asd

I don't know if this is the right place to post this info, but I saw a post simiar to it. Well here goes, maybe it can help, I used to teach this stuff at University.

When recording with a laptop, the hard drive of the laptop is in a sence a control surface. For MIDI, recording to the laptop's hard drive is probably OK, but the trumpet is digital audio and reqires a hard drive to spin at least 7200, most laptop hard drives do not do this. Glyph makes some good firewire drives that will accomplish this. You also need to think about space. Each stereo minute is going to use 10 mg of space. And a cardinal rule of digital audio is never record to the same hard drive that you keep your apps on as this can cause all sorts of unwanted digital artifacts such as pops hicups dropouts and other unwanted clutter. In the mac world, you'll be tempted to use a 1/8 pin to plug in your mic to the mic imput into the computer. Don't. Buy any number of firewire interfaces from M-Audio. You'll be very happy. Apple sound manger can't even begin to compete with the cheapest of interfaces. The mic: You can spend 1000's. Don't. get an AKG 3000B. it will cost a few hundred. DON"T use a Sure m57 or m58. You need a large condenser for the trumpet. A ribbion mic is a waste at this budget. The 3000 is a great choice, although you can't adjust the polar patterns. Cables: Don't skimp--use the best you can afford. I like the professional cables from Sweetwater Sound.
Software: if you're just tracking trumpet, the program Garageband will more then suffice and you even have editing and EQ options. Moreover, Garageband, through the protocal rewire will sync with Reason.

Although basic, you'll get a lot of mileage out of this relatively inexpensive digital audio work station. For a final touch, add a USB keyboard and a pair of powered monitors.

I use somthing like this with my trumpet and EVI all the time. Its a small but integral part of my home studio.

There are other add ons you can use, Like the software program Digital Performer and a host of softsynths and softsamplers.

And this is just a start: we won't even start with Pro Tools!!

ecarroll

asd,

This is a wonderful topic (most of my students at CalArts are heavily into this stuff). I've had your two threads consolidated into one and two pointless posts deleted to remain focused on the information you have to offer.

Best,
EC

asd

One thing I forgot to mention in my "Laptops and more" thread was the following:

When you are finished recording, and if you are using Garage Band, you can "bounce" the tracks down as a stereo mix to itunes and burn your music using the internal CD ROM drive.

And if you are using Reason you can use it's Rewire protocal to record Reason and whatever Digital Audio you may have recored (your trumpet?) in Digital Performer.

You can also trigger an external Workstation and sync them using DP. Of course your external device must be supported by DP.

But to be fair, most modern digital audio software is capable of these functions.

No, I don't work for MOTU, makers of Digital Performer.

In fact, I am still lamenting, as others in the music industry do, that Opcode, makers of the defunct software program (and a long time competitor of DP) Studio Vision, was driven out of business by the guitar maker Gibson, who bought them out a number of years ago. (That should get some response from some of you!!)