Setting up home studio: please help me sort it out!

Hello guys,

First and foremost I'd like to say this community is amazing and I've been somewhat of a very active lurker, so to say heheh... Joined almost 2 years ago, but only one year has passed since I got my MPC 1000 and JJOS2XL. I can't stress enough how the forums are a great help and inspiration to me, and how much admiration I have for your bandcamps and soundclouds and such. The forum activity and troubleshooting greatly motivates me, hands on, to a better grasping of hip hop and sample/sequence-based music. So I've humbly started learning with reading peeps here, and now have reached that point on the learning curve about tracking out.

HOLD IT: before anyone takes aggravation, let me say this, I believe I've already learned the basics and been putting it to use. Been learning to track and operate Logic, using a AUDIO 8 DJ as a interface for MTC and tracking up to 6 mono channels from mpc 1000. Only those two pieces of gear, until now.

Ok, now sorry for the long introduction, but here is how you guys could help me, and I would appreciate it very much: I got hold of ttwo new pieces of gear and would like some insight from you tech knowledge about hot to best combine them and pull it all out on tracking and Logic use. Here's what i got on my desk:

MPC 1000 JJOS2XL
NI Audio 8 Dj
M-Audio NRV 10
M-Audio Axiom 25
Old ass ramshackle macbook (incredibly running Logic, tho)

Technics SL-1200 Mk5 turntable (I haven't tried scratching and don't have a mixer or pre-amp, so it stays in another room, where it is rigged to an oldie Polyvox Stereo Receiver PR4150 whose rca tapeout i use to sample, having to take MPC with headphones to that room)

Until recently was only using mpc and headphones, then plugin 6 mpc mono outs to audio 8 dj to track out.

However, now I got at my disposal this NRV 10, which is firewire and seems to me a better and more sturdy interface, also serving as hardware mixer.. however, it lacks midi IOs, so I'm confused. What do you guys think is best, keep using audio 8 dj as computer interface, using the NRV10 as a mixer, between mpc and audio 8?

Or could I use NRV 10 (firewire) as interface and somehow use audio 8 (usb) only as midi ports? Even, yet, would it be possible to use Axiom 25, which has midi ports AND usb-midi, to compensate for NRV10's lack of midi, then dispensing altogether the audio 8?... could i plug my turntable to nrv10 without a preamp or the phantom power it offers is to meek?

As you see, I'm a tad puzzled by all this, and any input, suggestion, etc is very very welcome – this forum is literally the closest thing I have to a tutor. Also, please feel free to correct me on these connections, whether or not this the proper forum place to post this question, and even towards my vocab/english.

Peace!

For audio:
mpc audio channels -> NVR10 Firewire -> Logic
(this is all for tracking audio).

For midi:
mpc midi -> Audio 8 USB -> Logic (this is for sync).
axiom -> mpc

This is an example of something I would try if I were in your shoes.

Technics SL-1200 Mk5 turntable (I haven't tried scratching and don't have a mixer or pre-amp
Both of your interfaces have pre-amps but no dj fader for scratching.

Or could I use NRV 10 (firewire) as interface and somehow use audio 8 (usb) only as midi ports?
This is what I was talking about above, try it, it won't hurt, at most, it just won't work, you won't blow anything up just trying audio and midi.

could i plug my turntable to nrv10 without a preamp or the phantom power it offers is to meek?
both your interfaces have pre-amps, does your turntable need phantom power, no, then don't worry about that one.

Using both interfaces at the same time, you can break out 8 nvr and 6 audio8 channels in logic. Use Audio8 for the usb midi going into logic.

Hey, Lampdog, thank you so much for helping me out!
I got it all working, it's possible to use NRV10 as the audio interface in logic and still get the mtc sync using Audio 8 Djs midi ports – this is great and I am very pleased

I only got some questions regarding the turntable connection, let me try to elaborate it and maybe you could guide me a little further, if that's ok:

I was reading the NRV10 manual and there it says that its preamps are mic preamps, so I'm assuming that in order to use them you have to plug the turntables in NRV10 xlrs ins rather than plugging them into its line inputs – did i get this straight, is that true?

My problem is that the mk5's outputs are rca, not xlr or 1/4 jacks, so I tried to get around it (before hitting my budget once more for cables, gee...) by plugging the turntable into Audio 8's rca inputs and then routing those respective outputs as line ins into the NRV (hope i'm making sense here: turntable rca outs > audio 8 rca preamped ins and sends rca outs to > nrv line 1/4 jack inputs, as i got the rca/1/4 cables here). When monitoring with headphones, it sounds great and I can even colour it a little bit with nrv's 3 eqs. Very nice and better than oldie polyvox preamp.

However, in Logic I can only pick one audio interface at a time. This means that, and i've tried it, setup only works with audio 8 as the interface, and that is because audio 8 preamps apparently won't work if audio 8 is not selected as the soundcard – i've found no way to "bypass" it only as preamp, and nrv selected as interface can't pick/amplify signal from turntables coming out of audio 8.

So what's possible and arrangeable here? Should I just buy cables that are xlr females to 1/4 jacks, thus ignoring audio 8 djs' preamps and audio as a whole (only using it for midi) and then using nrv10 mic/xlr preamps to receive the mk5 signal, in this example plugged straight into nrv10 (turntable rca >> nrv xlr)???

I am not sure abot this, but I feel audio 8 preamps are more powerful than nr10's ( i couldn't find how to control nrv10's preamps, while on audio 8 there is +db settings for its preamps, through its control pannel).

Finally, sorry for the confusion, I'm getting headaches just trying to word out my mindboggling on text so i can seek assistance... Thanks again!

Hey, Lampdog, I got it working, man. Just sent the mk5 through the polyvox receiver phono ins and hooked its rca tape out to one of nrv's stereo 1/4 inputs. Works beautifully, hooked turntable grounding to the receiver, signal to noise ratio is excellent to a home studio, i think The audio 8 is only being used as midi ports for mpc sync and vst control. Axio 25 midi out is hooked to mpc midi in directly. Does it need a midi in, also, being only a controler (no synth)?


Also, i plugged a cheap pair of speakers to the receiver, so i can listen to vynil or tape directly, not having to turn on the macbook, nrv or anything else. Later on, when i get a pair or krk5s, those will be plugged to the nrv10 control room outs, for jamming, tracking out and mixing. This makes sense? Any tips and ideas welcome, of course!

Thanks for your time, Lamp!

Peace

Yo, following Lampdog's sticky post and to save on the words, here's my studio connections diagram:





I see many reads count to this topic, but only Lamp been replying my questions – please, do not let me bother him further, overloading our great moderator with my lame noobish questions : please join in and give me your advice here, readers!

I'll try to sum up my remaining doubts and uncertainties about the setup above, if yall will.

1. I'll have to get some speakers to connect to NRV10's control room out. I was thinking on a pair of KRK 5, and I chose control room outs because it says in the manual that they send both mainmix and firewire audio (post-mix). The speakers on the diagram only get mk5 and tapedeck audio, without interference from the mixer/interface (NRV10). KRKs will be for hands on mixing/jamming, old speakers only to easy listenning.

2. Axiom 25 midi out is connected to mpc midi in. Since it's only a controler, having no sounds inside it, would its midi in (coming from a mpc midi out) be of any use?

3. So far, I can only sample the turntable or tapedeck through and aux send on the nrv10. My problem is that it's only a mono out, and i haven't thought on a good way to sample directly to the mpc1k in stereo (maybe using speakers out – but I'm afraid of causing some killer feedback loop or smtg).


So, that's it so far, guys, help if you can or else don't be mean to me mmkay