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Test Pilot Monkey posted:First off, do you understand the difference between audio and MIDI? Audio tells your speakers how to move, while MIDI tells your computer what notes you've played. It can then use that information to tell your speakers how to move. Yes, I do. I just want to know the overall basic Pros/Cons of having a $100 USB Audio interface for a keyboard that already has a USB MIDI capability ($0.99 cord) or if it is even a stupid inquiry in the first place because there is an obvious choice.
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Oct 26, 2010 18:42
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FLOOR posted:Yes, I do. I just want to know the overall basic Pros/Cons of having a $100 USB Audio interface for a keyboard that already has a USB MIDI capability ($0.99 cord) or if it is even a stupid inquiry in the first place because there is an obvious choice.
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Oct 26, 2010 19:59
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I have been looking to buy my first entry level audio interface. I was thinking about getting the Onyx Blackjack, because it fits my needs of two mic/instrument inputs, easy headphone monitoring, ruggedness and price range. However, I just discovered that it seems to be using USB 1.1. It seems a bit weird this wasn't mentioned in any of the reviews I have read...wouldn't this be a big downside to USB 2.0 especially when recording two mics at once? And while I am at it, I am also considering buying a basic MIDI-keyboard (not sure about the amount of keys yet), without fancy knobs and sliders. Does anyone have experience with the build quality/software problems of different models/companies. I will be looking at those at a store next week hopefully, but is there anything I should keep my hands off?
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Oct 27, 2010 13:47
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If you check my review in the entry level interface thread, the blackjack performs incredibly well. USB1.0 is plenty of bandwidth for a 2in/2out interface.
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Oct 27, 2010 16:32
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RivensBitch can correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I'm aware the only real downside to using a USB 1.0 interface would be that they don't do 88.2/96 kHz sample rates. They do 24-bit audio fine, just not the double sample rate. Though, to be perfectly honest, 44.1 kHz is more than adequate for most if not all applications.
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Oct 27, 2010 19:15
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Yeah that sounds reasonable. I don't think i need 96kHz for anything I might want to do. Thanks for the reassurance.
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Oct 28, 2010 13:38
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I apologize in advance for the length of this but I need to bounce some ideas off people and hopefully someone here has a similar setup. Current setup:
Synth - Korg R3 Drum Pads - Akai XR20 Issue: I'm considering picking up a Kaoss Pad 3 for being able to record loops on the fly and mess with them, mainly for just jamming and messing around so I can layer synth sounds on top of each other. I'm running into some logistics issues when it comes to hooking it up to my current rig. I could probably get it working but I can almost guarantee it would be less than ideal. The mixer only has mono aux sends despite having stereo returns. I checked the manual for the mixer and confirmed it's mono not stereo TSR. So I could setup the KP3 to use the aux send / return and easily incorporate it into the system but both the synth and drum machine have stereo output and I'd lose all of that in this setup. Sooooo..... 1. Am I making too big of a deal out of my sources having stereo output? I'd like to retain the drum pans that are automatically setup in each set and the synth definitely sounds beefier on certain patches when it's bouncing around both speakers. 2. Could I just use the (Alt 3/4) 1/4" outputs to send to the KP3 RCA inputs with a 1/4 to RCA cable and then do the same thing right back to the mixer and make my own kind of send / return somehow? I know that I'd be sacrificing some features but I don't know what they'd be. I'm sure I wouldn't have as nice control over what would go to the phones / main out / muting etc since everything I wanted to send to the KP3 would then have to be send to my alt output. 3. I could use the KP3 in "through" mode ( I forget what it's called) where I'd just go straight from the KP3 to my speakers instead of sending it back to the mixer but then I can't send specific channels to the KP3 on their own. Also I've read that the KP3 can lose some volume and really should come back to a mixer before heading to the main out. I'm leaning towards going the alt 3/4 stereo output route creating my own stereo aux send and suffer the logistical consequences of the mixer features. I'm sorry if this is actually a really simple workaround. I think I've researched this stuff enough to know exactly WHAT my problem is, but I have no clue what kind of best practice / common workarounds there might be for something like this. Thoughts?
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Oct 29, 2010 01:03
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Any suggestions for a good USB midi keyboard with a bit of stage ruggedness. I had one of those behringer things and it just crumbled at its first knock. Being a two-tone ska band, things get a bit rowdy at times, and yeah, I managed to actually punch the volume slider right off the PCB. loving cheaply built thing. e: Just ordered an Icon Neuron 5. I'm going to break the old lovely behringer keyboard over the guitarists head at the next gig. It'll be rock-and-roll as gently caress. duck monster fucked around with this message at 03:23 on Nov 2, 2010 |
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Nov 1, 2010 03:42
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Hey RivensBitch, I really appreciated your posts in the 'Best Entry-Level Audio Interface' thread and your detailed breakdown of your band's Ableton Live set, very helpful. I actually grabbed a Konnekt 48 interface as a result, and was wondering if you could offer some more insight on how you use it and maybe some ideas for my production setup - the thing arrived today and I'm going to buy cables so I can hook everything up tomorrow. Particularly I'm wondering if you're making any use of the DSP mixer in the Konnekt 48 - is it worth using; is it as flexible as claimed? I have a couple of ideas on how to integrate it but so far I'm not dealing with anything other than an Access Virus in terms of I/O - although I'm planning to add a KP3 to the setup soon and maybe a Kaossilator in the future. Could the interface's DSP mixer be used to sum all three of the Virus' stereo outputs before they hit my DAW, for instance? Could I send different tracks or all of a song to the Virus (for the Atomizer) or would it be more efficient to create the send/return routing in Ableton instead?
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Nov 2, 2010 04:39
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duck monster posted:Any suggestions for a good USB midi keyboard with a bit of stage ruggedness. I had one of those behringer things and it just crumbled at its first knock. Being a two-tone ska band, things get a bit rowdy at times, and yeah, I managed to actually punch the volume slider right off the PCB. loving cheaply built thing. Bit off topic, but what's your band dude? I'm guessing maybe you're UK based if you're two-tone. I used to be in a ska-punk band and a two-tone band so I'm still pretty interested in the scene, much as it seems to have dropped off these days.
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Nov 2, 2010 15:19
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chippy posted:Bit off topic, but what's your band dude? I'm guessing maybe you're UK based if you're two-tone. I used to be in a ska-punk band and a two-tone band so I'm still pretty interested in the scene, much as it seems to have dropped off these days. Australian. Yeah its a two-tone thing, with bit of a rockabilly twist, kinda. Two tone was once really big here, and I'm hoping it'll be again, since the kids seem hell bent on the 80s lately. But I'd rather not be telling folks the band, been around SA long enough to know that this can lead to future hell-dumpery.
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Nov 4, 2010 00:59
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I'd like to improve my recording room if possible. It's going to be a few years before I can consider another room for the job, I'm stuck with this for now. Is there anything that can be done with foam pads, baffles, blankets etc to make this a better spot to record drums? Right now the kit is in the far right corner (and all the other stuff is gone), and room mics sound like crap. Click here for the full 1000x669 image.
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Nov 4, 2010 18:37
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Put the drums closer to the center of the room. It's actually a decent space with the angled ceiling, you just need to put up some absorption and diffusion to even things out. Maybe some bass traps. Auralex has a form you can fill out to get a free room analysis, no strings attached and they will give you recommendations on which of their products you need and where in the room you should place them. http://www.auralex.com/pcf/pcf.pdf Fill that out and email it to eric (at) timeline85 (dot) com and I will send it to my contacts at auralex.
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Nov 4, 2010 20:15
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My computer is noisy as all hell, so I can't put a condenser mic within 30 feet of it. Does anyone have any experience with multitrack recording on a netbook or a bargain basement laptop? Will it just poo poo itself opening a few tracks on something as low rent as Audacity?
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Nov 5, 2010 07:28
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Gnatmano posted:My computer is noisy as all hell, so I can't put a condenser mic within 30 feet of it. Does anyone have any experience with multitrack recording on a netbook or a bargain basement laptop? Will it just poo poo itself opening a few tracks on something as low rent as Audacity? Have you considered putting it in a closet or putting it in another room and running cables?
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Nov 5, 2010 07:40
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AriTheDog posted:Have you considered putting it in a closet or putting it in another room and running cables?
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Nov 5, 2010 08:00
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RivensBitch posted:Fill that out and email it to eric (at) timeline85 (dot) com and I will send it to my contacts at auralex. Thanks, email sent.
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Nov 5, 2010 18:04
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Gnatmano posted:My computer is noisy as all hell, so I can't put a condenser mic within 30 feet of it. Does anyone have any experience with multitrack recording on a netbook or a bargain basement laptop? Will it just poo poo itself opening a few tracks on something as low rent as Audacity? Before you buy a new computer, look into making your existing computer quieter. A few changes can go a long way and will be a lot cheaper than what you would drop on a netbook. Start by replacing your fans, then look into rubber insulators to quiet your hard drives. Check out http://www.silentpcreview.com/ for a lot of good info and reviews.
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Nov 6, 2010 14:36
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Elder posted:Before you buy a new computer, look into making your existing computer quieter. A few changes can go a long way and will be a lot cheaper than what you would drop on a netbook. Start by replacing your fans, then look into rubber insulators to quiet your hard drives. Check out http://www.silentpcreview.com/ for a lot of good info and reviews. Yeah, that's what I've done. The Antec Performance series cases are really nice and quiet (or even the Sonata series, although they are nowhere near as nice), and then beyond that it's probably just your CPU fan and GPU fan for loud noise sources, although some hard drives are quieter than others, of course.
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Nov 7, 2010 00:08
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I'm looking for a small recording device that will be used for the sole purpose of recording practices. We do a lot of collaborative writing and awesome songs come out of nowhere. Then we forget what we played. Then we cry. Anyone had any good experiences with something like this? I like goon MF recommendations because they're never wrong and you guys are awesome. :3
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Nov 9, 2010 05:32
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Those field recorders are kind of rad. I have one with an x/y mic pattern that I use to record scratch drums in our practice space as well as exactly what you're talking about doing. Incredibly useful. Check the manual and see if you can find a polar pattern for the microphones. You want something that has SOME kind of mono information in the pickup. The only thing that makes one better than the other really is the ability to plug a different mic pair into the unit and maybe record up to four simultaneous tracks. They're all using the exact same cheap analog to digital convertors. They're all using extremely similar chinese made electret condenser mics. As long as you don't buy one that only records to mp3 or some other compressed format you'll have a hard time hating these. Great tool.
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Nov 11, 2010 21:48
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I'm going to build a studio. Its going to take time and money, but I plan on, over time, investing a decent amount. I'm a drummer, so I'm coming into this with a few specific components, probably somewhat unique to my situation. I have 2 professional drum sets (Gretsch Renown, Yamaha Maple Absolute Custom), one rock - one jazz. A Roland Spd-S sampler. Roland TD-10 e-drums. Very nice floor standing speaker set (2:1) w/ amp, etc. A Macbook w/ good enough specs. Ibanez Bass w/ small amp. American Strat, not-as-small amp. Keyboard w/ amp. Few pedals and other toys. I'll need a set of drum/voice/guitar mics and a DAW/recording software for sure, anything else? Mixing board, etc? If anyone has any suggestions please shoot me any. I've played around in Fruity Loops with some success, and briefly used Ableton Live 5.1, but didn't get much out of it. I'm wanting to make a wide variety of music/sounds. Hip-hop is definitely going to be a major genre. As well as more experimental rock sounds. Learning curve is pretty important to consider because I'm definitely new to this, but I'm pretty familiar with music terminology and DAWs. Should I consider ProTools? Reason? I have the vision, I just need some guidance on how to put it together.
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Nov 15, 2010 04:58
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Sups posted:I'm going to build a studio... This is a great starter... http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071360972
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Nov 15, 2010 06:59
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Hogscraper posted:Is this a home studio or are you sinking money into a permanent business space? If you're building a business space I cannot stress enough how important room design is not only in your control room but in your live room(s) as well. Even the best gear is pretty worthless if you don't have those two bases covered. Home studio. Willing to condition the room some, however.
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Nov 15, 2010 07:23
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Sups posted:Home studio. Willing to condition the room some, however. Square rooms are bad.
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Nov 16, 2010 01:08
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Not sure if this is the best place to ask. It's not actually about home recording, but it kind of involves home recording equipment. Do please direct me to somewhere more appropriate if necessary. I have 3 computers in a room, all of them connected to a Behringer 1202FX mixer that I got second hand, which then outputs to my amp. I hear a lot of noise (buzzing), when I turn the main mix down the noise disappears, but if I turn each of the channels down it doesn't - so I assume it's the mixer itself that's the problem. My first question is - is there anything I can do to reduce it? Opening it up and cleaning something, I don't know. My second question is - can you recommend a mixer with at least 4 stereo channels to replace it? I don't want to spend over £100, if I can't get better for that then I'll have to just deal with it. I don't mind second hand, provided it is unlikely to have this same problem. Also tell me if there's a better way to be doing what I'm doing. Sir Sidney Poitier fucked around with this message at 17:18 on Nov 16, 2010 |
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Nov 16, 2010 16:04
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Are you using balanced cables between your mixer and the speakers/amp? Is the sound present in headphones connected to the mixer?
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Nov 16, 2010 17:51
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RivensBitch posted:Are you using balanced cables between your mixer and the speakers/amp? I'm not entirely sure what that means. If it helps, I'm using this lead or one just like it between the mixer and amp (Cambridge Audio A1) and these cables between the amp and speakers. Those are the places I got each of them from, too. RivensBitch posted:Is the sound present in headphones connected to the mixer? Yes, I neglected to mention that I checked that too. The noise is present when I turn off the amp, connect the headphones to the mixer and turn the headphone output up.
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Nov 16, 2010 18:03
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Well if the noise is in the headphones when nothing else is connected to the mixer than that is your problem right there. I'm not sure £100 will get you anything more reliable than the behringer that you already have.
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Nov 16, 2010 19:51
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Is this a problem with older units? Might a new thing not have such noise? Or is it something common to all cheaply-made ones from the start?
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Nov 16, 2010 20:11
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It's really hard to say honestly. Cheaper components and manufacturing usually means things break down quicker, so my first inclination if it's a loud noise problem would be that something is broken rather than this just being a design flaw. A component could have failed either due to age, defect, or even spikes in your AC during brownouts. Or if the mixer has been dropped a solder joint could have snapped or a component could be damaged. I highly doubt that all behringer 1202FX just had a ton of white noise level hiss. However, as a personal anecdote, once when I was a managing a Guitar Center I had a customer who wanted to demo and buy a behringer ultragain preamp. The first one I pulled out and plugged in had a dead channel #2 with no light or signal. The 6 other units I pulled from our warehouse had the exact same issue. As far as your particular setup goes though, it looks like you're basically running a hifi setup with a mixer as a front end. From the cambridge website, it looks like you only have 25 watts going to your speakers and everything is connected with unbalanced RCA cables. From a pro audio standpoint it's hard to judge where your noise issues could be coming from, as your entire setup doesn't have much gain and every cable you're using is acting as an RF antenna. So you've got noisy lines and you're going to be turning every knob up all the way to get ideal listening levels. Now you mentioned that the noise is in the mixer even with headphones, so assuming that's with nothing else plugged in then we can focus on the mixer. But that said, your setup is not exactly ideal for getting really clean signals, so I can't guarantee that swapping the mixer is going to solve your issues.
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Nov 16, 2010 22:39
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Thanks, you've been most helpful. I won't go spending money since I can't improve it without substantial investment.
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Nov 17, 2010 00:11
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Try fiddling with where the power cable comes into the Behringer mixer and see if the noise changes (with your speaker volume as low as possible). It's a bit of a longshot but when the power cable comes halfway out of those mixers they become full volume buzz-generators although they still have power and to look at them they appear to be working right.
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Nov 17, 2010 00:31
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I'm going to try and record some drums this weekend, and there is a possibility I'll be able to borrow a drum mic kit from a friend. If I don't, though, is there any decent way to mic a drum set with 2 condenser mics? I'm thinking probably not.
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Nov 18, 2010 10:17
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The only real way to do it is to try a bunch of different configurations, record the results, listen to the playback, and take notes. See which configuration works the best for your recording and do it.
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Nov 18, 2010 17:22
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stuart scott irl posted:I'm going to try and record some drums this weekend, and there is a possibility I'll be able to borrow a drum mic kit from a friend. If I don't, though, is there any decent way to mic a drum set with 2 condenser mics? I'm thinking probably not. Google the Glyn Johns method or the Recorderman method. Pretty much the same method.
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Nov 19, 2010 00:09
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If you want to use a single mic draw an imaginary line between the snare and the center of the kick and place you mic there You'll have to experiment with the best distance. That changes from room to room. Whomever is playing the kit needs to be a really balanced player and you need a great room in order for it to sound good. I love these sparse mic methods when they're applied right.
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Nov 19, 2010 00:19
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Thanks to you both, I will give those ideas a shot. The player will be me, and I honestly haven't touched a drum set in over a year, so the whole thing may be a disaster but hopefully not
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Nov 19, 2010 01:20
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Yeah, you may have to adjust your playing a bit to make it sound good on a record. Some people just don't get the concept of hard on the drums soft on the cymbals, but that's pretty much the trick to it. When you do one of the two mic methods you really have to be aware of the phase between the two mics. What you're looking out for is essentially the sound of your mono elements to hit both mic diaphragms at the EXACT same time. You can adjust this some after the fact but you'll never get it as close in a DAW, even at a high sample rate, as you would by just placing the mics in the right spot to begin with. It's way easier to hear the mics out of phase when you have the phase inverted on one of the mic channels. Place one mic, have someone play the snare, move second mic around until you hear the snare disappear, invert phase back to original on mic. WHAM! Big drums!
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Nov 19, 2010 04:07
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Looking to improve my setup and thought this'd be the place to get some advice. At the moment, I'm analyzing each piece of my setup and looking to see if anything can be upgraded in order to create a great sounding studio. Ideally, I'd be doing some synth work and mixing--maybe some line-in recording...maybe. Anywho, here's what I've got as of now: 2008 iMac 24" Marantz 2270 L/R EPOS m5 speakers Sennheiser HD280s There's no real hope of getting a new computer, so I'm stuck with the iMac. Would it be wise to get an external card for better output? I actually have access to a MobilePre if that might help matters. I was initially looking into getting a headphone amp and upgrading the headphones to some high-end Denons, but I figured to review everything all at once. Thoughts?
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Nov 19, 2010 19:10
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