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3K views 37 replies 6 participants last post by  Timon 
#1 ·
I kinda have a problem and I hope that you guys can help me out.
When I come back to Germany after the High School Year I'm gonna have a Apple 12" Powerbook (with external monitor, don't worry) and now I want to know what the easiest way would be to record.

It doesn't have to be something professional, I'm not too good anyway. ;)
I've got a Hughes&Kettner Club Reverb if this helps.
I thought of a POD, Hughes&Kettner Tubeman or something like that.
Another option would be this here: http://www.amplitube.com/Main.html?ATLive
I'm kinda worried about bad latency though because the soundcard in the Powerbook isn't the best...

Just tell me what you think the best way would be.
 
#2 ·
I would get a MOTU 828 if you can affoard it. Otherwise look at one of the many USB audio interfaces, M-Audio makes a USB audiophile card and Digidesign has the MBox. I don't think you'll be happy with anything you record with the internal soundcard though.

Amplitube is great and you probably aren't going to have to worry about latency with a 12" PB, but you still have to get a strong clean signal into the PB for Amplitube to process it.
 
#3 ·
So I would need a better soundcard anyway?
The MOTU 828 is definitely to expensive. And hey, I don't wanna make professional music, it's just for fun and to share some of my music.
You don't think it would be good to put the guitar directly into the input of the soundcard and use ATLive?
The MBox is a bit too expensive too but the Audiophile card looks good. I don't think it would work with a Powerbook though, would it?
 
#7 ·
Thx for all the help!
What are those interfaces actually exactly? An interface and a soundcard combined or just an interface? Don't think so because there are interfaces that are much cheaper. (man, I really have no clue about that stuff) ;)

Then there is another question: What program should I use for recording. I thought of Pro Tools LE...
 
#8 ·
You can't use Pro Tools LE without using a MBox, Digi 001, or Digi 002. Btw, You can't use a Digi 001 on a laptop either.

I use Digital Perfomer 4. Your other choices are pretty much Logic or Cubase. There is also PT Free but it will not run in OS X, and I'm pretty sure the 12" PB only boot into X, right? PT Free won't run in classic mode, btw.
 
#12 ·
Timon said:
Now what is the difference between these two?
Audiophile 2496
Mobile Pre USB

This here might be even better than the card version for a Powerbook.

The Mobile Pre USB says that it is an USB bus-powered pre-amp and audio interface but I don't need the pre-amp if I have ATLive, do I?
The MobilePre is only 16 bit, but has XLRs and phantom power. The USB Audiophile is 24bit, but no XLRs.

Check out the new Tascam US122, it looks like a great lower cost alternative to the MBox, and combines the best properties of the USB Audiophile and MobilePre into one box.

My buddy is buying one, and I'll be trying it out on my Gateway notebook to see if I like it enough to buy it.
 
#13 ·
Let's just clarify some terminology first. A PowerBook doesn't have a "sound card" per se. It has built-in audio hardware on the logic board that powers the headphone/speaker output and the audio-in mini jack. The built-in hardware is limited to 16-bit, and the signal-to-noise ratio is not all that great. And 1/8" minijacks aren't the cleanest for I/O, either.

Your best bet is a FireWire or USB audio interface. Under OS X, you shouldn't have many problems with latency... OS X is a leader with its USB audio capabilities. M-Audio has a good range of products for USB audio and MIDI. I believe they also have a FireWire interface coming out in the next couple of months. Edirol (a division of Roland) also has some products to consider, as does Emagic. I'd tell you specifically which ones i've been looking at, but their site is down at the moment.

Make a list of what you need (1/4" vs. XLR input, S/PDIF digital I/O, MIDI, etc.) and figure out which interfaces will meet your needs, and whether they're compatible with the software you plan on using.
 
#14 ·
Is XLR for mics?
The Tascam looks interesting!
M-Audio already has a Firewire interface but it's a bit expensive and has a lot of stuff I don't need.
I just want to record my guitar so that's the only input I need.
I don't know what software I want to use so I guess I'm gonna use what ever works with the interface I'll get.
 
#24 ·
If you're going digital, sound quality is less of an issue. It's zeroes and ones. The quality breakdown happens at the point of the A/D and D/A convertors. That's why i'm looking for a USB I/O box for my PowerBook that has a S/PDIF connector so i don't have to re-digitize the signal from my GT-6, which already has 30-bit convertors onboard.

If you're taking a digital signal directly into the computer, you're completely bypassing its built-in audio hardware, so there's nowhere your sound can get degraded. It will sound pretty much how the designers of the Pod intended it to sound.

Latency, on the other hand, is more a factor of the USB box you intend to use, and its drivers. OS X is as good as it gets when it comes to USB audio latency, but poorly-written device drivers or software can screw that up. I think i've read that some Edirol USB interfaces can be a little slow.

FireWire interfaces are probably a LOT less susceptible to latency, since FireWire has much higher bandwidth than USB.
 
#26 ·
I don't think you're going to have any bandwidth issues with PODxt. You will have a maximum of a single stereo input and and a single stereo output at any given time. USB should handle that just fine. Latency will depend on the ability of Line 6's programmers to write a decent driver. On that issue, you may need some prayer :)

While I might not believe that all digital signals are transmitted equally as implied, I think you made a good choice considering your intentions, and that's probably as far as this conversation needs to go.

Now go order your PB and PODxt and make some great recordings :D
 
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