Pro Tools Experts... (interface choices)
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Posted on Aug 26, 2006 08:06 am
m4ca
Member Since: Jul 31, 2006
Alright So, right now my current recording interface is the Presonus Firepod, 8 Channel (plus spdif) recording interface. i bought it about a year and a half ago. its been working good.
the MAIN REASON why i wanted the Firepod, was to have 8 inputs so i could record bands (micing a drumset with 5 or 6 mikes)
so, i am wondering, what Degidesign Recording Interface would do the same job that can handle 8 inputs? i was looking at the Digi Rack 02, but i noticed there was 4 mic inputs, and 4 line inputs.
this confuses me, because everything i use i use a mic cable... so is there something else that will work with pro tools thats has mike inputs?
i'm runing a 8 channel snake from the recording room to the control room.
so what can i do, what should i get?
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LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Aug 26, 2006 09:21 am hmmm I don't know pro tools well enough to say... but if I had to take a guess I would say the digi rack 02 would be able to handle 8 inputs, using for mics directly, and then 4 line level inputs, like outs from preamps and stuff.. That's just a guess though, hopefully someone else will chime in.
m4caMember
Since: Jul 31, 2006
Aug 26, 2006 10:16 am yeah, thats what the digi rack is, but is it posable to convert the line in's to mic inputs?
or would there be another interface that would be best for me?
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Aug 26, 2006 10:20 am only interface i can think of that has 8 or so mic inputs on it is the aardvark one, can't think of it's name right now. You can get a delta 101, which is like 8 line levels though too. I don't know off the top of me head though many with 8 mic inputs... then again I'm a line level soundcard kinda guy.
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Aug 26, 2006 12:05 pm I want one...
Aug 26, 2006 12:14 pm
<<< here is the promo for it
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Aug 26, 2006 12:45 pm oh my god that's sexy.
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Aug 26, 2006 02:36 pm All you need is 4 mic preamps. Preamps bring a mic or instrument level signal up to line level. So you can either get 4 stand-alone preamp channels (there are multi-channel preamps available) or a mixer with at least 4 preamped channels.
The digi has some pretty high quality preamps on it so it'd be a good idea to find some good preamps so that the quality wouldn't be noticably lower than the existing preamps on the digi 002.
m4caMember
Since: Jul 31, 2006
Aug 26, 2006 02:46 pm That Maudio Project Mix looks nice.
i'm not too fimiliar with Mpowered pro tools devices. i mean. do they run full versions of pro tools or what?
meltdown5Faze 2 StudiosMember
Since: Aug 15, 2005
Aug 26, 2006 02:50 pm you can just get a 002Rack and then 4 more out-board pre-amps and it would give you 8 mic pre's. you'd probably want to get some nice out board pre's like Tadpui said, the digirack ones are pretty nice.
If your interested i have a Digi 002r with pro-tools LE 7.1 in GREAT condition for sale, well ive been planning on putting it up for sale, just havent gotten around to it yet. let me know if your interested, would let it go for $850 depending on where you live. can send you pics if wanted.
-melty
m4caMember
Since: Jul 31, 2006
Aug 26, 2006 03:43 pm well the m audio looks god i mean i have controll with mixing and stuff.
is that (that your offering) for windows based pc? because that what i will be using it for.
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Aug 26, 2006 03:59 pm Pro-tools M-powered I think is a kinda watered down version of pro-tools... but I don't know, never touch the stuff. Cubase and Cakewalk all the way baby.
Aug 26, 2006 05:13 pm
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Aug 26, 2006 06:37 pm Yes, PT M-Powered is just PT LE. A lite version of PT. Why on earth do you want to switch to PT in the first place. IF it is becuase you are being told it is the industry standard, it is not anymore. Most of the studio's and tracking houses I work with these days are all running either Cubase or Sonar or Logic. They are saving a ton of money over the high priced PT rigs and the dead end M-Powered rigs. You must realise that once having gone that route to PT you are locked in and have nothing but high dollar spending to build onto your system. And the M-Powered route is basically a dead end with no upgrade possabilities other then tossing the whole system and then buying the next level up.
You are far better off keeping the interface that is working for you now and looking into software such as Cubase SX or Sonar 5 PE. The upgrade price when new versions are available is less then half of what real PT software will cost you to upgrade. And the amount and quality of tools that comes with those applications is far greater then what you will be getting with any of the M-Powered stuff.
Aug 26, 2006 07:36 pm yea im planning to get the project mix to use with cubase sx anyway....but still got the advantage of using protools (even tho its basically the lite version) to work at home and carry at a friend's studio after or something, cause they use protools.......but even if it didnt work with pro tools mpowered even it wont really alter my desire for it cause that interface so sweet lol....
Aug 26, 2006 11:55 pm Protooz is very proprietary. I've used Cubase SX for a while now and have found that like anything, once you get used to it, you've got some serious power at the fingertips! I went to a Protools HD seminar a last summer in Detroit and I have to say it was way rad, but I actually think that I prefer something slightly tamer than that.
Also, if you're into the multimedia side of things, I stumbled across a thread a while back where the sound designer for some shows on the sci-fi channel and another designer that does TV documentaries track, mix, sync, midi, etc. all their audio into Cubase SX3. At first SX3 was a little shakey but I believe an update took care of most of it. Cubase has also caught on in the Production Schools pretty well... just something to consider.
meltdown5Faze 2 StudiosMember
Since: Aug 15, 2005
Aug 27, 2006 12:44 am Pro-tools M-powered is actaully slightly watered down of Pro-tools LE. I forget exactly what it is missing but i know LE has some advantages. If you got that M-Audio thing you would still have to purchase Pro-Tools M-Powered separatly.
Personally, Ive used Both Pro-tools LE and Now Sonar 5 PE, and they both have there pro's and con's. Very Slightly though i feel I liked the pro-tools 7.1 software better then I'm liking Sonar 5 but i was forced to switch to Sonar 5 becuase of combatibility issues with my computer. Dont get me wrong I'm loving my Sonar set up, but i liked working with Pro-tools better. It was nice also to have Pro-tools becuase you can take your sessions straight from you computer to anybody else with pro-tools and mix it on there stuff, or just see how it sounds. that was a really cool thing to me mostly becuase most people around where i live use some form of Pro-Tools.
Either way they are both GREAT GREAT GREAT applications, each i feel is worth the money, just depends on how much of it you have to spend.
Oh and yes, they version of Pro-tools that would come with my rack is for both PC and Mac.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Aug 28, 2006 12:38 pm Well I do agree PT LE can do a great job I dont like being tied to a narrow rift of pluggins and not having the ability to experiment with the free goodies and the glut of other pluggins and software synths out there.
ALso I dont know if you are aware that Sonar 5 has the ability to save projects to the OMF file format which is compatable with any other software out there.
And yes, it is a pity that Sonar and Cubase are not cross platform compatable. IT would really open the market for them if they would port to both Mac and PC.
