theshaggyfreak

I'll definitely be the odd one out saying that I LOVED Final Fantasy X-2! It was a cheesy good time. Other than that, I would have to go with Devil May Cry 2 as being pretty bad.

Yeah, bouncing to an MP3 in Pro Tools LE is a premium option which is kind of silly. I have seen that particular type of error in Pro Tools before but it's been a long time. I can't exactly remember what causes it.

I've been a huge fan of Rolands controllers for a while but they're not everyone's cup of tea. I've been using the same MIDI controller for like 5 years now. I basically have an older version of what is now that A-500 Pro. The keybed on the Roland controllers just feel good to me. I personally have never liked the action on the M-audio stuff. The biggest problem with the Roland controllers, though, is that a lot of people hate having the control stick rather than wheels for modulation and pitch. I've been using it so long, though, that I got used to it. As far as drivers go, I've never had an issue using Rolands stuff with any software I tried.

I'm into both hardware and software. Each have their place. Out of all the outboard gear that I have owned, I always used preamps and compressors the most. There are just certain things that make life easier if you fix it before it gets into your DAW. I suppose that's also why I own a rather strange assortment of mics.

I think a lot of people don't understand the importance of gain staging. This looks like a pretty good tutorial on it: http://emusician.com/tutorials/max_headroom/ There's tons of stuff out there on gain staging, though. Just google it and you'll find tons.

Despite the age of the technology, MIDI can get really complicated when you really dive into how it works. There's a lot of it that I still don't really get but just know that it works.

You really can't make the comparison to HDMI cables. With MIDI to USB, there is a converter involved and not all of these converters are created equal. For general use, most of them are okay but you can run into issues if you're doing more than just sending CC messages from your MIDI controller. That probably doesn't mean a hell of a lot to you, though. If you just need one single MIDI I/O, this is what I'd recommend. I have one and have used it for a number of different things over the years. http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOUNO

In many cases the output of your source is too loud or the gain on your preamp is up too high. I generally try to set things up so that a source is peeking at -10db to -8db and no more. Much of the time, that does the job. There are cases, though, where this does not work. With certain sources (vocals and bass come to mind), it's just too easy to peek things out even at a moderate setting. That's when I use an external compressor to smooth things out. This is one situation where I find a 100% in the box setup ineffective. Now, a good compressor can be REALLY expensive but there are plenty of low cost compressors that will do the job. Here's some stuff that I've used or have read up on: The ART Tube PAC - This is actually a little tube mic preamp with a compressor built in. I've had one of these for like 4 or 5 years now and it does a pretty good job considering the price. ART Tube MP Studio - I have an older version of this and it works out pretty well. While the tube part of the amp is kind of gimmicky, the preamp itself does sound fairly good. It has a built in compressor/limiter that can cover peeking problems. Alesis 3630 - I have a really old one that's been modded but it's a decent all around two channel compressor. Alesis Nanocompressor - They don't make these anymore and it's not as good as the 3630 but you can pick one up for REAL cheap off Ebay. I've had one for like 10 years and I still use it from time to time. The above items won't break the bank and they'll do the job. Don't expect them to work magic, though, or compare them to the more expensive stuff. If you can afford to spend some money, here's some more moderately priced gear. FMR RNC - I've read nothing but great things about the FMR stuff. ART Pro Channel Microphone Preamp and Compressor - I've read a lot on these and they're pretty solid. DBX Dual Compressor/Limiter/Gate - DBX makes decent stuff for a moderate price. So, any of the above stuff will get you where you need to go for when you need to control a source signal before it hits your DAW. Again, don't expect magic. Learning to use a compressor is often the most difficult thing for people to grasp right off the bad.

Unfortunately, Mackie isn't very well known for having decent support with their computer hardware. Their monitors, mixers and other PA stuff are decent but their computer stuff lacks support. As far as cheap USB interfaces go, I've been using this tiny little ART thing with my laptop. For a basic two channel interface, this thing rocks for $80. One nice thing about it is that it's USB compliant which means not having to install any drivers. Every modern OS should recognize it as soon as you plug it in. You even run the preamps off a 9V battery if you want to.

I haven't had any issues with latency using it. I seriously doubt it'll give you any problems in that area. The preamps on the Dual Pre are fairly quiet. As long as the source going into it is quiet, you shouldn't have any problems with noise. I've used a lot of different interfaces over the years both cheap and expensive. This little box really does the job if you just need two basic inputs and two basic outputs. Listening through the headphone output sounds pretty good too. I really can't find anything negative to say about it.

Squint, Pro Tools doesn't use VST but it uses RTAS which is another plugin format. The Mini Grand should have come with the software according to Avid's website. This is where it'll be: 1) Create a new instrument track - Track/New/ and choose a Stereo Instrument track. 2) Go to your Mix Window - Click on Window and then Mix. 3) Click an empty space under the channel inserts and you'll get a menu. Go to Multi-Channel plugin/Instrument/Mini-Grand That's where it should be. If you want to use a VST in Pro Tools, you need the VST2RTAS plugin from FXpansion. It's the only way I know of to do it.

Let me know if you have any questions about the ART USB Dual Pre. I've put it through it's paces it it's surprisingly good for the price. Some really good points about this thing: 1) It's in a metal housing. So many small/cheap interfaces feel like a toy that's about to fall apart in my hands when I use it. 2) It's USB compliant. What does that mean? You don't need to install drivers for it. You just plug it in and it'll get recognized by Windows, OSX, etc. I've researched a lot of the smaller/cheaper interfaces before I got this one and it really seems to be one of the best ouf of the bunch. As far as mics go, there are a ton of really good mics that won't break the bank. I really don't own a single expensive mic but I've been able to do quite a bit with the less expensive ones that I've found. Here's a few: Apex 435 - I have two of these cheapo things and they're great! They are my goto mics for recording acoustic guitar. This would be just find for vocals too. K-Micro Silver Bullet - You can't beat this for $29! For recording acoustic like instruments and drums, these things are amazing for the price. Hurray for cheap Chinese mics! These probably wouldn't be the greatest thing for vocals, though. Either of those mics would be a great start. Oh! Here's another couple mics that are always a decent deal: MXL 990/991 - I've had these two mics for a long time and have used them on a number of different things. As far as that Presonus bundle goes, I'm not a huge fan of bundles. The interface is decent but the other stuff it comes with may not be that great. It kind of goes that way with bundles, IMHO.

If you're strictly just interested in recording piano, you're pretty much set. The Pro Tools M-Powered Essentials will get you where you need to go. Also, your Pro Tools comes with a plugin called the Mini Grand which is actually a fairly nice sounding piano plugin. Personally, I would use what you have for a while and see how well it works with your personal work flow.

I recently picked up this little ART USB interface. For the price, it does a pretty damn fine job: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ARTUSBDPPS If you're just wanting to record guitar, this might also be useful to you: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-POD-Studio-GX-with-POD-Farm?sku=250006

My biggest problem is that people often over use effects. ALL of them. For too many people the immediately think that slapping on some sort of effect on a track will just fix whatever issue they're running into. Whether you're using a soft synth on a track or are recording a live instrument, you need to get that to the point where it's the best it can be before you start messing with effects. That goes for using EQ and compression as well. This is my general work flow: 1) Sculpt the general sound of a particular track first. If you're using a soft synth, work within that plugin to get it to sit in the mix properly. Make sure it's signal isn't too hot. Somewhere below -8db to -10db. If it's a live instrument, deal with the source first be it guitar, bass, drums, etc. If you're using a mic, try moving it to difficult spots. Make sure the signal going into your preamp isn't too hot. 2) Mix the levels of each track. I might also do some minor panning at this point too. 3) Use High pass and low pass filters so that each track has it's on space in the mix. 4) Compress tracks that need it. This is one of the more difficult things to learn. It really does take practice. 5) At this point I'll start introducing more complex EQ and possiblely some effects. 6) A lot of tweaking goes on now and I'll get a final mix. 7) Here I'll start dealing with master channel effects using compression and maybe some mid-side processing.

Other than going a little overboard with the reverb, you tend to have several instruments sitting in the same frequency location. I like to use high pass / low pass filters on individual tracks to first sculpt out where each instruments sits into the mix. You wouldn't believe how much doing just that will help. Also, a lot of muddiness happens in the area of 100hz-500hz. I would try experimenting with cutting things in those frequencies. You also have to be careful of anything 40hz and below. I'll often cut those frequencies out on things like kicks and bass if I feel like they're overpowering other things.

I finally heard back from all of my friends in Japan and it seems they're all okay. *sigh*

If you're like me, you grew up in front of a Commodore 64 playing a lot of video games. I never had an NES back then. So, the sounds that came out of a C64 are what I remember most from my younger days. Ever since I got into synthesizers, I wanted to have those sounds at my finger tips. Sure, there are tons of samples on the internet that were creating using a SID chip but that's just not the same. I wanted the full monty. I looked into a number of different solutions. I thought about getting a SID Station but those are pretty expensive and they're no longer made. While I'm fairly handy with a solder iron, it seemed like a lot of trouble building a MIDIbox SID or something of the like. I never lost hope at getting that sound, though. Several weeks ago I came across 8 Bit Ventures (http://www.8bitventures.com) who created the MSSIAH cartridge for the Commodore 64 and I was happy to see that they were still selling them. So, I put in my order and awaited for a package from Sweden and it arrived this week. If you can land yourself a Commodore 64, the MSSIAH cart is really the easiest way to go to get that SID sound. The interface is fairly intuitive and there are enough options to keep you going for quite a long time. The fact that it has built in MIDI support just puts a huge glob of icing on the cake. So, you can either use your DAW to send MIDI to the MSSIAH or you can use it's built in sequencer. Either way, you get that dirty nasty sound that is just too awesome to pass up. If you're looking for such a thing, I highly recommend grabbing this cart. C64's are that difficult to find if you don't have one. All you have to do is search Craigslist or Ebay.

Now, ART doesn't make the best stuff out there but I've had a lot of good luck with a number of their products. I have their Tube PAC preamp and the Tube MP preamp and I've gotten quite a bit of use out of them. Well, I recently got a new laptop and I wanted to have a small USB interface to throw in my bag if I wanted to do some mobile recording. Considering how much I spent on gear lately, I didn't want to spend a ton of cash on a potable interface that I'd only use once in a while. After doing some research, I came across the ART USB Dual pre on Zzounds for $80. I read a bunch of reviews on various sites and about the only real complaint was that the control on the back are a bit crowded. It's a tiny portable USB interface? What do you expect? Most other reviews were fairly positive. Anyway, I finally got mine in today and I'm rather impressed. First of all, the housing is aluminum. I really hate having a cheap piece of plastic that will end up getting broken because it's something I just want to throw in my bag. All of the pots feel pretty tight and don't feel cheap. As far as the build goes, my only complain is the 9v battery compartment. While it's awesome to have the option of using a battery to power the preamps, it's really hard to get a battery out of the unit once it's in there. Luckily you can just power the preamps from your computer or an optional wall wart. How does the thing sound? Not bad! I don't have any samples to throw out yet but I tested a couple dynamic mics and a condensor and everything sound quite clear. Now, the preamps don't have a heck of a lot of gain. You've only got 48db of gain on each channel but that should be enough for most things. As far as outputs go, I only tested the headphones so far and it sounds fairly good. It's nice that you can mix in the audio coming directly from the preamps with the computers output. So, I think it's worth $80 and would probably stand up to other products costing in the realm of $200. I can't imagine wanting to use it as a main interface but it certainly would do the job if you're strapped for cash. It really is the perfect size to throw into your laptop bag, though. Since it's USB compliant, I was just able to plug it into my laptop and get going. Anwyay, I thought I'd throw this out there in case anyone was looking for something portable and cheap.

Stylophone Beatbox - I already have the original Stylophone and I can't help but love little gadgets like this. Korg Kaoss - Always wanted one of these. I can't think of anything else at the moment.

I used to do some beta testing for William K from Wusik a handful of years ago. He's a nice guy. I may throw a bit of cash into this.

Don't knock the recorder! I have a couple myself.