What do I need to start up a home studio? Mac or PC?

[nmindy]

Hi, I am looking at setting up a home studio. I currently produce backing tracks using a PC (Cubase) and a sound module then have to edit it down onto an 8-track then finally record it to a minidisc for playback 'on-the-road'! I am thinking of getting a Mac to do all of the above - bit of midi, little bit of audio and hopefully finish with using a sound module.

Basically I am asking for advice as to what gear to buy - Mac or PC then software? Am I still in the dark ages using sounds from a module or are sounds avaliable on line now? Your help and advice most greatfully appreciated.

Regards

[Chevytraveller]

[bequick_x]

I prefer Mac and Logic studio, very stable and a great piece of software.

[Eric B]

There are always a lot of PC vs. Mac arguments going around. Really, it's usually best to stick with the one you know better. If you already have a PC running Cubase, maybe you should just expand upon that; lots of people use Cubase as their main DAW.

Depending on the sort of music you're making, you may not need a very powerful computer. If your current computer is acceptable (whether PC or Mac), you'll probably be better off looking at a new audio interface and whatever other hardware you might need for your particular application.

[muzines]

Basically I am asking for advice as to what gear to buy - Mac or PC then software?

Sure! Buying a Mac or PC and some software is a great way to start.

Am I still in the dark ages using sounds from a module or are sounds avaliable on line now?

Nothing "dark ages" about using modules but there is a lot of good stuff available in sample/software instrument form too.

[Exalted Wombat]

Hi, I am looking at setting up a home studio. I currently produce backing tracks using a PC (Cubase) and a sound module then have to edit it down onto an 8-track then finally record it to a minidisc for playback 'on-the-road'! I am thinking of getting a Mac to do all of the above - bit of midi, little bit of audio and hopefully finish with using a sound module.

Basically I am asking for advice as to what gear to buy - Mac or PC then software? Am I still in the dark ages using sounds from a module or are sounds avaliable on line now? Your help and advice most greatfully appreciated.

Now that computers are powerful enough to be their own "sound modules" the use of external ones has indeed dwindled. And it's convenient to keep everything "in the box" - software synths and sample players act essentially as plugin effects on audio tracks in a sequencer, and can be directly included in the mix.

As always, choose your software, then choose a computer to run it. This has always led me to a PC, both for choice of software and lower price.

Not quite sure why you had to go out to 8-track? Were you running a sequencer that couldn't play a MIDI track while recording it back to an audio track?

Anyway, whatever you do, don't splash your money yet. Do your research, try to visit some musicians who work with today's computer setups. Where are you? If anywhere near East London/Essex spend a couple of hours with mine. Then you'll have an idea of where the game's at now and can start thinking about a shopping list.

[Jez Corbett]

I'm guessing your current PC is getting a bit long in the tooth now? Any idea what spec it is? What sound module do you have, and what type of things are you doing with it, and what do you hope to be able to do with the new machine?

Treat anyone on this thread who says one is better than the other with deep suspicion. These days both aren't much different and the differences there are are mostly a matter of taste.

I can understand the argument for getting a Mac as cheap high street PCs and laptops these days tend to be chock full of dreadful bundled software getting in the way of everything, and with so many models often based on a range covering about 10 years of hardware (you can still buy new laptops with Pentium 4 chips in them FFS), wheras mac laptops tend to be relatively predictable, and look nicer, and you can always run Windows on them if you want.

However if you've got the cash and are happy to spend it, I'd seriously recommend looking at buying a dedicated audio PC from the likes of Carillon, Scan etc - don't know who's good these days but I'm sure someone will be able to fill you in. The biggest advantage of these, second to them being designed from the ground up for good audio performance (and you are used to the OS), is that you'll have customer support from people who know the needs of a musician - you are unlikely to get much luck working out what's causing pops and crackles from your soundcard from some Dell call centre robot in India!

That and they'll probably do you a deal if you buy some software at the same time.

[Steve Hill]

I too am confused by the 8-track reference. Cubase should be capable of taking any project two a stereo master without leaving the PC. So really it's just a case of having a good enough PC, and decent monitor speakers etc.

I guess you're (quite sensibly) using minidisk for backing tracks for a live act. No reason why your Cubase file can't be recorded direct to minidisk.

[Exalted Wombat]

I too am confused by the 8-track reference. Cubase should be capable of taking any project two a stereo master without leaving the PC. So really it's just a case of having a good enough PC, and decent monitor speakers etc.

I guess you're (quite sensibly) using minidisk for backing tracks for a live act. No reason why your Cubase file can't be recorded direct to minidisk.

Yes, except that MiniDisk is now, unfortunately, a dead format and when our current machines die it's going to be hard (and probably foolish) to replace them.

I'm having a great deal of trouble advising cabaret acts etc. what to move to that is robust, portable, easy track selection with big enough buttons and display to work easily during an act, auto-stops after each track....

I've known people do strange things. Like running SoundForge under Cubase to capture the stereo mix...

[Bob Bickerton]

I'm having a great deal of trouble advising cabaret acts etc. what to move to that is robust, portable, easy track selection with big enough buttons and display to work easily during an act, auto-stops after each track...

Something like this will replace my minidisc system when it finally dies, if you want foot operated start/stop.

For hand operation the Big Button App on an iPhone/iPod touch gives you everything you need!

Bob

[Steve Hill]

Shirley to god it's not beyond the wit of man to come up with a hard disk (pen drive?) box which auto-pauses at the end of a track and relies on a footswitch to kick off the next track?

[Bob Bickerton]

Shirley to god it's not beyond the wit of man to come up with a hard disk (pen drive?) box which auto-pauses at the end of a track and relies on a footswitch to kick off the next track?

Who's Shirley?

and quite!

Bob

[Combo]

I'm picking that you are only using the midi component of Cubase, so I guess the first thing to ask is what version of that software you are running. If it is one from 15 years ago, you will face a steep learning curve whatever software you choose. If you have Cubase VST 4 or above, you already have a version that will run a plugin sound module and record the output as audio. Most, if not all, versions from VST5 and up come with a GM soundset built in.

Before spending any money on your set up (and we all love to do that, nearly as much as we love a bargain) I'd recommend checking to see if your current system can't do all that you want it to. There's still a good chance that there are software synths and samplers out there that sound much better than an old hardware workstation synth. But you may need to upgrade your computer and sequencer to make the most of them. However, working through you priorities in this order will cause less of a hit on your productivity than getting a whole new setup. Which will be a giant leap into the unknown.