Home studio working help!

[Antonio Mazzei]

Hey folks..
im working on my home studio and i wanted to hear some recomendations .. wich not too expensive stuff can i buy ?
i mean.. midi interface, midi modulator? midi controller, (as i need an 88 keys midi controller i'm thinking about M-audio Keystation pro 88) this one is most expensive than everything but.. it worth, ahm..
Mac or pc? some good studio monitors..

i mean all that stuff ...
please help me out a little here =D

Thaaaanx!

[Grey Loki]

You'd probably be better off getting a few music technology magazines and reading through them.

[Antonio Mazzei]

You'd probably be better off getting a few music technology magazines and reading through them.


yea i'm reading i'm reading! =D

but also i wanted to hear some recomendations from keyboardists from this forum ..

[Farren]

M-audio generally sucks, especially the pro 88.

[Zorbas]

I'm of the complete opposite opinion about M-Audio.

They've got some pretty good interfaces, plus, now they're owned by AVID (who also owns Digidesign) so the next cross platform Pro Tools release will be compatible with a lot of M-Audio hardware.

[jeebustrain]

M-audio generally sucks, especially the pro 88.


speak for yourself. I have one and I really like it.

[Farren]

You're a minority. As for their audio interfaces, they bought that line from another company so they seem to be the exception.

[MoonDark]

I think M-Audio Sucks too, I had 3 interfaces from them , all sold ...

The best one was the Midiman Audiophile 24/96 PCI,

But their drivers are REALLY band ( of all their products ) , I heard bad stuff of the M-Audio 88 weighted keys controller too, I would search for reviews :)

[DaniKoesterich]

With all the softsynth libraries towering over that of today's latest and greatest keyboards, I'd highly recommend getting a weighted key controller, and using softsynths in the computer - unless of course you also wanted to perform with the unit. My personal pick: studiologic product line. They're awesome, and very affordable, comparitively.

For MIDI interface, I really like MOTU's stuff, but I'd recommend getting an audio interface with MIDI built in. If you were planning on using Pro Tools, I recommend the Digi 002 - if not, I recommend the MOTU 896HD or MOTU 828mkII if you don't need that many mic inputs. There are also some less pricey ones on the market too - I'd go with firewire over USB.

For studio monitors, a lot of it depends on your price range. I think the two most valuable monitor buys you can make right now are either the Mackie 828's, or the DynAudio BM5A's because they sound almost as good as monitors 3x their cost, and they retain their value VERY well. If you use them for a year, and try to sell, you'll only have lost a few hundred dollars on your purchase, max.

Hope this helps.

[Antonio Mazzei]

With all the softsynth libraries towering over that of today's latest and greatest keyboards, I'd highly recommend getting a weighted key controller, and using softsynths in the computer - unless of course you also wanted to perform with the unit. My personal pick: studiologic product line. They're awesome, and very affordable, comparitively.

For MIDI interface, I really like MOTU's stuff, but I'd recommend getting an audio interface with MIDI built in. If you were planning on using Pro Tools, I recommend the Digi 002 - if not, I recommend the MOTU 896HD or MOTU 828mkII if you don't need that many mic inputs. There are also some less pricey ones on the market too - I'd go with firewire over USB.

For studio monitors, a lot of it depends on your price range. I think the two most valuable monitor buys you can make right now are either the Mackie 828's, or the DynAudio BM5A's because they sound almost as good as monitors 3x their cost, and they retain their value VERY well. If you use them for a year, and try to sell, you'll only have lost a few hundred dollars on your purchase, max.

Hope this helps.

All right! :)
It helps a lot, thanx. =D

those motu are awesome, but i need something a little more cheap.. don't u have something good and cheap in mind? :P

[DaniKoesterich]

Yes, for cheaper [than MOTU] audio interfaces that have MIDI i/o, I'd recommend these:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/245020/

and

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/241251/

Both these include cubase LE - an excellent sequencer.

For cheaper than that, I'd recommend checking out the Creative Audigy product line. A handful of those products also include MIDI i/o.

[DaniKoesterich]

Speaking of the audigy, just saw an amazing deal for it. I'm not 100% sure if it's expired yet or not...

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?threadid=146326&postid=1697999#post1697999

[EloHiR ElEnDIl]

HI I'm looking forward for a home studio too and I was looking for interfaces Is this one good: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/184133/
It has good reviews and It's not expensive and has midi I/O what do you think?

[DaniKoesterich]

This interface is a great solution for composing and getting started with computer-based recording.
But, Presonus is considered (at least in my books) as one of the lower end companies for quality.
The mic preamps and digital converters in this unit probably won't sound too amazing - but then
again, like I said, if you're using this for composing purposes, or pretty much anything where the
quality doesn't have to be of certain excellence, this is a fine choice.

There are a handful of lower end brand name interfaces that are probably
okay to buy, such as the Mackie Spike and Lexicon's new interface. If they
come with Cubase LE, that is also a very nice bonus. Cubase is great.

[Farren]

Wow, you like Creative, but not Presonus? :P I would definitely recommend against the Audigy 2ZS unless you're going to use it for gaming. I have one and it is a piece of shit for pro audio needs.

[DaniKoesterich]

I'm not sure I'd use the word "like" :)

I personally wouldn't buy either brand, but if all I needed was SOMETHING with
an ASIO driver, mic/line/midi input, I'd go with Creative since the cheapest
Audigy can be gotten for less than the cheapest PreSonus interface, and
when you're shopping that cheap, I don't think the quality you'd get from
one would be any higher class than the other.

I think the only companies I dislike more than PreSonus are Samson and ART.

[ktriton]

What do you guys think of the E-MU cards?

[godsmcktma2]

Excuse my stupidity, but I am studio shopping too. What is the point of a Midi or Audio interface?

Thanks,,

D

[EloHiR ElEnDIl]

I'm not sure I'd use the word "like" :)

I personally wouldn't buy either brand, but if all I needed was SOMETHING with
an ASIO driver, mic/line/midi input, I'd go with Creative since the cheapest
Audigy can be gotten for less than the cheapest PreSonus interface, and
when you're shopping that cheap, I don't think the quality you'd get from
one would be any higher class than the other.

I think the only companies I dislike more than PreSonus are Samson and ART.

So Is M-audio a good brand?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/709201/

I was looking for a good interface with microphone/instruments input (midi would be great but I can get one at $40 but If there's any good one with midi it's ok) I'm not looking for lots of input I'm thinking of buying a mixer later on and connect it to the interface instead of having the instruments/mics connected (directly) to the interface. do you know any please not beyond $500!

[EloHiR ElEnDIl]

Excuse my stupidity, but I am studio shopping too. What is the point of a Midi or Audio interface?

Thanks,,

D

The midi interfaces work for recording midi files or managing VST (i think only those thing you can do)

And the audio interfaces are for recording your stuff(mics,keys,guitar,drums...anything) via USB or Firewire using a DAW.

It's was just a general thing.I know lot of people here can give you a more technical description of these things.

[ktriton]

Excuse my stupidity, but I am studio shopping too. What is the point of a Midi or Audio interface?

Thanks,,

D

Well, depending on your sound card you may or may not have certain drivers that programs like Cubase need (e.g. asio drivers). Also, you can outsource all the audio/midi processing to external gear if you get an interface--which pretty much ensures that there will never be any problems with latency or whatnot.

Also, many sound cards don't give you MIDI, balanced line, and/or balanced XLR jacks. Depends on what you're looking for and how you want your system to work, but I use a M-Audio Quattro with my Mac at my parents place and that works wonders.

[ktriton]

So Is M-audio a good brand?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/709201/

I was looking for a good interface with microphone/instruments input (midi would be great but I can get one at $40 but If there's any good one with midi it's ok) I'm not looking for lots of input I'm thinking of buying a mixer later on and connect it to the interface instead of having the instruments/mics connected (directly) to the interface. do you know any please not beyond $500!

Hey, I haven't had direct experience with it, but my M-Audio interface has worked really well for a USB interface. I was also recommended by the folks at both Steinberg and Native Instruments to buy that firewire interface that you linked right there. So it can't be too bad ;)

[godsmcktma2]

Recording midi files and managing vsts?

I have a Mac, doesn't going through a USB port via my keyboard (in use of Apple CoreAudio) do the same thing?

[ktriton]

Depends. Some keyboards, like the new CME-Pro line with the optional firewire interface are able to use their own interfaces. Which keyboard do you have?

[godsmcktma2]

A yamaha s-08, which prolly doesnt have its own interface (or maybe it does).

I'm going to be using a Mac, Digital Performer, Kontakt (for sampling). I'm going to have my keyboard go in through audio/in and through USB midi. This is enough, isn't it? I don't see the point in an audio interface. Truth, I really still don't know what one is.

--Doug

[EloHiR ElEnDIl]

I think if you're only recording your synth and midi files you don't need a audio interface.It mostly for record a normal band (keys guitar vocals) but I don't know if you can record mp3 with a midi interface.I think you can't so if you want mp3 yo will need an audio interface.anyway I don't know if the midi interface let you record that way!

[godsmcktma2]

Mp3, or .wav/aiff would be created through line/in.... Midi can be turned into Mp3 by a conversion or by Vsts signals that are recording in a sequencer...


correct?

[EloHiR ElEnDIl]

But they'll still sound like midi files.

[godsmcktma2]

Not if it is a Vst...

Also, I'd like to add a bump for my questions above.

[ktriton]

Okay, looking at the specs right now. Looks like you have a USB MIDI connection to the computer. Which means there's nothing with the audio. If you have an imac, that means that you can't replace your sound card, which means that if you DID want to record a guitar track or a vocals track, you'd need to do it via an audio-midi interface.

Consider the interface an external soundcard. It doesn't use too many of the computer's resources while giving you more options than most standard sound cards. The benefits of having both the interface and the soundcard is that you can distribute resources--you can only use the interface for recording, running all other sounds through the soundcard, etc.

Now lets say that you want to christen your brand new studio with your band's first single. You've obviously got the keys tracks covered via MIDI, but how are you going to record the vocals, drums, guitar, and bass? Let's say on top of that, you really like a lead you made on your s08. How are you going to record the sound? Now sure, you can just plop a cruddy mic in the middle of the room and get a cruddy recording, but to get pristine quality you need balanced line-ins working through (preferably) a firewire port.

Also, I haven't used DP in a long time--since way back when it was new. I forget if Sound Core has enough drivers to support that program. It very well might as it's designed for Macs, but you may want to check up on that, too.

Hope this helps! I'm going zzzzzzzz.

[Farren]

I think some people need to do some reading other than confusing themselves further.

[DaniKoesterich]

Guys -

An interface is basically a conversion tool that will allow your instruments to speak to and from
your computer. An interface is usually one of three different connection protocals: USB, Firewire,
or PCI. Most MIDI-only interfaces tend to be USB, while Firewire seems to be dominating the audio
interface market. PCI interfaces are less popular because the installation is more tricky, but the
ultimate high-end solutions are usually PCI [MOTU 192HD, DigiDesign Accel, etc].

Now... Whats the difference between different interfaces, and which one should you get?

You have to ask yourself a few basic questions:

(1). How much money do I have to spend on this interface?
(2). Am I looking to record ONLY MIDI output, or will I be recording audio sources as well?
(3). Am I looking to do final editing/mixing on my computer, or am I just looking for a
compositional tool / hobby-type thing. Do I want to charge for audio services?

Answers:

1. The amount of money you have available to spend on an interface will ultimately decide what you
will end up buying. The way to figure this out depends on the answers to your other questions, because
depending on what you're trying to accomplish, you may need to make other purchases to your audio
system (like monitors, microphones, headphones, etc).

2. Audio, MIDI or Both? If all you want to do is plug your keyboard/controller into your computer,
check out this MIDI interface: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MIDISPORT1x1-main.html
and pick up a simple program like Cubase SE ($99). This will let you record an unlimited amount of MIDI
tracks into your computer, and you'll be off to a great start.

If you're looking to do audio recording as well, you'll need an interface with analog inputs (such as
1/4" balanced/unbalanced line inputs, XLR microphone inputs, Hi-Z instrument inputs, etc). You can read
back in this thread for suggestions on audio interfaces. A few things to remember are that you can
buy audio interfaces with MIDI i/o built-in (so don't bother getting two separate interfaces if you want
to do both MIDI and Audio), and that certain programs may require special hardware drivers to run your
interface with them. For example, all Steinberg software products require that all your hardware have
ASIO drivers. So, check the compatibility of your hardware/software before buying.

3. Professional / Hobbyist:

If you plan on charging people for audio services (whether you'll be recording them with your new setup,
or simply taking their songs and editing/mixing them), you'll need a good monitoring system. Without
this, it is extremely easy to work on a project, think it sounds great, only to find out your monitoring system
was not producing enough bass, and you in turn pushed the bass way higher than it should have been.
Now, on other stereo's and music players, your tunes have way too much bass.
A lot of this has to do with the acoustics of your room, but you will need to pay special attention to
your final output D / A conversion, and the studio monitors that you get.

I know this sounds like a lot to worry about - and it is :) In the next issue of Accent [http://accent.jordanrudess.com] I'm doing a very comprehensive column about getting started with computer-based recording, and everything you'll need to know to do so.

Jeez, I feel like I should write a book.... I'd buy one.... :):)

[Antonio Mazzei]

woah.. my keyboard life without this forum would be pretty sad =D

I have another doubt..
what about some good and cheap sound cards for pc ?
thanx folks!

[Farren]

I like the M-Audio Audiophile 192. It's about $180.

I think it's safe to say you're going to find better quality soundcards for the money versus external interfaces, until you get up into the very high-end ($500+). It makes a lot of sense.

[DaniKoesterich]

Farren - good call. The M-Audio PCI cards are great. I used to own one... Though, the 192 doesn't have a mic pre-amp - but it sounds like most people on this forum are just looking for MIDI i/o mainly.

[Farren]

Yeah, the 2496 doesn't sound too bad either, but it lacks TRS :/