DAW info needed

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WilliamC
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DAW info needed

Post by WilliamC » Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:46 am

hello all,great community here with lots of insight.
I'm a singer/composer here in the chicago area.
I had been recording analog but now want to switch to digital via DAW.
I have recently recognized the futility and arrogant egocentric nature of any attempt to 'make' my way as appropriate for others. At best I can share my experiences...come what may as to how my reflection might serve purpose to another. The arrogant assumption that I could help another has been much the bane to my existance. Hoeever,I do believe that for the intent of my current musical material I would be better served through a digital insource.
I've knowledge of basic computer skills.Meaning.I'm sorrowfully short on technical information-I would need the down to earth scrapbook basics as far as what I'm looking for:
what type memory and how much minimal processor speed...what is an interface and do I need one.....do I need a d-a converter....in other words I need all the basics.I am not prompted to build one and would rather buy an inexpensive one with all the basics.Can I record,arrange,and master an entire album on a DAW?What is the best place to acquire one?What things should I look out for?
There is plenty information for people with technical savvy but not nearly enough for those on us who cant understand the numbers and I hope someone will inform me not only for my own devices,but for those out there who are on the shorter end of the stick like I am.Namaste.Baraka Bashad.

sonikbliss
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by sonikbliss » Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:06 am

First of all how many tracks do you need to be able to record at a time and do you need to run alot of plugins.

Second what are you looking to spend on everything (computer (I assume you don't have one), Interface, Recording software).

And thirdly Welcome to the board.

WilliamC
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Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:57 am
Location: chicago,Il..

Re: DAW info needed

Post by WilliamC » Fri Jan 28, 2005 8:57 am

hello sonic-I havent the slightest idea of what plugins are.Yep-it's that bad.But if you mean how many instruments/thingies I have to connect,it's just a midi keyboard,a condenser mic and two guitars.
thx for the welcome by the way.
Ive app.$1600-$1900 to spend on the whole ordeal,preferably in may-june since some recording and mastering books are in the mail to me as we speak.
any further info would be greatly appreciated. :D

sonikbliss
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by sonikbliss » Fri Jan 28, 2005 11:19 am

When you record into a computer the audio gets converted from an analog signal into a digital signal and vice versa if you are sending audio out of your computer. Everytime one of these conversions takes place the audio signal is degraded.

Plugins are the equivalent of a hardware effects or dynamic processor only in a software form. So once you have everything recorded into your computer you can process a track with a plugin instead of sending the track back out of the computer to a hardware unit, thus avoiding another conversion and further degrading the sound. This is often referred to as "Mixing in the box(computer)"

One more question. Do you prefer to work on a PC or a Macintosh or does it not matter?

WilliamC
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by WilliamC » Fri Jan 28, 2005 12:31 pm

thx for the explanation and your time.
Ive heard macs are better for this and they probably are from what Ive seen but all my experiences have been with PC'S so I guess I should stay there.I want to be able to record,mix and master.
I have a tascam 4 track.Would I have to record on the 4 track first and then send that music to the computer-OR can I record directly to the PC-thru an interface?
Again,sorry for sounding so unknowledgable,but maybe it's just because I am. :lol:

Al_Huero
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by Al_Huero » Fri Jan 28, 2005 12:53 pm

You'd be better off going straight into the computer if that's where you're going to end up. There are numerous interfaces available, consisting of a box or sound card to plug your mic or keyboard into and a program on your computer to mix and edit the recorded tracks. First you need to decide how many tracks you want to be able to record at once. This will narrow down the type of box/soundcard you need. It will convert the analog inputs from the mic/keyboard into strings of 1's and 0's that your computer understands. There's a range of quality in this conversion process. Obviously you pay more for gear with better quality converters.

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Mr. Dipity
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by Mr. Dipity » Fri Jan 28, 2005 1:30 pm

WilliamC wrote:thx for the explanation and your time.
Ive heard macs are better for this and they probably are from what Ive seen but all my experiences have been with PC'S so I guess I should stay there.I want to be able to record,mix and master.
I have a tascam 4 track.Would I have to record on the 4 track first and then send that music to the computer-OR can I record directly to the PC-thru an interface?
Again,sorry for sounding so unknowledgable,but maybe it's just because I am. :lol:
Macs aren't better than PCs. For my purposes, PCs are much better than macs - for my purposes. I prefer a machine that is cheap, reliable, expandable, and doesn't overly simplify things (and comes with masses of cool free/cheap plugins and software.) However, my computer is probably the most important instrument in my studio - I'm not just using it as an electronic tape recorder.

Generally, computers you are used to using are better than computers that you aren't used to using. However, considering the little confidence you have with your computer skills, I might recomend a mac - they are built for people who don't want to worry about that "computer stuff".

You might also want to look at some of those 'pre-built' audio computers. Make sure you buy from a reputable source, however.

You'll pay a premium for a mac or for a prebuilt computer, and neither is close to a panacea for all computing woes. However, the extra money is probably worth it, if you are just starting out.

Another suggestion - baby steps. Don't but some huge rig all at once - you won't need it, and you won't be able to get your head around it.

sonikbliss
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by sonikbliss » Fri Jan 28, 2005 1:51 pm

I agree with sserendipity that one platform isn't better than the other. However my personal opinion is that the downside is greater with a PC if you plan on having it on the internet because they are so easily infected with viruses whereas macs rarely have this problem. That being said I recommend not having either machine connected to the internet if you plan on using it for recording and in this case you should go with whatever you are the most comfortable with.

Macs are definately more user friendly but the downside is the price.

As far as specs for a recording computer look for a PC with at least a 2Ghz processor speed and 1Gig of RAM or a Mac with at least a 1Ghz processor speed and 1 Gig of RAM. Most computers have firewire ports which is the most common way you will hook a recording interface up to it. Get a computer with these specs and you will be good to go.

As far as interfaces any one of these should work well for you. Most of them come with recording software. Plug it in, install the software and start recording. :D

FireBox
FirePod
MBox
Traveler
Various Firewire Interfaces

Oh yeah, and you will need a separate hard drive dedicated just to recording audio. It's bad news to record onto your system drive.

WilliamC
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by WilliamC » Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:52 pm

thanks to all for the info so far.
I never intended for that PC to hook up to the internet at all because of the probs you guys mentioned.
What I didnt expect was this:
Oh yeah, and you will need a separate hard drive dedicated just to recording audio. It's bad news to record onto your system drive.
darn it-how much does that Hike Up The Price? :lol: I hadnt read about that one before....but my last and most important question...now that I know some system requirements....can I master the final product..meaning:can I learn to master,get the software and mix on a single PC or would I need much more extra equipment?I want to find out what my limitations are with a DAW.
thx again all. :D

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Re: DAW info needed

Post by Al_Huero » Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:02 pm

Mastering is a whole nother can of worms. Do you mean, can you squash it and raise the level to commercial standards with the plugins available for a DAW? Yeah, you can do that. Will it sound good? Maybe not. Most people wanting professional sounding stuff still send it off to someone else for mastering. But maybe you just mean, can I burn CDs; in which case, yeah you can definitely do that. A bit more specificity in your queries will get you better answers.

WilliamC
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by WilliamC » Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:16 pm

Do you mean, can you squash it and raise the level to commercial standards with the plugins available for a DAW? Yeah, you can do that. Will it sound good?
yes I definetely have to be more specific.This is what I meant-commercial standards.I would imagine I can do a decent job even if I dont sound like Pink Floyd's "off the wall"or sir George Martin though-or am I wrong?

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Mr. Dipity
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by Mr. Dipity » Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:28 pm

WilliamC wrote:
Do you mean, can you squash it and raise the level to commercial standards with the plugins available for a DAW? Yeah, you can do that. Will it sound good?
yes I definetely have to be more specific.This is what I meant-commercial standards.I would imagine I can do a decent job even if I dont sound like Pink Floyd's "off the wall"or sir George Martin though-or am I wrong?
Not all in one go. You're asking quite a bit to go from "no computer recording" to "decent in-the-box self-mastering job", all in one go (some people would argue that there is no such thing as a good self mastering job).

In the broadest stroke, mixing, tracking and mastering in a DAW are like mixing, mastering and tracking with analog gear: Can you do a good job of that now? Getting a DAW isn't going to make anything magically possible, any more than buying any other gear would.

What makes it magically possible is doing it every day for years and years and sucking, until one day, you've find that you've figured a few things out.

WilliamC
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by WilliamC » Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:45 pm

got it sserendipity.Now can anybody explain to me the final question-at least in this thread... :lol: what did bliss mean about me not recording to my system drive and needing an extra hard drive for audio?
After this,I'll just dedicate myself to reading thread after thread and sucking it all up for future use.You guys have been fantastic-I thank you so much. 8)

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Re: DAW info needed

Post by Al_Huero » Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:22 pm

Most of the recording software programs (Protools, etc.) recommend you dedicate a drive to storing your sound files to improve system efficiency and avoid crashes. And believe me, when your recording something a crashing computer is not your friend. The good news there are a lot of cheap (~$100) external drives that you can add to most sytems through the firewire port. Not a big deal.

WilliamC
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Re: DAW info needed

Post by WilliamC » Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:45 pm

thx al-how much memory would that external drive need?Does it require a separate cd burner?sheesh-it's one question after the other when you come to think of it eh?lmao! 8)

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