What computer recording stuff do you use?

[JasonT]

I'm interested to find out what BaMmers are using these days to record their music.

What computer? PC or Apple/Mac? Specs?
What interface for guitar to computer?
What soundcard?
What software?
What plug-ins?
What monitors?
What midi-keyboard?
Firewire?
External additional harddrive?

I'd like to know if you're happy with what you have and why, or if not, why? If you had good or bad experiences with other stuff you currently don't own, that would be helpful, too. I'm just trying to tap the collective experience here.

So, what have you got? :D

[johnreardon]

I use a HP Pavillion PC with 1 GB RAM running Windows XP. It has a Realtek AC97 soundcard. I only use the supplied Harman Kardon monitors which are sufficient for my use. HDD is 200GB

Recording software/hardware is basic. I just use a Guitar Port + Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro3. Whislt fairly basic, I can get quite good results, so happy enough for my limited use.

[Serious_Poo]

Hardware: I've got a pretty hardcore PC system I built for both recording & gaming. DFI Motherboard w/ SLI, AMD FX-55 processor, a pair of eVGA 6800 Ultra video cards in SLI mode, 2GB OCZ memory, OCZ 600 watt power supply, Zalman water-cooling system. Western Digital Raptor SATA drive for O/S and boot, a pair of SATA Seagate Barracuda drives in RAID 0 configuration for data storage, and a Creative Audigy 2 Platinum audio card. Samsung 21" 213T monitor. It's a dual boot system, so that only the relevant drivers & programs are loaded for either recording or gaming.

Software: XP Pro operating system, Sonar 4 for multitracking, Reason 3 for sequencing & synth stuff, Sound Forge 7 for wave editing, Battery for drum sampling, and way too many plugins to even try to list.

Other stuff: Shure SM57 mics go into a rack mounted DBX 386 mic preamp that handles the A/D conversion (that DBX unit rocks BTW). The audio feed is brought into the PC via SP/DIF to the Audigy card. MIDI keyboard input handled by a M-Audio Radium keyboard, MIDI drums handled by an old Boss DR-660 drum machine.

Thoughts: Hard drive recording relies on the PC's ability to multi-task, and single core AMD chips like the FX55 aren't really made for that. If I were to do this over, I'd go with either a multi-core AMD chip or an Intel chip. Single core Intel chips seem to handle multi-tasking better than single core AMD chips do, but the new multi-core chips appear to be levelling the playing field a little bit. Also, lots of RAM is essential hence the 2GB. Disk I/O is a huge deal on a recording PC, hence the striped pair of SATA data drives.

Hope that helps!

[Andrew]

Very basic setup here:

Hardware


Apple eMac 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4, 768 MB RAM
M-Audio MobilePre USB Audio Interface
M-Audio Oxygen 8 MIDI Controller
Tech21 SansAmp GT2
Sennheiser e609 Dynamic Mic
Klipsch Speakers

Software


MOTU Digital Performer
Propellerheads Reason
Native Instruments Battery
Native Instruments Pro-53

[redmax61]

HP Pavilion/Win XP with 1.25 GB of RAM
Second internal hard drive for audio data
m Audio Delta 1010
BlueTube and Aphex tube preamps
Behringer compression
Behringer Truth monitors

FASoft n-Track studio
AcidPro
Audacity
Tracktion

Shure SM57
AKG D3600
MXL67
Crown PZM
AKG drum mics

From my experience, the one thing you can't scrimp on is RAM. When dealing with large audio files, you can't have enough.

[FrankiePRS]

The basics of what I use are

Hardware: 3 Ghz PC, 1 gig of RAM, Tascam US-122, Alesis Monitor Ones (usually)
Software: Cool Edit Pro 2, Soundforge 7, Acid Pro

[Schroeder]

Sonar Producer
MOTU 828mkII
Rode NT-1A
Sure 57

[JasonT]

Andrew, Robin and Frankie -

Thanks for the info on your setups, but how do you guys like what you have? Does it work for your application? Are you itchin' to replace/upgrade something? If you are thinking about it, what would be the next acquisition. Thanks.

[redmax61]

If I replace/upgrade anything, it'll be a faster processor. However, it works perfectly for what I'm doing.

That and a few new mics. I'm thinking Sennheiser 421 and maybe something Blue. :D

[codeorama]

I've got:
Sony Vaio, 2.5mhz, 1.5 gig ram, 20 and 80 gig hard drives
Iomega 250 gig hard drive
Behringer Truth monitors
Lexicon Omega
2 Behringer tube preamps
Behringer compressor
Lexicon Alex
Sure Sm 57 and 58
2 Large diaphram condenser mics
Tons of plugins including pantheon reverb, bbe sonic maximiser, antares autotune...
Sonar 4 producer edition (I also have protools and cubase, but use sonar)
The room in my house that is my "home studio" has "audimute" hanging on the walls which kills the echo in the room.

[Vinni Smith]

Cakewalk Home Studio and I love it.

vinni

[Aldwyn]

New setup is:

2 3.2Ghz P4s with 1GB of RAM running XP Pro
Sound Blaster Audigy
M-Audio Delta 8 into a Alesis RA-100 with Monitor Ones
Alesis QS 6.1 Synth... mainly for the patch banks when I use MIDI
Sonar 3 Producer
LOTS of plug ins... BBE Sonic Maximizer, Antaris Auto Tune, Several different 'verbs, amp simulators, etc...

I actually do most of my recording on a Boss BR-8. Then move the ZIP disk over to my computer for mixdown, effects, etc..

Peace,
Aldwyn

[Norcal_GIT_r]

Aldwyn, hows the Antares auto tuning working for you?
What have you used it on? Vocals, guitars?

Thanks

[redmax61]

I tried it and it didn't work for me. If you want to make me an offer on my copy of it . . .

[Aldwyn]

Aldwyn, hows the Antares auto tuning working for you?
What have you used it on? Vocals, guitars?

Thanks
Always vocals, but I suppose you can use it to effect a guitar. Might be neat to do a lick with a lot of bends, and have the autotune bounce it back to pitch, ala Cher vocals!

It's a tricky beast, though... it really doesnt help much on vocals unless the pitch is less then 2 cents off or so. Any more then that, and the correction is noticable. For home use, it's not worth the money if you ask me. Come to think of it, I dont think I have used it on a recording in quite some time.

Peace,
Aldwyn

[Norcal_GIT_r]

Thanks for the comments guys..Doesnt sound like its really worth it for me.

[Chiba]

Jason, next time you're in the neighborhood, drop in and check out my setup. If I'd known, I could have given you the tour when I was working on your Ibanez!

Computer - Mac dual G4/1.25GHz w/1GB RAM

Interface: Digidesign Digi001
Software: ProTools LE 6.4 w/the standard built-in plug-ins, Reason 3 (just getting started w/Reason)

Outboard: M-Audio TAMPA pre/comp, Joemeek VC3Q pre/eq/comp

Mics: Sennheiser e609 black & silver, BLUE Dragonfly, BLUE Baby Bottle, Studio Projects C3, SE Electronics 500 (inexpensive tube mic)

Monitors: Event 20/20 pushed by an Alesis RA-100 power amp

MIDI controller is a Roland A-30 (gotta have 88 keys!) and before Reason, I used that with a couple of nice synth modules - E-Mu Vintage Keys & Proteus 1, and the Yamaha TG-55 with both string & brass cards (nice sounds)

The above is basically the setup I used to record the first Pharmacy Prophets album, although I didn't have the e609 or Baby Bottle mics or Reason then. My normal signal path was the Dragonfly into the TAMPA or the VC3Q, or the C3 into the pres built into the Digi001.

--chiba

[Norcal_GIT_r]

Chiba, hows the Pro Tools LE system?
I'm pretty sure I'm ordering a digi 002 system.
Was PT hard to learn. I've been working with Samplitude, Cakewalk and Neundo.
I'm going to run it on Windows. I'll probably also get the 002R so I can record full bands at one time.


Thanks for any info.

[Lyle Long]

Mac Dual 2.0 G5 - 2.5 gigs RAM - 160 Gig SATA - 120 Gig Firewire drive
20" Cinema Display
MOTU 2408 Mk-II - Mackie 1642 mixer
Logic Pro 7.1
Waves Native Platinum
Peak for audio editing and mastering
Garageband & Soundtrack for loop fun
BDF & Battery plugins for drum sounds
Roland XP-30 keyboard
JBL 4208 Monitors with QSC power

[Norcal_GIT_r]

I think I've decided on a new system.
Here's what I've put together so far.
Creation Station Pro 3.2GHz Computer
P4 3.2GHz/800MHz FSB, 512MB400 x 2, Glyph 80GB +200GB HD, Ultra Quiet Technology.
Digidesign Digi 002 Rack
DigimaxLT 8-Ch Preamp w/ Lightpipe
Command8 Control Surface
Pro Tools LE
StylusRMX Groove Module Plug-In
T.C. Electronics VoiceLive - Vocal Harmony, Reverb & Pitch Correction

This will be a turn key system for Sweetwater.

Hopefully see it in the next couple of weeks.

[Drunkagain]

I use a HP Pavillion PC with 1 GB RAM running Windows XP. It has a Realtek AC97 soundcard. I only use the supplied Harman Kardon monitors which are sufficient for my use. HDD is 200GB

Recording software/hardware is basic. I just use a Guitar Port + Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro3. Whislt fairly basic, I can get quite good results, so happy enough for my limited use.
John or anyone else, do you run the guitar directly to the soundcard or do you mic your amp and then run it into the soundcard?

Thanks

[Goober]

Always vocals, but I suppose you can use it to effect a guitar. Might be neat to do a lick with a lot of bends, and have the autotune bounce it back to pitch, ala Cher vocals!

It's a tricky beast, though... it really doesnt help much on vocals unless the pitch is less then 2 cents off or so. Any more then that, and the correction is noticable. For home use, it's not worth the money if you ask me. Come to think of it, I dont think I have used it on a recording in quite some time.

Peace,
Aldwyn
You didn't need it in the first place. You already sing in tune!:)

[JasonT]

Jason, next time you're in the neighborhood, drop in and check out my setup. If I'd known, I could have given you the tour when I was working on your Ibanez!

Computer - Mac dual G4/1.25GHz w/1GB RAM

Interface: Digidesign Digi001
Software: ProTools LE 6.4 w/the standard built-in plug-ins, Reason 3 (just getting started w/Reason)

Outboard: M-Audio TAMPA pre/comp, Joemeek VC3Q pre/eq/comp

Mics: Sennheiser e609 black & silver, BLUE Dragonfly, BLUE Baby Bottle, Studio Projects C3, SE Electronics 500 (inexpensive tube mic)

Monitors: Event 20/20 pushed by an Alesis RA-100 power amp

MIDI controller is a Roland A-30 (gotta have 88 keys!) and before Reason, I used that with a couple of nice synth modules - E-Mu Vintage Keys & Proteus 1, and the Yamaha TG-55 with both string & brass cards (nice sounds)

The above is basically the setup I used to record the first Pharmacy Prophets album, although I didn't have the e609 or Baby Bottle mics or Reason then. My normal signal path was the Dragonfly into the TAMPA or the VC3Q, or the C3 into the pres built into the Digi001.

--chiba


I just saw this post, Chiba. I'll definitely take you up on the "tour." I've got lots to learn and want to get started recording stuff sooner rather than later.

[bradcfoster]

Very basic setup here:
Hardware

M-Audio MobilePre USB Audio Interface
M-Audio Oxygen 8 MIDI Controller
how do you like these things?
i'm thinking about picking both of these things up to use with garageband, but don't know if they are the right things to get.

[bryanrheem]

I just saw this post, Chiba. I'll definitely take you up on the "tour." I've got lots to learn and want to get started recording stuff sooner rather than later.
Has this "tour" taken place? I can reserve a spot?

[WhaleBlueTwentyTwo]

OK, here goes... I'm new to it...

-iMac G4
-Pro Tools LE 6.4
-MBox
-Behringer mixing desk, the mid-range one. Has 16 channels.
-Røde NT1-A
-Line 6 P.O.D. Pro

[redmax61]

HP Pavilion/Win XP with 1.25 GB of RAM
Second internal hard drive for audio data
m Audio Delta 1010
BlueTube and Aphex tube preamps
Behringer compression
Behringer Truth monitors

FASoft n-Track studio
AcidPro
Audacity
Tracktion

Shure SM57
AKG D3600
MXL67
Crown PZM
AKG drum mics

From my experience, the one thing you can't scrimp on is RAM. When dealing with large audio files, you can't have enough.
Recently added:
Blue Ball
Blue Baby Bottle
Focusrite Platinum TrakMaster Pro Channel strip

[Mike Dresch]

Running a PC with XP Pro on it. I believe it is a Athlon XP 3000 based system with 1.5 meg of DDR ram and 320 gig of space on it.

Recording platform: Pro Tools LE version 6.9
Hardware: Digi 002 rack
Mic Pres: PreSonus Digimax LT into the lightpipe on the 002, PreSonus TubePre into one analog input of the 002 and a Fostex 8 bus recording mixer into all other inputs of the 002

Monitors: Event 20/20 powered by an Alesis 100w power amp

Mics: Shure KSM44, Audio Technica AT4033 Limited Edition, Audio Technica AT3035, (2) AKG C1000's, tons of Shure SM57's and PE66L's, Shure Beta 52, Beta 57 and (2) Beta 58's, Sennheiser 421, Rode NT2, AKG D112

All Waves, Nomad Blue Tubes, Bomb Factory, Digidesign plugs. Ableton Live, Reason, Sony Oxford Inflator, bunch of crappy VST plugs via RTAS to VST wrapper, Auto Tune, Antares Tube, and a bunch of others.

Got a bunch of mediocre rack gear I never use anymore as well.

I've done a bunch of national recordings with this setup and it works well, though I'd love to upgrade to an HD system with some better mic preamps.