Request your help in restructuring my studio....

[Relic]

Okay , its true my PT set up is outdated as a mofo.
I need to get my software and hardware up to date and you guys (and gals) are just the ones to help.

Im thinking of a $1500 budget to try and stay within .

Im comfortable with PT but am willing to switch if neccessary (but would LIKE to stay in PT).

Current setup up basically :

PT 6.4
Digi 001
A gang of plug in fx I think its waves paltinum
Triton rack
MPC 2500
Casio 61(64?) key keyboard has midi in and out but no thru
Roland 1864 (? w/e I havent used it in a while)
Hafler monitors
Studio projects tube pre amp
2 out board compressors ( I only use one of them and Im going to use the same one if not Both in the new set up.)
Sp1200(broken though :-( ran it into the ground)
Marshall mic ( I forget the model , its tight )
Two vestax cdjs
Danton dj mixer

I am going to post the pc specs later as I think its important but Im not near it at the moment.
It was built for me back in '03 no brand name works fine at the moment but it may not be what I need with something more software intensive. Does NOT have a soundcard though, everything has been running thru the digi 001.

What I am wanting is to be able to get a set up where I can record my hardware and mic inputs into the DAW as well as be able to use VST's .

The digi 001 has been good in the hardware aspects as it made sense to me in the fact you plug it in the 1/4 inch inputs and you can find it in the DAW and make adjustments accordingly yadayada... It made sense to me comming from a analog background.
I think the 001 is fucked though, I have all that dust sound crap going on and some of the inputs I think are failing. So I HAVE to get this in order.
I understand fx plugins how to pull them up and what not but I never installed any of this stuff, the guy I originally purchased it all from would come through and upgrade stuff (however since stealing my d8b board I havent seen him and dont expect to unless I have a gun in his mouth) so I have no experience in putting all this together.

SO , what Im going to need to know is what (in this budget) would be a good idea :

Get a new pc with a good sound card?
If so what kind with what specs and from where?
What kind of DAW should I upgrade to?
Is an Mbox that is inclusive of PT8 le be a good idea?
If so what do you think would be the type that would be best?
Just Upgrade RAM ?
Insert a new harddrive?

Im not totally lost but def inexperienced when it comes to this part, since I learned pretty much all I know from this site and current and former members on it, I look to you for some assistance on making my new home studio the best it can be.

Thanks.

 

[thedreampolice]

You can trade in your 001 for an Mbox and get a bit of discount. Get to PT8 and thats all you need.

 

[Relic]

hehe nice I write a page and DP answers it in one line haha..

I guess Im wondering as well am I going to need like 2 gigs of RAM like I have heard?
I def think I need a larger HD, Im not really sure though as I have never been real software inst savy..

How do I go about trading in the 001 for all this and how much do you think it would cost?
You say get an Mbox but arent there more than one type of Mbox?

And of course you and I have been sorta talking about this and I as usual thank you for your help.

 

[thedreampolice]

What are your system specs? also just talk to Luke at Sweetwater about a trade in, not sure what the price is and maybe they don't do 001 to mbox trades. Here is the mbox I think that would work for you.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MBox2/

 

[Relic]

I worry that the interface may not be large enough the 001 has like 8 inputs...
It may very well work though!

I have to get home to check the specs.. I assume that is a right click on my C drive then properties or what?

 

[7thangel]

another option would be the maudio 2626 http://www.m-audio.ca/products/en_ca/ProFire2626.html, it's a better interface and the only thing you would have to do is buy the mpowered version. it would also allow you to use other daws without the occasional hassle of going through digi hardware and asio drivers.

what's the budget? and current specs?
you have the option of core 2duo/quad, i3 (that can act like a quad), i5 and i7.
you could get a built system for a good price, not branded name ones like hp/dell, that would still allow you to choose components.

ram prices for ddr2 have got back up while ddr3 for the new gen cpu's have dropped.

which o/s do you want? xp or win 7? pt is still a bit dodgy in win 7 and they won't be x64 anytime soon but running 32 bit apps in a x64 environment is getting noticeable improvements and with a 15 pound plug in like j-bridge you could take advantage of your ram if over 4 gb even with a 32 bit app


edit: dl the x86 version at http://blackbox.hardwaremania.com/en/download for a more detailed spec of your system

 

[thedreampolice]

The big thing relic needs is pt8, do you use more than a few inputs at a time? If no mbox will be the cheapest. I don't think he uses anything other than pt. Relic right click on my computer and go to properties for specs.

 

[Relic]

another option would be the maudio 2626 http://www.m-audio.ca/products/en_ca/ProFire2626.html, it's a better interface and the only thing you would have to do is buy the mpowered version. it would also allow you to use other daws without the occasional hassle of going through digi hardware and asio drivers.

what's the budget? and current specs?
you have the option of core 2duo/quad, i3 (that can act like a quad), i5 and i7.
you could get a built system for a good price, not branded name ones like hp/dell, that would still allow you to choose components.

ram prices for ddr2 have got back up while ddr3 for the new gen cpu's have dropped.

which o/s do you want? xp or win 7? pt is still a bit dodgy in win 7 and they won't be x64 anytime soon but running 32 bit apps in a x64 environment is getting noticeable improvements and with a 15 pound plug in like j-bridge you could take advantage of your ram if over 4 gb even with a 32 bit app


edit: dl the x86 version at http://blackbox.hardwaremania.com/en/download for a more detailed spec of your system

Thanks Angel
I have XP on the pc right now...

What is this blackbox thingy? I dont speak turkish lol. Additionally I dont speak computer very well ! ! Im Not a complete dumb ass but some what dumbassish in comparison to you guys .

Oh wait you mean to get a better spec use the black box, okay if its neccessary I will for now the properties says:

okaaaay, lets see:
System:
Windows XP
Home Edition
Version 2002
Service pack 1

Computer:
AMD Athlon(tm) XP 1800+
1.50 GHz
!.00 GB of RAM


So you see its not all that by any means and I think I want something that WILL be all that and will last awhile like this has..
Budget is $1500 cool if I dont have to spend that though!

DP Im looking for something that is much like the 001 in the input realm.. That Mbox looks good but it looks kinda small. I assume it isnt a rack mount so I wont have to keep crawling behind my rack if I have to keep unplugging and plugging things. That profire 2626 looks pretty good! DP that come with PT8?
I would like to , once it is set up, not have to keep rearranging wires everytime I want to do something nah mean?
And i feel you because I think your right PT8 is prolly somethng I could pick up on fast if its just PT 6.4 with more bells and whistles.

 

[Relic]

Also who has a good idea for a stand for my mpc2500?
Be dope to have something adjustable, I have heard that laptop stands are good for this?
Anyone have a good bead on where to get a good deal on one?

 

[thedreampolice]

No the Maudio device does NOT come with Pro tools at all, you will have to buy this

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PTMPv8Full/

And it will add another $250 to your cost.

You need more RAM and maybe look at the 003 if you need more inputs, I am sure you can trade in the 001 to the 003 but it will be about all of your budget.

 

[thedreampolice]

Solution = http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/003R/

Call about a trade in, and I am kicking your ASS!

 

[Relic]

LOL, Shit I dont even remember typing that shit last night...

Shots ! lol

Alright man I may just cop that M-Box and PT 8 , I also was looking at the filter thing that attatches to the mic stand to help improve the voxx recording process.

Why the hell are Bass traps so expensive ??? Its just foam.

 

[dacalion]

I agree with Chriss (not only because he's the smartest mofo on the planet when it comes to this stuff) but because it will give you the most bang for your buck.

IMO, if you dont need the extra inputs that come with the Mbox2, then you gotta make a decision on that BUT PT8 doesnt support FAT32 recording, its supports FAT32 volume playback and Transfer only. Believe me, I learnt the hard way...Also, you're gonna need Windows XP Service Pack 2 but I recommend SP3.

or...you can go with PT 7.3 (which will be an upgrade) because it supports FAT32 recording, playback and transfer.


dac

 

[scandal]

Relic Whats Good? Truthfully I think you should upgrade your PC and Interface. To stay under you budget I would go with

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...ssor/9721653.p?id=1218159872341&skuId=9721653

and here is the upgrade Discount Link for trading in your Digi 001

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/001to003RFact/

That should put you around 1500 after tax

edit*

oh yea if the computer doesn't have firewire than you'll also need one of these

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dynex&#...&skuId=6307392&st=pci firewire card&cp=1&lp=1

 

[thedreampolice]

Thanks dacalion!

BTW Why not just use NTFS and not FAT32?

 

[slik da relic]

Also who has a good idea for a stand for my mpc2500?
Be dope to have something adjustable, I have heard that laptop stands are good for this?
Anyone have a good bead on where to get a good deal on one?

here's ur stand for the MPC 2500... its in my RS vids on youtube: QuikLok QL400

http://www.google.com/products?q=qu...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCIQrQQwAA

da relic

 

[Relic]

Word up Good lookin out other Relic!

Thanks Dac good info and Scandal Thats Whats up! Great links thnaks!!!
THATS what Im talking about guys!

 

[dacalion]

BTW Why not just use NTFS and not FAT32?

I have no idea how his drive is formatted. If its NTFS then he may be ok if not he'll have to reformat it but i'll be the first to admit that Im no expert on computers so dont qoute me on that. I just know what I had to do when I upgraded from PT 7.3.

dac

 

[thedreampolice]

Ha ha, cool. I can clear this up a bit, first you should be using a secondary hard drive for music anyway so it should not effect your OS at all. Second NTFS is actually the default for WinXP and up so it may already be there, if not there is a command to convert it so should not be a big deal, and PT8 is the best thing Digi has done in a long time so I would get in to that world if possible.

 

[Icemanbeats]

yo about the NTFS/FAT32 thing.. get a program like Partition magic and you can just straight convert FAT32 to NTFS without needing to reformat or anything.

or.. depending on your windows version.. u can just type this in command prompt

CONVERT C: /fs:ntfs
(where C: is your drive letter)

and when u reboot it'll convert

This should sort out that problem innit.. rly u don't wanna be running on fat32 it's just so slow and not cool. Also.. upgrading RAM is absolutely necessary.. 1 gig is just painful