I'm getting into recording and sound reinforcement after getting a good education (Berklee Music Production and Engineering in the 1980's) and then going on to other things. I'm looking into the gear that's available nowadays and am astounded by what digital audio and computer processing have wrought. On the good side, physics are still physics, and the same mics I used to love (Neumann, AKG, etc) are still the standards, so I'm glad that I got a good grounding in philosophy that starts with making the performance sound good in the space FIRST, then picking up the sound with good mics and technique and recording it with max fidelity.
As I see it, digital has done away with most of the work I learned to do to make sure that good sound got well preserved in rust-on-plastic. If I feed the good sound into a decent digital recorder, I'm going to get the same good sound back out (and I don't have to tweak bias and EQ on the recorder!).
So, long introduction over, I'm looking at doing live recordings in my community, typically of school/community groups such as choirs, orchestras, etc. The common thing here is that I'm not doing "studio" work at first - don't need to provide monitor mixes, or do overdubbing. The plan is to capture the audio as it happens (8 or fewer tracks), and then put the audio into Reaper for post-production work. I already am getting a Focusrite 212 for the DA outputs to the mix monitors back home, and to support overdubs if needed. I'm looking to spend most of my initial money on good microphones, as they'll serve me well over time and will matter more than the differences in hardware in this (Low End) category.
I'm currently trying to choose between two paths for the first step. I'd appreciate feedback on the options, or suggestions of a third path.
Option A is to buy a USB audio interface with preamps, and capture the tracks right into Reaper.
Option B is to buy a Tascam DP32SD portastudio and capture the tracks on that device, and then export the tracks into Reaper later.
Option A is less expensive. I can probably get a larger interface as (16 vs 8 inputs though only 8 preamps) and it can offer some versatility in other situations (analog I/O for patching, mixing out of the box, etc).
Option B offers the advantage of being self-contained - I take the mics and the portastudio and a pair of headphones, and head out. I can strike a base mix right on the device, and play back for the client on site. No worries about computer hiccups preventing tracks getting recorded. And if on-site overdubs are desired, that's also possible if I can get the monitor output of the device to the performer(s).
I am leaning towards option B, as I think it will give me a lot of flexibility (and I can add an interface later in time.
So please, fire away!
As I see it, digital has done away with most of the work I learned to do to make sure that good sound got well preserved in rust-on-plastic. If I feed the good sound into a decent digital recorder, I'm going to get the same good sound back out (and I don't have to tweak bias and EQ on the recorder!).
So, long introduction over, I'm looking at doing live recordings in my community, typically of school/community groups such as choirs, orchestras, etc. The common thing here is that I'm not doing "studio" work at first - don't need to provide monitor mixes, or do overdubbing. The plan is to capture the audio as it happens (8 or fewer tracks), and then put the audio into Reaper for post-production work. I already am getting a Focusrite 212 for the DA outputs to the mix monitors back home, and to support overdubs if needed. I'm looking to spend most of my initial money on good microphones, as they'll serve me well over time and will matter more than the differences in hardware in this (Low End) category.
I'm currently trying to choose between two paths for the first step. I'd appreciate feedback on the options, or suggestions of a third path.
Option A is to buy a USB audio interface with preamps, and capture the tracks right into Reaper.
Option B is to buy a Tascam DP32SD portastudio and capture the tracks on that device, and then export the tracks into Reaper later.
Option A is less expensive. I can probably get a larger interface as (16 vs 8 inputs though only 8 preamps) and it can offer some versatility in other situations (analog I/O for patching, mixing out of the box, etc).
Option B offers the advantage of being self-contained - I take the mics and the portastudio and a pair of headphones, and head out. I can strike a base mix right on the device, and play back for the client on site. No worries about computer hiccups preventing tracks getting recorded. And if on-site overdubs are desired, that's also possible if I can get the monitor output of the device to the performer(s).
I am leaning towards option B, as I think it will give me a lot of flexibility (and I can add an interface later in time.
So please, fire away!
(Re)starting work in recording, opinions wanted.
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