The thread for those who want to start recording

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

Sigh ... if only that were true. I've seen many Windows computers with no Internet connection completely lose their poo. Memory leaks, bad code, random Windows glitches ... they happen with or without an Internet connection.

That said, Windows is much more stable now than it's ever been.

I've seen my fair share of **** happen on Windows, as well... but if you build the machine from the ground up knowing exactly what components work with others, tweak/maintain the OS properly, and keep it off the web, you'll have an awesome little recording machine on your hands.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

VK, I understand the sentiments some have towards PCs and Windows and your statement isn't without merit. The problem is that I don't know what components work with others, how to tweak and maintain Windows (and I have been running windows since 3.xx) and I can't afford a seperate PC for both internet and recording.

My G5 PowerMac 2.2 needs none of those things. I run the internet constantly, record with ProTools while getting flawless operations and it has never even blinked at me, let alone crashed. I have defragged it once in 3 1/2 years and thats it.

The PC route seems like a lot of extra work and expense.

BTW, is there a reason you feel the need to type asterisks? I thought we already had this conversation.

 

[CGord]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

Are groups of asteriks the new swear words?

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

The audio interface IS your soundcard.



I'm sorry, but your friend is retarded. You cannot run any kind of studio off Garageband. It simply doesn't have the mixing capabilities you need.

That, and as much as I love Mac's, they aren't the be-all-end-all. If you build yourself a monster of a PC and tweak it properly, you do exactly what you can with a Mac.


Basically, you need software, an audio interface, and a computer.

Dude, the top recording school in the province (OIART) is giving him an open invitation to attend whenever he can, he's mixed shows for Rod Stewart and Chantal Krieviaschuk (however the hell her last name is spelled). By small studio he means you and friends using it or a band for demos, not like running one for a business. I'm sorry, but with the years of experience he has, the albums of local bands and artists he's done that i own and listen to, and the artists he's mixed live shows for, I'll take his word over yours any day, no offense.

As for PCs, I've decided not to rely on annoying POS boxes that fill with viruses no matter what anti-virus program you have. My Mac has never let me down, and really, they're built for the arts. I think it's safe to say most major recording studios run Macs, that speaks volumes. Logic Express is a goos step up from Garage Band if Garage Band doesn't offer enough for you (though GB comes free as part of iLife).

EDIT: +1 to Robert's post. I've only ever had to use Disk Utility on OSX once and it was simple and just hit 2 buttons and it fixd itself, without losing anything on my hard drive or resetting any of my preferences, and I've this computer since 2005. Sure Macs may costs a bit more at first, but you save on virus expenses and tweaking and having to find the right parts that work with each other and what not. Plus if you buy a Mac, you can run windows off it, which to me seems stupid and pointless but good for gamers and those in businesses.

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

You guys are preaching to the choir on this one.

I'm posting from a MacBook - I know how great Macs are. OS X is, IMO, the best operating system out to date. You guys haven't defragged in a while because OS X makes it so you really don't have to. Your system drive doesn't benefit much from defragging, if at all.

That said, it's still way cheaper to build an absolute monster PC, and it's going to be cheaper to get the software and plugins to record and mix on them. Also, if you know what you're doing, component matching and virii are not a problem, at all.


If I was running a professional studio, I'd get a G5 QuadCore and load it with RAM, no doubt about it. But for at home, or as a writing tool, the PC is going to make much more sense for most people.

By small studio he means you and friends using it or a band for demos, not like running one for a business.

Logic Express is a goos step up from Garage Band if Garage Band doesn't offer enough for you (though GB comes free as part of iLife).

Looks like we had a misunderstanding. I don't consider guys at home making demos a 'studio.' For the above mentioned purposes, GB will work fine, you're right.

Logic Express is a pretty cool little program - I grabbed a copy after I got rid of Logic Pro, to be able to open the old projects I had recorded in Logic, just in case. I haven't used it in ages, but it definitely would be a much better choice than GB.



But seriously guys, the Mac vs. PC debate has been done to death on this forum. Both have their positives and negatives - I don't want to get into that anymore than we already have here.

Just pick the operating system you're most comfortable with and work from there.

 

[Bludave]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

I have a good friend who owns a recording studio here. His studio did Marcy's playhouse first CD. He uses Pro tools for everything and has a 64 track mixing board. That being said he told me to get a Mac with Garage band and that should be fine for what most "home" recording systems would need.

I have been playing around with Audacity and granted its not ever going to be what pro tools is or even Garage Band, but last night I plugged my guitar right into the sound card and recording some decent tones. I used a Boss Super Overdrive to give the guitar a little more Character, but for what I want to do its not bad....... not great but good enough to get me going. The only other thing I can see that I need to get started is a decent pre amp for vocals and acoustic instruments!

 

[SpaceShipOne]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

I dont know much about macs but I build my pc from the ground up almost 5 years ago and I've only had one problem with it that was a minor virus. PC's just require you to know what to avoid and what to get so that all the parts work in unison. I researched for a month on what to get. That being said, I'd probably stay pc if I ran a studio until I got into the upper pro business area....def mac then.

 

[wahwah]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

The original question of this thread was in regard to where to start, and it's true that GarageBand on a Mac is a great place to start. Considering the price of iMacs, and the fact that the software comes as part of the purchase, it is also relatively cost effective. The move to Logic Express is also relatively inexpensive, and still allows access to the sounds and loops of GarageBand. I think the audio interface is a crucial part of any setup, and I actually moved away from Pro Tools because while the HD system is obviously very, very good, the sound of an entry level M Box or M Audio interface left too much to be desired. I ended up getting a Metric Halo ULN2, which sounds beautiful, and I'm running it into Logic Express 7.2. I didn't need the extra synths or input objects of Logic Pro, and I have loaded up with great plugins so I only use the best of the Logic plugs anyway.

A home recording setup is certainly capable of fulfilling the requirements of a demo recording facility, there are people doing it every day, myself included. I recently finished a four song project for a young singer songwriter, who is now shopping her work to record companies and management with the demo I provided her. This also gave her the content for her Myspace site. She is being asked who produced it and where it was recorded, and I received a call from one of the potential managers complementing the productions. The "studio" is an iMac sitting in my lounge room, the Metric Halo, and a hand built all tube mic pre and compressor front end, a couple of nice mics, a bunch of nice plugins, and my time.

If that's not a recording studio, then I guess I'm going to have to give her the money back for providing her with recordings of her songs.


Cheers.......................wahwah

 

[Bludave]

Re: The thread for those who want to start recording

The original question of this thread was in regard to where to start, and it's true that GarageBand on a Mac is a great place to start. Considering the price of iMacs, and the fact that the software comes as part of the purchase, it is also relatively cost effective. The move to Logic Express is also relatively inexpensive, and still allows access to the sounds and loops of GarageBand. I think the audio interface is a crucial part of any setup, and I actually moved away from Pro Tools because while the HD system is obviously very, very good, the sound of an entry level M Box or M Audio interface left too much to be desired. I ended up getting a Metric Halo ULN2, which sounds beautiful, and I'm running it into Logic Express 7.2. I didn't need the extra synths or input objects of Logic Pro, and I have loaded up with great plugins so I only use the best of the Logic plugs anyway.

A home recording setup is certainly capable of fulfilling the requirements of a demo recording facility, there are people doing it every day, myself included. I recently finished a four song project for a young singer songwriter, who is now shopping her work to record companies and management with the demo I provided her. This also gave her the content for her Myspace site. She is being asked who produced it and where it was recorded, and I received a call from one of the potential managers complementing the productions. The "studio" is an iMac sitting in my lounge room, the Metric Halo, and a hand built all tube mic pre and compressor front end, a couple of nice mics, a bunch of nice plugins, and my time.

If that's not a recording studio, then I guess I'm going to have to give her the money back for providing her with recordings of her songs.


Cheers.......................wahwah

That is great to hear. Although I am not necessarily interested in making a record at home, but I would like to record some of my songs so I can critque them and improve on them. Are you or anyone else reading this familiar with the Lexicon Omega? I have read some great reviews of this device, but would like to hear from someone who actually uses it.

http://www.lexiconpro.com/ProductIndex.aspx?ProductID=6