recommend me an interface to use on PC with protools.

[vanguard]

so i'm finally building the beginnings of my home studio. just finished a hot-rodded PC, got protools LE, and am ordering:

-pearlman tm-1 mic
-A-designs P1 preamp
-skibbe red stripe la-2a clone


i've got some other cool mics, etc.

the one aspect i'm stumped on is interface. i want to spend under $1000 if possible, but it must be pro level and be able to record at least, maybe, 4 inputs at once. i don't need analog faders at this point. just something that will make my cool preamp/ conpressor combo shine.

what say ye?

[micpoc]

If you're going the Pro Tools route, you may want to stick with Digidesign products; in fact, don't you have to? I was under the impression that that's part of their proprietary approach. Also, are you going USB, Firewire, or a card? The Digidesign 003 Rack may fit your purpose, though would be a tad over your limit: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/003R/

[vanguard]

Originally Posted by micpoc

If you're going the Pro Tools route, you may want to stick with Digidesign products; in fact, don't you have to? I was under the impression that that's part of their proprietary approach. Also, are you going USB, Firewire, or a card? The Digidesign 003 Rack may fit your purpose, though would be a tad over your limit: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/003R/

the 003 looks like a good choice. i was also curious about their mbox pro which seems nice and is considerably cheaper. i believe my computer has firewire and usb. is there an advantage to one vs. the other?

[64Strat]

if it weren't for the PT choice, I would definitely say RME, like a used Fireface 800 would just fit in your budgeted amount. They are stunningly good and easy to setup and use, the complete software control over all of the inputs and outputs is very nice.

How "hot rod" did you go on the pc? I just built one myself, with two Samsung 23" flat screens that is working great.

[backalleyblues]

If your computer has firewire, use it. It's designed for sustained throughput, unlike USB... you might also want to look into a used 002 Rack (assuming it's clean) they're going for pretty reasonable beans now, and there's still lots of them in use...

Franc Robert

[Professorbx]

Originally Posted by vanguard

the 003 looks like a good choice. i was also curious about their mbox pro which seems nice and is considerably cheaper. i believe my computer has firewire and usb. is there an advantage to one vs. the other?

The Mbox 2 Pro really is a good deal. If you don't mind using external preamps and only need 4 inputs, it is the way to go. As for FW VS USB, you can typically get lower latency with a higher track count. As well, Digidesign interfaces don't allow above 24/48khz on their USB interfaces.

[vanguard]

Originally Posted by Professorbx

The Mbox 2 Pro really is a good deal. If you don't mind using external preamps and only need 4 inputs, it is the way to go. As for FW VS USB, you can typically get lower latency with a higher track count. As well, Digidesign interfaces don't allow above 24/48khz on their USB interfaces.

how do the inputs work on the mbox 2 pro? i see two XLR, and after that it's confusing. the specs say 6 inputs, but it looks like 2 XLR with phantom power and then maybe two 1/4" inputs and two . . . is that . . . RCA inputs? what would i want RCA inputs for?

[fezz parka]

M Audio NRV10. I run PT on a macbook pro with it and it's been bulletproof.

[HC]

The M-box 2 Pro has two xlr inputs on the back and two 1/4'' jack inputs on the front, but you can only record two separate tracks, or one stereotrack, simultaneously.
So if you need more you have to get the Digirack 002 or 003.

[petebradt]

Originally Posted by fezz parka

M Audio NRV10. I run PT on a macbook pro with it and it's been bulletproof.

It should be said the NRV10 will not run with regular ProTools, it runs the PT designed for MAudio products and the software is not included with the unit. Please Mr. Parka, correct me if I'm mistaken.

It should also be noted, ProTools will not run at all with a third-party interface. PT wants Digidesign interfaces and nothing else.

I've read and heard from others, PT on Windows is more touchy than on the Mac but I have no direct evidence of this one way or another. But if you're on Windows, you may want to consider a Nuendo system, which appears to be a lot more Windows-friendly (Bill Hullett uses it with great results) and may be a better choice for Windows users. I have no experience with Nuendo and precious little with Windows so I won't be much help but this is what others have told me.

[fezz parka]

Yep you have to have M-Powered PT. But, it works really well!

[Tim Armstrong]

It's also quite possible to do the basic recording on another DAW program and import the .wav files into PT if you really want/need that particular platform for editing/MIDI, etc.

I don't particularly like the proprietary aspects of PT, myself, so I use something else (Reaper), and if I had a Mac, it'd probably be Logic...

Tim

[66d35]

Yes.. well... this is where you find yourself locked in with PT and Digi. You HAVE to have their hardware on there, or it will not even run. Unfortunately, the preamps and converters in most of their 'LE' oriented stuff are decidedly average to put it politely. By comparison, Apogee, RME, Metric Halo and Prism (Orpheus) have some really, really superb sounding devices. If you are using PT LE, though, you cannot take full advantage of this. You have to go through their very restricted, average-sounding proprietary stuff, unless (as Tim says) you are prepared to track using something else and then import all your files.... which hardly seems worth it. If on PC, I'd seriously try out REAPER, look at the RME range and forget LE. You say you want something that will make your A-Designs pre "shine" - that's a nice pre, and way better an an M-box or older Digi-rack deserves. You need really good converters to bring out the best in that, and they just do not exist on the low end Digi stuff.

Andy

[vanguard]

Originally Posted by 66d35

Yes.. well... this is where you find yourself locked in with PT and Digi. You HAVE to have their hardware on there, or it will not even run. Unfortunately, the preamps and converters in most of their 'LE' oriented stuff are decidedly average to put it politely. By comparison, Apogee, RME, Metric Halo and Prism (Orpheus) have some really, really superb sounding devices. If you are using PT LE, though, you cannot take full advantage of this. You have to go through their very restricted, average-sounding proprietary stuff, unless (as Tim says) you are prepared to track using something else and then import all your files.... which hardly seems worth it. If on PC, I'd seriously try out REAPER, look at the RME range and forget LE. You say you want something that will make your A-Designs pre "shine" - that's a nice pre, and way better an an M-box or older Digi-rack deserves. You need really good converters to bring out the best in that, and they just do not exist on the low end Digi stuff.

Andy

great post. thanks. i'm now abandoning the protools idea, as i bought a 003 only to discover PT does not support vista 64 bit. my computer is a quad-core, 8 gigs of ram, vista 64 machine, and i don't want to operate an inferior OS just to accommodate pro tools.

so now i'm thinking either sonar 8 producer, or this reaper program. reaper is free, right? is it still pro grade?

and what are my interface options running a 64 bit OS? my recording program choices seem limited because of this, an i read somewhere my interface must also be 64 bit?

[66d35]

You can try and use (unrestricted) REAPER for free, but a basic license does cost a few bucks.. full details:

http://www.reaper.fm/

It is very full featured and certainly capable of serious, professional results. It does run quite well on Vista (so I'm told).

I would not worry too much about 64 vs. 32 bit to be honest. Most systems these days have plenty of processing power, and memory, to do most things you'd ever want or need to in real world situations.

Any interface with stable Vista drivers will be absolutely fine. Look at interfaces by RME, Focusrite, etc. I have always found these to work very well on PC-based systems (Mac too).

Andy

[vikki]

I have to say if i was starting over with computer recording i'd give Reaper a real good try out, i have Sonar5 but i think the audio engine in Reaper is way in front and less of a cpu hog, i think Sonar has a lot of bugs, personally i think Sonars audio engine wants completely reworking....its still using much of the original code from way back when Cakewalk started. Many of the features advertised in the later versions don't even work right, i think in S8 you supposed to be able to patch in hardware, but i don't think thats even working right, perhaps after some more revisions and updates. I'm frightened to upgrade to Sonar 8, yet when Sonars working ok its great. I was using 5 this morning and it has a bug where all the tracks and sliders go nuts, you can't catch the tracks on the screen, and all your current settings get lost. If the Cakewalk forum saw this they would slay mebut it seems a lot of problems are covered over and blamed on people who can't work the software right(thats perhaps me!)
Well thats todays rant done with!
Vikki(uk)

[Skully]

Sonar 5 was years ago. I don't think it's a good basis for judging today's Sonar software anymor than an ancient version of Reaper is a good basis for judging today's Reaper.

[vikki]

Well i guess 3 year old software is old hat, but what i was trying to say is these bugs never seem to get fixed, perhaps one or two updates are bought out then its lets get the next version out. Sonar 8 i believe is on update 3, and according to the Cakewalk forum reports is one of the most buggy unstable daw apps out. I would be first in the que to upgrade from 5 if i thought i would be happy with the latest version, but who wants to spend hours recording something only for it to be lost or corrupted. The latest version just has a load of new synth racks and gizmos added, V vocal was another failure included with Sonar, dimension pro has samples that are out of tune and on and on....
So could you use Sonar in a studio full time and have artists come in and record tracks on a commercial basis? Well judging by a couple of people i know who use s8 i don't think you could, its too quirky
After spending a few years getting to know Sonar, i just wish it were different.
But perhaps its just me.
Vikki

[Skully]

Well i guess 3 year old software is old hat, but what i was trying to say is these bugs never seem to get fixed, perhaps one or two updates are bought out then its lets get the next version out. Sonar 8 i believe is on update 3, and according to the Cakewalk forum reports is one of the most buggy unstable daw apps out.

It's been completely stable for me. I don't know what you're problem with updates is. Updating is a good thing. As a matter of fact, Reaper updates even more frequently.

I would be first in the que to upgrade from 5 if i thought i would be happy with the latest version, but who wants to spend hours recording something only for it to be lost or corrupted.

I've done a lot of recording with Sonar and I've never had that happen.

So could you use Sonar in a studio full time and have artists come in and record tracks on a commercial basis?

If I were running a professional recording enterprise and servicing clients, I would have ProTools, simply because it is the recording industry standard. But, like Avid in the film editing world, but to a lesser degree, I think ProTools has rested on its laurels and generally overpriced its product.

After spending a few years getting to know Sonar, i just wish it were different.
But perhaps its just me.

Once again, you're using Sonar 5.

[64Strat]

Originally Posted by Skully

It's been completely stable for me. I don't know what you're problem with updates is. Updating is a good thing. As a matter of fact, Reaper updates even more frequently.



I've done a lot of recording with Sonar and I've never had that happen.



If I were running a professional recording enterprise and servicing clients, I would have ProTools, simply because it is the recording industry standard. But, like Avid in the film editing world, but to a lesser degree, I think ProTools has rested on its laurels and generally overpriced its product.



Once again, you're using Sonar 5.

+1

I'm a recent user of S8 and have recorded several projects so far. My experience has been extremely positive, no issues at all with 8 and very impressed with what the software can do. The day I installed the program, I went to the Cakewalk site and brought it current to the latest update.

[vikki]

O.K. i'll eat my words and say its me and my Sonar 5

But have a read what a few other people think........

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=248560
Vikki

[62Caster]

I bought a cheap mbox 1 for like 99 bucks...two XLR and 1/4''...can't beat it for the money... I use PT8 and it works fine

[Skully]

O.K. i'll eat my words and say its me and my Sonar 5

But have a read what a few other people think........

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=248560
Vikki

I've read 5 pages of the thread, and it's mostly positive.

[vikki]

its mostly positive
Skully
Don't worry i love my Sonar but i would give anything to just switch on and make music without a load of messing and glitches, i'm going to wait and see what the next issue brings, i take it the next version is called Sonar 9 i read they were going to change the name
Vikki(uk)

[alonso mosley]

I've been in your position, bub. Went the Digidesign route with a 002 Rack system and a PC. And i always got the feeling that i should've got more performance out of the bad ass CPU that was under the hood. It worked ok but the point about the converters is about right. I moved over to a RME Fireface 800 and there was, even to my admittedly non-professional ears, a worlds of difference in quality. Having abandoned the Digidesign hardware that meant i had to find a new piece of software to replace the Protools 7 i was more than comfortable using.
I tried Cubase SX-found it too buggy. Then tried Sonar7. That was fine, though it was a bit buggy at points. However, Sonar 8 runs flawlessly on me PC. As recording software i find it just as good - once you've got over the initial learning curve that is inherent in adopting any program- as any of the other big hitters in the recording software arena. From a satisfied RME/Sonar customer.