Post Production Gear Recommendations

[rabbibump]

Here's my situation. We are a church looking to record our services and remix the music to put on our website.
We will be recording straight off of our Studiolive 24 with capture. On Monday's I'll be transferring to Pro Tools 10 on Macbook Pro (17" 2.8 intel core2 duo, 8gb Ram, Lion). I'd like to create the ideal studio to remix about 16 channels of instruments and vocals. What gear would you recommend. Artist Control? Makie Universal Control? I have a Novation Impulse61. I'm interested in the new UA Appollo coming out. The ability to use the processing would be helpful. I'd also like to introduce analog summing.
So I know that's a big request, but what would be your first gear purchases to make this an efficient but powerful system.
Here's what I already have:
Macbook Pro (listed above)
MBox 2
Novation Impulse61
M-Audio CX8 monitors.

Thanks guys!

[Andrew_Malloy]

The UA plugs are great sounding and you can get a good mix from them, but I don't think you really need to spend on the Apollo if you aren't recording full live performances. If you are doing overdubs, the M Box is just fine.

As far as the rest of your setup goes. Spend the money you would save on the Apollo on room treatment and better monitors. Room treatment being extremely important, it will make a huge impact on how your mixes will turn out.

Feel free to call me if you would like to discuss more.

[rabbibump]

Thanks Andrew,

I've got room treatment and a good room to mix in. We are recording full live performances. We will be recording our whole worship service straight off our soundboard, but dry. So I'll be adding effects,eq,reverb in post. This is why I'm interested in the apollo. There are other times we will be doing studio recording for CD's as well, but right now I'm looking to create the most efficient/powerful workflow possible. I need to produce a half hour of music every Monday to put on our website by tuesday. So I'll need to mix/process/sum sync with video efficiently.

[jpleong]

Here's my situation. We are a church looking to record our services and remix the music to put on our website.
We will be recording straight off of our Studiolive 24 with capture. On Monday's I'll be transferring to Pro Tools 10 on Macbook Pro (17" 2.8 intel core2 duo, 8gb Ram, Lion). I'd like to create the ideal studio to remix about 16 channels of instruments and vocals. What gear would you recommend. Artist Control? Makie Universal Control? I have a Novation Impulse61. I'm interested in the new UA Appollo coming out. The ability to use the processing would be helpful. I'd also like to introduce analog summing.
So I know that's a big request, but what would be your first gear purchases to make this an efficient but powerful system.
Here's what I already have:
Macbook Pro (listed above)
MBox 2
Novation Impulse61
M-Audio CX8 monitors.

Thanks guys!

If speed is what is most important at this stage I don't suggest peripheral DSPs. From what I'm reading about the Apollo, and from my experience with TC Electronics' Konnekt-line, the plug-ins are realtime-only. That means playing back your hour-long mix from start to finish to get it all in -not how I would want to work with that kind of turnaround expectation and ESPECIALLY not how I want to work if I have to integrate video.

My suggestion is to replace your computer. Seriously. The 2011 MBPs with the latest i7 processors are leaps and bounds faster than the Core 2. I clocked h264 rendering times between an i7 dual-core and an i7 quad-core and the i7 quad was faster by 25%. The speed gain will be even greater over the Core2. Replacing your computer, in my opinion, will provide the single most powerful increase in efficiency to your workflow.

JP

[Andrew_Malloy]

If speed is what is most important at this stage I don't suggest peripheral DSPs. From what I'm reading about the Apollo, and from my experience with TC Electronics' Konnekt-line, the plug-ins are realtime-only. That means playing back your hour-long mix from start to finish to get it all in -not how I would want to work with that kind of turnaround expectation and ESPECIALLY not how I want to work if I have to integrate video.

JP Makes a good point. If speed is your main issue, Pro Tools only does realtime bounce. There are workarounds for this, but once you are finished, you still have one more pass to sit through. The easy solution is to make it bounce and then go to Lunch. That being said, Pro Tools has the fastest workflow by far.

Studio One, Cubase, Logic, DP will do non-realtime bounce, which means it can print your mix as fast as the computer will allow it.

[rabbibump]

Ok, a new computer may be possible. But if not, what gear and setup would you recommend? Would running the tracks out an interface into a mixer or analog summer help? Could I run it through a mixer and print or record the master out, then sync it with the video? I guess I'll put it this way: If you were mixing 30 minutes of a live performance every week what gear and setup would you want to do quality and quick work? (BTW, the Apollo can run the effects either during recording and/or during the mix, so it would give me the processing my "old" mac doesn't have. )

[jpleong]

Ok, a new computer may be possible. But if not, what gear and setup would you recommend? Would running the tracks out an interface into a mixer or analog summer help? Could I run it through a mixer and print or record the master out, then sync it with the video? I guess I'll put it this way: If you were mixing 30 minutes of a live performance every week what gear and setup would you want to do quality and quick work? (BTW, the Apollo can run the effects either during recording and/or during the mix, so it would give me the processing my "old" mac doesn't have. )

To be perfectly honest, I would make a "board tape" of the LR Mix on Sunday, sync it to the video on Monday, render, upload, burn, and call it a day. That's highly dependent, of course, on how much you trust the FOH mix. Failing that, I would try and "cheat" in places by using a standard mix template (which a Worship setting allows pretty easily) and focusing on only the elements that change the most like vocals and solo instruments. As a Sonar/Vegas/Audition user I've grown accustomed to building a basic mix and just rendering it out if I need quick turnaround. If the performance was particularly inspired I'll save the tracks and mix it later when there's no pressure.

Another option, and the one employed by rapid-turnaround programs like SNL and Austin City Limits, is to have a separate broadcast mixer in use at the same time as the live mix. This would be in your control room/studio. The concept is basically the same, to save time on the post-production mix by pre-mixing as much as possible.

When you say video, what level of video production are we talking about here and are you responsible for that, too?

JP

[jpleong]

Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with the forum here. It does the same thing to me... Finally solved it by hitting "Reply with Quote"

JP

[rabbibump]

I guess I need to explain a little more. We record both audio (straight off the board) and video using an Elgato capture device onto an iMac. Video is just one camera and very simple. It's been great for the sermons. Up until now because of copyright issues that's all we could put on our website. We just acquired a license allowing us to put our worship on our website and hence the problem. Our Sanctuary sound is heavily tainted by the room and though it sounds great in their, it's nothing like what's coming straight off the board and being recorded. It needs to be remixed. Unfortunately a broadcast mixer isn't an option yet. Just don't have the budget, personnel or room. So my best option at this point is to capture the audio during the service. We use Studiolive 24's for FOH so we can use my Macbook Pro and Presonus Capture to get the dry audio tracks. Then on Monday's I can remix in ProTools then sync that with the video captured by the Elgato. The video stuff I'm not worried about, it's how to get a good quick remix.
Here's what I've been thinking about: Sending the tracks out of Pro Tools, post effects, to a mixer and then record the main outs as I remix. Basically the same thing a broadcast mixer would be doing. What do you think? What equipment would I need to pull that off?

[Andrew_Malloy]

Hey guys. I got our web team looking at the problem. I can't replicate it. Could you guys send me an email with your OS and Browser versions so I can have them check it out?

[jpleong]

[rabbibump]

Thanks JP. I know I have what I "need", but I'm asking how I could make it better? If I've got $2000-$3000 to spend, what would make this better? Also keeping in mind that we also do regular studio work at times. Thanks again. I know all this takes your valuable time. I'm just looking for wisdom beyond my own.

[Andrew_Malloy]

The Text issue should be fixed now.

If you are really into it, a control surface could also help once you learn how to really take advantage of it. With PT 10, the Euphonix controllers are now really powerful. Couple that with using templates in PT, you have a very fast workflow.