Need advice on setting up a home DAW system

evilevoix

evilevoix

Member
Hello,

Now that I have my Ultra I think I want to get into home recording. I've heard some amazing tracks by many of you that are easily studio quality and I'm about to give up on working with other people in a band...I'll just do it all myself!

Anyways, I'm looking to set up a system to do just that..a DAW system that would utilize my Ultra for guitar/bass/effects and I would probably use Superior Drummer 2.0 for drums. I played with Pro Tools a few years back on a PC that could barely manage it and found it frustrating. So I'm looking for software that is pretty intuitive and that I could pick up fairly quickly. As far as hardware, I'm not sure either...I'm thinking of going iMac or other Apple product as I hear that they are better for media. I prefer to buy used if I can to save $$$ but unlike an amp, I'm not so confident in buying a used computer.

OK, so here's where I need advice: computer (and suggested specs), whatever I need to hook up the Ultra to said computer and suggested software (Cubase, Logic, PT, etc...). Budget is under $2K.

Thank you!
 
I built a computer with 4 physical disk drives (1 for OS, 1 for Apps, 1 for data, and 1 for paging). Disk drives are cheap these days. With the above config, you can't imagine how fast it runs. My PC has a Core i7 (a beast) and 8 gig of fast ram, but you will be able to build a recording PC with a lot less processor horsepower.

For audio interface, I would suggest something firewire (can't make a recommendation, my Alesis IO26 is discontinued).

For software, you can't go wrong with Reaper ($50). As powerful as Cubase (if not more) at a fraction of the cost, and continuous updates for free.
 
Can anyone else chime in? It looks like I'm headed towards an iMac. Now I need an interface...any suggestions? I looked at the Alesis io mentioned above and found some inexpensive used units but I heard that there are no current drivers for the latest Mac OS software.

What would be a good and relatively affordable interface? I don't need one with FX and only need 2-4 i/o since it's just me. I'd prefer to do out of the Ultra's digital out if possible.

Thanks!
 
evilevoix said:
I played with Pro Tools a few years back on a PC that could barely manage it and found it frustrating.
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You may be trouble then, there is no DAW more intuitive for 90% of newcomers than Pro Tools. With any powerful program, there is a worthwhile learning curve. We're not dealing with a toy iPad here. If you get a Mac, then Garage band is very simple to use as well obviously and I think it's included, but it is painfully limiting. DEFINITELY get a Mac…everything just works, you save tons of money and time messing around, they last longer, hold their value better, the entire pro studio industry runs on them (and for good reason) and OSX is and ergonomic masterpiece.

For Those on a Budget, There's But One Computer Choice Now - iMac Quad Core- Starting at $1199 That's FOUR Intels, a big beautiful screen and OSX (the main feature.)

...or cheaper still, wait a few months for the exact same, a refurb at $1019 or so. You've then got your ports covered. It has Firewire, but also 2 Thunderbolt ports. We'll soon be seeing a lot of adaptors for that port...USB 3, a second FW 800 bus, or even the new Avid TDM HD external Accel Box via Thunderbolt' PCI.


There are many interfaces, but the Steinberg MR816 is THE insiders secret weapon at $500 used, but there are many decent ones for $100 used. But then you need speakers, speaker amp, cables galore, mics etc etc etc.

Go here and read for at least 8 hours: gearslutz.com. Try not to ask many questions yet, at your newbie level it's ALL there already, dig?
 
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PC for low price
PCI sound card for low latency
Mackie's Tracktion for a stupid easy DAW

Build your own and save, NewEgg can be your friend.

8)
 
Choices

I agree with getting a Mac. Best decision I ever made in terms of time spend dealing with unnecessary details/overhead. I haven't used AV software on my Mac for 2.5 years. I backup constantly and can go back to any state of my system for over a month back, but it's great to avoid the overhead and hassle. Used/refurbed quad core Imac is great recommendation. Any Macbook Pro laptop of the last 3-4 years would do the trick and save $. Unless you're doing a crazy complicated mix which seems unlikely anywhere near the start of your recording career, any Mac of the last several years is fast enough for tons of tracks and a fair amount of plugins.

Many DAW software choices. Depends on what you like. I find Ableton Live the most intuitive idea creation software I've ever used, but it's a very different animal than the rest. I've never used anything where dealing with audio and/or midi routing was easier than Live and it's by far the quickest easiest way to get down ideas and put them in some useable for quickly. Tracktion is a great DAW that gets out of the way. Logic Studio is probably the deal of the world in terms of what's included with it (plugins, sampler, VIs, sound content), but it's not the simplest to use and strangely enough can be a real resource hog which is weird given that Apple owns it now. I haven't used Reaper, but a lot of people seem to love it.

The Steinberg interface recommended is a good recommendation. I haven't used it, but all the reviews have been great and that's a ton of functionality for the price. I like RME, but that's probably out of your budget. For me, drivers are one of the biggest, if not the biggest factor for an interface. Getting something that just works and doesn't glitch is huge. There are lots of interfaces that look good on the surface, but flake out periodically in practice. Research the hell out of your interface.

Agree also with 8 hours of reading. Reseach it. Doesn't have to be all at once. You could get a Mac and use Garage Band until you get tired of its' limitations. It is an amazing program and all the things you learn using it will apply to anything else you get.

Good luck,

Mike
 
MikeyB59 said:
Any Macbook Pro laptop of the last 3-4 years would do the trick and save $. Unless you're doing a crazy complicated mix which seems unlikely anywhere near the start of your recording career, any Mac of the last several years is fast enough for tons of tracks and a fair amount of plugins.
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Not if you use VIs virtual instrument plugins or amp sims. Just four of those can wipe out a dual core with other plugins If you want to use a lot of VIs with a lightly powered computer, than you should look for a DAW with "freeze track." Look it up:)

MikeyB59 said:
drivers are one of the biggest, if not the biggest factor for an interface. Getting something that just works and doesn't glitch is huge. There are lots of interfaces that look good on the surface, but flake out periodically in practice. Research the hell out of your interface.
Click to expand...


+1000 A buggy driver is going to ruin all the fun everyday.
 
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relaxo said:
Not if you use VIs virtual instrument plugins or amp sims. Just four of those can wipe out a dual core with other plugins.
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Sure, but why is he going to use amp sims when he's got an Ultra. Also, yes, you can wipe it out with VIs, but you can also freeze tracks. If he's most running one drum program, he's not going to have an issue. I didn't see any yearning for a bunch of VIs in his post. If he does want to run a ton, then, you're right and he should absolutely get all the computer he can. It's a balance of what you're going to need to use, where you're going to need to use it (if he gets a laptop, now he can do music minus one and whatever else anywhere) and what you can afford.

Personally I have a ton of VIs and plugins, so I got the i7 quadcore Macbook Pro recently for precisely the reason you state. That said, my pre unibody 2.4 dualcore Macbook Pro still works great for most things I want to do.

Mostly I'm just tossing out options given that he has a pretty tight budget to work with. The other beauty of the used Mac is that if he does bump into limitations with it, it's super easy to transfer your whole world from one Mac to another and he would probably lose almost nothing in resale while having learned a bunch on the first computer.
 
Thanks everyone for taking the time to chime in!

Yes, I wouldn't have much use for VI's...I'm thinking Ultra for guitar/bass/vocals and Superior Drummer for drum tracks. Of course who know where my plans may go one day but I am mostly looking to do rock/metal/fusion type songs so I wouldn't have much need for VI's.

I am looking at an i5 quad core with tons of RAM (16GB) I found a used iMac locally that is hundreds less than the same new.

I will do the research and thanks for all of the opinions! I am looking at Reaver or Cubase but I need simplicity over tons of functionality.
 
Consider too the 27". When I suggest that to my non-music friends, they stare at me like I am a wild-eyed sociopath. The 27" is a lot. It's a screen with tiny detail the size of a wall poster, but the name of the game in DAWs is real estate, baby, real estate. The big ergonomic screen helps out tremendously. I will never again use a screen less than 2560 pixels....it's a waste of your time to constantly be moving things around to make space.
 
+100 on screen real estate. Dual monitors is a great way to go, too. Even a cheap 19 or 21" extra monitor can be a great addition in terms of workflow and ability to view everything you need to at a given time.

an i5 quadcore would give you plenty of power for what you're looking at doing. Cubase is a great program, but I wouldn't call it more intuitive than most.
 
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