Audiophile corner

[ChrisA]

Not when you're like me and are recording 10 concurrent 24/96 tracks for production, with live audio units on each one of them!

Well it depends on which AUs. What does Activity meter say when you are recording?

As for I/O rates you have 30 bytes 96,000 times per second. Let's call it 100,000 per second for a total of 3 megabytes per second.

The data rate is not much. It is about 10% of what a middle of the road 5400 RPM disk can do.

But I'm more interested in what you CPU is doing. What Mac do you use and what does the meter say?

 

[Prodo123]

Well it depends on which AUs. What does Activity meter say when you are recording?

As for I/O rates you have 30 bytes 96,000 times per second. Let's call it 100,000 per second for a total of 3 megabytes per second.

The data rate is not much. It is about 10% of what a middle of the road 5400 RPM disk can do.

But I'm more interested in what you CPU is doing. What Mac do you use and what does the meter say?

MacBook Pro8,2, 16GB RAM with 7200RPM 750GB hard drive. i7-2720QM, so I think the CPU is pretty darn capable.
Audio units include reverb, EQ, phaser, vocoder for some tracks, etc.
CPU usage can go anywhere from 10% to 99%, surprisingly enough.

 

[gannonsamuel]

Not when you're like me and are recording 10 concurrent 24/96 tracks for production, with live audio units on each one of them!

Currently I have two audio interfaces: the Scarlett 2i2 and Fast Track Pro. I find the Scarlett's mic inputs much better than the FTP's. As for the DAC component, the FTP is clearly more articulate and does better with instrument separation, but it's very colored toward trebles to emphasize this clarity. The Scarlett is more neutral, the way I like it, but can't handle too many instruments.

Do the Audio Units absolutely NEED to be running whilst recording?

Also, have you got your interfaces set up as an aggregate device? I find that, for me anyways, the aggregate devices perform a lot worse than just an interface on it's own in protools and logic.

 

[Prodo123]

Do the Audio Units absolutely NEED to be running whilst recording?

Also, have you got your interfaces set up as an aggregate device? I find that, for me anyways, the aggregate devices perform a lot worse than just an interface on it's own in protools and logic.

I have three different audio interfaces, so unfortunately to record from all three at the same time I absolutely need the aggregate device setup.
And yes the AUs are necessary!

 

[gannonsamuel]

I have three different audio interfaces, so unfortunately to record from all three at the same time I absolutely need the aggregate device setup.
And yes the AUs are necessary!

I'm mostly just curious now, what and how are you recording? don't you get huge latency problems?

have you got a reverb on every track?

 

[bwhli]

OK workstation topics..

Audio is not very taxing of a computer. The Mini or any current Mac works fine. But you quickly run out of screen space if you are doing any editing. I find it hard to see the time line on my 13" MBP. My 27" iMac is just perfect. But as for sound, any current Mac is fine. I can do many tracks (some layered MIDI) on the MBP.


One question for 'y'all is this: Is there a better sounding Guitar Amp simulator than NI's "Amplitube". Yes I know it is not nearly as nice as a real amp. (I've built a few tube amps, nothing compares to the real thing but late nights people complain.)

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OK, I'll be different. I think how you set up the speakers matters more than the brand of speaker, assuming you have something decent, that is.

The other side of thaat same coin is that it is a wast of money to buy $1000 speakers set them on the carpet on the floor in the corner or something like that. You want to try everything under the sun before finally going with the high end speakers. But many people seam to have more money than sense.

I haven't come across a better guitar amp simulator than Amplitube.

 

[Prodo123]

I'm mostly just curious now, what and how are you recording? don't you get huge latency problems?

have you got a reverb on every track?

None so far I think. The latency is manageable.
Tech synths, guitar, vocals, etc. making heavy use of vocoder, reverb, tape echo and modulation. Reverb on most tracks.

 

[arashb]

Not entirely sure what you're asking... but here we go

AudioEngine N22 + A4 + S8 for when I'm using my MBP on the desk OR when I'm playing games on my PC.

Denon E300 + DCM TW3 (fronts) + DCM CX17 (center) + Paradigm Monitor 9v2s (rear) for watching movies off my MBP, connected to a TV of course. No subwoofer yet .

Denon E300 + TW3 + iPod when I'm listening to music off them.

Still can't decide if TW3 + E300 beats the AudioEngine setup for music.

Oh, also Grado SR80i + Altoid amp + iPod nano 6th G when I'm biking to school or at home and need to be quiet.

And, before I forget, RS Audio fronts + Zapco amps in my car x]. Didn't buy them myself, they came in the car. Very expensive apparently but my home audio destroys them.

And app to play stuff: iTunes for music, VLC for movies :].

 

[Tulani]

Not entirely sure what you're asking... but here we go

AudioEngine N22 + A4 + S8 for when I'm using my MBP on the desk OR when I'm playing games on my PC.

Denon E300 + DCM TW3 (fronts) + DCM CX17 (center) + Paradigm Monitor 9v2s (rear) for watching movies off my MBP, connected to a TV of course. No subwoofer yet .

Denon E300 + TW3 + iPod when I'm listening to music off them.

Still can't decide if TW3 + E300 beats the AudioEngine setup for music.

Oh, also Grado SR80i + Altoid amp + iPod nano 6th G when I'm biking to school or at home and need to be quiet.

And, before I forget, RS Audio fronts + Zapco amps in my car x]. Didn't buy them myself, they came in the car. Very expensive apparently but my home audio destroys them.

And app to play stuff: iTunes for music, VLC for movies :].

That's massive !!

 

[arashb]

That's massive !!

Yeah... I'm not even an audiophile. Just have a problem trying to say no to good deals. The sr80i's were the only thing I actually wanted to buy.


What is the best way to get RCA outputs from my MBP? There has to be a better way than headphone jack to RCA right? I wanna bypass the MBP's audio control and let the N22 do everything.

 

[Prodo123]

Yeah... I'm not even an audiophile. Just have a problem trying to say no to good deals. The sr80i's were the only thing I actually wanted to buy.


What is the best way to get RCA outputs from my MBP? There has to be a better way than headphone jack to RCA right? I wanna bypass the MBP's audio control and let the N22 do everything.

The very best way is to get an external DAC (Digital-Analog Converter). Called "sound cards" by non-audiophiles, you use either an USB or a FireWire port to convert all digital output to analog. Since you seem to be an Audioengine fan, the D1 might appeal to you. Capable of up to 24/192 input with decent reviews. It has RCA stereo output on the back, and connects by USB.

Another interesting thing is that your SR80i is a low-impedance headphone and does not need an amplifier to be driven. What this means is you can simply plug in your SR80i into this DAC without the need for a headphone amplifier.

As I look through your setup I really don't think you need the N22 in there. Like I said, your headphones are passive and an amp will probably make the music sound worse. Not to mention your near fields are active on their own (meaning they have amps integrated in them).

You also don't need the Altoids amp (cMoyBB?). Like I said, your headphones absolutely do NOT need an amp. They need a better DAC.

In short: replace the N22 with a D1, and maybe get a separate DAC for mobile use.

 

[arashb]

The very best way is to get an external DAC (Digital-Analog Converter). Called "sound cards" by non-audiophiles, you use either an USB or a FireWire port to convert all digital output to analog. Since you seem to be an Audioengine fan, the D1 might appeal to you. Capable of up to 24/192 input with decent reviews. It has RCA stereo output on the back, and connects by USB.

Another interesting thing is that your SR80i is a low-impedance headphone and does not need an amplifier to be driven. What this means is you can simply plug in your SR80i into this DAC without the need for a headphone amplifier.

As I look through your setup I really don't think you need the N22 in there. Like I said, your headphones are passive and an amp will probably make the music sound worse. Not to mention your near fields are active on their own (meaning they have amps integrated in them).

You also don't need the Altoids amp (cMoyBB?). Like I said, your headphones absolutely do NOT need an amp. They need a better DAC.

In short: replace the N22 with a D1, and maybe get a separate DAC for mobile use.

The N22 drives the P4 since they are passive speakers. The D1 won't allow that. And also the N22 isn't really there for my SR80i, I just use that while I bike to school. I pair the cMoyBB amp with the my Grados to just help out the iPod's DAC.

I'm not dead set on AudioEngine products either. Only reason why I have them is because I got a great deal on the P4 + N22 + S8 sub for under $300. Honestly I wasn't even looking for computer audio setup, just accidentally spelled amplifier as "amplifer" and it popped up... I'm a sucker for a good deal

I'll look into some DAC's though, but probably won't be buying for a while.

 

[Prodo123]

The N22 drives the P4 since they are passive speakers. The D1 won't allow that. And also the N22 isn't really there for my SR80i, I just use that while I bike to school. I pair the cMoyBB amp with the my Grados to just help out the iPod's DAC.

I'm not dead set on AudioEngine products either. Only reason why I have them is because I got a great deal on the P4 + N22 + S8 sub for under $300. Honestly I wasn't even looking for computer audio setup, just accidentally spelled amplifier as "amplifer" and it popped up... I'm a sucker for a good deal

I'll look into some DAC's though, but probably won't be buying for a while.

But didn't you say you had the A4s, not the P4s?
If it's the P4s then I completely understand.

(You really don't need the cMoyBB though; the iPod has an amplifier built in)

 

[arashb]

But didn't you say you had the A4s, not the P4s?
If it's the P4s then I completely understand.

(You really don't need the cMoyBB though; the iPod has an amplifier built in)

Yeah my bad, I did say the A4. But AFAIK there is only an A2, A5 and A5+. I totally meant P4 though .

I use a LOD to connect to the external amp and bypass the headphone jack completely. With the SR80i I do hear a slight difference in clarity when connecting to an iPod. From what I understand, iPods are designed with the stock apple headphones in mind. Without the amp I get distortion at high volume, with it I can reach even higher volumes before distortion. I don't ever listen to that high of volumes, but knowing it helps that shows that it must be doing something.

Also, a bass boost switch is nice to have :]

 

[ChrisA]

MacBook Pro8,2, 16GB RAM with 7200RPM 750GB hard drive. i7-2720QM, so I think the CPU is pretty darn capable.
Audio units include reverb, EQ, phaser, vocoder for some tracks, etc.
CPU usage can go anywhere from 10% to 99%, surprisingly enough.

On a quad core CPU 99% is only 1/4 of the total. It would not want to use more than 50% of total. You should be OK at long at your software can make use of all four cores.

 

[Prodo123]

On a quad core CPU 99% is only 1/4 of the total. It would not want to use more than 50% of total. You should be OK at long at your software can make use of all four cores.

I think it was just an issue with Logic using 32-bit AUs. Now I'm seeing MUCH better performance with Logic Pro X.

 

[Macman45]

I have thought of coming up with a thread that has all to do with top of the range sound production. Be it hardware or software that you have had experience with to reproduce that bombastic audio quality that any enthusiast would crave to share.

What app are you using? What setup do you have? What Mac hardware in combination with your hifi are you jamming on?

Come out all you music lovers and lets share.

A little late to the party, but my new setup is still a work in progress...The last item is a Behringer Mixer which I will be buying shortly. At present we have

1) 2X Genelec 8020B Studio Monitors

2) Novation 49 SLK MK II

3) Senheisser HD Pro Cans

My guitars have been posted elsewhere on the boards, but I attach a photo of them.

I'm recording using Logic X so am still feeling my way around the new version..It's a big improvement IMO, over 9.

 

[ChrisA]

A little late to the party, but my new setup is still a work in progress...The last item is a Behringer Mixer which I will be buying shortly.....

I had one of those mixers a while back. I returned it. The preamps are horrible. The guy at the store said "Oh, you were trying to record with that? They are better for live PA." and understood why I don't want to keep it. There is a lot of self-noise in the preamps if you turn them pup at all. The Behringer is attractive because it LOOKS nearly identical to the Mackie but is 1/2 the price. But if you are recording you just have to spend the bucks on good preamps.

If you are recording it is always best to just an audio interface with enough channels so you don't need a mixer. Then do the mixing in the DAW.

 

[Macman45]

I had one of those mixers a while back. I returned it. The preamps are horrible. The guy at the store said "Oh your were trying to record with that? They are better for live PA." and understood why I don't want to keep it. There is a lot of self-noise in the preamps if you turn them pup at all.

If you are recording it is always best to just an audio interface with enough channels so you don't need a mixer. Then do the mixing in the DAW.

Food for thought...I haven't bought it yet, but I have noticed a lot of relatively new ones going too cheap for my liking..May be time to re- think things. I do want a board though.....Previously had a Roland BR900 but never really had the monitoring working right as it wasn't fully OSX compatible....I may now look at Yamaha. The heads up is much appreciated.

 

[Gofre]

I'm currently using the very lovely and quite modestly priced setup of the Sennheiser HD600 and the FiiO E09K/E17 combo. It's nicely done the job of killing my upgrade fever that had gripped every purchase I'd made previously, although I'm sure if somebody handed me a grand I'd be straight over to Audeze's website =D

 

[Macman45]

I had one of those mixers a while back. I returned it. The preamps are horrible. The guy at the store said "Oh, you were trying to record with that? They are better for live PA." and understood why I don't want to keep it. There is a lot of self-noise in the preamps if you turn them pup at all. The Behringer is attractive because it LOOKS nearly identical to the Mackie but is 1/2 the price. But if you are recording you just have to spend the bucks on good preamps.

If you are recording it is always best to just an audio interface with enough channels so you don't need a mixer. Then do the mixing in the DAW.

I've decided to buy the smaller unit for now..My fiancee will use it with her Roland so it won't go to waste if those pre-amps are as bad as you suggest...Seems to be a lot of conflicting info about them...maybe there was a bad batch? Either way, the little one will work fine for what she wants to do with it, and I can look at other options if it's not up to scratch.

 

[ChrisA]

Not when you're like me and are recording 10 concurrent 24/96 tracks for production, with live audio units on each one of them! .

10 x 3 x 100,000 bytes per second is still only 3 megabytes per second. Even the lowest cost notebook disk drive is 10x faster than that. Audio, even 10 tracks of 24/96 is still not much data.

 

[Macman45]

I had one of those mixers a while back. I returned it. The preamps are horrible. The guy at the store said "Oh, you were trying to record with that? They are better for live PA." and understood why I don't want to keep it. There is a lot of self-noise in the preamps if you turn them pup at all. The Behringer is attractive because it LOOKS nearly identical to the Mackie but is 1/2 the price. But if you are recording you just have to spend the bucks on good preamps.

If you are recording it is always best to just an audio interface with enough channels so you don't need a mixer. Then do the mixing in the DAW.

Okay, after a lot of research I've decided against the Behringer and am now looking at the this:
http://www.gak.co.uk/en/yamaha-mw-10c/7918

Any thought's on quality here? It's a relatively new model, but initial reports seem favourable.

 

[Macman45]

I'm awaiting delivery of the Yamaha...The specs are way better and the monitoring options are just what I need....I just couldn't take a chance on the Behringer, and the Yamaha was 30% off with free delivery too.

 

[stormyuklondon1]

Unfortunately, I'm not talented enough for music creation, but my playback system is something I've invested a bit in. It consists of-

Michell gyrodec/tecnoarm arm/Benz micro wood sl cart
MacBook Pro running pure music
Bryston bp-26mc pre-amp
Pmc aml1 active loudspeakers
Akg q701 headphones.

Still auditioning dacs and head amps, so currently a work in progress..