Moving tracks to a different computer

[musicislife]

The band I'm in had some music recorded this past summer for a demo. The guy recording us got as far as a rough mix and then dropped the ball. I would like to take the tracks he recorded and mix them myself. I don't have a home studio. My brother, who lives halfway across the country, does. He said he could send me an older version of Sonar.
My idea is this: Get an external hard drive, get the data from the guy who originally recorded us, put Sonar on my computer and mix the tracks.
I don't know what program the music was originally recorded in. My brother says that if the guy saves them in 16-bit format, any program should be able to work. Is this true? What format are the tracks usually saved in? Is 16-bit going to degrade the sound quality?
Since I'm not recording anything, I wouldn't have to worry about interfaces and sound cards, right? I'm just looking to eventually output the songs to a CD.
Let me know what you think of this idea, if it's worth pursuing, and anything I'm missing.

[DT Chris]

Each track is probably saved in .wav format. Hopefully at 32-bit for the best clarity. However, 32-bit wav files are larger (because they hold more information) than the 16-bit.

Now people could argue about 16-bit vs 32-bit wav files as to quality, but if I were you, I'd like to get those tracks at the quality they were recorded at. To have someone 'compress' them down to 16-bit, then send them to you is only going to hurt your mix. When you compress files, you are simply tossing out information, and going with the 'minimal' representation of the sound - clarity and quality may be lost. I'd rather start out with the highest quality tracks available, then degrade them myself if needed.

Unless you're using a very old mixing software program (very old), you shouldn't have to worry about 32 vs 16-bit. The key is quality. What is more of a concern is that you are sent wav files... they should work in most if not all recording/mixing software.

It won't matter what program the music was originally recorded in, unless that program does not use wav files, and uses some weird *.aii file or something. The only thing you will not be able to reproduce between software programs is the project files - which organize the sound files on the tracks, etc. For example, if the music was recorded with Sonar, you could save the project file and wavs to a hard disk, transfer the project to another computer, and open it intact with Sonar again. Importing the Sonar project into Cubase or ProTools may not work - unless they have some compatibility built in.

You won't need an audio interface to mix tracks, but you should at least have a decent soundcard capable of reproducing the sounds accurately and with the speed you desire. A good set of monitors is also a good thing to have, depending on your budget.

I just use my Logitech 5.1 computer speakers, and noone's had a problem with my mixes yet (other than my lack of mixing showing up).

Of course, as I always say, it depends on your goals with this. If you just want to mix a decent sounding demo, then not much equipment is needed. If you want to make it sound like Def Leppard's 'Hysteria', then you should look up Mutt Lange to mix it for you.

[musicislife]

The wav files he would give me would be the raw recorded music tracks. The project files he has would be the rough mix. If I didn't have compatible software to his I would be starting from scratch, right? That would make things tougher.

[brandondrury]

I don't know what program the music was originally recorded in. My brother says that if the guy saves them in 16-bit format, any program should be able to work. Is this true?

16bit Wav files can be read by just about any software.

What format are the tracks usually saved in? Is 16-bit going to degrade the sound quality?

Wav file is standard. Very very few people can hear the difference between 16 bit and 24 bit.

If you want to make it sound like Def Leppard's 'Hysteria', then you should look up Mutt Lange to mix it for you.

Good call. I try to make every song I produce sound like a Mutt Lange production and it never works.

Brandon

[musicislife]

I found out that the guy recorded us using MOTU Digital Performer. He's going to export the project in OMF 2.0. MOTU says it has been tested mainly with Pro Tools. Hopefully Sonar will work with it as well. Have any of you done any importing/exporting with OMF? I've read about the limitations (what doesn't get translated) but I figure it will be a good starting point.

[brandondrury]

I've never used OMF. When I work in Pro Tools studios, we just considolate all and toss the wav files onto my hard drive. It requires a commitment to the tracks, but I consider that a bonus.

Brandon