ok tdot.
i see where you exactly coming from and where you going.
basiclally you want to be at "school" when away from school.
i did the very same thiing, well doing at least, i am prettty much self taught.
first a;ll
F.U.CK THE all in one porta studio. "real studios dont use sh.it like tht. not saying it in a derogatory way, but its "not industry standard"
doveski is right, pro tools is a copa dona and it is "industry standard" so it will be good to learn, cause i bet my last pound in my pocket, thts what you gonna be using at college.
engineering does not strt with automation, but rather how sound works, and the use of external effects.
try and save, save save and swallow and save again. to try recreate a "hands on" home version.
i did tht and never regreteed it. its twice as expensive as a one of those all in one devices but at least you get full on experience of how it all works.
my advice would be to go with the pro tools. even an 001, even though they have are not being supported by digidesigns any more. you dont have to worry about updates every 3 months, and if you know one pro tools, u pretty much know all.
so you can strt with tht.
important things to note.
1) compatible mother boards with the digi 001 or 002.
a
Digi 002 with Pro Tools LE 5.3.2 for Windows XP Requirements
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Digidesign Hardware Supplied with System
Digi 002
FireWire Cable (12')
Digidesign Software Supplied with Digi 002 System
Pro Tools LE version 5.3.2
(Required, does not work with other Digidesign hardware)
DigiRack Plug-Ins
DigiRack Plug-Ins & Optional Digidesign Software
Digi 002 Plug-In Finder
Control Surfaces & MIDI Interfaces
Optional Digidesign Hardware
DigiDrive FireWire 80
DigiDrive
DigiDrive MediaDock
SCSI|128 Kit
SCSI64 Kit
Performance Guidelines
Recording to the system startup drive is not recommended
For desktop models, a separate internal or external dedicated audio hard drive is highly recommended for maximum performance and track count (see Hard Drive Minimum Requirements)
Although limited recording and playback of audio tracks may be possible using the internal drive in laptop models, a separate external dedicated audio hard drive is highly recommended for maximum performance and track count. Digidesign recommends the use of FireWire drives for use with these computers. (see FireWire Drive Requirements)
When using FireWire storage with a Digi 002 systems, connect the Digi 002 and the drives to separate FireWire ports if possible
If only one port is available, connect the drives to the CPU, then connect the Digi 002 to the drives
For best performance, it is suggested that you set your monitor to 256 colors
Pentium 4 or Xeon systems with HyperThreading technology must have "Intel HyperThreading" in the system BIOS disabled.
Known Incompatibilities
Digi 002 will not function if any other Digidesign PCI cards are installed in the CPU. (Digi 001, Audiomedia III, TDM cards)
Pro Tools LE 5.3.2 is specific to the Digi 002. It will not work with any other Digidesign hardware.
Computers with motherboards containing SiS (Silicon Integrated Systems) chipsets
AMD K6, K6-2 or K6-III, K7 processor based computers.
Dell Inspiron & Latitude notebooks are not compatible with the 002.
Do not connect a DV video camera to the same FireWire bus as a Digi 002. Most CPUs with two FireWire ports still have only one FireWire bus. If you need to add an additional FireWire bus to your CPU, see the list of Digidesign-Qualified FireWire PCI & CardBus Cards
Laptops users need to disable integrated wireless networking
Pro Tools does not support RAID technology. Please do not activate this feature.
Some HP Pavilion models do not meet the minimum requirements as listed in these compatibilitiy documents. Before purchasing these or any computer, please carefully go over these documents and the exact specifications of the computer to make certain that all of the compatibility guidelines have been met.
Maximum Performance Guidelines & Known Incompatibilities — Additional Information
Qualified FireWire PCI & CardBus Cards
A 1394 ("FireWire") controller/interface is required to connect the Digi 002 to your computer. Some computers have built-in 1394 controllers, while other computers require add-in 1394 PCI or PCMCIA controller cards (purchased separately)
See: Digi 002 Qualified 1394 Interface Cards for more information
Hard Drive Minimum Requirements
SCSI Accelerator Card Requirements
Third-Party Video Capture Cards
Playback within Pro Tools is only supported via the computer monitor. Hardware Codecs are not supported. Use a third party application and card to capture video and import the video into Pro Tools. For the best performance use Avid CODEC DV files created by Avid Express DV.
Supported CPU Models & Requirements
The following CPUs are required for best performance with the Digi 002:
Intel Pentium 4 or Xeon CPUs running at 2.0 GHz (or faster)
AMD AthlonXP 2000+ CPUs (or faster)
The following CPUs are compatible with the Digi 002, but may not provide the best performance:
AMD AthlonXP 1500+ CPU (or faster)
AMD Athlon "Thunderbird" CPUs running at 800 MHz (or faster)
The following CPUs have not been fully tested and therefore are not recommended for the Digi 002, as they may not provide the best performance:
Intel Pentium III CPUs running at 600 MHz (or faster)
Multi-processor CPUs
Chipset Requirements
The following chipsets are recommended for best performance with Intel P4 processors:
Intel 850/850e
Intel 845/845e
The following chipsets are recommended for best performance with AMD Athlon and AthlonXP processors:
VIA KT266A
NVIDIA nForce
Note: The VIA KT333A and KT400A chipsets were not tested with the Digi 002.
The following chipsets will work with Athlon and AthlonXP processors, but may not provide the best performance:
AMD 760
VIA KT266
VIA KT133A
Additional Computer Requirements
System Software:
Windows XP Professional or Home Edition
Service Pack 1 Also Supported
Windows XP Settings & Requirements
Pro Tools LE 5.3.2 can NOT be installed or used on systems running Windows 98, Me, 2000, NT, 95, or 3.1
Total System RAM:
256 MB minimum, 320 MB highly recommended
Additional RAM is required for:
High edit density sessions
Sample rates above 48 KHz
DAE buffer setting larger than the default
Extensive use of plug-ins
Simultaneous use of MIDI sequencers or software options
Additional RAM is recommended for better video playback performance
Monitor, color required, minimum resolution of 1024 x 768
Apple QuickTime v6.0 recommended
Required only on systems using video
AGP graphics card with 16 MB or more video RAM required for movie playback
Available at
www.apple.com/quicktime
Digi 002 Product Information
Digi 002 Product Section
Digi 002 Overview and Specifications
Digidesign ASIO Driver
Digidesign ASIO Driver for Windows XP and Digidesign Hardware
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Digidesign Compatibility Documents Index
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http://www.digidesign.com/compato/xp5/002/
with tht information your on yur way.
as far as hard drives go.
seagate has strted back thier 5 year warranty, on drives. so you should be safe. scsi would be nice.
but serial ata drives would do the job just fine
you need at least two drives, 1 system drive, with your operating system. and pro tools, absolutely nothing else. not even a scrren saver. or wall paper. no other software, except those related to audio should be on there. if you have to. so no interent, no games, dry as a mofo.
avoid anti virus, and the likes.
ensure optimum cooling. zalman do some good ones. and stay away from sp2 for now with it.
when finished, create a ghost image of the working configuration, using norton ghost. on your audio drive. by creating a seperate partition. what happens is tht, if your systems strts to act up or some shit happens, you can just restore the image back onto your system like new.
its not hard trust me
if you need indepth info, pm . me and i will let you know whts down 100.
it would be good to learn tht program like how you can walk.
as for the rest of things. later on if u cop like a s.e $35 compressor, simple reverb. and a mixer. then you can practice compression techniques and subtle uses of reverb. in accordance with a $20 patchbay. strt with some like just to get the ropes. me personally, i learnt tht as best as i could. and i am know for bass, sitting well with my drums in a mix, whilst kicking hard like jet li.
practice, practice practice. as far as monitors go, i destroyed 2 pairs, so isay leave tht for last and practice on hi fi speakers.
i dont know exact prices in the us, as i am in uk.
but i can get like a allen and heath 16.8.16 mixing desk for like £150, a comp for like £30 and reverb like 50, cables are like another 50, but i was hunting hard, everyday in the for sale section of papers, and second hand shops. i bought 1 of everything i needed, and expanded from there.
good luck on yur course.
maybe one day years down the line i can send you my work so u can mix for me. so u can charge me an arm and a leg
tweak xp, with a program like xp tweak, to strip the o.s down to its more certainly more important functions.
