The Hardware Megathread

#6461

There could be someone in your area who could assist in configuring your template. Check with your local music store as applicable. I used to be that guy in Tampa, FL when I lived there, I set up SO many Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, etc rigs for people. It was a good side hustle at the time.

I do the same now, but rarely locally. I just got back from a studio setup in Miami.

2ndly, I relate. I’m tend to get on better with my hardware, but I track everything and produce it ITB. I’m a good mono-tasker, multitasking is not a thing I can do, so focus on one device at a time for tracking parts is most effective for me. Occasionally I’ll setup a sequencer (MPC or Octatrack) with 2 synths with the idea of building tunes off of a jam and typically the results are pretty damn mediocre.

Give me just the Octa or MPC and I can really dive deep for interesting results, hell even the Korg Volca Drum can be GREAT as a narrow focus device. The DAW is best for me for assembling parts from all of those devices.

In regards to computers, I just moved my setup from a 2010 Mac Pro (12 core Xeon machine, 32GB RAM) to a current Mac Studio and, while it took all day to get my plugin auths moved over, my sessions are running SO much leaner than on the old computer. I had a client file that was pushing 75% of my CPU, same session on the Studio is around 17%. If you get a new comp, I’d likely take a look at the current M1 Mac Mini and max out the RAM and HD, I went with the Studio prior to the M2 Mac Mini announcement, and might have held out if I hadn’t time constraints and “reasons” for using the Studio instead.

Any news yet on M2 compatibility? I’ve not done my homework.

#6462

As another thought, I wont label this a suggestion…

If you are able to easily record audio to your DAW…fuck it? Like…just go punk rock…

I’ve an affinity for that early dance music that was made with “what was at hand.”

A lot of the new has a tad too much polish for me. Not being a hater I just like percolator coffee made on a campfire more than a $7 cup of Starbucks. It isn’t an opinion as much as a preference.

Feel free to ignore the old man shaking his fist at a cloud :smile:

#6463

That’s exactly why hardware has been so off-putting to me for the longest time. Trying to figure out why something doesn’t work the way it should got old a looong time ago, when anything has become so much easier with software.

#6464

Dust is the bane of my existence.

Dusting/vacuuming is mostly an exercise in futility since the fight against dust shall never be won.

The ultimate “joke’s on you!” is that we will all be dust one day. Fucking dust wins again.

#6465

Regarding the hardware/software woes, I’m a proponent of patch bays. I know, “one more piece of gear”, but it’s basically a headache-less one that solves all sorts of problems, at least for me. And they can be had for around ~$100.

I work a lot like you’re talking about and it’s been a game changer. I’ve got a couple of dedicated ins/outs set up and labeled so the common hardware is always on, always ready to record on the same channels. I’ve got a couple others that are “hot plug” where anything I have laying around can get jacked in and recorded, and anything in the DAW can get sent out to whatever (often times sent to one of those already jacked in pieces of gear).

Once you get your head around the initial setup, the patch bay basically becomes the same as plugging into an amp - one cable and you hit record.

#6466

My problem w a patchbay is all of a sudden I’m stressing about what should be normalled to what and how exactly I want to tie in my rack effects and endless soldering to get it all together…….

This is so much like my dayjob…. :flushed:

Like they say, “do what you love and you’ll never have a day off again”.

#6467

BTW, phase 1 of studio build in Miami is complete.

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#6468

Ooohh. Are those PMCs in between the genelecs?

#6469

Yep! They are, good eye.

Once we get the arm for the gaming monitor I’ll have the Genelecs inside the PMC’s where they belong.

#6470

I noticed the big grille in front of the transmission line, then the tweeter surrounds.

#6471

I’ve listened to this teaser multiple times but have only given it a focused watch just now. I’m confident it’ll be the record of the year based on what I’m hearing in the clip but….

Even if you’re not a DM fan this video is some of the best gear porn I’ve seen in recent years. It’s super cool to see these guys actually put to good use all the gear people barley even fiddle with on YouTube….

#6472

LONG LIVE DM!!!

(Hope it doesn’t suck)

#6473

One of my problems these days is a ton of crackling from certain channels, and one project on my to do list is to run some tests and figure out if it’s a pad patchbay channel or bad wires.

I agree that patch bays are definitely nice to have. I don’t need to listen to more than a few things at once, so I don’t really need a mixer, and can use the patchbay to route stuff for sampling or tracking into my audio interface. Honestly I could probably get by with just a 4x4 interface these days, and since my 828mk2 is getting real long in the tooth, that may be the way I go, I generally only ever record 2 channels at a time, 4 as the absolute max and that’s only theoretical.

Of course, I went ahead and complicated my life by acquiring another piece of gear… ended up with a Waldorf Iridium in a trade. It wasn’t something I was really after, but it came up and the offer was really good, so I went for it. Now I have to find a place to put the damn thing… I’ll post a new picture once that’s done.

#6474

Those 828mkIIs were such tanks/work horses. A case of they dont make em like they used to IMO.

Hope you get it sorted.

#6475

Man, I’ve been eyeballing an Iridium…I need one like I need another leg and probably will never own one, but the tech and sounds just seem so cool. Definitely let us know how you get on with it. I had a Microwave for a time back in the 90s, and more recently had a Blofeld before moving to their Largo VST. I’ve never had anything from them I haven’t liked.

I with you on not recording a lot of things at once. I actually have a 828mk3 that I’ve ADAT’d to my Babyface (the MOTU was my interface before the RME), primarily because it also will send/receive CV with the DC-coupled jacks. That gives me a total of 10 in/out, but like you I rarely record more than one or two channels at a time.

Having it all routed through the patch bay is basically a convenience of having it already hooked up - all I have to do is turn something on and select the channel in the DAW. It also gives me the flexibility of sending several MIDI-CV outs to modular and then recording the output back in.

#6476

I still have a working 2408mk3 - PCI or PCIx (old Apple standard) card. The driver still works on Windows 10. Only reason I’m not using it as there is some funky stuff that happens in regards to putting the computer to sleep. Sometimes the audio would lose sync and playback speed would be slow/pitched down. I got tired of messing with it lol.

I really need to sell the thing, some PC motherboards still come with PCI slots and I think there might be a PCIe card out there for it.

In other news, I have to move (house I live in now is being sold). I have a new apartment already, but have to wait until May to move in. Oof.

I have to get humongous Platform desk into there somewhere. It isn’t a big place XD This thing will dominate the living room, but since I don’t watch TV this isn’t a huge problem for me. I have a 35" monitor, that’s basically a TV and I think my 55" TV would look pixelated in the space anyway.

Then there’s the Jam Station :tm: and all my guitars… I’m probably going to keep selling things and scaling down… or get a storage unit.

#6477

Musician’s Friend Stupid Deal of the Day: $99 vs $180 Live Wire rack power conditioner:

#6478

This is an interesting idea. Emulating the actual dsps that hardware digital synths are based on and then providing roms to the emulated hardware to play around with the synth. If I have time I’ll take a look at this and report back, but I know there’s been some virus talk around here the past few years so any other interested parties might want to check this out.

#6479

I’ve got it and I’ve got a virus, a virus classic and a virus rack.

The plug-in is not without its issues (I was using it a few months back so it could be better now) but I have no need for the HW anymore. The plug-in is identical.

#6480

On paper it seems like a great solution. Still haven’t had time to download as I had multiple job interviews this week and I’m doing some client work right now. I like what I’ve heard of the virus sound, so having access to that in software sounds like a home run.