Some Tips To Get Started And Do It In The Best Of Ways

I thank you anyway, but I found information on another forum that I will not cite out of courtesy.

@Admin - you can close/delete this discussion.

hi antonio. i would need the same info as you. if you don't want to mention the site where your problems were discussed, could you tell me what they advised you?

thanks Andrea

TheSimon won't take long to respond, in the meantime do a nice little search with the keyword: "audio interface" here in the forum...look under 'other' on the right.

It seems to me that the topic has been addressed, if Antonio (welcome, or rather, welcome to both of you) wants to provide a summary...it wouldn't be a bad idea

guys don't hate me but, coincidences aside, it was enough to change tone (making it more polemical) for the replies to arrive without delay. There's no helping it, flame wars on forums are more enticing than the famous catnip.

My bad... I didn't look in old posts but it ends up that I don't understand anything and I ask, so I just skipped a step.

The forum in question is specifically about Home recording and that is its name (even there I didn't receive an answer but a nice link with the content I was looking for instead of, unfortunately very widespread, the 'go do a search' response).

I respect my time as much as others', but if someone asks passersby for directions to find a place, they probably have no idea where to look or have been there for hours without getting anywhere (before they invented GPS).

I close by renewing my compliments to Simon & co for the really well-made tutorial.

Why the flame..? I don't know if there is a real answer, my post was to give a quick answer, while waiting for the experts to give a professional answer

Really... no problem

Ahhhh..... You played the role of a shield !!

NTNBLL wrote:

It is my absolute first post, so I'll take the opportunity to warmly greet you all. I am Antonio and I joined the forum after following the video tutorial on Logic 9 which I recently acquired. I have no experience, so I will be a tough nut to crack for you...

I have a good musical ear (according to others) and I am passionate but tremendously ignorant because I have never studied music (although I know a little bit thanks to the internet and some friends)

No point talking about technique.....

Let's get to the point. I need some advice.

1) An external audio interface to connect to my Mac

Forgive me if the reply took so long to arrive, you happened to hit exactly at the only dark moment; usually I am lightning fast, but I have been extremely busy. An opera booklet from the 1800s was found that has never been set to music and never performed, and my former piano teacher and I are setting the entire opera to music; they will then perform it on December 8th in a church near Rieti... I say this for anyone who might be interested.

Anyway, enough chatter... Back to the Topic.

1) External audio interface...

It depends on how much you want to spend....

Audio interfaces are divided into USB and FireWire. At first glance, I'd tell you: FireWire for life. The problem is that they are more expensive because they are higher performing than USB.

I would go for the MOTU 828 MK3.

There is also a Hybrid version that offers the possibility of connecting via both USB and FireWire.

The MOTU has excellent preamps and a very discrete AD converter. Otherwise, there are others that are better for professional purposes, but there the price goes up quite a bit, and even the 828 isn't exactly cheap (we are around 700 euros). The MOTU offers semi-professional / professional results (depending on the skills of the person doing the post-production). Let me know your budget, otherwise it's useless...

2) A MIDI keyboard (the tutorial recommends an 88-key one) that isn't just a "toy" but allows me to learn, experiment, and grow (I read that to keep the cost low, one could choose a silent one)

I don't pretend to "know" what I will or won't be able to do with just the PC + interface + keyboard, but I imagine they are just the basic equipment, and the stronger the foundations, the higher the building will be, I think.

Further down the line, I hope to set up a small recording studio for myself and my friends.

Sorry for the confusion in the explanation and thank you all, see you soon.

Silent keyboards are practically only for studio use. Come on, make a little effort and get a normal digital piano. I assure you there isn't that big a price difference.

Here, even here, to be precise, you should give me an idea of your budget. Otherwise, I could suggest the new digitals with grand piano action, but the base version costs 6000 euros and the pro version 11000, or alternatively, a 20-euro one. In short, I need a spending range, otherwise I can't give you precise indications amidst the myriad of products available.

And yes, a recording studio is very nice. For the moment, I have a hole where I produce a lot, though. Next year, God willing, we will build an 80 sqm basement studio in the countryside far from noise sources and clearly acoustically treated inside... For now, it's just a dream. Let's hope it comes true soon.

I am writing to you without having looked at the Motu...

I would like to tell you that I don't have budget problems, and in part it is true. I don't have any particular expenses weighing me down and I can "loosen up" a bit, but my main fear is getting "entry-level" products that would quickly end up taking away all my enthusiasm.

I think it is right not to spend "millions" at the beginning, but I prefer to spend a few hundred euros more in order to have a product that can easily accompany me as I learn and grow.

Now I have seen the Motu, a nice product. To give you an indicative idea regarding my budget, consider that I am willing to spend 500 euros for the audio interface. Regarding the keyboard, the Axiom pro 25 for about 300 euros seemed like a good product to me (will M-Audio cause trouble with Logic?)

[the screen/partition]

good luck with your work Simon

Well, then make an extra effort... Get the MOTU 828 MK3 Hybrid for 700 euros; it is a product that is anything but entry-level, we are halfway between semi-pro/professional. It has excellent components and is easily portable. I have also seen it used in many studios as a workhorse (which is saying a lot!). For the keyboard, anything except the Axiom 25—not because it's bad, but because it only has two octaves, what can you do? It becomes cumbersome to work with. If you were going to go for a MIDI controller at this point, just get any 88-key weighted keyboard that has a MIDI output. The Axiom can be good for mapping all the buttons to MIDI and using it as a control surface. It helps with working quickly, but 25 keys are really too few; if you want to keep the possibility of using the control surface at this point, then still get the Axiom if you like the idea of combining a keyboard with a control surface, but get the Pro 61. With 61 keys, if you don't intend to do jam sessions but only use it as studio support, then it can be fine.

Simon, I am not a pianist, not even remotely. I understand your distrust regarding only 2 octaves (having the keys on the Great Wall of China, you would use them all), but I have the same familiarity with the piano as a 90-year-old has with an iPhone. I think I will orient myself towards the 25 keys, using it more as a "controller". (I am open to new advice based on these new observations)

Returning to the sheet, I was already thinking of sacrificing myself because the product is really good and one day a backup might always come in handy ^.^

NTNBLL wrote:

...but I have the same familiarity with the piano as a 90-year-old has with an iPhone...

...

Well then, effectively even the 25-key one might be fine for you...

Returning to the board, I was already thinking of sacrificing myself because the product is really good and tomorrow a backup could always come in handy ^.^

For those who don't have a recording studio, other than a backup... You have to hear what it brings out. One thing is obvious, though. You need good microphones to record well. A flawless recording is the result of a chain that has no weak links; just one weak link is enough to compromise the entire final product. A bit like a bridge between two shores that uses chains as stays. Just one weak link and the whole bridge falls....

Yes, yes, I agree and those are the same words as a sound engineer friend of mine :-)

For microphones it will take some time.... right now my priority is practice. Computer interface and midi controller to "master" Logic during the producing and mixing phase, avoiding recording, midi excluded, for now.

p.s

If I get the terms wrong I apologize, but I'll take the opportunity to ask you to point out any errors or horrors

Simon, I bought a MIDI controller. I found a Novation Impulse 49 at a pretty good price. What do you (all) think of this item?

I admit I have never had the chance to try it. Seeing it on the internet, it seems better than the axiom 25...

My impressions aren't worth much, but I have put my hands on the keyboard of both controllers (Axiom and Impulse) and I must say that the feel on the Impulse controller seemed more "real" to me, while still keeping in mind that they are controllers and not pianos.

I then searched a bit on the internet and I must say that my impression seems to be shared by almost everyone. Furthermore, for a difference of about fifty euros, I have practically doubled the octaves at my disposal and added some controls (on a 25-key controller, you give up a few things for space reasons).

I still need to loosen up and understand how to best exploit the potential of this controller but, even though I am not an expert, I feel I can recommend this product which is an excellent compromise between performance and price (the price for new is around 280 to 300 euros).

Thank you all again.

P.S.

Today I will get the headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO) and next month, with the new salary :-) , monitor speakers (I was thinking of the Genelec 8030) and the MOTU interface.

Genelec for monitor speakers is among the best. You are spending well, I am glad...