audio interface

[b_urself]

hey wats a good audio interface to use with my pc. it has to be usb cause i dont have firewire or a decent sound card. i record guitar, vocals, keys and various strings and winds

[Fritz]

digidesign Mbox 2.

some trivia : chris cheney uses one in his little home studio aswell ;)

[b_urself]

how cant i buy it now!

[Fritz]

I should work in retail...

I might open a show and only be set up on this forum I'd be a rich man

[mattheal]

Specially if you sold some Cheney Sigs

[b_urself]

my only quether is that is runs on usb1.1 instead of usb2.. wat about the m audio fastrack pro?

[WHITE FALCON]

mbox' are amazing. work best with macs but
if you were gonna get a pc thing, i'd get a line 6 toneport ux2 or ux8 they're really good. im gettin one soon!

[Jonnno]

I'd only recommend the line 6 if you were only recording direct guitars, look into Tascam or M-Audio interfaces if you want fantastic I/O and MIDI, along with awesome reliability. If youve got the cash even look into a motu interface.

[WHITE FALCON]

what do you mean direct guitars?
it has 2 XLR inputs as well plus it has software that comes with it called gearbox which has awesome presets for guitar/bass and vocals. and all of it is tweakable. mbox's dont come with that bhut they're quality is better.
but expensive at the same time

[b_urself]

well i have kickass gear so i dont need any plugins or computerised effects. im just looking for the purest sound i can record out of both mic and guitar amp

[UbangiStomper]

Yeah mate as far as a complete package goes, mbox 2 is quite a good choice. Comes bundled with pro tools LE as well. Gotta warn you though mate, its a lot more than the interface you record through that's gonna give you awesome sounds. The room makes a hell of a lot of difference, though not as much with close mics, and the microphones themselves also are a critical part of the tone chain. Not to say you can't get good resilts with that sort of gear, but it may take a while to get results that you like. Generally the sound you hear through the mic isnt going to be what your hearing in the room ya know?

You'd be amazed how good amp sims can sound in the context of a song too, might not be the most inspiring thing to listen to in your room, but in the mix, it's a different story a lot of the time. So perhaps don't write off the line 6 gear just yet.

So if I was buying my first interface again, I'd deffinately have another look at the mbox2, though Id spend a little extra and get the pro model, more I/O and its firewire instead of usb. Usb whine is an absolute bitch let me tell you now. Figure out exactly what you need it for, will save you cash in the long run. Other thing is all those awesome sounds your hearing on records and whatnot will have at least some sort of processing on them. Which means plugins! Its not a dirty word mate haha.

Bugger wrote too much. Good luck mate, keep your mind open, no point limiting your options. catchya ;)

[wizard_23]

Thought i'd dig this up.. I've got a "how long is a piece of string" question.

How hard is it to use protools?? Just starting to get interested in setting up a small home recording setup (just about to buy a computer as well) and i'm wondering whether its relatively easy to pick up or do you need serious training?? I'm pretty confident in my computing ability (blows own trumpet!) and usually pick up systems (eg: programs for work etc.) pretty easy.. Is protools something i could fuck around on and work out or am i messing with big boys play :confused:

Also.. Does anyone have any tracks to share that they've recorded on home setups??

[Colezy]

I've used protools ONCE but that was a few years ago so there could be newer versions out by now. All I did was cut/copy/paste etc parts of songs for a mates school band.

If I can use it without much/any musical playing knowledge, then you can :p
I don't know hard hard the more technical aspect of it is though.

[wizard_23]

WOO!!! yeah i thought it jus looked like a computer version of getting out the scissors and cutting up the tape.. but!! i'm sure there's lots of technichal fiddle fucking to be done!

[Jonnno]

Are you running windows? Because it's probably easier using Logic if you're on a mac.

[Sammas II]

It is a how long is a piece of string question... but I will tty and answer it anyway.

1. There are two types of Protools software that both require digidesign hardware to function. The first is LE, common in home studios... it has a limited track count, limit plugins and limited routing options. The second is TDM which most professional studios use. It is much deeper than LE.

2. Protools is audio software... so it uses audio terminology and traditional audio functions. Audio compression, equalization, cross fading, punch in&out, auxillary routing, typical gain staging, etc.

3. It is software to create audio! They can teach you to type in microsoft word... but that doesn't make you are writer. Knowing how to push buttons in protools won't make you an audio engineer.

If you know how gain stages are setup, or how to use an analogue desk and studio gear then learning Protools is a piece of cake. In this sense, protools is very well laid out and easy to learn and use. If you've never recorded anything in your life... it may be a bit of a struggle.

[wizard_23]

I'm pretty keen on heading down the mac path.. Hate to be a pain in the ass.. but what are the pros and cons? i guess what makes logic a better program??

[wizard_23]

It is a how long is a piece of string question... but I will tty and answer it anyway.

1. There are two types of Protools software that both require digidesign hardware to function. The first is LE, common in home studios... it has a limited track count, limit plugins and limited routing options. The second is TDM which most professional studios use. It is much deeper than LE.

2. Protools is audio software... so it uses audio terminology and traditional audio functions. Audio compression, equalization, cross fading, punch in&out, auxillary routing, typical gain staging, etc.

3. It is software to create audio! They can teach you to type in microsoft word... but that doesn't make you are writer. Knowing how to push buttons in protools won't make you an audio engineer.

If you know how gain stages are setup, or how to use an analogue desk and studio gear then learning Protools is a piece of cake. In this sense, protools is very well laid out and easy to learn and use. If you've never recorded anything in your life... it may be a bit of a struggle.

Thanks Sammas.. pretty much what i was wondering. I guess to truly understand my question.. i'm sitting at work. bored out of my fucking brains.. with the thought that you only live once and that in that once i mite as well set up a home recording set up and have some fun.. I studied a little bit of audio engineering (vet course) back in year 10 but perhaps i need a short course or even something more perminent to get me thinking again.. definately something i'm interested in.

[Sammas II]

Thanks Sammas.. pretty much what i was wondering. I guess to truly understand my question.. i'm sitting at work. bored out of my fucking brains.. with the thought that you only live once and that in that once i mite as well set up a home recording set up and have some fun.. I studied a little bit of audio engineering (vet course) back in year 10 but perhaps i need a short course or even something more perminent to get me thinking again.. definately something i'm interested in.

Mate, go nuts... there is no better way to learn than doing. Audio engineering is one of those things that can't be taught by just theory. Short courses are handy... but if you are motivated enough you'll teach yourself anyway, so you may as well save your money.


As far as mac vs pc. Mac all the way for audio my friend. I use ableton live and logic exclusively. I know protools in and out but no longer use it... they are 3 entirely different programs. Nothing beats protools for music production. It is still far behind as a compositional tool. Logic can do great music production but also is unbelievable for composition as well.

From my experience, Mac's are just a lot more stable than PC's.