RealOne and ProTools?

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: RE: how can you record into a laptop with these channels seperated?

Originally posted by barkmonster
I believe Bias Deck is a good system if you're not into the idea of learning or buying cubase, logic or digital performer.

Deck is a great program. DECK II was my main audio program for years (since right before Macromedia bought it from OSC).

DECK was the original software that came with DigiDesign systems, but when Macs got native SoundManager support, OSC made it run without the Digi cards, and Digi made ProTools to replace it.

The one downside of Deck is it doesn't do MIDI sequencing. It synchs up with Metro (now owned by Cakewalk) to handle the MIDI functions. This is a pain to work with, since your MIDI tracks and your audio tracks are in two separate programs! Metro also has some audio recording ability now too.

I finally ended up switching to Cubase VST. I looked at the Digi 001 system, but the version of ProTools that comes with it has weak MIDI compared to Cubase, and I liked the idea of all the VST plug-ins and instruments on the market. Also at the time Steinberg's ASIO made it easy to find an inexpensive sound card to use with the Mac. BIAS was taking too long to get anything but KORG 1212 support for Deck.

Still, if you are mainly doing multitrack audio recording, deck is as easy to use as a tape deck and has some very powerful editing features.

 

[bonehead]

re: laptop recording

Any number of apps will let you record multiple tracks simultaneously, how many depends on the program and your cpu. The hardware interface you buy will determine the number of separate inputs. Tascam makes 2 products that are both USB audio interfaces and control surfaces and they come with Cubasis, a stripped down version of Cubase. M-Audio makes the Audiosport Quattro, a USB interfce which has four inputs but no mic preamps. MOTU makes an 8 channel FireWire interface and it comes with audio recording software. Check out sweetwater.com or musiciansfriend.com for prices and go to harmony-central.com for reviews. Also check back issues of EQ or Electronic Musician for reviews. The above mentioned products have all come out in the last year and a half and have been reviewed by most of the gear mags.

If you already have a mixer (Mackie 1202 or something), you could get away with the Audiosport (it's the cheapest). The Tascam is appealing because it has faders and you can twiddle physical knobs to move your onscreen ones. I'm not sure about the quality of their converters though. The MOTU 828 is the most expensive (around $750) but it has eight inputs and mic pre's.

 

[gbox@wanadoo.fr]

I think nobody focused on the real big thing : Protools multi-processor support.
Actually (as it's the case for me), you gotta disable one CPU if you want to use DAE (Protools audio engine), even if you're using a protools system (cards & interfaces) with other softwares (like Logic), losting all the native power of 2 CPUs for native plug-ins.

Personally, i really can't wait for it as it's the major problem of my rig...
Please, hurry up!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Taft]

Re: re: laptop recording

Originally posted by bonehead
Any number of apps will let you record multiple tracks simultaneously, how many depends on the program and your cpu. The hardware interface you buy will determine the number of separate inputs. Tascam makes 2 products that are both USB audio interfaces and control surfaces and they come with Cubasis, a stripped down version of Cubase. M-Audio makes the Audiosport Quattro, a USB interfce which has four inputs but no mic preamps. MOTU makes an 8 channel FireWire interface and it comes with audio recording software. Check out sweetwater.com or musiciansfriend.com for prices and go to harmony-central.com for reviews. Also check back issues of EQ or Electronic Musician for reviews. The above mentioned products have all come out in the last year and a half and have been reviewed by most of the gear mags.

If you already have a mixer (Mackie 1202 or something), you could get away with the Audiosport (it's the cheapest). The Tascam is appealing because it has faders and you can twiddle physical knobs to move your onscreen ones. I'm not sure about the quality of their converters though. The MOTU 828 is the most expensive (around $750) but it has eight inputs and mic pre's.

Thats a sweet list of converters!!! I haven't seen a few of these before. Thanks!!

Taft

 

[barkmonster]

I totally agree...

I think nobody focused on the real big thing : Protools multi-processor support.
Actually (as it's the case for me), you gotta disable one CPU if you want to use DAE (Protools audio engine), even if you're using a protools system (cards & interfaces) with other softwares (like Logic)

I'm never going to afford to move up to a TDM system but I think it's going to be a major advantage to both LE and TDM users.

There's plenty of posts on the DUC from people who've had no problems running Protools LE on a dual CPU G4 without disabling anything. Infact I was looking at dual G4 and Unity Session as being my next major purchase. This still wouldn't be the ideal system because there would still be a lot of CPU time going to waste under OS 9.

The thing with Protools X is you'll literally have 200% of the CPU power of the OS 9 version, purely for protools. With the new Quartz Extreme taking most of strain of the GUI off the CPU, It wouldn't be out of the question for a dual G4 800 to match the DSP power of a Protools|24 Mix+ system. I also imagine with the Xserver having over 500Mb/s on the PCI bus, running a bandwidth hungry graphics card might not interfere with TDM systems either, you'd get the best of both worlds with TDM and a dual G4 under OS X 10.2

The one worrying thing is that an 800Mhz G4 can handle about 25% of the DSP power of a Protools|HD system judging by some of the results of a test session I put up earlier in the year. Imagine what sort of power you'd be looking at with a dual 1.2Ghz model with DDR and protools using ALL available CPU power, not just 85% of the first CPU. Concidering how a HD system is twice as fast as a Mix+, that would make the older protools|24 systems (single card systems at least) no faster than host based.

Protools X is good for everybody, at least everybody who's already using one of the current protools systems.

To be honest with you I'm looking forward to the Protools X upgrade more than whatever apple come up with next for towers, if MP support really does give Protools LE the huge speed kick it needs, I'll just be shopping round for a used dual 800 or dual Ghz G4 if I can stretch to it and then I'll be happy for years personally.