Help selecting an interface and DAW

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dennisjames
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Help selecting an interface and DAW

Post by dennisjames » Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:10 pm

I've been recording on a Roland VS2400 for about 10 years now and it's time to move up to something better. I'm considering either the UA Apollo 8 Quad or the Antelope Orion Studio. I was hoping to get feedback on the Orion vs the Apollo if anyone's head them both. I have a hard time finding any reason NOT to get the Apollo as I only hear glowing reviews but for some reason, I can't shake the impression that the Orion is a worthy contender. This will be used almost entirely for my own recordings of my duo with maybe a tiny bit of hired work. I have a couple of 500 pre's and with either interface, I'll have enough ins for my needs. I sometimes stereo track a couple of sources and use a Glyn Johns type setup for drums so I never need more than 4 channels. We're a folk noir duo that will likely never use a sampled sound outside what we pull from our Nord keyboard. Almost always capture instruments, voices, amps with mics with the occasional guitar modeled sound via DI. Both units have some processing power and I understand the impressive list of plugins available via UA but truthfully, I doubt I'll do much beyond the included bundle. I'm in a rather rural area and don't have anywhere nearby that I could hear either interface in person. Anyone got some input?

And before moving on the DAW portion of my plea for help, I've been advised to check out the BLA modded 002r's that are currently popping up on eBay. Not sure how I feel about something of that age but figured I'd see if anyone else could vouch for it.

As for the DAW, it's between protools, logic, and studio one. I need easy, intuitive editing, basic processing of the comp/eq variety. Pitch correction would be nice as I've had to live without all these years and imagine it could save some serious time over re-tracking to get it right. I'm baffled at some of the time correction tools I'm just now learning about (as if I've lived in a cave for the last decade) but I suppose they have a purpose too. It's likely we'll put some music to video which we've been able to do so far with iMovie. Otherwise, I can't imagine I'll use any virtual instruments. I think I just need an intuitive, reliable was to capture, edit, mix and export. I'm trying to plan ahead in the event that I need to collaborate with remote talent/studios/etc. which make me lean towards protools but I don't know that I would need it often enough to justify the expense. However, if it's the better option for the rest of my needs, so be it. Any thoughts/suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks!

kslight
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Post by kslight » Mon Feb 15, 2016 5:03 am

No exp w either, but I personally would not want to buy a 10+ year old interface, modified or not.

I considered the same you did, but I actually settled on the Motu 1248. I didn't need 12 builtin preamps, and I don't need UAD processing because I am quite invested in other brands, I don't like d sub connectors, and both are kind of expensive IMHO. I have an older Mac Pro without thunderbolt so USB works great, but I also have a newer MacBook Pro with thunderbolt that I can take on the road with me so that's nice to have to choose from. Motu has a rep for supporting their products for a long time so that was important, as my previous soundcard was obsoleted by drivers, and I found a great deal on Reverb.

I hardly ever am wowed by converters, but this was a significant upgrade to my previous setup. Apparently these use the same converter chips as UAD and Apogee, from what I read online. Don't know if that's true but it does sound good.

Easy to expand I/O without the use of ADAT, which is also important to me.

Only downside is no midi...


Mainly I use Pro Tools (12) but it seems like a lot of money if you don't need to be able to use your sessions across multiple computers as I do, and I'm a lot faster in it than other daws. On a Mac Logic seems like a no brainer for the $, I never was a big fan of Reaper when I tried it, and I also use Reason and Ableton.

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:52 am

Studio One absolutely rocks my world. I love it. The full version comes bundled with Melodyne. And I never really got into rhythm or time "correction" before, but I have started to explore that space with S1 and the tools it comes with work great and, more importantly, leave no/minimal audible artifacts.

And, I think the presonus interfaces are underrated. They don't have the sex appeal (or the price tag) of the Antelope, Universal Audio interfaces, but they are clean, consistent, and give you back what you put in. They should be a solid upgrade from what you are used to.

The Focusrite interfaces are also outstanding.

dennisjames
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Post by dennisjames » Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:45 pm

Thanks kslight and JWL. I looked at both the Focusrite and Motu units (forgoing the presonus interfaces in favor or Thunderbolt devices to go with the newly acquired but refurbed iMac).

kslight, any input on the pre's from that 1248?

JWL, I revisited the Clarett series from Focusrite after your post and I'm re-thinking them. It sounds like the pre's get high marks and they sound easy to use which'll be a help as I make the leap.

I'm guessing that given what I'm leaving behind, nearly all of these will be an improvement in converters over the Roland. And I would like for the pre's on the new device to hold their own.

If the Clarett is a good choice, I'm actually now wondering if I'd only need the 4Pre? It's got 4 pre's and 4 in's. Could be a much lower cost way to go. I just have to see far enough into the future to consider how my needs'll change.

kslight
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Post by kslight » Mon Feb 15, 2016 5:21 pm

Admittedly I had not used the preamps yet, I just got this thing last week and I've been mixing. But just for you, I very unscientifically plugged a mic in. In this case, it is an MXL R40 (just happened to be setup) and I gave it a few words. My only basis of comparison when using this mic is the built-in pres of my Tascam 388?and my most immediate observation was that the Motu does not appear to add anything to the signal?except gain. The encoder lets you add up to 63db of gain in 1db increments, but even with this passive ribbon and my quiet voice this was not necessary. At 63db of gain I was getting hum and self noise off the mic, which is pretty normal in my house because passive mics tend to pick up interference, I doubt it was a weakness on the mic preamp's part. However at levels much below that noise is not apparent.

I am admittedly not much of a preamp snob, but these seem pretty clean, which is what I was hoping for when I bought it, as the other pres I have at home are not as clean.

There's also some built in EQ and dynamics processors, but I haven't really gotten my head around the routing for all that business yet.

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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Wed Feb 17, 2016 12:26 pm

Do this:

UA Apollo 8 channel pre version (for 8 mic or line preamps).

Pro Tools 12.

Done.

Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Post by cjogo » Tue Feb 23, 2016 6:00 pm

Been recording with a Roland DAW for about 20 years ... we use the RME ADi 2 > spdif -- good clock and quality sound ,,...
whatever happened to ~ just push record......

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Post by mrc » Sun Feb 28, 2016 9:59 am

I have protocols, logic, mixbus, ableton and Presonus 3.2. Logic has been my go to, but from the videos I've watched, I think Presonus will become my main daw. They have a great business model.

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:19 pm

Yeah, Studio One 3.2 has come out since I wrote the above, and I love it even more than 3.1. Editing features are outstanding, and the new console emulation looks like killer technology, with more emulations coming (from Slate et al).

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Post by standup » Thu Mar 10, 2016 8:56 am

I'm a happy ex-focusrite interface owner. I considered Apollo but was afraid of the eventual cost of getting into UAD plugins. I ended up with a MOTU 1248 and it sounds great. Noticeable headroom and clarity improvement after the Saffire Pro 40 I had, which seemed like possibly a step down from the ancient Digi 002 I had been using.

I have a few preamps around here, but when I used the MOTU press they sounded clear and full, and they did not make me wish I had used something else (the old 002 pre's always made me wish that)

I like the MOTU and I hope it will be my interface for years to come. The Saffire I'm glad to be rid of.

dennisjames
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Post by dennisjames » Sat Mar 26, 2016 12:13 pm

Circling back to update my choices. I decided on the Apollo 8 Quad. Found a manufacturer refurbished B stock with full warranty and saved nearly $800! I demo'd Studio One for the full period and just this morning pulled the trigger on the Professional 3.2. During the trial, I threw up a mic to get some sounds and was blown away by UA. I imported some files to try out the plugs from both UA and Presonus and feel like it's Christmas morning. I've got several hours of learning ahead of me as I transition but what a difference! Granted, many of you have lived in this world for some time now and the new car smell may have worn off on your DAW's but after a happy decade on the Roland, I'm pretty inspired to see where the new setup takes me.

The only draw-back I see to the UA is dependent on my ability to control plugin spending. I was aware of this going in but the included bundle combined with the Studio One package will cover nearly all my needs. Hopefully, I be able to practice some restraint and keep my money in pocket :^:.

As always, thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on my original question!

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