Suggestions On A Basic Recording Setup, which way to go? Options

[JPSpecial]

I am thinking about purchasing an Mbox to record audio. I'm fine with recording only two inputs at once, but am concerned about latency issues when recording over existing tracks. Sounds like a real drag. Is this a big issue? Was there some fix for this problem in Pro Tools LE 6.4?

Would you actually recommend any other setup for my simple recording needs? Primarily acoustic guitar, voice, bass, and some percussion. I'd like a relatively simple DAW and a reliable interface. Several people have recommended Logic Express, but others have said it is complicated to learn. I have messed around with Audacity and was pleased with its ease of use but am unsure about a compatible audio interface. My internal mic on the Imac sounded decent but certainly not of the quality one can get from a good condenser mic.

Your help is much appreciated.

[arvidtp]

Well, I have an Mbox, and I don't really like it. It is not reliable, in the sense that Pro Tools (at least 6.4) is realatively unstable in OS X and the drivers for the Mbox are trashy IMO.

Yes, Offset when overdubbing in PT has supposedly been fixed.

Latency issues come in when you want to monitor live input with effects - through the computer and back out. When just overdubbing your interface can have lots of latency and it will not matter in theory.

However, the latency on the Mbox is rather bad - 512 samples - about 23 ms when you go in and back out, or 11.5 ms if you are playing a virtual instrument. I really am not a fan of this for the performance stuff that I do-it is too big a latency to play things really well. For example you will find laying down MIDI drum tracks with virtual instruments difficult.

Logic is different from PT and yes, a bit harder to use, but I switched to Logic Pro this summer and have not looked back. Pro Tools's audio editing is more straightforward and sometimes quicker, but not necessarily any more capable. Logic is much more flexible, stable, and CPU efficient (think lots more realtime effects at once per CPU power). All coreaudio interfaces will be in theory compatible with Logic, whereas you need a silly Mbox or other Digi hardware for PT. The Mbox's coreaudio drivers, which I use now for logic, leave quite a bit to be desired, and are making me consider a new interface, like the new Presonus firebox.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide to get!

[gif_silver]

Hi! I just bought a 667mhz powerbook tit because it has 9 + 10 on it, although i could have bought a new one just with 10 on it. I"m worried now because my 002 rack won't allow more than 2 tracks to be played at a time... he's complaining that there ain't enough hardware buffering! Is it possible that the processor is too small or is it just a case of ram? the guy i bought the mac off is really narchy since i asked him to take it back (i read on the DD site that 867mhz is the minimum requirement for mac osx PT) and claims the processor only needs to be a minimum of 400 mhz! I would be really really grateful for any support regarding this topic because i'm under pressure!!!
thank ing you in ad vance
ju

[jacobw]

I'm also a Mbox owner looking at the FirePod or FireBox. The FireBox comes with Cubase LE, and you could also use Logic Express or Digital Performer if you wished. I've found the Mbox to be pretty reliable on my system when running ProTools, but I'm looking for a lower latency device with more I/O capabilities. If you're decide you'd like to buy an Mbox, I'm selling mine for quite a bit less than a new one, and you're still eligible for support from Digidesign. Feel free to contact me through my email link.

This post has been edited by jacobw: Thu 4 Nov 2004, 17:46