Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

I am looking to get a new computer for my MIDI studio, I am working with an outdated PC, using Cakewalk right now but need to upgrade. Do any producers out there have any suggestions? What do you use? Thanks.

when upgrading to a new computer one thing you should be aware of is the potential compatability problems you may run into with the vista operating system and any software you might be using now - music programs that only run on 32 bit operating systems will not run on a vista 64 bit os - the newer versions of sonar -v. 7 and 8 will run on a vista 64 os.---- also if you use an audio interface/which i'm sure you do - with vista 64 you'll need updated 64 bit drivers----older audio interfaces may be a problem ---the older motu 2408s will only run on a 32 bit operating system----not sure about the other interfaces-----don't know if this info helps---these are some of the problems i've run into----peace ----blind albert

I agree with the previous post. Just to add to it:

The question is: Are you a PC or a Mac user? How serious are you about your recording?

Cakewalk is a toy. Sorry, no offense. I did use it myself. I would recommend Cubase 4 Studio software for your recording. Excellent quality, Pro Tools would be my second choice.

Cubase allows you to adjust latency to your sound card, so even with generic sound card you get perfect timing after you adjust the latency setting.

(The tracks on my profile are recorded with Cubase on a standard WindowsXP PC direct line-in connection, nothing fancy)

Cubase and Pro Tools both run on Mac and Windows.

The rest depends on your sound interface needs. (Sound card). You need the best sound card you are willing to buy. The latency on your sound card and the quality of the sound card make the world of difference.

If you have a professional mixer and professional studio you would need a professional interface (sound card), else you can get away with a consumer sound card (sound blaster etc) but you do sacrifice in quality and capabilities.

I agree with the previous post. Just to add to it:

The question is: Are you a PC or a Mac user? How serious are you about your recording?

Cakewalk is a toy. Sorry, no offense. I did use it myself. I would recommend Cubase 4 Studio software for your recording. Excellent quality, Pro Tools would be my second choice.

Cubase allows you to adjust latency to your sound card, so even with generic sound card you get perfect timing after you adjust the latency setting.

(The tracks on my profile are recorded with Cubase on a standard WindowsXP PC direct line-in connection, nothing fancy)

Cubase and Pro Tools both run on Mac and Windows.

The rest depends on your sound interface needs. (Sound card). You need the best sound card you are willing to buy. The latency on your sound card and the quality of the sound card make the world of difference.

If you have a professional mixer and professional studio you would need a professional interface (sound card), else you can get away with a consumer sound card (sound blaster etc) but you do sacrifice in quality and capabilities.

cakewalk is a toy... now that's offensive... you just don't know what it's good for... cakewalk (sonar) is way better for midi than anything. PERIOD.
I've tried many software solutions and I'd like you to point me to the software that allows user defined widgets (did cubase ever get on that bandwagon?).

(just so you know... latency settings are available on ANY and ALL progs I can think of)

Also, AFA I know, no one supplies a software sampler with their recording package... sonar does (or at least it did for a bit there)

not to mention that nowadays pretty much any software will allow for more than 44.1khz 16bit which is cd standard and no matter how great your mix sounds you are going to convert it to that standard eventually.

If I'm not mistaken cakewalk sonar allows for 96khz 24bit... so afa audio quality I'm not even sure there's a big difference at the ground level...
I also happen to think cakewalk/sonar spent a lot more time and thought developing their user interface...
the one thing I will say is that the way cakewalk stores audio is lame. and a pain in the arse if you don't know what to do about it.
I use cubase for audio for the most part... but both programs have their advantages.


and then you recommend a sound blaster??? THAT is a toy. and silly that you would recommend that when you can get audiophile quality at the sm price in an maudio card.

NOW AS FAR AS COMPUTER... AND THE POINT OF THIS POST:
I run 20 some tracks at a time, realtime fx on several channels, running soft synths in background...
using a pentium 4 2.8ghz hyperthreader... that at the time had 528mb of system ram (that's old/slow by todays standard). Anything you buy is going to be fine afa processor/ram.

I'd simply recommend you get as much ram as possible but more importantly get as much hard drive space as possible... and DEFINATELY get two drives minimum: one for programs (c drive) one for storing audio.
you may want to consider the fastest hard drives possible(sata!) because this is going to be a factor when you record, when you back up, and if you use any sort of soft sampling at all.

you def want an lcd display - anything else will reign hell with single coil pickups.

I would def avoid anything with an integrated graphics card on the motherboard!!!!! 2 many reasons to list... Trust me.

another (less important) consideration: the comp case. you can buy el cheapo and have all kinds of fan noise that a sensitive large diaphram mic will pick up OR consider antec's sonata or better. if you plan on recording vox or acoustic gtr via a mic you'll want to do this or get an isolated room to record in.

Ok, I apologize, I did not mean to start a flame.

It is just my own opinion about the recording software based on my own experience. I do not use MIDI only analog. And Cakewalk that you can buy at Best Buy store (the basic version) just does not cut it at least not as well designed software as Cubase is. ACID (version 4) has a very flat sounding mix down (16bit processing) and crashes a lot. Cubase 4 is awesome for what I do.

Everyone entitled to their own opinion. And whatever works for you.

Black Sabbath recorded their first album on an 8 track tape and gone in to fame and greatness.

...
Cakewalk is a toy. Sorry, no offense. I did use it myself. I would recommend Cubase 4 Studio software for your recording. Excellent quality, Pro Tools would be my second choice.
...

A big +1 on that! I've been using Cakewalk since version 9 (now on Sonar Producer and I've used Pro Tools and Logic. The interface is just sooo intuitive (and I teach this stuff). There isn't anything I haven't been able to do in Sonar.

Happy new year to everyone''''------may 2009 bring new songs to all you songwriters---and listeners who enjoy the songs we write-----peace to all-------------blind albert
www.myspace.com/blindalbert

Ok, I apologize, I did not mean to start a flame.

It is just my own opinion about the recording software based on my own experience. I do not use MIDI only analog. And Cakewalk that you can buy at Best Buy store (the basic version) just does not cut it at least not as well designed software as Cubase is. ACID (version 4) has a very flat sounding mix down (16bit processing) and crashes a lot. Cubase 4 is awesome for what I do.

Everyone entitled to their own opinion. And whatever works for you.

Black Sabbath recorded their first album on an 8 track tape and gone in to fame and greatness.

your response is very patient. sorry for any flame retort.
afa midi - I don't mean to correct you because it's really not important but afa I know some of the early midi compatible synths were analog...
midi is simply a way of 'recording the performance' if you will and playing it back through the keyboard of your choice. If you use a lot of keyboards it has definite advantages in the sense that you can change the 'patch' you are playing later on, and you save a ton of space by not recording audio.
acid blows imo because of the insistence on altering all sound files to the sm bpm - everything you right sounds stagnant IMO... but soundforge on the other hand... is a very nice tool.
AFA -sound- there is no audible difference if the sm track is recorded under the sm circumstances with the sm gear between cakewalk and logic at the sm resolution... and I doubt that either has more resolution than the other... but if you say so... I can live with that.

all right... I'll stop lecturing and get off my soapbox.

I think for the most part we agree with each other in the sense that one could argue that cubase has some advantages if only in the way it stores audio... and yes, the basic versions of cakewalk are clearly not well featured.

djrathbun - I bought cakewalk 5 home studio (win95) back when it ONLY did midi (without dating myself too much!)... it gets a bad rap for being the first consumer obtainable solution to home recording...
I do believe I've read that there are some serious limitations to syncing to video and using cakewalk but don't do much in that vein so could only speculate.

rock on cakewalk/sonar!

all right... I'll stop lecturing and get off my soapbox.

Not at at all.
This is the point of the thread.
Discussing the recording equipment, expressing opinions even if they are contradictory so that one can make his own conclusions.

The brochure will not give anyone this kind of incite on the product because brochure has only one goal in mind - sell it.

I am clueless about MIDI. All I know is that you can swap the sound afterward.

ACID can be used for a decent mix, but not on a large project and IMO not on thick distorted sound. Example is the 4th track on my profile. That goof was mixed in ACID 4 in one take and no effects applied at all. Just two tracks, the export from FL studio (backing) and the guitar line-in from Line 6 floor board. (plus about three cans of good ole' Budweiser brew) However once I get to 6 or more tracks, then the resulting mix and compressed MP3 does not sound the same way as it comes out of FL Studio or Cubase. Perhaps I just do not know how to use ACID that well. But it seems I am not alone.

Also in ACID 4 each new take = new track. I think they at last fixed that in version 6. But still there is no clean up function (at least in 4) so you end up with tons of fat WAV files like you said.

What about Pro Tools?
I keep hearing about it, but I never used it.

Thanks for posting.

P.S.
I like your rig!

.

afa "I like your setup" thanks a lot.
I built the cabinets that house most of my rack gear myself... as well as that 'leather' desk. it's ever changing. I've recently added a tube amp and a ton of pedals... (yes in addition to my rack gtr rig!)some that I've made myself from the ground up (it's my latest hobby).
anywho,

afa midi... people tend to underestimate it... it can do a lot.
for instance, in cakewalk and many other progs... you can send midi messages whenever you load a project that will set up your midi gear just the way it was when you last worked on the project.
keyboard modules can be set to patches, custom patches can be recalled, sysex info can be dumped - resetting all your patches...
all settings/patch info for your guitar gear can be set to the last patch/settings you used...
you can set up widgets (little visual knobs/sliders) that you can use to adjust various params and you can record your adjustments... these adjustments will then scale to any bpm you change the recording to.
there are even virtual interfaces for many popular pieces of gear that look like the gear and allow you to do anything you would do thru the actual interface via a window in cakewalk.
recording things via midi will instantly place the music on a score... which allows you to manipulate it/quantize it/change vol/change individual instrument for individual hit...
this is especially useful for artificial drums... you can separate out just the bass drum or snare and send it to a diff track and completely isolate it and find that perfect bass drum or snare sound.
all this and midi only takes up about 1/100th the space that audio tracks take up.
I may be a little midi nuts tho...

afa acid... I've used it here and there a while back to adjust the time of audio tracks to a certain bpm -b4 floops had beat slicing. other than that I haven't used it much.

cheers