rlhubley Posted October 3, 2001 Share Posted October 3, 2001 ... computer gear do you use. I figured since there are so many of us gear-head drummers, that some of us would be the same way with our computers. Here's me: Apple Power Mac 400Mhz G3 Blue and White OS 10.1 256Mb of ram(will be doubling that soon!) 12 GB Hard Drive Zip Drive Internal Epson 777i And I just bought(for $199) a LaCie CDR 16X10X40 with Firewire and USB. Now, what do other drummers use for computing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted October 3, 2001 Share Posted October 3, 2001 Mac B&W G3 350 192 MB RAM OS 8.6 9 gig IBM 7200 SCSI 9 gig DigiDrive 7200 SCSI 40 gig OWC IBM Elite FireWire Yamaha SCSI burner Pro Tools|24 MIXplus with all the trimmings 888|24 and 1622 I/O converters Alesis DM-Pro Kit Various synths, samplers, drum machines Mackie 1202 Mixer Event 20/20p Monitors Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted October 3, 2001 Share Posted October 3, 2001 btw, since you're talking about computers, I've just discovered the wonderful world of networking. Using AppleTalk, I've got my G3 networked to my new iBook. On the iBook I've got the included CD-R so I can burn bounces from my G3 (having SCSI issues with my G3's Yamaha burner right now), but also, since I've got Pro Tools Free on my laptop, I can take mixes from the music CPU (the G3) and open them on my laptop and take the mixes anywhere I want. It's a wonderful world. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhubley Posted October 3, 2001 Author Share Posted October 3, 2001 That sounds like a great setup. I'm envious on SOME things!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Why haven't you switched to OSX? I've been running it for a while and it was quite slow until the 10.1 update came out, now it's blazing!! Ram is VERY cheap now, do you think doubling my 256 will make that much of a difference? Also, I should be receiving my CDR in a few days, what kind of burning software do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted October 3, 2001 Share Posted October 3, 2001 There are a lot more reasons not to use OSX than there are to use it, unfortunately. First off, hardly any of the music software companies support it yet. Pro Tools doesn't support it. Second, it's such a massive shift in OS there's bound to be upgrade problems. I'm running smoothly now and don't need the headaches. Third, it's a RAM hog. OS 8.6 is to me the best operating system out there for music production. Starting with 9.x they started throwing all this internet crap into it, and it became bloated. On your RAM question... more RAM never hurts. I don't have enough... I should get some. I'm actually just using the free iTunes to burn CDs. It's basically Toast. I'm using it for reference mixes (just finished a problematic mix last night actually... I love walking barefoot out to my car at midnight and putting in a new mix to see how it sounds). iTunes works for right now for reference mixes. But I want to eventually get WaveBurner Pro by emagic.... supposedly the sweetest CD mastering software. btw, I only use my G3 for Pro Tools... that's it! I think of it as the studio -- the console/tape machine -- and not a computer. This means no internet, no games, not even a spreadsheet. For all that I've got the laptop. This saves me from any technical problems (zero crashes) and allows me to run an extremely lean system. This message has been edited by sidereal on 10-03-2001 at 01:16 PM Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted October 4, 2001 Share Posted October 4, 2001 This interests me, since basically this is what this forum should be about. PC running windows 98...482 Mhz (overclocked 450 P3) SCSi drive running a seagate cheetah 10 gig drive PC 133 Memory (128 meg) 24 bit 96K Digital Audio labs card Cakewalk 9.0 I see cakewalk is phasing out 9.0 and trying to sell me sonar with all the ACID ripoff bullshit. I wish they would have a nice HUI box and a system to sync my adat too. I wanna g4 and protools rig ASAP with two 828's into two firewire ports. Keep the PC for whatever. felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhubley Posted October 4, 2001 Author Share Posted October 4, 2001 That new rig you desire won't come cheap!! HOWEVER, a G3 Blue and White might handle the job. You can get a great deal on a G3 at www.powermax.com, like less than $900 for a rather powerful setup. That way you could still have enought dough to get all of the ScmoeTools gear, and purchase a G4 when you have more cash. OR, you could see about an Apple loan, get a maxed out G4 Quicksilver, with a 17"(what the hell, go for the 22") Apple LCD monitor. Regardless, DO THE DEED, switch over to mac, you'll be a happier person. Colors will be richer, the sun will seem brighter, and you'll be able to drum like Vinnie C. With a mac, you will notice a 200% pickup in the number of High paying studio gigs and tours that give $300 of daily per diem and put you up in a fancy hotel in every town. This is a rather powerful machine, life changing!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted October 4, 2001 Share Posted October 4, 2001 Yeah, and I want the focusright pro control as well with a cinematic display for the G4 box. Actually I'm also looking at the Roland 2408 system. Those things sound fantastic and have a 3200 street price with 128 gigs and surround/HUI capability...very cool, plus transportable! felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhubley Posted October 4, 2001 Author Share Posted October 4, 2001 Why don't you check out the Ti Powerbook. It has the G4, and is portable, nice size screen, and lots of options. I would love to have the ibook for myself, but to do all of the audio apps, i would suggest the Powerbook, it has the better processor, but also has higher bus speeds(which make a HUGE difference). It is also very rugged(check out this article http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2001/07/mars/ ) They are reasonably priced. Main thing is with the proper external equipment, you could EASILY have a portable, NICE, studio!! oh, if i only had the dough!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain54 Posted October 4, 2001 Share Posted October 4, 2001 My setup: Pentium III, 700mhz, 256 MB ram Windows 98se 20Gig Ultra DMA ATA100 Seagate Barracuda...Boot drive Identical drive added as dedicated recording drive Yamaha 8x4x24 CDR Delta 44 recording card.... Mackie 1202vlz Pro.. Motu Micro Express 4x6 midi interface... Logic Audio Platinum 4.72 Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 Nemesys Giga studio Exs 24 virual software sampler Waves Gold Bundle Direct X plugins TC Works Direct X plugins Model E virtual synth Wavelab Mastering software Roland xp-30 synthesizer.... Alesis DM Pro drum module Hart Dynamics E-Cymbal II's, splash, ride, crash and hats Hart Dynamics Accusnare Roland kd-7 kick controller Roland fd-7 hihat controller Tama Iron Cobra converted Pacific 9x12 toms with Hart Acoustic Drum Conversion triggers Gibraltar Rack, 350c Various microphones, Yamaha studio monitors, and JBL Eon G2's for live and rehearsal e-drum monitoring.. I took a while, but everything works fairly smoothly.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted October 5, 2001 Share Posted October 5, 2001 Captain, tell me about your plugins! What do you use to master your cakewalk tracks with? Is cakewalk dumping pro audio 9 for Sonar? I think that sucks. Do you have any HUI gadgets incorporated yet into your system? felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain54 Posted October 5, 2001 Share Posted October 5, 2001 I've tried them all, and the plugs I'm using exclusively are the Waves Rennaissance Compressor, Waves True Verb, EQ, and some of the sound manipulating devices are totally cool, yet somewhat CPU intensive... I'm pretty partial to the TC Works reverbs, less CPU intensive...Logic Audio Platinum has some pretty good plugs, FAT EQ, Modulation Delay, and a few others......Between these three groups it is way more than I could ever need.... All the mastering is done in Steinberg Wavelab...very powerful tool that accepts Direct X plugs.... I think once all the bugs are worked and the WDM drivers become widely accepted SONAR will render Pro Audio 9 obsolete...who knows how long that will be however... Emagic will soon have Logic Control on the market, a HUI in partnership with Mackie...If and when I decide to jump into a HUI, this will probably be the way I'll go.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhubley Posted October 16, 2001 Author Share Posted October 16, 2001 I finally doubled my RAM. One word, NICE!! My burner is in, and it flies!! And on top of that, last night, while enjoying a nice glass of Guiness(from the draught can, those things are amazing!), I was able to successfully import from my minidisc to my G3. Oh yes, things are lookin up for me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted October 16, 2001 Share Posted October 16, 2001 Ain't nuthun like TDM plug-ins baybee (I'm such an elitist http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ) I'm really digging the Echo Farm, Reverb One and McDSP compressors, EQs, and Analog Channel. (McDSP are also available native for Pro Tools LE) I'm about to get the Bomb Factory Tel-Ray delay and Fairchild EQ. Drool. btw, I completely agree that the Waves Ren comps and EQs are very sweet. They are a bit less configurable than others, but they have that particular fat sound that is very nice. Waves, BF and McDSP are the Holy Trinity of EQ/compressor plugs. I just happen to like the warmth and tweakability of the McDSP a bit more than the other two. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhubley Posted October 17, 2001 Author Share Posted October 17, 2001 I've got a ProTools question for ya!! Every time try to start the program it gives me a DAE error and closes. I have allocated more than enough ram to SchmoeTools(i have 512Mb on the computer). What is this DAE error and why am I getting it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oyajipunk Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 Rlhubley, this may be completely unrelated, but when I tried to open the demo version of Pro Tools on my computer it did the same thing, not compatible with the Japanese version of Windows Me apparently. Maybe Steinberg have a forum for it you can look at. So far as computers go: Sotec 1.2G processor 256 memory (expandable to four times that) 80G hard disc CDR/DVD Windows Me Tascam 414 tape 4-track NO computer music for me! I was tempted, but for every tool you want you have to buy another one to make it work, it was just too much money! When my recordings get so good the Tascam doesn't do them justice maybe I'll look into digital recording - at least I know I have a computer that won't be totally obsolete in two years (I HATE that about computers!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 Hey, Felix: I laid down the bundle and recently got the G4 Ti Powerbook! WOW! Knock your socks off speed. I also doubled the ram to the maximum accepted by the unit. I have an AIrport that allows me to talk and share wireless with my G4 Desktop. (Silver) I can also surf the net wireless with the Airport. I love the set-up. Regarding Pro Tools Free. Everyone that I have talked with ... including me ... downloaded the free version and within a month I got error messages and then one day ... it would not open. I think it may have a self-destruct mechanism. It wets your appetite and then ... like Emeral ... BAM! You cannot use it until you by the real version. Just my thoughts. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 Strange... The free version is golden for me on my new iBook. No DAE errors, no issues. And I've been using it since it came out to compose beats. If allocating RAM doesn't work, check the connection between your brain and the mouse. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 What is the learning curve like on Pro Tools? I might just make the jump. felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhubley Posted October 17, 2001 Author Share Posted October 17, 2001 Which TiBook did you get? They just came out with 2 new revisions yesterday(550Mhz & 667Mhz, the latter with a faster system bus and more ram). I really want(not particularly 'need') that 667 Ti, although the iBook would also be pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 Originally posted by felix stein: What is the learning curve like on Pro Tools? I might just make the jump. There's very little learning curve for Pro Tools. There's a mix window, where you mix stuff, and an edit window, where you edit stuff. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif That's pretty much it. Using command-plus/equal sign brings you back and forth between the two. All other programs have thousands of little windows and operations just to get a stupid chunk of audio to shift to the left http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif (yes, I'm biased, but I've also tried them all) Some things to learn how to use from the start: First, set up templates and always start with a template when you create a session. This way you always open YOUR mixer, with all your panners and faders (auxes), inputs and outputs set the way you want. Then save as for each session. Right from the start, learn how to use: Groups, Memory Locations, Buss assignments, all four main edit tools, and Automation. Experiment and choose your favorite way to automate (with fader moves, or graphically... I prefer graphically). Learn the key commands and how to use the Option key (i.e. option-clicking a fader brings it to zero, option-clicking a panner brings it to the center....) Those are some of the most important things. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 What kinda interface card should I buy? I'm thinking of an 828 motu...I'd actually like to get a PRO Control but those things are expensive. And how is the manual that comes with the Pro Tools software? Where did you end up buying your software at? I'm thinking sweetwater for the whole system but I bet I could save some dough if I patch the stuff together myself. I don't know, I'm from a PC background. felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 The MOTU 828 does look like a sweet FireWire box, but it doesn't run Pro Tools, not even Pro Tools Free. You'd have to record to it's cheezy AudioDesk software and then import those files into PT. Possible to do, and relatively easy, but tedious after a while. You'd have to decide if the software or the hardware is more important to you. For me the working environment (software) is more important than the benefits of using FireWire. And converters are all about the same quality. I'd get a Digi 001 if you want to get into Pro Tools. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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