A little overwhelmed

[Ryan]

Hello-

I recently got a hand-me-down 7600/120 from a friend. The guy that he bought it from installed a G3/237 with a seperate, small (4G) hard drive and 192 MB of RAM. It also has Stereo RCA ins and outs. It has Cubase/VST 5 as well as some Propellerheads demos (Reason, ReBirth, ReCycle). I also have a Yamaha CS1x, Dr. Sample, and random instruments/drums. I don't have a MIDI interface as the CS1x has a serial out which I have going into the modem port.

I come from a performance background and went to a small recording school so I know analog recording techniques and I have made a living as a live sound engineer for about four years so I'm very comfortable with gear and signal flow.

I am very interested in loop-based music as well as incorporating live tracks but I'm a little overwhelmed. If anyone has taken the time to read all this, please respond with some ideas about how to proceed.

Thanks,
Ryan

[DAS]

Nice history, but we're not sure what you're trying to accomplish with the system. What do you want to do with it that you are unable to do now?

[pooprobot]

I'm not sure how many responses you're going to get because your question is a little too general (not to mention incredibly vast). Without getting into too much detail, how you should proceed depends on what you intend to do with your setup. Do you want to track and mix multi-track audio? Do you want to control your Yamaha CS1x and other MIDI instruments via MIDI? It looks like you will have to purchase a MIDI serial interface (such as the MOTU fastlane) if you want to control MIDI instruments and install either OMS or Freemidi to configure your MIDI setup within Cubase. If you want to track and mix audio, then your computer is capable of handling a few tracks (the faster the processor, the more tracks and effects you can run), but 237mhz is now on the slow-end of the scale. I'm not sure what kind of analog to digital converters your computer has, but I'm assuming that they're at least 16bit 44.1. 16bit should be fine for now, but you will eventually want to purchase a better audio interface when your budget allows (24bit or higher). Since you come from a recording engineering background, you know that the initial stage of recording is the most crucial, so you will want the best microphones and mic-pres that you can afford. It also looks like you will need some kind of small mixer, so that you can connect your mixer's output into your computer's RCA ins, and your computer's RCA outs to your mixer's 2track in. This setup should get you going, and as far as learning Cubase goes, I suggest reading the manual in its entirety. Good luck.

[Ryan]

Thank you for some insight--

I tried not to make the posting too long and vague... I guess it was too short and vague.
What I'd like to do is to be able to compose, record, edit, and mix live multi-tracked sessions into Cubase as well using the CS1x for MIDI parts. As far as Mics and things I don't actually own yet, I have access to quite an arsenal (414s, 4050s, 535s, pre-amps,proccessing...) from work. I'm aquiring an old SoundTracs 16 channel/8 bus desk, and hopefully in the fall, I'll be getting a new iBook with an 828. I just thought that this free machine would be a good interim step to get used to computer-based recording.

Ryan

[Transistor]

Hi Ryan,
If you want to record loop-based songs live (as you perform) you probably need other software instead of Cubase.
If you want to compose loop-based songs in your studio, then Cubase is nice, although I would suggest you first try demos of other sequencers just to make sure Cubase is good for you (Digital Performer, Logic Audio, etc. I use Logic Platinum).
If your loops will be played from your computer, that upgraded 7600 just won't do, the iBook you mentioned I think will do very well.
I don't know if this is helping you at all, but keep postin' and we'll keep replyin'!
:D

[pooprobot]

Since you're planning to get a new computer in the fall, I wouldn't invest any money into your current setup just yet, but save up. When you get your new iBook, and if you have the money, I would suggest the following setup:

MOTU Digital Performer Version 3.1
MOTU MIDI Express XT or MIDI Timepiece AV - 8x8 USB MIDI Interface
MOTU 828 firewire audio interface

I swear that I do not work for MOTU, I just think their stuff is very reliable. Plus Digital Performer 3.1 will have the ability to import Recycle REX files, since you're interested in working with loops. DP3.1 is also an excellent MIDI sequencer and audio tracking/mixing program. I feel more comfortable when the sequencing/audio program is made by the same company as your hardware because you know they will work well together. Of course Emagic's Logic Audio is also supposed to be excellent, and they make their own MIDI and audio interfaces as well. I guess you can't go wrong with either choice.

[Ryan]

Thanks for the feedback-

It' encouraging to hear that I'm on the right track. I've thought about the "iBundle" from Sweetwater that includes the 828, DP3, and the iBook. I'm not wild about what it'll cost, but to have a system of new equipment will be worth it I'm sure.

One, or I should say my first, question is about how many tracks at a time can I record onto the iBook. I want to explore loop-based stuff but I also want to record live ensembles as well. I'm guessing that a desktop system would be better but after much thought, I decided on a laptop so I could also use it at work. (SpectraFoo, etc.)

Again, thanks for helping a beginner!

Ryan

[pooprobot]

I believe even the cheapest iBook now is still 500mhz with a 15GB hard drive. I'm not sure how many tracks you can record simultaneously, but I assume at least 8. If recording many tracks simultaneously is going to be a common need for you, then perhaps you should look into the MOTU 896 (I know, enough about MOTU already!) since it has 8 mic-pres on the interface, as opposed to the 828's 2 mic-pres. The Metric Halo Mobile I/O has 4 mic-pres. Also, you might want to look into getting an external harddrive strictly for your audio projects.

[Ryan]

Thanks again- I will look into the 896. That's all for now.