Hello all,

This forum looks great, so I thought I'd run a simple question past you to get your thoughts.

Of late, I'm dipping a toe into Mac recording, via my powerbook (1.67, 1gig ram, 160gig ext.drive) using Garageband as a songwriting/demo tool.

I am holding out for one of the MOTU Ultralites, as I already have 4 excellent mic pre channels here from my old(er) FOSTEX hard disk set-up (Focusrite Green, Joe Meek, ART), and don't need 8 @ once, for me 4 - 6 is plenty.

Of late I have been recording Classical guitar, Steel String guitar and insane de-tuned distorted guitar (not D.I) and had fantastic results. Even my wifes Oboe recorded nicely, the upper transients were relatively smooth. All this has simply been recorded by patching a stereo mini jack to the patch-bay and sending an un-balanced line to it from any of the pre's. It's simple, albeit a little clumsy looking with the minijack adaptor hanging off the side of the PB.

My question is whether or not anyone has comparitively tested to see if going into the PB via Firewire is SUBSTANTIALLY better than going via the mini-jack. I suppose I'm asking whether it's worth shelling out the $$ for an interface that I MAY NOT need. The amount of times I've recorded kit in the last ten years of my project studios can be done on one hand, and if it's really important I'd rather book a studio for the day anyway. The hype around these interfaces is very catching though.
I suppose it just goes to show that if your front end is right, the recording medium is not quite so critical (at least at home in demo land..)

Thanks for your time...


cheers...

You'll find decent interfaces noticeably better than the internal A/D converters in macs which are not made for music but to record speech in leisure/office jobs

Check the interfaces from MOTU, Presonus, RME.

With a good recording interface you can get a better bit rate and sample rate, up to 24bit 48k or even 32bit 96k on top end interfaces.

Mini jack is good for quick easy recording - I used a mixer with mini jack into Powerbook running protools free for a few years. but more recently got an Mbox and 002 w Protools LE and the results are so much better.


You can get by with the mini jack option for as long as you want. but for commercial releases and radio play i suggest getting a good interface. The audio quality in and out is far superior.

Thankyou, both.

That's pretty much what I had assumed, so I'll sit tight for the new MOTU.
Mind you the Firebox is very competitively priced right now.....we'll see.


cheers...

Pulgar

Gotta have an accurate unfaultering "Interace". We realize it is 'another' piece of "Gear" Hardware to purchase... but...We all had to do it, to our pain and promise. Pain=Money... Pleasure=Good Sound.

Pulgar... You're recording Classical, Steel Guitar and Oboe... Why not go the extra step and make certain of Broadcast Quality? I thought you Classical Musicians were sound fanatics... can hear a bad audio signal in the back of an Auditorium! You have got to have the best sound... It's the Law!

Presonus, MOTU, RME...

Two words for ya: Metric Halo.

Rickenbacker...

You said 2 words: Metric Halo... I checked it out, just curious. It is "impressive"... Here are 2 more words: Damn Expensive.

It cost more than the stupid computer!