Topic: Multitracking ??

[airbladder]

I want to start multitracking with my laptop.  What are my options for interfaces out there along with some pros/cons of each?  What program do you use?  At this point I am open minded an would like to keep my options that way.  Any help would be great.
Thanks,
Ed

[jpschust]

how many tracks do you want to do?

[airbladder]

I would like at least 6 tracks for now.

[Ed.]

cool edit - but i dunno how many tracks you can do?
vegas video
cubase

all great programs, depends on what interface you're used to.

[heath]

www.digidesign.com

[jpschust]

is it important for you to have it be portable?  this really limits your options.

the best part about the digidesign stuff is their protools software, but it has a major learning curve.  no need to limit just to digidesign stuff, motu has decent stuff, as do a number of others.  it's a question of budget/needs.

[airbladder]

It is all up in the air at this point.  It does not need to be portable.  Don’t want to spend more than 1500.  The use may change a lot.  The digidesign stuff looks nice but could limit you to 8 channels.  I like how you can add on with the Motu’s. 

[wbrisette]

is it important for you to have it be portable?  this really limits your options.

the best part about the digidesign stuff is their protools software, but it has a major learning curve.  no need to limit just to digidesign stuff, motu has decent stuff, as do a number of others.  it's a question of budget/needs.

Also platform. MOTU is only a Mac OS product, as is Logic now, so that is also a consideration.

Wayne

[cleantone]

You use MOTU's on a PC. They are made more for MAC though/ Thats what the designer use and that who they aim to make happy with thier gear. Get a 896HD, I bet you'll love it.

[nic]

is it important for you to have it be portable?  this really limits your options.

the best part about the digidesign stuff is their protools software, but it has a major learning curve.  no need to limit just to digidesign stuff, motu has decent stuff, as do a number of others.  it's a question of budget/needs.

Also platform. MOTU is only a Mac OS product, as is Logic now, so that is also a consideration.

Wayne

the MOTU hardware will work with Mac and PC.
the MOTU software(Digital Performer, Audiodesk, etc) is Mac only.

I've had NO problems running a 828 and 828mkii on my PC

[bluegrass_brad]

Another good option is the new Presonus Firepod.  I've read good reviews about it as well.  8 pres included (which are supposed to be pretty decent). Hard to beat the price as well. $799, but I've seen them for as low as $599. A little lower tha nthat on Ebay, but for $599 I would buy from a dealer and get full warranty and all. check it out:

http://presonus.com/firepod.html

I am thinking about getting one of these to run a 6 channel matrix everynight, as well as the 24 tracks we normally run.

[kskreider]

www.rme-audio.com/

[pfife]

MAudio Delta 1010A

You can also try to get a regular multitracking workstation and transfer to a computer.... but cheaper, maybe- or maybe not.  I have an AKAI DPS12, and I just import stuff to Logic for Windows when I am ready to mix

[jpschust]

i want to ask another question in helping you determine what is best for you- what do you hope to use your end result for?

[Ray76]

all the pros use it(the ones I know anyway) and it is an AMAZING program!!DIGIDESIGN!
Happy huntin!

big Ray

[jpschust]

ray, the program is protools, the company is digidesign  

there seems to be a slight industry shift away from digidesign products as of late.  a kind of anti-microsoft-esque backlash.

[Brian]

right now....i'm really diggin Nuendo over Protools. Allows for a more custom interface and I like the plugins and overall software much better.  wish i had the money for a nice apple laptop and either motu or metric halo interface for Nuendo 3

[Ray76]

ray, the program is protools, the company is digidesign  

there seems to be a slight industry shift away from digidesign products as of late.  a kind of anti-microsoft-esque backlash.

yeah man, my bad. Was stoned on combination of morphine/percocet and phenergan for nausea...
My post-op sinuses were givin me hell that day, so I had to make myself real comfy..Apparently TOO comfy to be cohesive..Thanks for clarification on that, I shoulda did a doubletake..+T for lookin out bro.
Big Ray

[heath]

right now....i'm really diggin Nuendo over Protools. Allows for a more custom interface and I like the plugins and overall software much better.  wish i had the money for a nice apple laptop and either motu or metric halo interface for Nuendo 3

we use nuendo at the studio, and it's starting to grow on me in a good way.  but I'm still a protools guy at heart 

[jpschust]

right now....i'm really diggin Nuendo over Protools. Allows for a more custom interface and I like the plugins and overall software much better.  wish i had the money for a nice apple laptop and either motu or metric halo interface for Nuendo 3

we use nuendo at the studio, and it's starting to grow on me in a good way.  but I'm still a protools guy at heart 

heath it is all a question of what we learn on.  i learned on protools so im partial to it, but man the digidesign hardware worth using is damn expensive.

[heath]

 it is all a question of what we learn on.

qft.

can u tell i learned on protools?

[Brian]

i'm currently learning on both and much prefer nuendo although i'll admit i've worked on Nuendo more so I know the "ins and outs" better.  But, alas, Pro Tools is still considered the industry standard and it's important that i know it as well as neundo as best i can in order to get as much work as possible.

the other reason i'm not so big on the pro tools hardware is that i'm not too much a fan of the a/d converters.  We use Radar24 to track and then dump the tracks to protools using a converter cable (looks like an ethernet but is different)  The Radar24's A/D's are drastically better than the Pro Tools.

So like you guys said, people tend to buy and use the gear they learned on....hence my anxiousness to get an alternative to pro tools setup with Nuendo 3

[jpschust]

indeed, learn it all if you can.  then when you have your own studio you can do whatever you want.  especially if you have a record to back yourself up.  Truth is bands could care less about what the programs are, they just want it to sound good and for it to be as cheap as possible.

[Brian]

Truth is bands could care less about what the programs are, they just want it to sound good and for it to be as cheap as possible.

QFT.....

oh and don't i know it   although it really helps when you have a band with members well aware of the technology and how it all works to achieve the sound they want.  actually that's the whole reason i got into recording in the first place......to record my own music and make it sound better than the crap being recorded on a cassette deck(at the time)

[nic]

those radar24s are so easy to run/operate.
we ran them a few times last year then just moved the hardrive to a daw running dp at the bands personal studio.

agreed on using what you know/learned on. only reason why i started using dp was because the band used it...easy support