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What should I do - set up new DAW Digital Audio Workstation?
Dear Ann Landers,
Hey I need some help!
To make a long story short, I pretty much gave up music making and composing songs for the past 2 years as I focused on creating success and wealth with my internet marketing projects.
Well the good news is I am doing very well with my business! Now I need to play a little more and do more of the things I love! Music creation is one of those things!
So, one of the things at the top of my list is getting back into digital recording and creating my own new original music (and also sound design - creating loops and noises and such).
I still have all my music gear, software synths and midi audio stuff, but it’s time to build a new recording set up from scratch that refelects the state of the art.
So here I am all confused.
I need help from someone who can clear up a lot of confusion on the state of midi, PC audio, Pro Tools and non-pro tools systems and what is the best way to go.
Budget is not a problem, I just want something smart and that will fit in with my way of doing things. I am not trying to save money or be cheap. I really want the best for my situation, not the best money can buy…
Before I slowed down 2 years ago I was using a PC with the MOTU 24i on Cubase with practically every VST software synth instrument and effects plugin available (I was doing product reviews for Beat Mode and as such got practically every piece of music software to review (NFR). Some of that stuff needs upgrading and there is a lot of new stuff I want.
So this is what I have planned so far and what I want to do in a nutshell.
Roland V Drums Tour Kit - lay down tracks over my music that has old sounding outdated drums
Trigger Finger and/or Handsonic - create new loops/sound design
Ableton Live - use my huge existing library of original loops and sounds plus mutilate my library of samples from others
Native Instruments Reaktor. Absynth, Kontakt etc. - create new songs and improve my existing songs + make new loops and samples
My Ibanez guitar - practice, add guitar to my songs
Korg Karma (I am considering Triton as new controller). - I plan on cutting down use of my hardware synths and such but some as the Karma are pretty great. So I wanna use them on occasion. Plus I need a main controller - maybe I’ll get a Triton for that???
Now this is where it gets pretty fuzzy.
Do I just get a new hot rod PC dedicated to music and get a great quality soundcard and keep it simple?
Or do I go Pro Tools HD and get caught in that money trap (incompatibility trap too). Is the MOTU 24i worth keeping? Are there zero latency interfaces these days???
Can I do both? Or is that stupid? One or the other?
Do I try to keep my old music pc going and upgrade it enough to get better performance. It’s 4 years old and a dog… but it is stuffed with software, many of the programs challenge and response protected with installs that were freebies (NFR). I may not be able to uypgrade all of those programs. Some of them pretty obscure and quirky but great none the less.
So many questions… I’m on info overload…
Also I really want the Eventide plugins which are only TDM - http://store.eventide.com/anothology.html - so it seems it is Pro Tools or nothing to use those (and other cools ones not available as VST) - or I can go for an Eventide hardware rack box.
Nowadays I tend to avoid hardware as it is more difficult with patching and routing etc. I have a ton of hardware already… synths, racks, effects… it’s so much easier to keep it all in the PC.
Also I do not want to give up VST plugins or VSTi instruments… or PC software…
One of my main goals is that I want to get my huge library of personal songs/tracks in order so I can try to hire my idols Vinny Colaiuta and Terry Bozzio and Simon Phillips to come by and lay down some drum tracks… that’s been my dream…
So many questions…
What should I do dear Ann Landers???
> Continued DAW discussion at my other blog
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I’m also out-of-date with all the latest-and-greatest stuff, but I don’t think that you can go wrong with Pro Tools. Personally, I haven’t owned a good acoustic guitar in many years. I’d love to purchase one in the near future by getting sone IM extra funds!
Comment by neoaffiliate — April 15, 2008 @ 9:28 am
[…] This is a followup to the post I wrote in my other blog (which I am now trying to keep on topic for internet marketing) about Digital Audio Workstations […]
Pingback by I opted for Cubase and M-Audio Firewire 1814 - Positive Think Tank — May 10, 2008 @ 11:31 am