What To Use Options

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Hello everyone, my first post after reading for a long time. I have at my disposal (this is not an ad for sale, I use ebay for that) the following equipment. I will list all that I have, and then get to my question. Mac G4 DP 1.42 Ghz, Mac G4 533 Mhz, Powerbook G4 Ti 1 Ghz. all with 1 GB ram. 2 x Akai DR16 Pro ( 1 with ADAT) and controller DL1500. +outboard SCSI drives, storage, Cd, DAT. 1 x Spirit Digital 328, 1 x Allen & Heath 16-8-2 (system 8 1616) + 8 Pro RR 1/4" machines (studer etc) also a lot of out board hardware efx, Auto tune,etc. A MOTU 2408 MkII with PCI card. Software, Audio Desk 1 & 2, Cubase VST Score, and to play with, Garageband 2 on my everyday G4 1 Ghz.

Now to my question, I am in my 60's and used to working with analogue equipment, I am however intrigued by the surgical editing afforded on computer based equipment, ( eyes getting a bit bad for razor blades) My biggest worry is what of the above equipment to keep and how best to put it together, I am trying to get to a minimalist stage of equipment and yet not lose the ability of multitrack. I also wish to keep a lot of outboard (like the Autotune) but digital doesn't allow for inserts after recording. Maybe I can utilise them via MIDI?

I am also worried about latency. This has been a bugbear in my committing before now to look at digital. I am assuming that I am faced with either an Akai - A&H or 328 setup or a G4-MOTU-328 rig. The latter will take up much less room ( I would like to go with Mac) and would seem to be the way forward, however I bow to the expertise of my peers on this site and hope someone can help me decide and offer advice on best possibble setup.

As to software that may be needed, then I welcome advise on that as well. I would ideally like only one piece of software so as best to avoid issues with incompatibility, which I read so much of on this site. My interests lie in demos with some friends and putting together plays ( hopefully for radio) at a future date.

If I have posted in the wrong section, then I do apolagise.

Thank you for taking the time to read this

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[DANO10]

O.K. So you finally made the big 60. I'll bet you even like music with melody and chord changes - not that there's anything wrong with that.... I'm 68 and I have the answer. (1.) Sell all that stuff on Ebay. I sold all my analog stuff there. It was easy. (2.) Get the biggest and baddest MAC you can afford - with plenty of RAM. I'm running 4GB on my G5. (3.) Get the latest Digital Performer. I comes with several virtual instruments and very advanced editing. Lots of tracks. Logic is a great program but DP is more musical, more friendly to us old guys that have more conventional musical training. (4.) Get a MOTU 828mkII. The Fire Wire Cue Mix Console deals with latency. (5.) Get a MIDI controller. There are many good one around. (6.) Get the very best monitor (speaker) system you can afford. You don't know what you got till you can hear it.

Work with this system till you're comfortable. Then go to expantion later.

Hope tis helps.

[sugarshane]

Hey. I am half your age and couldn't agree with you more. I have pretty much the set up you described for film scoring and lots more. Latest DP rocks. Bye Bye analog.

SugarShane

[Top of]

Hi Dano10 and Sugarshane, Thank you both for taking the time to read and reply. I have taken the time to follow up with research on all the equipment mentioned. I have come to the following conclusion. There is much to merit in throwing it all out ( via Ebay of course) and making a clean start. However, I feel before I make such a drastic move, I should make what I do have, work and guide me. I therefore propose to use the fastest Mac I have (MDD FW800 1.42 DP) and sell all the others ( from SE's to G4's) apart from the PB and the unit I am using for internet access. That way, I will try and avoid any clashes of software and processor sharing. I have a MOTU 2408 MkII and PCI 324 card and a Soundcraft digital 328( should eliminate latency) mixer. The mixer can be used as a MIDI controller also. This may not be the most desirable setup in the world, but will work, insofar as an intro to digital work. I have downloaded all the relevant updates prior to assembly. I also have Audiodesk 2, and although it is only a scaled down DP with limited MIDI use it will no doubt give me an insight into DP as a package. I will probably keep one Akai as a backup machine as it has ADAT cards in it and can be presed into service should the G4 go down. I will also hang on to one of my tape machines, at least until everything on tape is archived to cd. The rest can be got ready for ebay. I thank you both for giving me the shove I needed to go the route I wanted to follow, but was afraid to take the first step to begin a new journey. If you get this in time have a good New Year celebration however you celebrate it. The same of course to everyone out there.
Peace and best wishes
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[Jim Hoyland]

I agree, there's really no need to rush in throwing away all that great gear. In the last year I've set-up two ProTools Mix24 systems with MDD DP Macs and they're solid as a rock. We're all constantly under pressure to have the latest and the newest, but I genuinely think you're better off with equipment that works for you, either in terms of reliability or the speed with which you can get the results you're after.

I still know a few people programming on Atari 1040ST with Cubase version 2! Its really tight and pretty much crash free so who can blame them? (Although the price of Atari monitors is insane).

It might be worth hanging on to the Allen and Heath as the eq is gnarly and the mic pre's are much better than the Spirit's. As far as avoiding latency goes you can always monitor the input signal rather than the return. Hanging on to the Adat equipped Akai seems like a good idea too, it could well come in handy for recording away from your usual studio set-up.

In terms of software, I haven't used DP, but can heartily recommend ProTools as an audio editor, perfect for working with live bands and radio drama. You will probably be able to pick up a 2nd hand or refurbished Mix system cheaply now as mor people migrate to HD. It might seem a bit luddite, but you could consider running this set-up in OS9!

Best of luck!

This post has been edited by Jim Hoyland: Mon 1 Jan 2007, 15:24

[DANO10]

Hello Top of.

I think you have a good plan. Keep what works for you and expand as needed.

[aomahana]

Hello there,

If you are wanting to sell your DL1500, please let me know.


Bye for now,
aomahana.
www.audioarts.co.nz