Re: Mobile recording rig - help me figure this out

denovo <groovedude@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>I'm trying to put together a low-mid level laptop based mobile live
>recording gig for singer/songwriter types and acoustic combos.
>
>I'm trying to figure out if the setup I'm contemplating makes sense.
>
>I presently have a Presonus Firepod that works great with my 15" AlBook
>running OS X and Digital Performer.
>
>I'm also contemplating getting a Mackie Onyx 1220 with Firewire card,
>mostly because I'm concerned about overloading the channels without a
>compressor. I don't want that ugly digital distortion in my signal
>path.

So, TURN DOWN the levels and watch what you're doing. You have plenty
of dynamic range in the modern digital world, so there is no reason to
ever clip the converters.

I don't understand your comment about the Mackie, though. They don't have any
built-in compressors anyway. It's not like an SSL here.

>I just learnt that the Firewire out from Onyx mixers are post-Trim but
>pre EQ/Insert blah-blah. Meaning that signal path to the laptop will
>still bypass the compressor, right? So, the whole point of having a
>front end to get stuff to your laptop is defeated. Am I missing
>something here?

The whole point of having a front end is to have good converters and
good preamps. In the case of the Onyx, you also get a mixer for free,
which gives you the ability to make monitor mixes. You don't get
a return send from firewire so you have real confidence monitoring,
though, but you have something.

>I mean I understand wanting an unadulterated signal stream to your
>recording host but not if you can't tame the levels without sufficient
>gain.

So TURN THE LEVELS DOWN.

>Any suggestions on how to best set this up? I have decent assorted
>recording mics. A RNC Compressor, a nice Peavey VMP-2 preamp, a not so
>nice Presonus "toobe" preamp and a Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro.

Buy whatever converters you like. Buy whatever preamps you like. Don't
forget to have a pair of monitor speakers, amps, and a mixer so you can
do rough mixes in the field and know what is going on.

Watch your meters and don't let anything clip. Better to have levels too
low than too high. If the thing doesn't sound good when you leave 24 dB
of headroom, get converters that do.

Budget money for splitters and snakes, which will probably cost more than
you expect.

>I guess in a perfect world, I'd want 4-6 useable channels of audio
>going into my laptop.

So get 4-6 channels of converters and preamps, a decent monitoring system,
cables and splitters, and start recording. Don't worry about protection
limiting or stuff like that... this is the digital age where we have plenty
of available dynamic range.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
.

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