Aardvark, MOTU, or Digidesign??? So many sound cards, so little $
Home > Home Recording Forum > Gear Gab > Aardvark, MOTU, or Digidesign??? So many sound cards, so little $
Posted on Mar 03, 2004 03:29 am
Joshx202
Member Since: Mar 03, 2004
THIS IS WHAT I NEED:
Input 1- Kick
Input 2- Snare
Input 3- 1st tom
Input 4- 2nd tom
Input 5- Overhead L
Input 6- Overhead R
More inputs are preferable but this is bare minimum that I can do. I need these for tracking drums, then I'll layer everything else the standard way.
I've done major research based on my needs and I'm torn between the Aardvark q10, Motu 828mkII or the Digidesign 001.
1. I've been wanting the Q10 for awhile but have heard horror stories about bad product support and cpu compatibility.
2. The Motu has 20 inputs but lots of bells and whistles I don't need and is firewire based which I hear is less reliable.
3. I really want this just cuz its digidesign and the "legendary status" of pro tools. Hey It has to be famous for a reason, This is my major prob, I want this but dont know if I can settle for 6 inputs.
I wanna get this right the first time cuz I'm poor and can't be wasting $ on a crappy s/c
If you own any of these I would love to hear if you are satisfied with them, as well as any advice from any pros out there as to which sounds the best, best quality, interface, software. Thanx
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Mar 03, 2004 09:24 am I personaly record on a component system but i have several friends who use the aardvark and i must say they get some realy great sound. motu and didgidesigns may be too expensive plus as you mentioned have lots of extras you dont need(but you might grow into needing them[how i outgrew my 4track and 16 channel mixer])
For a good drum sound i find good mics are super important. my old nady mica dont even begin to compare to my akg d112 and shure sm 57s (oktava mc012 for overheads) you could get a good drum sound with just a kick drum mic and some overheads with good placement or try using a sub mixer(for example get a cheap behringer for 100 bucks sub mix your drums to two tracks (stereo pair) and save your inputs on your soundcard0.. my .02
el musicoFreeleance Producer/Engineer/GtrMember
Since: Aug 11, 2002
Mar 03, 2004 11:03 am a digi 001 used off ebay will be less than the aardvark. i used to use the aardvark and upgraded to a digi 001 and i am extremely happy with it. btw, the digi 001 has 18 inputs. 8 digital via lightpipe, 2 s/pdif (digital also), 2 analog channels with mic preamps and 6 without. the aardvark has 8 channels with with preamps and 2 s/pdif. both units should come with software but it'll be outdated. pro tools can be upgraded for 75 bucks and it's totally worth it.
GregorMember
Since: Jan 08, 2004
Mar 03, 2004 11:13 am I have a Aardvark Q10 and want another one, never once had a problem with it. Pro tools stuuf is just to over priced for me. They make nice stuff but are they the best bang for the buck? I don't think so.
Mar 03, 2004 02:18 pm I also have an aardvark and it has worked great. here's the first songs I have recorded with it. www.purevolume.com/endermi
I used the same drum mic setup as you and everything worked real smoothly.
The software mixing program is really easy to use. It hardly uses any memory at all so there's no problem running it along with your tracking software. Having preamps built into the every channel is great (and they sound awesome).
With the correct and most recent drivers from their site, you should have no problem using it with your computer.
The only thing so far that I've wished the aardvark had is signal inserts for more than just the first 4 channels.
Good luck with whatever you decide to buy.
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Mar 03, 2004 06:31 pm I'd reccomend staying away from pro tools. The components are expensive and it really doesn't do anything that a sonar and m-audio set up won't. It also won't work with non protools gear. That said, I've used an Aardvark and I liked it a lot, but I would go with a soundcard and mixer combo.
Mar 04, 2004 12:37 am I have a Mackie 24 VLZ pro and a tascam portastudio 788 that I've been recording with for years. But the Mackie will only do 4 aux outs at a time unless I use the sub inserts as direct outs which means no eq on the way in to the comp for two of my channels, (usually the overheads), which basically defeats the purpose of an outboard mixer. Other than the sound quality of the Mackie pre amps, I'm not gonna miss not having a outboard mixer. I'm pretty sure all of the units have phantom power so thats no prob either. I already have a great comp, outboard fx and a steadily growing collection of mics. The final step is just the hardest.
Mar 04, 2004 09:50 am with a mackie 24 you couldnt just sub mix the drums?? is that the 4 bus or the 8 bus?? and for the record there used to be a company calles terratec or something like that that used to make a 16 channel soundcard for around 500 bucks.i dont know anyone who used one but it has the most inputs for the $$$
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 04, 2004 10:59 pm If money is a concern then you should look at the M-Audio Delta 1010. They are truly the best value for the dollar. And the tech support is far and away the best around. They also have the best driver data base of all the units out there, and compatability issue's are almost non existant.
Mar 05, 2004 06:09 pm I was thinking about getting an adat hard disk recorder and just loading the adat onto my comp and editing from there, Then I wouldn't have to worry about latency and other problems of going straight into the comp. But I know getting an adat recorder AND a loading dock is pricey.
Are there any hard disk recorders that I could record onto first, then load onto a comp via firewire, pci card, spdif, or some other direct connection?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 05, 2004 07:23 pm Yes there are, but again you are looking at the fact they use propriatary encoding and to export into the PC you will end up converting the files and such as you go.
The latency you are worried about is almost non existant with the Delta and the proper drivers/software combination. So that is not even a concern here. The price of the software and the Delta would still be less then a hard disc recorder with which you cannot edit nearly as well as in the PC, and it is also limited as far as real time track count as well.
And point of interest her to Josh's statement. The 16 inputs he is talking about were not all analog inputs, 4 channels of analog, 2 channels of s/pdif digital, and 8 channels of ADAT light pipe I/O.
