Topic: Multi-track device to interface with standard Windows laptop?

[stantheman1976]

I don't really know where to look or how I should start.  If it's possible I'd like to find an outboard device to interface with my laptop and take outputs from our church soundboard so I could record all tracks separately and mix later.  I'm just curious as to what this would take.  Would I need a more expensive, fancier setup?  The board I'm working with has 32 channels plus 2 stereo input channels. 

Typically about 12-14 channels are used regularly.

[Ozpeter]

I think Motu firewire interfaces can be daisy chained to give you 2 x 8 channels - check their site for details.  Most interfaces go up to 8 channels, 16 channel interfaces are rarer.

[ghellquist]

The budget version would probably be a firewire soundcard with about 8 analog inputs and a SPDIF input, plenty of these around to be bought. If you go from the mixer we are talking line level so preamp not needed (as you use what is in the mixer). Add to that an external AD converter translating to SPDIF, lowest price around is Behringer ADDA8000.

From there you can go upmarket in quality and probably a bit in stability. Personally I would exchange the lowpriced sound card for what I run now, a RME Fireface 800, as it has proved to be rock stable.

Gunnar

[TNJazz]

Echo Audiofire 12 is probably your best bet in a single piece.

If you need more than 12 channels you're going to have to start looking at multiple units.

[stantheman1976]

That looks like it could easily work.  I have a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo laptop with 2.5GB RAM.  Would that be enough power to record the 12 tracks separately without glitches?

[TNJazz]

That looks like it could easily work.  I have a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo laptop with 2.5GB RAM.  Would that be enough power to record the 12 tracks separately without glitches?

Should be fine.  Echo's drivers have been known to be pretty stable.   The converters are very good too.  I wouldn't hesitate to use them on anything.

I wouldn't go higher than 24/48 but anything at that rate or below should be fine for 12 tracks.  I regularly ran 20-24 channels of 24/48 audio through various firewire interfaces to my G4 Powerbook (1.5ghz PPC, 1.25gb RAM) back in the day and it was smooth as silk.  Your machine has a LOT more power than my powerbook did.

Just remember to turn off all the crap.  (I think the tweak website is musicxp.net or something like that?)  Easiest thing is to build a recording profile on the machine and boot into it when you're recording.  Then you can disable all the extra stuff and still have it available when you want to surf and stuff later on.

[live2496]

I don't really know where to look or how I should start.  If it's possible I'd like to find an outboard device to interface with my laptop and take outputs from our church soundboard so I could record all tracks separately and mix later.  I'm just curious as to what this would take.  Would I need a more expensive, fancier setup?  The board I'm working with has 32 channels plus 2 stereo input channels. 

Typically about 12-14 channels are used regularly.

For what it would cost for multiple I/O devices to get that many channels you might be better off with an HD24. Get the FirePort interface that allows you to plug the disc pack into it to transfer tracks to your laptop. I do this and it works well. I don't even own an HD24, but I take the disc packs recorded on an HD24 home with me and import them into Samplitude. Maybe the church will buy the recorder (?).

Now at home I use a Multiface and an hdsp Hammerfall card that I picked up used. Multiface is only 8 analog I/O's but really I just need two channels for the stereo mix. RME Digicheck is really nice with the built in RTA and metering. The system is pretty much plug'n play and glitch free.

 

[stantheman1976]

This is all up to how much, if any, the church is willing to spend.  The music director wanted me to look into a way to get higher quality recordings but this guy is kind of fleeting.  I won't be buying anything myself but if he wants to proceed the Audiofire 12 should work.  I can capture the main channels we use with that.

As of now I record off the board and use my D50 for audience and sync later.  This is time consuming for me and the recordings I get in this building never sound quite right to me.  It's a large, almost diamond shaped building with an open ceiling and speakers are hung and pointed at about a 45 degree angle towards the audience.  There is a set of low end speakers and a set for highs.  The sound in the room works fine but there's no place to point mics at because of how the speakers are mounted.  The record out mix of the board always sounds bad to me.  I have auxilary outs I could do a mix of but I don't always run the sound and making 2 separate mixes live is not easy.  Multi track for a post mix would be ideal.

[live2496]

To get the recordings up to par you might want to look into treating the room acoustics. In the long run it will make for better recordings and less work on your part.

[stantheman1976]

I understand but it's not really an option.  You'd have to see the building to to get a scope of it.  Originally it was supposed to have drop down ceilings but the build was over budget at the time and they decided to leave the ceiling open because it cut some cost.  Also consider the fact that I'm probably the most experienced person there and I'm really an amateur trying to learn. 

If I did it this way I'd be able to do everything in my own time and learn at the same time.

[TNJazz]

To get the recordings up to par you might want to look into treating the room acoustics. In the long run it will make for better recordings and less work on your part.

Ummm...it's a CHURCH.

I don't think they'd take too kindly to 703 panels over the stained glass windows...