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Thirst for Savings posted:I am planning on running XP for a while. So the drivers thing shouldn't be too big of an issue. Meh, those headphones look cheap. Isn't it just $50 for a MobilePre? I don't know anything about those MXL condensors. They've got mixed reviews on MF and I dunno what you'd do with just 2 small diaphragm condensors like that. I think if you don't mind getting things on the cheap, you could do better. You'd probably find mic stands and cables decently cheap off Craigslist or eBay. You could also get the MobilePre used, I got my FTP off eBay and I've had no problems with it in 2 years. I'm always leery of packaged deals like this, even though I'm generally supportive of M-Audio as a company. I think it really depends on your budget and what kind of music you'll be making. If you hedge some costs on things like stands, you can get some solid entry-level mics (SM-57/58s come to mind).
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Aug 20, 2009 23:55
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Well after adding up all the prices individually it looked like a great deal, I would be recording wtih an acoustic guitar and possibly an electric, banjo as well. Where could I pick up a MobilePre for $50? EDIT: I can see that piecing together my own would be the ideal way to go. I think what is the strong point for me on that package is the inclusion of the headphones. If I grabbed a MobilePre, an SM57, what would be some good over the ear headphones to go with that? iSheep fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Aug 21, 2009 |
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Aug 21, 2009 00:34
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Oh I just don't know the quality of those headphones. It doesn't say anything about them as far as I know. The MXL looks good for the guitar and amping an electric banjo, but not for vocals -- you'll need something larger if you're going to do that. Otherwise, adding things up and for convenience, it's not a bad deal. I'm jut leery on those headphones since they look flimsy and cheap for monitoring. The reviews on MF don't look too good either. The Sennheiser HD280s are $50 more but generally agreed to be the best bang for the lower-end buck. No. 9 fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Aug 21, 2009 |
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Aug 21, 2009 03:48
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sleepyinsomniac posted:I have a Presonus 1/3 rack suite set up, and not hooked up. The Firebox, EQ3B, Comp16, and TubePre. I'm gonna have a Microphone hooked up to the TubePre's XLR input. Now from here, what I've figured is I can then use little tiny 1/4" cables (similar to what links guitar pedals) to go from the output of the TubePre to the Comp16's input, then from the Comp16's output to the EQ3B, then from the output of the EQ3B to the Firebox, then through Firewire to my computer. Is this the right order to go through? And will doing all of this create some over-processed junk? In general, I try to record mostly dry and keep the effects on the computer as much as possible. A preamp is an exception of course, and nothing wrong with a little hardware compression to tame your levels, but the advantage of using software effects is that you're not locked into one particular preset -- if you decide later you want to add a boost and a notch someplace, you're not recoloring an already EQ'd signal. sleepyinsomniac posted:And I'm also wondering if I'm better off sticking with going from my Axiom's USB to my computer, or if I'd be better off going through the Firebox with that also somehow. Nah, just use the direct USB connection.
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Aug 21, 2009 13:31
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I got a fast track USB for my first attmept at cheap recording, and it seems to just completely not work with my Vista 32-bit machine. I downloaded the drivers from the website, but every time I try to install them something goes wrong, or the 1% of the time I manage to install them correctly my software starts breaking when I try to play what I've recorded back through the fast track (although recording and then unplugging and playing back works fine, which is how I've been one-take, no-editing ghetto recording). Have any of you guys run into this problem before? I've tried googling for a few hours to fix it, but I haven't come across anything all that similar. And if it's completely unfixable, does anyone have suggestions for a 150-400$ A/I that works well with Vista-32?
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Aug 21, 2009 17:12
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stiknork posted:I got a fast track USB for my first attmept at cheap recording, and it seems to just completely not work with my Vista 32-bit machine. I downloaded the drivers from the website, but every time I try to install them something goes wrong, or the 1% of the time I manage to install them correctly my software starts breaking when I try to play what I've recorded back through the fast track (although recording and then unplugging and playing back works fine, which is how I've been one-take, no-editing ghetto recording). I had a fasttrack for 3 hours. that includes the 45 minute drive to and from guitar center. it was a piece of poo poo and i would recommend it to no one. take it back.
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Aug 22, 2009 02:31
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I posted something similar to this earlier in the thread, but I'm coming back for more...Right now I have a pretty typical computer recording set up which I use to create a mix of electronic and acoustic music. I've always liked "organic/analog sounding stuff" and so I've been looking for a way to add some character and warmth to my recordings. I got the idea that I could just run my mixed down projects through a reel-to-reel then back in to my computer, but I just wanted to be sure that would be the best/easiest way to do this. What if I just ran all my tracks through another piece of analog equipment, like say...a Roland Space Echo or an effect rack of some sort (with the effect itself turned all the way down)? I'm just not sure if that would still give me the effect I'm looking for or not. What about using a 4-track? Thanks for everyone's help.
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Aug 22, 2009 16:05
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 Anyone ever seen a laptop desk/stand similar to that?
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Aug 23, 2009 23:37
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1karus posted:
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Aug 24, 2009 14:48
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SouvlakiPlaystation posted:I posted something similar to this earlier in the thread, but I'm coming back for more...Right now I have a pretty typical computer recording set up which I use to create a mix of electronic and acoustic music. I've always liked "organic/analog sounding stuff" and so I've been looking for a way to add some character and warmth to my recordings. I got the idea that I could just run my mixed down projects through a reel-to-reel then back in to my computer, but I just wanted to be sure that would be the best/easiest way to do this. What if I just ran all my tracks through another piece of analog equipment, like say...a Roland Space Echo or an effect rack of some sort (with the effect itself turned all the way down)? I'm just not sure if that would still give me the effect I'm looking for or not. What about using a 4-track? Thanks for everyone's help. Lots of people have a collection of reel to reels, random tape recorders, vcrs, betamax poo poo, old seventy's tape recorders, dictaphones, and other random recorders of sound. That is the band Doves whole claim to fame. You can go a long way with an old tape recorder. The space echo will just filter your highs like all old delays.
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Aug 24, 2009 16:03
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I've asked a similar question before, but I don't recall getting a definitive answer. Is Logic Express crippled at all? Does it have arbitrary (rather than hardware based) track limits? Will it play nice with my first generation Mbox? I've been using PTLE for years, but I'm seriously looking at Logic Express 9 instead of PTLE 8, so any advice would be much appreciated.
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Aug 24, 2009 19:18
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El Miguel posted:I've asked a similar question before, but I don't recall getting a definitive answer. Is Logic Express crippled at all? Does it have arbitrary (rather than hardware based) track limits? Will it play nice with my first generation Mbox? I've been using PTLE for years, but I'm seriously looking at Logic Express 9 instead of PTLE 8, so any advice would be much appreciated.
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Aug 26, 2009 01:52
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Thanks. I looked at that last time I got the switch-to-Logic bug, and it had absolutely no useful information. I didn't even think to go back! edit: while we're on the subject, if I wanted to get another interface (I've got an Mbox now), what would be worth looking at? Does anyone here use the PreSonus stuff? Does anyone have any recommendations for something that would work pretty easily with Logic? Preferably, since I've got the original Mbox, I'd like to get something that's a step up quality-wise. El Miguel fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Aug 29, 2009 |
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Aug 26, 2009 04:24
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Can anyone recommend some good 8-bit and similar VSTis? List as many, price doesn't matter. I don't want straight up Nintendo sounds or anything, I want something close. I had one synth a long time ago that played Metroid sounds. Too "identifiable" for my taste.
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Aug 29, 2009 05:04
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Anyone know if ProTools 7 or 8 is running on Snow Leopard? I'm running ProTools LE 7.4.2 right now, not too keen on shelling out to upgrade to 8 just yet but I'd be interested in hearing about any issues if anyone has tried.
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Aug 29, 2009 10:32
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infiniteseal posted:Anyone know if ProTools 7 or 8 is running on Snow Leopard? I'm running ProTools LE 7.4.2 right now, not too keen on shelling out to upgrade to 8 just yet but I'd be interested in hearing about any issues if anyone has tried. Officially, no. The DUC reports people using 8 with no problems. I installed Snow Leopard yesterday, and 7.4.2 seems to be running fine--in fact, it seems to be running better-than-fine (but I only spent about an hour with it last night, and nothing I did was plug-in intensive). That being said, there are some Core Audio issues, so I'm unable to run iTunes through my Mbox. This seems to be a 32/64 bit issue, since when I try to access the Mbox in my SysPrefs pane, it tells me it can't do it, and has to restart itself in 32 bit mode. Obviously, if PT is "mission-critical" for you, don't upgrade.
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Aug 29, 2009 15:41
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There is something wrong with my Digi 002 rack.  Some google searching leads me to believe it's a power harness problem. I can either try to send it back or open it myself. What happens is periodically the rack loses power and all thats lit is the Mute button. Then if I'm lucky it will click a few times and the sample rate indicator will light up again and I can use it. I am sad. Anyone of you have this issue before?
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Aug 29, 2009 17:27
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So sellout.woot has the M-Audio Fast Track USB for 50+5 shipping. I talked about what I wanna accomplish on the top of this page. Is this a good way to start? EDIT: Just read this, guess that answers my question. invision posted:I had a fasttrack for 3 hours. that includes the 45 minute drive to and from guitar center. it was a piece of poo poo and i would recommend it to no one. take it back. iSheep fucked around with this message at 06:24 on Aug 31, 2009 |
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Aug 31, 2009 06:16
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Can anybody recommend a decent free tool for 24->16 bit sample conversion? My friend is using a digital recorder to capture his (solo acoustic) performances, and using Audacity to clean up the recordings before sending them to CD. I'm trying to convince him of the virtues of 24 bit recording, but I understand that the conversion algorithm in Audacity leave something to be desired. I'm guessing SoX is probably the best option but am curious if there's anything else out there worth considering. h_double fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Sep 2, 2009 |
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Sep 2, 2009 14:43
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I've decided I want to get back into music and I'd like to record some guitar tracks along with some NES style 8-bit music just to noodle around. What exactly would you guys recommend for a small budget set up? So far, I have an ESP LTD guitar, small 30-watt Amp, a Macbook Pro and hopefully a keyboard if I can dig up my old one. I assume I would need some sort of mixer for the audio inputs into the laptop. Anything else? Is there anything special I need to create the 8-bit midi stuff?
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Sep 3, 2009 15:19
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SnatchRabbit posted:I've decided I want to get back into music and I'd like to record some guitar tracks along with some NES style 8-bit music just to noodle around. What exactly would you guys recommend for a small budget set up? So far, I have an ESP LTD guitar, small 30-watt Amp, a Macbook Pro and hopefully a keyboard if I can dig up my old one. I assume I would need some sort of mixer for the audio inputs into the laptop. Anything else? Is there anything special I need to create the 8-bit midi stuff? I doubt you'd need a mixer unless you're planning on recording a lot of tracks simultaneously. If it's just you and you're not recording drums then an audio interface is all you need, some sort of USB or firewire device would suit your needs and give you two decent inputs to use. What you get depends entirely on budget, M-Audio make some decent enough cheap ones for <$100 to ~$200, there are a few others who make some good ones above that range.
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Sep 3, 2009 20:22
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h_double posted:Can anybody recommend a decent free tool for 24->16 bit sample conversion?
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Sep 4, 2009 00:03
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Can anyone tell me what sort of frequencies i want to cut out/boost to give the effect of playing a track over a lovely stereo in a warehouse? I made a soundtrack for a buddy's film and just cut a bunch of the bass until things sounded right on my monitors (aka. lovely headphones  ) but at the actual screening, the entire sound was really screeching and way too treble heavy.
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Sep 7, 2009 09:14
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nrr posted:Can anyone tell me what sort of frequencies i want to cut out/boost to give the effect of playing a track over a lovely stereo in a warehouse? lovely speaker effect is usually done with a bandpass filter rather than hipass, not sure about the range but you should be able to fiddle about with it until you get where you need to be. I'd guess probably rolling off from <300 and > 4k but you may need to go higher or lowher Then obviously a massive reverb for the "in a warehouse" effect.
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Sep 7, 2009 17:09
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Thanks duggimon, I appreciate it. Does anyone else have any recording tips in general for soundtrack type of work where it's usually going to be played back on a vastly different system/environment than the one you're recording/monitoring in? Things that can sound great on a home system can really become wildly different when being played back in a big theatre or auditorium. Obviously there's lots of variables here that you have no control over, but are there any little tricks that can you can use to help out a bit in these kinds of situations?
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Sep 7, 2009 21:47
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This is actually not a music related request, but people always have trouble understanding me in online games due to my somewhat low voice. Spectrum analysis shows the peak at 84Hz. If I were a singer I'd be a baritone, I'm told. What type of (CHEAP) mic should I be looking at just for the purpose of picking up my voice more than the background noise? I run my mic at 30dB boost and max volume and people can barely hear me but they can hear the air conditioner and people watching TV in the next room, which I can barely even hear. Or should I just make my own bandpass filter with some radioshack stuff and call it good?
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Sep 8, 2009 20:46
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Can you post a recording of you talking normally?
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Sep 8, 2009 21:58
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nimper posted:Can you post a recording of you talking normally?  Here you go. If you don't hear it, turn the volume up. Fortunately my house is decently quiet right now. By the way, this is with me leaned in close to the mic. It doesn't really pick me up past 1 foot or so. I just need to know if there are different sized mics or something that would be more appropriate for a lower pitch range, without spending the $$ for recording quality stuff just for talking to people in online games. I've had this problem with multiple cheap generic computer mics in the past. OMGWTFWALLHACK fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Sep 9, 2009 |
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Sep 9, 2009 04:26
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Have you considered a headset microphone?
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Sep 9, 2009 05:04
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OMGWTFWALLHACK posted:this is with me leaned in close to the mic
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Sep 9, 2009 16:19
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So I bought a Fast Track Pro and an SM57 to go with it. Turns out the FTP doesn't have enough power for the microphone and I have to turn the gain 100% to get a decent signal. Would picking up an M-Audio preamp buddy fix that?
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Sep 9, 2009 20:23
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Yup, that would do it just fine. I have the same setup except I used one of these: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ART127 and it works wonderfully. If you don't need both preamp channels you'd be just fine with something like that for a little cheaper.
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Sep 10, 2009 00:08
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Wait an SM57 won't work with a Fast Track Pro? I bought an FTP about 9 months ago and was sort of on my way to buying something around the SM57 range to use with it. Why wouldn't that work? Is this just with the combo of SM57 and FTP, or am I going to have problems with other or even all mics in the ~$100 range?
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Sep 10, 2009 00:36
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nrr posted:Wait an SM57 won't work with a Fast Track Pro? I bought an FTP about 9 months ago and was sort of on my way to buying something around the SM57 range to use with it. Why wouldn't that work? Is this just with the combo of SM57 and FTP, or am I going to have problems with other or even all mics in the ~$100 range?  The level is probably too low and the FTP's preamps aren't strong enough. Using an outboard preamp is always a good idea (no matter what mic) unless you know the preamps in your interface are good.
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Sep 10, 2009 01:43
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struan87 posted:It's not that it "won't work", it's all analog So a cheap $50 preamp like the one Deathbyspoon posted is going to be a lot better than the preamp in the FTP?
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Sep 10, 2009 02:53
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That's weird. I don't need to crank my levels for my SM58...
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Sep 10, 2009 03:01
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No. 9 posted:That's weird. I don't need to crank my levels for my SM58... That is weird. You are using a FTP? Are you running power to it with an adapter? DeathBySpoon posted:Yup, that would do it just fine. I have the same setup except I used one of these: I might as well get one with two channels in case that opportunity comes down the line. Guitar Center has the Audio Buddy for 50 bucks right now. I'm gonna go pick one up in the morning. Maybe even pick up the packaged deal with the MXL 990/991. I've heard some recordings my buddy has done with those mics and they sound really good.
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Sep 10, 2009 04:16
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nrr posted:So a cheap $50 preamp like the one Deathbyspoon posted is going to be a lot better than the preamp in the FTP? No. 9 posted:That's weird. I don't need to crank my levels for my SM58...
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Sep 10, 2009 05:21
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struan87 posted:You get what you pay for...but yeah, it probably is better. I don't think so, after a quick google search it seems to be an incredibly common problem. EDIT: And if it is my mic I can just exchange it anyway. iSheep fucked around with this message at 06:20 on Sep 10, 2009 |
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Sep 10, 2009 06:17
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That kind of blows I thought the Fast Track Pro was a bit more capable than that.
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Sep 10, 2009 09:56
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