To quote Steve Jobs’ favorite songwriter: “The times they are a changing…”

If anyone is working on hardware upgrades and has any wisdom or warnings, please let us know. This will affect a lot of long time Pro Tools setups in smaller studios for sure.
–Damon

We’ve been able to solve a high percentage of problems, but often it takes 2-3 emails back and forth before we have all the information available to help.

If you are emailing us (or even posting in the comments) about a problem you are having, please include the following information, as it will make it possible to help you:

• Computer OS (which version of windows, leopard, tiger, etc.)
• Computer specs (processors, RAM, HDDs, firewire cards, etc.) – if its a Mac, let me know if its a Mac Pro, MacBook, iMac, etc
• Which DAW and what version (i.e. say “Pro Tools 8.0cs2″ not just “Pro Tools”)
• What interface you are using
• What plug-ins/VIs do you have installed

(more below the fold)

If you are having problems installing programs, let us know if its a clean install or not (did you uninstall the previous version).

If its a Pro Tools problem, did you try trashing your preferences and databases?

You can never give me too much information on your system.  The more specific you can be, the better.  In addition to helping you a lot faster, the information allows me to document which systems are having specific problems, so its faster to help others in the same boat later on.

Thanks!

C

The Studio Files

The Kensington Expert Mouse is an oversized trackball-style mouse with 4 buttons and a scroll wheel.  Its designed to dramatically reduce wrist fatigue (and comes with a gel wrist pad).  Trackballs are much better for your wrist than a traditional mouse (no carpal tunnel!)

Before delving into the features, I can tell you that the mouse feels excellent.  The ball is very large, and the added inertia helps you make smooth and precise movements.  The buttons are strategically placed, with easy access yet few mis-clicks.  The scroll wheel is a great addition (which is usually not present on trackballs), and in my opinion is one of the features that really sets this mouse apart.

The mouse comes with a software package to help you customize its functions.  Each button is assignable to any click, function or key combination.  Notice that one of my buttons is assigned to “Swap Scrolling”.  By clicking that button, the scroll wheel (around the ball) changes from vertical to horizontal scrolling.  This means you will never have to move your mouse to the side of a window to scroll, in any direction, ever. In addition, you can assign a function to the pressing of both top and both bottom buttons.  For me, this means I can switch tools, edit modes, and track views in Pro Tools without my left hand on the keyboard.  Below is the software panel where you can choose your functions.

After getting used to the mouse for about 15 minutes, I noticed a dramatic improvement in speed.  Having extra “hotclicks” at your disposel is really awesome.

The one downside is that this is not an inexpensive mouse.  It retails for over $100, but you can find it on Amazon for around $70. In my opinion, I would gladly pay twice that.

A DAW user’s dream, with no wrist fatigue.

C

The Studio Files

I copped my headset for cheap in a bundle with Socom: Confrontation** on Amazon by using my favorite website of all time – www.cheapassgamer.com (aside from thestudiofiles.com of course!).   The headset is available separately as well.

Pairing your headset in OSX

1.  Click on the Bluetooth Logo ( ) on the top right corner of your screen and select “Set up Bluetooth Device.”

2.  On the Welcome screen click continue and then select “Headset” as your device type.

3.  With the headset of, hold the power button down on your Playstation headset until the Mic/Mute button flashes red (about 4-5 seconds).  The device is now discoverable and should appear on your headsets list.  Click continue.

4. Type in the Passkey “0000″ for this device.  That’s it!

Enabling the headset in GarageBand

1. Open GarageBand and click GarageBand – Preferences in the taskbar.

2. Under Audio/Midi preferences, click on Audio Input and select your headset from the menu.

Click Yes when prompted to change the audio driver.

3.  Create a New Track – Real Instrument track.  You’re done!  Now you can record from your Bluetooth headset in GarageBand.

If you would like to see more tutorials like this or have a specific question about GarageBand, Logic and anything music or video game related, shoot me an email or drop a comment below.

-PJ

**Gamers Note:  As you may know, Socom shipped in October with a few bugs – a broken matchmaking and stat tracking system for starters, which made the game nearly unplayable.  With the most recent patch (version 1.2), most of these problems have been fixed.  Luckily, I waited for the update and after about 30 minutes installing and patching the game, I was able to enjoy it as the developers intended.  My initial impression of the game is positive – this is Socom on the PS3 and Playstation Network.  The gameplay is intact and the headset is essential for this squad based multiplayer shooter.

NOTE 1/4/09: You can also view this article on the Cheap Ass Gamer forums at http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/blog.php?b=5389 

1. www.YouSendIt.com

This is an awesome website.  You can register for free, and send fairly large files (I think up to 100 MB) at a time.  There are no waiting periods, ads to click through, or anything like that.  Yousendit just sends a link to your and the receiving person’s email, with a link to their servers to download the file(s).  Awesome.

You can also try out their Pro package in a free trial.  The Pro package will get you up to five 2GB files at a time!  If you decide to stay with the Pro, you can for $9.99 per month (and, unlike many other sites, you don’t need to input your payment information when doing your free trial.  AKA – there is no automatic renewal until YOU decide to fully sign up).  If you are like me and send a lot of audio files and projects over the internet, the $10/month is a steal.

2. Get a Gmail Account

Mail from Google is in my opinion, THE best email out there (especially for us audio people).  For starters, you get over 6GB of space.  Yes, 6GB (plus its constantly going up).  You also get google search capability through your email (so you can type in any word that was contained in your email, and google will find it for you).  Never delete or lose an email again.  You can also send large files (I think up to 10MB, but don’t quote me.  I think I’ve sent slightly larger with no problems).  As an added bonus, you get Google Calendar (to schedule your clients), and Google Documents (to create, send, and save any documents that you’d use in your studio, such as contracts, invoices, song sheets, equipment setup lists… etc).  Its no wonder Gmail was “invite only” for so long.  Now, anyone can join for free.

Aaron’s in college, so you know what that means: Apple Student Discount!! Its great that Apple does that. So I would suggest the “middle” MacBook at $1200. A gig of ram should be enough to get you started. If you need more RAM, sorry Apple, but DO NOT buy it from Apple. I would suggest OWC.

Audio interface. Hmm… Lots of options here. A 2-channel interface should be all you would need for now. Although you have to wait just a bit for Digidesign to release a Leopard-compatible version of Pro Tools, I would still highly recommend the MBox 2. Its just a great interface. Plus, Pro Tools obviously comes with the interface so you wouldn’t have to buy a DAW (and its one of the most used DAWs for audio editing). And, what do you know, there is an educational price on this too.

You could also go with the PreSonus Firebox. This is a great little firewire interface, and it comes bundled with Cubase LE. Lots of people are using them with success (stores are always running out of them because they are so popular).

OK, so now you have a computer, an interface, and a DAW. You need mics! Hands down, one of best sounding and best priced options you have for a stereo pair of mics is the Rode NT5′s. For just over $400, you get two great sounding, matched mics with windscreens and a case. These mics are good on anything (especially acoustic guitar, drum overheads, snare bottoms, and any stereo recording). I think these sound great, and I’ve never heard anyone say they didn’t like them.

So $1200 + ~$350 + $430 = $1980 Phew! we made it under $2k… Eh, between shipping, cables, a stand and a T-bar you will go a little over, but not bad. Let me know what you think of this, and we can change it around to suit your needs.

Things to add once you get a little more money would include a good pair of headphones (like Sony 7506 or AKG K240) and an external hard drive (like from Glyph) to record your audio.  While you can record to the system drive, that can really bog things down (and be unstable at times).

C

The Studio Files

Wow, what a big question. There are so many options. When you install software for editing and manipulating audio onto a computer equipped with audio input/output hardware, you have what is called a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

As in my post about building a home studio, you need to ask yourself some questions:

1) Would an upgrade to my current computer be sufficient?

2) What would I like to be able to accomplish with my computer DAW?

3) What is my budget?

4) Do I want to use a Mac or a Windows PC?

Ah, the great “Mac vs. Windows” debate. If I do say so myself, I am a great person to talk to about this, because I have machines in both platforms. Although I use my Mac more because it is more powerful than my PC, I will officially go on the record with this statement: You can have completely awesome workstations on either operating system; when configured properly, they are both great! In my personal opinion, problem-free Windows operation is more dependent on the proper configuration and a responsible user, but it can be fine. I’ve been running a P4 3.4Ghz with 2GB of ram over the past 4 years. Its literally never choked up on me. This is partially due to the fact that I periodically “clean out” my computer.

Once again, both Windows and Macs are great choices. It depends on budget, style, and preference.

NOTES ON OPERATING SYSTEMS:

Both Microsoft Vista and Apple Leopard are having compatibility issues. Proceed with caution! Check manufacturer’s websites (Digidesign, MOTU, Cakewalk, Apple, Cubase, etc.) or email me to check if certain programs work with a specific OS. In general, I would watch out for Digidesign and Leopard (as they are not technically compatible) as well as Vista in general (as it is also having lots of issues)

So lets get into the meat and potatoes. What you want to generally look for:

1. Fast Processor – the faster the better, the more cores the better

2. Lots of RAM – more RAM means more plug-ins, tracks, VIs etc…

3. Room for expansion – slots for more SATA drives, PCI slots, and other expansion ports can really be a big help when you are upgrading/adding things to your system

4. Plenty of Firewire and USB ports – you will amass lots of peripherals over the years, so you better be able to plug them in!

5. A video card with at least two outputs – if you can swing it, it always helps to have at least 2 displays when working with digital audio. Screen real estate is a must!

So now that we know we need all those things…. lets look at some models. I am going to restrict it to desktops today. We will hit laptops a little later.

If you want to go with a Windows machine, I would suggest one of two paths

Path A – Order a Creation Station from Sweetwater.com. These are great machines! Rackmount, quiet, optimized, expandable PCs with a great warranty at a great price. Plus, the best customer service in the biz. These things will work, guaranteed. I’ve never heard a bad thing about them. There are many different models, ranging from moderate desktops, to extremely powerful rackmount workhorses. The variety of models can be right for everyone from the small home studio owner, to the experienced Pro Tools HD user.

Path B – If you are savvy and want to save some money, you could visit NewEgg.com, order the parts yourself, and put the computer together. In theory this will save a fairly large amount of money. BUT! Beware! Incompatible chipsets, user-error, finicky firmware, and plenty of other things make this option daring for even the most techie of us all.

You can also get powerful computer from companies like Dell, HP, and others. However, be sure to contact the distributors of both the recording software and computer before ordering to make sure both are compatible with each other.

Ok, now for the Mac options

Path A – Mac Pro! These beasts are quite the computer. With up to an 8-core 3.2Ghz processor, 32GB of RAM, and 4TB of internal drive space, these are some of the most powerful computers in the world. They can also be very expensive (although the base model for 2008 is very reasonable). These are the right machine for orchestral scoring, Pro Tools HD, and overall large numbers of tracks, VIs, and plug-ins.

Path B – iMac. These are a great buy. The processor and RAM options on these machines are getting very good (I think up to 4Gb of RAM now!). The built in displays are big and beautiful. iMacs are also fairly cost-efficient. My suggestion would be to get a good external hard drive for recording audio though, as the internal drive of an iMac may limit your productivity. An iMac is a great choice for anyone tracking bands, writing jingles, or doing other non-PCI based recording.

There is also the Mac Mini, about which I’ve heard some pretty good things. If you are on a tight budget, or just need a machine for applications with minimal stress on the computer, it may be a good option. In most cases though, I would suggest a more powerful machine.

If you are looking to buy a computer for music production, please email me or post a comment here. I would be more than happy to help you with your decision.

C