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[Michaelrophones]

Hey everyone,

apologies if this thread is in the wrong place. I thought I'd just be polite and introduce myself before I start delving in.

I've wanted to post on ProSoundWeb for a long time (like 5 years) but I've kinda shied away from it for fear of looking like a know-nothing dick in front of everyone!

My background is, that I had a real passion for music and went onto a music production course (the same as a friend I have on here from Newcastle) and did pretty well. I think the problem with having done that is that we were taught to express ourselves creatively, but graded on conforming (ugh, I know *cringe*) to what was seen as industry standard. Naturally I wanted to do well and really got into the habit of using technology to take short cuts, and 2 years down the line I was 'writing' songs by using the pencil tool in Reason.

After I graduated I felt like I'd learned a lot, but had really spent a huge amount of money on situations and deadlines to work within rather than learning many cool techniques or really learning truly useful information.

I got a job in a studio, then the recession happened and they couldn't afford to keep me, so I put off music for a bit and worked abroad, I came back home and ended up having to sell all my gear to pay bills.

So now here I am, with no equipment other than the leftovers (Epiphone SG, Korg Micro X and Edirol Audio Interface and an SM57) and I am finally in a position where I feel like I can forget about all the stuff I was shown about what is expected in the industry and just make some music, get it sounding the best I can without worrying about studio sheen, and just do it for the love of it. And this coincides with me signing up on here because I've realised that I was a bit of a dick for assuming that people on here would automatically be scary and unapproachable.

Apologies for the long post, I'll try not to make a habit of it. But aye, hello everyone.

[Fletcher]

First off - welcome Michael!!  Nobody judges here - we help, we support, we answer... but we won't judge [and if someone does, the post will be removed].

I guess the question is whether you want this to be your profession or if you're making music because you "have to" [quality of life thing].  If you're looking to do this as a profession, then I'm afraid you will have to figure out how to get yourself a gig... promote your abilities to potential clients, and build a career.  I am woefully unqualified to give career advice so as far as I'm involved - you're on your own.

If you're making music because you "have to" -- then do it!!  If you're posting here you have a computer... if you have a computer there is nothing to stop you from getting a program ["Reaper" comes to mind as its free] and an interface [the Apogee "Duet II" is pretty decent quality and rather inexpensive for two channels of that level of quality]... and just do it.

If you're recording instruments... do some homework as there are all kinds of inexpensive microphones that do an excellent job [and many more that suck... so seriously -- make sure you audition stuff -- be critical -- and have no qualms about returning stuff that isn't up to your standards!!].

If you have questions, please feel free to ask.  Not all will have a simple or definitive answer... but some might.

Hope this all works out for you.

Peace

[Jim Williams]

Music and recording are wonderful hobbies. I see no reason to stop unless you have higher expectations than reality allows for.

I also stopped and restarted a couple of times. Several 'studio' incarnations were sold off. I always rebuilt it as it was easy and more affordable each time.

Now I have what I consider some of the best recording technology here and I didn't spend 1/10th what it cost me back in the early 1980's.

If it doesn't break the bank or cause a divorce, I can think of thousands of worse things you can waste your disposable income on.

[Michaelrophones]

Thanks for the replies.

I was seriously thinking about getting the Duet II actually (I'm trying to weigh up that alongside the Fireface 400) but I'm also stuck in the pay less now or more later frame of mind.

Either way it's quite liberating to have these choices again, especially considering that my needs have  probably changed a bit.

I look forward to bending your ears (hopefully with my questions and not my music) Haha.

[Fletcher]

There is nothing to weigh... the Duet II buries the FF400.  Not even close - the Duet is WAY better.

Peace

[Michaelrophones]

Oh really? Ah thanks for the advice man.

[Fletcher]

Happy to be of assistance...

Peace

[rocksure]

There is nothing to weigh... the Duet II buries the FF400.  Not even close - the Duet is WAY better.

Peace

Except ofcourse that the Duet is only a 2 channel device, whereas the FF400 is multichannel. I know that in the real "high end" circles where money is no object RME is frowned upon, but having only a 2 channel converter is seriously limiting (Duet), and a lot of pretty decent recordings have been made with RME gear. So either way it's a bit of a compromise versus whatever needs there are, and how much money is available.

[Fletcher]

Fair enough... two channels is indeed a limiting factor.  At the same time, better to be limited to a couple of channels at a time of "excellent" than have a bunch of channels of "eh" [at least in my world... YMMV].

With a small [high quality] summing mixer - even if its something like an API 3124MB+ can give you 4 channels with mixing capability... pretend you're making a Beatles record and have 4 inputs to 2 printed tracks [in other words -- mix as you go] and chances are the final product will turn out as good [and probably better] than if you were able to print full on multi-track, as you're forced to make decisions [which means you don't have to make those decisions when you're "mixing"].

Peace

[Syncamorea]

I've been working with one local band over the last 4 years and they have gone through some growing pains, personnel changes, life changes, etc.  They recently blew apart and I think it was a terminal break-up.  I'd put so much into their music, it was really harsh to deal with.  This was a band that could really deliver on stage but they weren't really into the hardware side, so they had problems trying to build their own PA and didn't know how to go into a venue and get the most out of a house system.  Since I'd done a ton of FOH, it wasn't too tough to make big improvements in their live sound.  Collectively, they were just not a studio band, thought overdubbing was cheating and didn't get into the studio groove.  It got better over time, but this was a band that did sort of an Incredible Hulk transformation on stage.  So mostly, we just did live recordings - which I really enjoy - but one band member in particular was hyper critical of the recorded sound they got live.  To my ears, the masters were easily competitive with commercial live recordings in their genre, and many experienced ears agreed.  Alas, all that no longer matters since they are kapoot and another excellent band bit the dust.

So how does this relate to this thread?  While recording a different local band live last winter, my mobile rig took some kind of lethal hit - it could have been static or possibly an A/C surge, I'm not sure.  I had everything - all of my rig, all of their amps, the PA - EVERYTHING - going through good quality isolation by Furman and Monster.  But my interface got toasted, my computer had to have the HD and RAM replaced.  Fortunately, it happened after the gig was over and I had already backed up the tracks.  But the cost of replacing the gear was a bitter pill and my (former) insurance agent basically challenged me to sue in order to get coverage and the cost of an attorney would have about equaled the loss.  So I had to sell off some toys in order to start over and that kind of bites me in the ass.  Such is life!  I had to do some soul searching along the way and am finally back in the saddle.  I enjoy the whole process and the results too much to walk away from it.

[Fletcher]

Sorry to hear about your loss... unfortunately these things happen from time to time... but it seems like you're looking at it with a positive attitude and thats the important thing.

Peace

[Manning]

Just so the OP knows, the Duet is Mac only.

Hopefully Apogee will will provide Windows support at some point (I'm in the process of getting everything off the Mac platform, as are a couple of other commercial operators I know), but it's a possible issue.

Also regardless of Mac or Windows, using a Firewire device can have a big advantage over a USB device, simply because there is often other traffic on the USB signal path (which can lead to erratic and highly annoying glitch "pops"). IF you do use a USB device, make sure it is the ONLY thing connected to that particular USB channel.

[Fletcher]

Apogee has a kind of partnership thing going with Apple... it is unlikely that the Duet will ever be formatted for a PC.

Peace

[Jim Williams]

Computer gear is not very good in outdoor live environ's. Besides power surge problems, noise, dirt and vibrations are all working against you. Seems that solution is best for gambler types.

Proper fusing, overload protections and care will get rugged gear through most abuse. That means sometimes you need to get a little geeky about it. Install MOV (metal oxide varister) devices across AC inlets, that prevents damaging surges. Install Corcom line filters, that stops the noise. Use SSD's as they are immune to vibrations. Bring backups. A dedicated HDR avoids computer "issues".

Those are the things those that survived the last blow-out do, if they don't want a repeat performance.

[Manning]

Apogee has a kind of partnership thing going with Apple... it is unlikely that the Duet will ever be formatted for a PC.

Really? That's a shame. For a 3rd party vendor to lock out such options for their customers seems, well, a bad business choice.

With ever-decreasing revenues, cost-control is now a huge driving factor for many commercial studios. As there is no substantive difference between Windows and Mac (we use PT for recording and Cubase for composition), I now choose my computer platform solely on cost and flexibility (hence our exit from Apple which started this year).

Apogee have effectively told me they don't want my business as a result... which just seems foolish to me.

[JonestownAudio]

Hey.

Thats awesome that your getting back into it. It sounds like you have a true passion for it and
there is no reason why you shouldnt get into it.

Just start off by buying a few bits and pieces to get the ball rolling and then
when you get going, get a studio up and running.

I just wanted to say that you should never give up and if music is your passion *which it sounds
like it is* dont stop at anything.

good luck and post when you have something up...(a studio/track)



_____________________________________________________________
Mitch Lah - Audio Engineer / Owner of Jonestown Audio
Jonestown Audio
www.jonestown-audio.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jonestown-Audio/429907273732611
http://www.myspace.com/jonestown-audio