How Do I Start Rocking In The Digital World?, a true beginner Options

[Zooey]

Dear friends,

I have some experience with the Tascam portastudio world, but little else. What I am essentially looking to do is reproduce that kind of home studio fun on the computer (15" imac), with better sound quality and more tracks. But I am lost in the field of terms.

I have guitars and an old korg, which is midi capable (but is the kind of midi used in depeche mode's early career). What kinds of things do I need to couple these forms of equipment to my computer. I have heard of a Logic Big Box..If I buy this would I be ready to go? How do you get a mic into a computer? (is this is the realm of the break-out box?)

ideally the set up would have singing, guitar, keys and drum loops...

If this question is too far sub-par, please advise my as to any websites that can adequate me to the lingo of the digital age...really, it's all i can do to surf the web.

best,

I am in the exact same boat! I'm looking to fire up a home recording setup (nothing studio-quality, more of a musical scratchpad) so that I can take my guitar playing and add some drums, effects, etc. to fill out a full song. But I know little of home recording, and what I do know is on a PC end.

Ideally I'm looking at potentially buying an iBook with an external sound card (such as an M-Audio), but am lost when it comes to software. Someone pointed out Doggiebox to me, and this looks nice for drums, and I was thinking about the free version of Pro Tools because, well, it's free. Am I headed toward a path of ruin with this setup? And should there be any minimum system requirements for the iBook?

EDIT: After more poking around, I've found ProTools Free only works on OS 9, and Doggiebox only works on OSX. Sigh. Can anyone suggest a relatively inexpensive replacement for one or both programs?

This post has been edited by lunker: Sun 7 Dec 2003, 20:56

[kaboombahchuck]

When it comes to setting up a home studiio, there are many things to concider. How much money one is willing to spend, is the question a person must ask first.

Zooey,
I don't know much about Logic, but if it has a midi sequencer, and audio recording / sequencer (multitrac audio recording) it will do all that you need. I believe that the iMac your talking about does not have a sound port, so you will need to get a usb audio interface (like an M Audio one) or a firewire audio interface (like the Motu 828). You may want to do some searches of

Musicians Friend and find one that meets your monitary level, then get some feedback about the unit, then buy it. Find one that will meet your needs. Look for one that has mic ins (XLR), some audio ins (1/4" bananced, or not) and a midi interface (midi in and midi out) for the Korg. An external USB (or firewire) audio interface and a recording (audio/midi sequencer) program.

Lunker.
Looks like your heading down the road to disaster with your program choices. JMHO..
Try Metro 6 SE there is a demo available, check it out.

[aleman]

A possible solution is to buy an Mbox from Digidesign. It has two inputs which can accept both 1/4 inch connectors (like from an electric guitar or other instrument) and XLR inputs from a microphone. It's very portable and doesn't take up much space, and it connects to your computer via USB.

ProTools LE software (better than the FREE version) comes standard with the Mbox, so for under $495 you can get a complete recording solution that works for beginners and pros alike. In addition, you'll probably want to pick up a MIDI-to-USB interface to hook your keyboard directly to your Mac. Mac OS X makes it super easy to configure your MIDI setup once you're connected.

Pro Tools also has MIDI editing capabilities, though they're not quite the same as Ableton LIVE or Logic's sequencing features. But Pro Tools is great for mixing and recording audio, and lots of other stuff. If you're just starting out, Pro Tools is not a bad way to go, and buying the Mbox gets you both the hardware and the software you need to start recording.

If I'm not explaining things in enough detail for you, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification. I was totally clueless when I started out, and only by asking lots of questions to some very patient and helpful people did I learn what I know now (and I'm *still* constantly learning). Good luck!

[rickenbacker]

The only caveat with the Mbox is that it's a USB device, so you can't run too much audio through it at once. The data transfer path is much smaller than FireWire, so don't be expecting to cram full, busy mixes down it's little tube. FireWire is much faster and more reliable, although therefore more expensive.

Also, with an Mbox in one USB port and a Midi device in another, you're running out of USB ports on an iBook. Your mouse, for instance, is now history unless you get a USB hub. You could try the Tascam US-122, 224 or 428 series - they're all USB devices with Midi built in. You'd have to buy recording software separately, though.

The current Mbox software bundle is very nice, though, and it's a decent interface. Just be very aware that it's not the only solution out there and it's by no means the perfect answer.

You could try the Tascam US-122, 224 or 428 series - they're all USB devices with Midi built in. You'd have to buy recording software separately, though.

Rickenbacker: I've been trying to pick out an external USB card for my laptop and was eyeing the Tascam US-122: I noticed on the description for the item that it comes with a free copy of Cubasis VST -- which, if I'm not mistaken, is the lite version of Cubase.

Is this any good? I'm trying to avoid the hundreds-of-dollars price point of other softwares.

[rickenbacker]

Cubasis is the lite version of Cubase, but I can't remember if there's a Mac version in the box. Even if there is, it would be OS 9 only. I don't know if that's a problem for you.

Other options. Pro Tools Free is, well, free but is also OS 9 only. There's a new OS X multitracker called Tracktion in an advanced beta stage - a demo can be downloaded from their website. There's also Metro SE, which might be OS X friendly, I can't remember. If OS 9 is not a problem and if you can find a copy of Logic Fun knocking around, there's another free option.

Otherwise, bite the bullet, plunk a few hundred dollars down and get some software that will last you for at least a couple of years. I know it hurts, but you'll save a lot more hassle in the long run!

PS
Forgot to answer the question! Cubasis is OK, although the bundled version isn't even as good as the official boxed release of Cubasis 2.0 that Steinberg put out. The bundled copy of Cubasis is OK for absolute beginners for a few months, but even then you'd get fed up with the limitations. Don't expect miracles, that's what I'm saying.

This post has been edited by rickenbacker: Thu 11 Dec 2003, 12:51

[Esharpest]

I'm going through the same kind of decision-making process, looking to get started in the world of computer music and needing to get an audio/midi interface and software. Here's what I'm thinking:

1) Digidesign Mbox, about $450. Nice piece of hardware, comes with Pro Tools LE and a cut-down 'special edition' of Reason, but it acts as a software dongle: If you want to run Pro Tools, the Mbox has to be attached. So don't think of trying to do some editing on the plane without bringing your Mbox along! And, as Rickenbacker says, it's got no built-in MIDI interface, so you'll soon start running out of USB ports.

2) Mackie Spike, about $350 street price when it's released. Not out yet, will come with Tracktion, looks like very nice hardware with built-in DSP-based dynamic effects so you don't have to tax your CPU, but you'd need to invest some money in software synths or samplers because none is included in the box. And the interface supports stereo 24/96 recording over USB, unlike the others. I'm eager to see this package reviewed!

3) Tascam US-122 ($200 at audiomidi.com) and either Logic Big Box ($200-odd) or Steinberg Studio Box ($250 at 8thstreet, otherwise $300). These might give you the most bang for your buck - the Tascam looks like a nice compact portable piece of kit, and the Logic or Cubase bundles should work well. I'm leaning towards this solution, because it seems to give you a bit of everything. But I'm not sure.....

Anyone else have any ideas?

I'm staying away from the M-Audio Firewire 410 because I'm hearing so much about driver problems, and because you'd need to spend another couple of hundred dollars on software once you've bought the hardware.

Good luck....

[editbrain]

i would say for you audio application checkout logic big box.

[earmuffs]

im in the same boat as you as well. i just got a mac g4, and a tascam us-122. it does come with cubasis, however it only operates on os9, and it has caused some stability issues with my system (not to mention my mental stability)!

last night i found this web site, and in one of the "getting started" posts, someone mentioned Audacity software from this link- (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) that is free, and works on osx. i downloaded it, set up was too easy, and i am now in the process of putting together my first song including a sequence i created on my korg triton, along with live guitar.

it might not be the best solution, however it is cheap
($180+ for the us-122 that has midi, xlr, and 1/4'' inputs) and
free software that so for seems to be vary stable compared to the free software included with the us-122.

this set up might work well.

ps- im not sure but audacity allowes you to import midi as well. (i dont use it (midi) so im not sure i cant help you with that).

This post has been edited by earmuffs: Sat 13 Dec 2003, 23:52