Tracking and Recording on hardware vs. daw

Whats good all my mpc2000 2000xl heads just trying to get some feed back from the community out there because im not sure which way i want to go with this. I hear mixing recording with hardware has a better sound than daw is this true? Would like to hear from daw people and hardware people also

I have been using Sonar 4 for years now and I get a very good sound quality for both instrument and vocal tracks. And my sound card is not even that great but I still get excellent digital tracks recordeded with it. What I do is build my track using midi and then once the track is the way I want it, I digitally record the instrument being played by the midi track. Once that is done, I mute the midi track (keeping it in case I need to change something later on) and I no longer have to tie up the instrument for that track and can use it for something else. This method has always worked well for me and by doing it first with midi, I can correct any timing issues, bum notes, etc. Sonar records great vocals as well.

I know that Pro Tools is the standard but it is so expensive and for my money, I get plenty good results using Sonar and it's a whole lot cheaper.

im doing a fair amount of recording on my roland vs 1680 and its sounding ggreat!!!tough sound!!but ultimately its going onto logic thruogh the motu ultralite.i like to think its improving the process.its personal opinion ultimately but the day we just use the computer is the day i bail out.......

thanks for the feedback guys seems like everybody is using daw have not heard from the hardware heads

Ok cool sounds like a nice set up if i use the software i was thinking of getting a laptop for it do you think a laptop is as good a a built p.c.

richieb wrote:thanks for the feedback guys seems like everybody is using daw have not heard from the hardware heads

Us hardware heads are hanging out in the forum that is more appropriate for this type of discussion:
http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewforum.php?f=5
or
http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewforum.php?f=11

Cool thanks for the link

use both

plus ppl tend to forget the problems like "processing power" that can really bog down a cpu when using good/great plug ins... ive had issues with standard pro tools plugins (sans amp on my bass lines) cause my dual core sony to lock up during a brief passage of silence...

most will say some b.s like "bounce down the track"(which i do) but during the mixing process/ taking it out to the whip to listen to, it can become rather tedious... and thats just using that one plug in...

so if you get to the point where you want to make your music sound good on your own, you have to consider either building or buy a new computer...
but that depends on how far you want to take it...

like ive said b4... i plan on scooping a yamaha aw1600(which can be found on guitar centers used site for about 400) f a new laptop or desktop...

Cool jrhodes so is that yamaha your talking about a mixing board is it any good.

Fung45 wrote:MPC 8 outs into M-Audio Delta 1010 tracked into Acid Pro on PC. No problems, happy with the sound quality from the Delta. Hardware seems like a nice option but if you build your own PC with a stable OS and don't put internet on it it will work for years to come and you have everything a click away instead of a zip or jaz card as some hardware units have.

I've had my Delta 1010 and audio PC (away from the Internet) for nearly 7 years, and it still ticks along nicely. In saying that I just found a company that will retrofit it with an i7 and current motherboard etc, which I may do because i'm so used to the built in transport controls.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep04/i ... ront.l.jpg

Back to your question...

If you want a self-contained workstation that boots up quickly and does one thing really well, then go hardware. If you need more flexibility and power, go for a decent DAW.

richieb wrote:Whats good all my mpc2000 2000xl heads just trying to get some feed back from the community out there because im not sure which way i want to go with this. I hear mixing recording with hardware has a better sound than daw is this true? Would like to hear from daw people and hardware people also

The only real downsides to hardware for me is 1. track count. To get a good amount of tracks from hardware, you'd have too spend a lot of money, and then you're talking only about 16-24 tracks. With that money, you could buy a new computer powerful enough to run a daw plus an interface, and have more tracks. But if you're not doing vocals, a 16 track hardware joint should do just for beats.

2. Lack of effects. With a daw, you have so many more effects options.

3. Visual audio. I've used a hardware digital recorder for years before I got Pro Tools. Let me tell you, being able to see the audio you're editing is worth it alone!

the yamahas sound super sweet.actually nicer to my ear than computer.why??i dont know.somethings just are.but i use the computer recording a lot more of course.for the ease of editing(pc) and ect ect.it sounds great.but has no personality.cant say the computer sounds lush.but its a very high qualty copy(im talking about the bare recording).flexible.actually i bought a fostex tape multi track also recently,xr 15.wow.real good clean sound.not digital of course.but thats all the better.nothing thin about the sound here!!yhe multytrack recording in that mv 8000 turned my fl loops tracks into solid gold.and my vs just sounds like its actually there in the room.but the computer is nice and bright and clean.just dont sleep on the hardware.if your stuck staring into the monitor all day and night is that coool?i dont think so.good night,sleep tight.

^^ ive played with the yamaha at gc b4 they took it out the store here... it does have a great sound and it also includes wave editing... maybe not as extreme as a cpu but i'd compare it to an mpc plus 2.. .plus usb support so if u do want to do any further editing or back up files or do vocals using another software/iterface combo u can do it... jus drag and drop ( i think it comes with a lite version of cubase as well...)

plus the fx modules are some of the same ones found in motif's... now they wont be as extravagant as the rack module they sell for 1k ( forget the model # but it's all fx's) but from past reviews ive read, no one's complaining...

the only major drawback to the 16 track versus the 24 track model they have are these:

the 16 cant accept dsp cards, you cant have comp and gate on the same track, and they have combo xlr/trs inputs... the 24 track can do all of this but then i'd probably go for a computer since the dsp card alone(adds waves plug ins and fiber op's) is 1k.


other than thata used yamaha aw1600 can be found for about 400 to 750 depending on condition... yet some places are selling pretty fresh ones for inbetween those prices... you'd jus have to dig for em...