Music Production Software...

[Steve Conner]

Ardour is "the" DAW for Linux, but you won't get a "band in a box" because of copyright issues with the sample content.

Check Linux compatibility of the US800 before buying.

Steve, I have the lithium ion cordless Dremel, B&Q (closest we have to Harbor Freight) had it on sale. It's a bit more delicate than the AC powered one.

We have a cheap and nasty Dremel clone in the workshop, but it's useless for delicate work. It vibrates like crazy, and the tips are all bent or inaccurately sized so that they keep slipping in the collet. And it's not powerful enough for heavier work. Every time I use it I end up cursing it.

[broken flyer]

Ya, ill check for compatability but i also have windows 7 so worst case senario i just buy some software, and the us-800 and use it either in windows 7 or run it in wine on linux.

[Steve A.]

Here is the Harbor Freight rotary tool kit:



Rotary Tool Kit - 80 Piece Set

I bought it only for the 78 pieces that came with it and never figured that I would actually be using the tool itself. I also have 2 of the Craftsmen rechargeable kits that use the round B&D battery packs- handy for light work when you don't have AC power. But what is great about the Harbor Freight is how the motor lugs down with any kind of load. You would normally think of that being a disadvantage but it is what makes the tool so good for fine work like denture adjustments. One caveat: there is no wrench to tighten down the chuck for the bits- you are supposed to use your fingers- so the bits could come loose if you aren't careful.

Other than those two specific uses it is the real Dremel that I use all of the time. (I had given that Dremel tool kit to my girlfriend's husband as a Christmas present 25 years ago but ended up buying it back from him when he moved out of the house that we all owned together.)

Steve

P.S. Getting back to the original issue here, my idea of a perfect PC would be a dual boot scenario with Linux used for browsing and WinXP used for applications not available on the Linux platform- with the Windows partition never connected to the internet unless absolutely necessary to activate a program (or whatever). My idea is that if the Windows partition is never connected to the internet you can dispense with all of the crap that slows down your computer like anti-virus software. (Speaking of which is there any portable anti-virus program that can be run from a USB flash drive without having it installed on your Windows computer?) In some cases I might use a separate Windows PC to activate a program to keep internet connections to an absolute minimum.

[broken flyer]

I was all set to order me up a tascam us-800 audio interface when i changed my mind about what i needed. I was telling my father about this and he pointed out that it might be better to have something more portable so i could record tracks without having to drag my computer along, so then my quest to find a 8 track audio interface turned into a search for a portable 8 track recorder. I think i might have found the perfect thing but i figured id check here before making the leap and buying it. What i stumbled across is the Zoom R24. It has the ability to record 8 tracks simultaneously, but can work with 24 tracks at a time. I could use it as a stand alone recorder when im away from my computer but when i want to use my computer it doubles as a 8 track interface and also a controller when using a daw program. It retails for $499 but i think it might be worth the extra money to get all the freedom that comes with it vs. being tied down to the computer. It also has a drum sampler/machine and guitar effects, vocal effects and what not that would be useful for me when i need to record something by my self. I was also researching this and i thought i saw somewhere someone said they where using it as a mixer for when they perform live too and if i could actually use it for that that would be yet another bonus. What do you guys think/what do you all know about this item?

Zoom — R24

[pdf64]

My experience is that hard disks can't cope with the intense vibrations of operating in close proximity to a live band. After 3 failed in my Roland VS under waranty, I built a sealed padded isolation box for it but #4 still failed. Converted to a compact flash card and it's fine.
So I really wouldn't take a PC into there.
That Zoom seems to do everything and more, and uses SD cards, for a very reasonable cost.
Pete.

[Steve A.]

What i stumbled across is the Zoom R24. It has the ability to record 8 tracks simultaneously, but can work with 24 tracks at a time. I could use it as a stand alone recorder when im away from my computer but when i want to use my computer it doubles as a 8 track interface and also a controller when using a daw program. It retails for $499 but i think it might be worth the extra money to get all the freedom that comes with it vs. being tied down to the computer.

That looks good for live recording. Despite marketing claims I doubt that very many consumer-level Windows-based DAW platforms are able to flawlessly record 8 channels at once. After screwing around with several Windows-based DAW's I came to the conclusion that it is best to do your recording with dedicated device using flash memory, and then do the editing on your computer. If the R24 doubles as a control surface so much the better! It is very awkward using your mouse or keyboard to make fine adjustments on your mix.

I suggested the Tascam US-800 for putting together simple demos on your computer at home. So UPS delivered it today but I hadn't even opened it since I was so busy playing with the Behringer UCG102 guitar interface and Native Instruments Guitar Rig (I better start a new thread on that).

Steve Ahola

[Wittgenstein]

I'm a huge fan of the Tascam USB interfaces. I started with a fasttrack which I did not like. I returned it and got the more expensive Tascam US 122. It had a USB interface, 2 xlr inputs with phantom power. I found myself wanting more inputs however and was considering buying a mixer as well. I saw that MF had the Tascam M-164UF as a stupid deal of the day for half price (around $199) one day and managed to get Music123 to price match, plus an extra 23% off for not having the lowest price... lol. Ended up paying around $180 shipped for it and I have never looked back. The US-800 is also a great unit. I just wish you could select phantom power on certain channels and not all six XLR's.

[Steve A.]

I'm a huge fan of the Tascam USB interfaces... I found myself wanting more inputs however and was considering buying a mixer as well. I saw that MF had the Tascam M-164UF as a stupid deal of the day for half price (around $199) one day and managed to get Music123 to price match, plus an extra 23% off for not having the lowest price... lol. Ended up paying around $180 shipped for it and I have never looked back.

"The interface built into the M-164UF has the highest channel count of any mixer, allowing all 16 inputs to be recorded to their own track in your computer recording software." Damn that was a good deal! CAUTION: Drool alert. This is not a current sale.

TODAY ONLY TASCAM M-164UF 16-Input Mixer/USB Audio Interface w/ 3 MC-VT1 Mics $199.99AR Free Shipping

I see that you can still buy them for $499.99 through Amazon (retail price $1,299.99).*** There is absolutely nothing on the Tascam site to replace it. I have a hunch they were losing sales for their DM-3200 because some people were buying the M-164UF instead.

Steve Ahola

P.S. I see that the Tascam M-164UF is USB 2.0. Just a warning that many of USB interfaces are USB 1.1 including the Lexicon Alpha/Omega/Line and the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB that otherwise look great. Unless you have an old computer with only USB 1.0 or 1.1 ports I think you really need the higher throughput of USB 2.0 for digital audio (in the days before USB 2.0 most of the high quality digital audio interfaces used Firewire.)

*** Please Note For the ones currently selling for $499: "This is a factory "Exhibit Stock" item. It has been repackaged by Tascam, and carries the full factory warranty. It is guaranteed to arrive in perfect working condition."

[broken flyer]

I just got my zoom r24 in the mail today. It'll be very interesting to see how it works...

[Steve Conner]

A follow-up on this thread: I've been using Reaper since I last posted about it, and it's grown on me a lot! I installed it on my main computer and have been using it to make demos of songs for the band. Very easy and hassle free to use for plain multitrack recording. Possibly because I'm used to Cubase VST and Pro Tools, I actually find it easier to use than GarageBand. (I never could remember where the input selector was.)

However, I stand by what I said originally, it doesn't come with any sort of pre-made backing tracks. It's for people who want to create the content themselves.

[Steve A.]

A follow-up on this thread: I've been using Reaper since I last posted about it, and it's grown on me a lot!

You might want to see a doctor about that to make sure that the growth is not cancerous.

I downloaded Reaper to check it out and thought it was as complicated as AutoCAD. I could not figure out how to do anything with it so I uninstalled it. But that's me. It is undoubtedly the most powerful freeware digital recording and editing software available. Definitely for the left brain types- of which I was once a card-carrying member, at least until the early onset Alzheimer's kicked in. (I have a 2 hr memory evaluation appointment on the 28th- I hope I remember to go this time! )

However, I stand by what I said originally, it doesn't come with any sort of pre-made backing tracks. It's for people who want to create the content themselves.

I assume that Reaper allows you to import audio files- although that was one of the things that I could not figure out- in which you could download the backing tracks or create them using another program. I had mentioned Band in the Box for backing tracks but another option might be Sony (Sonic Foundry) Acid Pro which allows you to make them by arranging the Acid loops. I ought to check that out.
My absolute favorite for editing mono or stereo audio tracks is Adobe Audition, which I've been using over 10 years, when it was called Cool Edit Pro. I love the user interface- like how easily you can zoom in and out, and select and save regions for processing. (In other programs I've tried all of that is very clumsy.)

the other Steve

[Steve A.]

I was looking for a program to run the MOOG files from "The Beatles - Rock Band" game and Reaper was recommended. They split up a whole shitload of Beatles into 10 mono tracks so that you can do your own remixes in the game. Audacity is also supposed to work but this will give me an opportunity to learn more about Reaper.

Although its been over 2 months since I installed the program I can still evaluate it, maybe because I ran it only twice. I like their licensing agreement: "Your license allows you to use REAPER on one computer at a time.
Multiple REAPER installs for use by the same person are fine (home/studio/laptop, Win32/x64/OSX)."
Presumably it doesn't do all of the "phone home" BS that you get with Adobe Audition.

"No Intrusive Copy Protection
We believe that technological enforcement of copy protection is not in the best interest of our customers. "

Imagine that- a company that trusts the public! And I like the pricing- $225 for a commercial license and $60 for a personal license. (I don't see the big guys offering big discounts like that.)

Steve- do you know if it supports control surfaces? Thanks for your evaluation (and a big thanks to John _H for the original recommendation!)

Steve Ahola

[Steve Conner]

I think the nagging dialog at startup is as far as the "copy protection" goes.

There is certainly support for control surfaces in general. Faders can be moved with MIDI messages and so on. Whether anyone has bothered to write a filter for your particular control surface is a different question.

I'm still a happy user... I lugged the setup to the local rehearsal rooms to record some drum parts, and it all worked great.