Need help choosing an interface and DAW for student recording project

[teleguido]

I need some help guys…

I work with a youth group, and one of the students this year is doing his senior project on recording. He’s looking for some advice on what audio interface to purchase and which DAW to use, and I was hoping to get some suggestions from you guys on what might be a good fit. By the end of the school year, he’ll need to have a finished product that sounds good and demonstrates that he didn’t just throw it together in a weekend. Not “pro” quality, but keep in mind that it is meant to be heard by his peers and instructors. He’ll be graded on it.

Here’s some details that might help narrow it down:

- Needs 4 inputs
- Prefers USB, but can get a FW card if it’s going to be necessary
- Using a PC
- DAW software that is relatively easy to use, but that he won’t outgrow after a month of recording
- Good and widely-compatible drivers for the interface (so he can avoid potential headaches with drivers)
- Decent software sequencing and synths would be a huge plus (I use Logic, and I could see him really getting into that sort of stuff)
- Widely compatible with software plugins (especially free plugins)

So what’s the latest and greatest for something like this? Is an Mbox with ProTools LE still a good choice? What about something like Reaper?

Any wisdom you guys can pass along would be much appreciated.

 

[KCWM]

I use an Alesis Multimix 8 firewire (there's a USB available). It's obviously not the best, but ran me $125 or something online and sounds better than the M-Audio MobilePRE, Fast Track, and a presonus product that I can't recall at the moment. . They have drivers for Windows 7 64-bit that have worked like a charm for me about 95% of the time since installing them. I do occasionally have to unplug the firewire cable from the back of the mixing board and replug it in for it to run.

The board gets enough gain to get a strong signal out of a small, cheap collection that consists of a SM57, SM48 (though I'm not a fan of this mic), MXL 990/991 set (has phantom power), and will be using it for my soon-to-be-received Sterling Audio ST55. I record at apartment level (about 2 on my DRRI) without coming close to maxing out the gain or level of the mixer's channel. I am also able to record bass direct and have it capture a good sound (even have to roll a little bass off of the 3 band EQ if I run my bass with the series switch on).

In fact, a friend of mine and I are happy enough with it that we are going to use it to record a song I'm providing for an EP his band wants to put together.

Reaper is a popular DAW. I've downloaded it but not used it extensively.

 

[landru64]

i would totally get him into reaper....

does the interface have to have MIC inputs or just line inputs?

 

[teleguido]

Needs four mic inputs for recording drums.

Anyone else have experience with that Alesis unit? Looks like a great deal...

 

[Nelson89]

Hey, haven't had any experience with the alesis, and i think the mbox would be on the pricey side if you need 4 mic inputs (pretty sure the mbox2 pro won't do it, not without a couple of outboard pre's that is, you'd have to go with a 002 or 003). Another interface is the Tascam US 1641 (bundled with cubase LE4), i was gonna recommend a couple of others, but i don't know what the price range is...it gets a little difficult when you want more than 2 mic inputs...it usually jumps straight from 2 to 8, there aren't a lot of 4 mic input interfaces in that price range.

Note: Mbox 2 is only a 2x2 usb interface, and the Mbox 2 pro is a 6x8 firewire interface but only has 2 mic preamps (and i think its discontinued now anyway).

Software wise, reaper is a good idea, maybe even Cubase Essentials? Protools is pretty good, but he'd have to spend a little bit more in order to get it with 4 mic inputs.

 

[soulohio]

if it wasn't PC the obvious choice would be Garage Band. You would just need the mic pre like Apogee...

 

[Julia343]

Reason 5/ Record 1.5 bundle http://www.propellerheads.se/products/ . M-Audio Fast Track Pro. Order from http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RecordR5Duo/

* advantage -- complete package that has synths and everything, oodles of free download refills, fully functional DAW, and he will not outgrow it. Uses Line 6 amps and effects from POD Farm that comes with Record. Chances are that you won't need any additional plugins since there are also pay for refills for reason.

* disadvantage -- Record 1.5 does not support third party plugins. Initial cost. He will want a midi keyboard very shortly to use those synths. Minimum of a M-Audio Oxygen 61.

But since you're already talking about an MBox, your price is right in this ballpark.

Add a set of Samson monitors for mixing unless you've got stuff for him to use.

 

[Jim Roseberry]

i would totally get him into reaper....

Excellent choice...

Especially good if the primary focus is audio (MIDI side has come a long way but lacks some esoteric editing features you'd find in Cubase, Logic, Sonar).
The audio routing is 2nd to none...
Summing is 64Bit Float

Reaper and a FastTrack Ultra would be a great little setup... with low round-trip latency.

 

[KCWM]

Fast track Pro wouldnt work since the OP indicated that the student needs 4 inputs for drums a couple of posts up.

Fast track Ultra would, but at $350, might be a bit cost prohibitive for a kid, unless I missed that that is the budget.

For $350, the student could pick up something used through here, Craigslist, or possibly a local Guitar Center in addition to some mics and/or decent monitors.

 

[bchamorro]

the new mackie interface or presonus firestudio

 

[littlebigfis]

Needs four mic inputs for recording drums.

Anyone else have experience with that Alesis unit? Looks like a great deal...

I have an alesis multi mix8 and it has some limitations but also some good points that are important to note: 1) all applications audio is sent out FireWire into the main mix which can't be routed creatively. 2) no midi 3) headphone amp is not very good or controllable I.e. No routing or panning. 4) aux send and returns have no real controls for reamping guitar 5) no digital 6) no volume control in your OS ( only from the console) when alesis is default sound. 7) no db readout on input level, gain, etc.n8) gets very hot.

Now the good stuff 1) easy interfacing no issues 2) mic pres are decent 3) decent dsp effects 4) hpf on mic inputs 5) 2 line level stereo inputs. 3) physical eq, gain, input, bal, pan, etc, because while it is an interface it is also a physical mixer 4) sturdy build