apple book and go the PC route ?

Any info and suggestions mucho welcome.

[tsvisser]

what are you used to? what do you use for your "non-mobile rig"?

[coffeeanan]

HD 7

[tsvisser]

would you consider a HD7 rig portable?

http://www.mobl.com/expansion/produc...ion/index.html



otherwise there is the Apogee / Logic expresscard solution

http://www.apogeedigital.com/product...honymobile.php

[aussie_techie]

i would consider using the HD system or some hardware based system otherwise your going to need a backup system and carting around 2 systems just gets more difucult than a single slightly bigger system

[coffeeanan]

I actually need a second system, so my HD stays at home.

Too bad the Apogee card is only for Apogee products.
I might consider a standalone recorder (Mackie, tascam)

Or are there any decent Windows based Daw portable systems ?

[Gerax]

If you already have the Macbook pro and your DAW of choice is Pro Tools then why don't you check the M-Audio Profire Lightbridge, which is a 32 I/O bridge to Pro Tools M-Powered. It's got 4 ADAT pairs for I/O so you should have your own AD conversion (be it dedicated AD boxes or ADAT equipped preamps) but it's exceptionally portable (only 1/2 RU), and it'll allow you to easily swap sessions between your portable rig and your main one in the studio. The only drawback is that Pro Tools (both LE and M-Powered) only support up to 18 simultaneous inputs...if used with another software this limit can be easily overcome.

Hope this helps

L.G.

[coffeeanan]

Originally Posted by Gerax

If you already have the Macbook pro and your DAW of choice is Pro Tools then why don't you check the M-Audio Profire Lightbridge, which is a 32 I/O bridge to Pro Tools M-Powered. It's got 4 ADAT pairs for I/O so you should have your own AD conversion (be it dedicated AD boxes or ADAT equipped preamps) but it's exceptionally portable (only 1/2 RU), and it'll allow you to easily swap sessions between your portable rig and your main one in the studio. The only drawback is that Pro Tools (both LE and M-Powered) only support up to 18 simultaneous inputs...if used with another software this limit can be easily overcome.

Hope this helps

L.G.

Has anyone actually tried recording 32 tracks with the M- audio bridge?
I'm talking about live recording here, say 1hour and a half non stop.

[tsvisser]

this really sounds like the job for a dedicated hardware recorder. if you have to also have to work in a DAW environment, then get an MBox Mini to run as a dongle and PT LE, but for tracking that many tracks simultaneously in a live environment, I would not want to rely on a computer to provide the disk I/O, memory, and all other functions 100% of the time w/o some sort of glitch in there ruining the live session.

[macleod]

if i was you i would buy 2 tascam mx2424's and sync them together to give you 48 tracks. they used to cost a fortune but you can get them cheap on ebay. pros - amazing machine great sound. cons - only records full track cound at 48khz or below ( who records at above 48k anyway )

K

[John Suitcase]

I haven't used this software, so I can't vouch for it, but it seems like it might be interesting to someone doing remote work:

http://www.vosgames.nl/products/BoomRecorder/

It looks like a good option, can handle long files, with seamless transitions to new files, up to 64 channels, some other stuff. Geared towards the film production side of things, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[marty lester]

i am using Boom Recorder and i can vouch for it.

i'm using it on a iBook G4/1.33 via either a MOTU Traveler
or Alesis 26 I/O. i've just started using the Alesis interface
and so far, so good.

i am able to record 24 tracks of 24 bit 48K audio using
an external FW drive. according to the software's developer,
i'm pushing the envelope using an older iBook G4, but
the newer macbooks can probably do even better than mine.

it is primarily a recorder...at least that's how i use it.

the M-Audio lightbridge is interesting, but i didn't try it yet.

hope this helps,
marty.

[henryrobinett]

I'd get 4 Metric Halo 2882 interfaces. Great convertors. You don't need the pres. The pres are good unless you need a LOT of gain, then they start sounding hissy. Metric Halo has their own Record Panel, so for LIVE remotes it's ideal and crash free.

I have three Metric Halo boxes and an old Motu 2408mkII to use as a lightpipe unit to get 8 extra tracks in. Works like a charm. I use DP if I'm doing a session with overdubs and what not. I also have PT 7.3 with an M-Audio Fast Track Pro as a dongle . . .

Powerbook 1.67.

[hakanai]

i use the metric halo 2882 as well and it's dedicated software is what sold me. definitely stable and great mixing features if you have to give FOH anything. if it were me i would do 2x 2882 and 1x apogee ad16x with lightpipe. that may seem odd considering apogee's mobile symphony option (especially since i work in logic) but the tracking software of the 2882 is stable and pretty light on your cpu. i have done half day recordings using this software and never had any real issues

[jwh1192]

we did a video shoot for robert randolph a couple weeks ago and the FOH mixer did the multi-track (h records show every night) using metric halo .... he loves it .. no issues that he could remember ... think he was running around 16 or 20 tracks ....

great show ....

great mix ....

real nice crew ... great stories and attitude ...

most crews do not like video but these guys were helpful and freaking funny ..

peace

john

[forsooth]

Hi Henry....... here's a question for you regarding the Metric Halo. For some time now I've been considering moving up to 24 channels for live gigs. Previously I have been using a Motu 896HD and a Digimax LT for the 16 channels.
I have three 896HDs and had considered going that route but two of them are busted. I had Black Lion mods done on those two and they went belly up on the second live gig. One has problems on channels 1, 3 and 7. The other one has problems on 3 and 6. I haven't sent them back for repair because I have been too busy.

I wondering should I dump them and go with Metric Halo. I use DP 4.6 and I'm stuck there for a while because if I upgrade to DP5 my Waves software will need to be upgraded as well. I'm in a quandary as to what to do. The 896HD with the Digimax has performed without problems on 83 live gigs. I need 24 channels now and either need to add another 896HD. I don't trust the modified units and even if I get them fixed I have sort of lost faith in them. I can't take the risk of them letting me down in live situations.

How stable is DP 4.6 with the Metric Halo units and what's your recommendations? I mainly do live gigs and DP has been rock solid. Should I consider the move over to Metric Halo? I'm going to stick with DP because I know it so well and don't need to learn more software right now. Can you tell me some more about DP and the MH?

Thanks

forsooth

[henryrobinett]

Metric Halo has been steady and rock solid. I use their record panel for live gigs, as it's more stable for me than DP. A couple of years ago I had DP crash on me during a couple of live sessions and I started using the Record Panel and have never looked back. Not one incident attributable to Metric Halo. I've had some stupid user errors.

I then drag the files into DP 4.61. I mean I can't tell you how much I love this set up.

It has a routing window that takes a little getting used to. You can route any input to any output,; great monitoring schemes. Everything is pretty much figured out in more detail than I'll likely use.

I haven't had to go with much more than 18 tracks in recent history and most are at 16 or under.

No issues between DP and Metric Halo.

[forsooth]

Thanks Henry! I need to check out the MH then.How do you control levels then, is it through the software? I need to ride levels most of the time with the Motus using the volume knobs but I'm pretty good at that.

Most gigs are 16 channels but there have been two in the last week where I needed 18. I supplement the usual gig gear and always put the Peluso CEMC6s on the drum kit as overheads. On the last gigs I couldn't do that and I sorely miss them. Those overheads give so much to the whole kit!

Now I need to work out the logisitics of getting the 896s fixed and selling them to try the Metric Halo. I'll start looking into it.

Henry, as always......... I appreciate your comments and advice!

Cheers

forsooth

[tnjazz]

Originally Posted by forsooth

Thanks Henry! I need to check out the MH then.How do you control levels then, is it through the software? I need to ride levels most of the time with the Motus using the volume knobs but I'm pretty good at that.

Most gigs are 16 channels but there have been two in the last week where I needed 18. I supplement the usual gig gear and always put the Peluso CEMC6s on the drum kit as overheads. On the last gigs I couldn't do that and I sorely miss them. Those overheads give so much to the whole kit!

Now I need to work out the logisitics of getting the 896s fixed and selling them to try the Metric Halo. I'll start looking into it.

Henry, as always......... I appreciate your comments and advice!

Cheers

forsooth

IMO, this is the ONLY weakness of the 2882. All adjustments are software controlled. I loved mine and hated to sell it, but it didn't work for me to not have a knob to tweak at a moment's notice on location in a dark club. It was aggravating to make the gain changes on a rotary dial with a mouse.

Of course if you only use the converters it's a no-brainer. I personally feel Metric Halo gear is several steps up from MOTU in general, Black Lion mods or not. Your mileage may of course vary.

[valleysound]

I usually use mine with external pres, so I don't ride the box much, but I use a mouse with a wheel and it is ok for the minor tweaks I do. I'd second the MH 2882, get the +DSP if you can afford it, well worth the extra cash for the features! I often use a 2882 +DSP to record a board mix while delaying the pa system and at times my Mac G4 is also running Studio Manager for the 01V96, and Bias Peak editing the first set while mixing and recording the second set, iTunes is up and I'm online. I guess what I'm saying is that the 2882 takes almost no CPU, even on 2 boxes with 32 inputs! Leaves you with the juice to do other pressing things than just record. I drop into DP 4.6 at home.

[forsooth]

hmmmm.... this opens up another can of worms! I'd use only the pres in the MH because then I'd have to spend even more cash to do what I am doing successfully now with the stable 896HD and the Digimax LT. I found another thread where Henry says he uses a Millenia pre with the MH.

Most of the gigs I do have no budget whatsoever. Currently I am recording a series of concerts by some big name artists for a non-profit organisation.

I'd really prefer to have faders or knobs at least because as tnjazz said it's almost always in a dark concert hall.

I'll need to see if I can find a dealer locally to let me try a hands on test.

Thanks

forsooth

[valleysound]

Originally Posted by forsooth

hmmmm.... this opens up another can of worms! I'd use only the pres in the MH because then I'd have to spend even more cash to do what I am doing successfully now with the stable 896HD and the Digimax LT. I found another thread where Henry says he uses a Millenia pre with the MH.

Most of the gigs I do have no budget whatsoever. Currently I am recording a series of concerts by some big name artists for a non-profit organisation.

I'd really prefer to have faders or knobs at least because as tnjazz said it's almost always in a dark concert hall.

I'll need to see if I can find a dealer locally to let me try a hands on test.

Thanks

forsooth

Is someone going to profit from your recordings? If so you should get a cut somehow! The MH boxes are computer controlled only, so even in the dark you should be able to see the screen.
Try taking some outs off the board if you can in lew of not having any external pres. If they paid, then you could rent extra pres as needed.

[forsooth]

Hey Paul, I use a 24 channel splitter though so far have only used 16. I get the direct feed and then give the split back to the board. It has always worked flawlessly. I supply phantom power if needed.

A lot of the gigs I record are for musician friends. Venues around here don't pay much so I am really doing this for the love of music. I have another job and it subsidises what I do. The non-profit gig pays for gas and a meal but I'd do it for fun! I get to pick and choose who I work with and so far has it been terrific. Most of the musicians I know are struggling to make ends meet.

I don't want to sound like some hack ripping off real engineers. I use quality gear and record these gigs because otherwise they probably would not get recorded.
I've been doing the live gigs for around three years and had no complaints.

On the MH 2882 one of the problems I have there is that I use good quality 16 channel snakes but they are all XLR. The MH 2882 has a mix of XLR and TRS. I'd need to get another variety of snake with the two connectors.

I'm still weighing up all the pro's and cons of switching. By the way........ it was Steve Remote who steered me towards using the good gear!

Thanks

forsooth