Upgrade my soundcard

[ietje]

Hi there,

I'm looking to expand my studio, I want to make it suitable for recording drums & small bands, right now I only have the facilities to record vocals & instruments individually and no room for drums at all.

I figured out how to build my new studio (thanks to this site!) and I estimated the costs, and now I'm looking for some tips about a recording sound card, because the one I have now (m-audio mobile pre usb) will not do for drums and bands..

If anyone has any experience using logic Studio (I'm a logic user) and a Motu 828 mk2 or mk3 firewire please tell me about your experience..
I searched a little bit on the web and I thought it could be the one for me, but I'm not sure about it.
Also if you have an other suggestion/ recommendation please tell me.

I must say I'm not experienced in recording bands, I'm more experienced in recording myself and others individually.

thanks,
Ietje

[brandondrury]

I must say I'm not experienced in recording bands, I'm more experienced in recording myself and others individually.

It sounds like you are on the right track with the gear. Recording full bands is apples and bowling balls when compared to recording yourself. 5 guys can gang up on you, but this makes you mean.

How many simultaneous inputs are you going to need?

Brandon

[ietje]

Hi Brandon!

I am thinking about 8 (analog) inputs to start with (so I can record drums separately from the rest of the band) and I need to be able to expand that to 16..(or more) (because in the end I want to be able to record the whole band simultaniously.. )

Is this a good idea? (any suggestions?)

cheers,
Ietje.

[mixont70706]

Originally Posted by ietje

now I'm looking for some tips about a recording sound card

May I suggest the MOTU 2048, I chose this unit to start with because I could expand it easily. I bought my some years ago Mk1 and have done over 500 recordings on it with no problem. You can buy them on eBay with the PCI-324 card for under $200 and that is usually the Mk2.

It has 8 on board converters so you can us it right out of the box for analog recording. But if you need more tracks all you do is add a Adat light pipe device. Currently I am using 3 black face Adats (to keep converters the same) for conversion giving me 24 tracks of input at a time. You can pick them up on eBay for as little as $50 ea with the tape transport not working (you don't need it in this setup)

This is my current setup

Soundcraft Studio 24/48
Motu 2048 MK1 PCI-324
Computer: Intel PIII 1GHz
512 PC133 RAM
Windows XP SP2
eRazor 32MB AGP Video Card
Multitrack Studio Pro 4.31
Sound Blaster Live
3 Black face ADAT (Used for Conversion)

In other words, on a budget you have what you are asking for plus the option to expand to 24 tracks for around $100 bucks in the future.

[thesilentdrummer]

As far as interfaces, I am partial to Presonus gear. Brandon Talks about his Firestudio and why he picked them in these blogs.

Just Ordered Presonus Firestudio - Firewire Audio Interface | Home Recording Blog
No Mid-Grade 8 Channel AD Converters With ADAT Lightpipe | Home Recording Blog

Firestudios are too expensive and have a couple of bonus features that are just not for me, so I went with the Firestudio Project. It's $200 cheaper and has 8 preamps and 8 analog channels, S/PDIF in and out, and MIDI in/out, along with 4 separate stereo mixes. That's enough for me, and I mic up my drum set with ease with this interface. The beauty of the Presonus is that you can link up to 3 Presonus units together for up to 24 simultaneous analog inputs.

I don't know if the Motu is for you. Its on the expensive side, and it looks like you would need preamps to use 8 of the inputs on the Motu unit. Is there a reason you were looking at the MOTU 828mk3??

[brandondrury]

Currently I am using 3 black face Adats (to keep converters the same) for conversion giving me 24 tracks of input at a time. You can pick them up on eBay for as little as $50 ea with the tape transport not working (you don't need it in this setup)

DAMN DAMN DAMN!! I had been told about this a few years ago but I totally forgot about it. This would have saved me about a zillion dollars.

Oh well.

Brandon

[ietje]

Hi there

Thank you all for these answers

I didn't have a special reason for looking at the motu 828 mk3, but I thought it would be a good investment, but I wasn't sure, so that's why I decided to ask around..

Mixont70706, thanks a lot for this info!, I am definately going to check it out (I didn't have a lot of time the past week..) I think this might be a good option for me Thanks!

Ietje

[Jones]

I too suggest motu 828 mk3.