Building the BEST setup for my equipment

[tunedbytad]

addressing how this thread started years ago

if you are in the box.
100% making music and mixing in the computer
man is it cheaper, simple, portable, and scalable.

Look up Joel from Deadmouse talking about his huge Neve based studio.
and how Skrillex {who is on his label} does all the same music on just a top notch laptop.

[tunedbytad]

addressing how this thread started years ago

If your building a tradition studio

Just my $.02
everyone can have their own take on this ...all good. :-)

my basic in rough order,,, is not :
this DAW vs DAW
that i/o vs this i/o
this clock...yha yha yha...

more like

-GOOD CLEAN POWER AND GROUND

-Good Acoustics

-One really insanely great microphone preamp combo <--money goes here first

-Good head phones and monitors <--- don't have to be expensive

-organized, clean, no clutter, no fat setup so everything works and is ready to make music and move signal before you need it

-spend time on your skills, on your gear, on your craft, on your songs

-set dead lines make releases <---it is easy to go a decade and have endless folders filled with unfinished gems and turds
*I am personally guilty of this

[smilesdavis]

ive been down the all analog road, the hybrid road, been there done that. each to the max extend.

im not trying to find the perfect one atm, im trying to build them all and route them into the most current...digitally

as soon as iio uploads his sdii plugins ill get a nubus card and a sound accelerator to hook up sound tools ad and dat devices.

as soon as i find more nubus dsp farm and a lexicon nuverb i can fill my nubus expansion

today arrives my marathon g4. ill need an expansion chassis for it that i will fill my mix farm cards

its more of a statement really at this point

i want access to every early audio plugin from my modern hdx rig

[IIO]

for a total of 1500 you are eventually in the HDX range already.

[IIO]

...

[smilesdavis]

for a total of 1500 you are eventually in the HDX range already.

hdx go used for 3.5 atm rarely lower

[Protools5LEGuy]

You have 2 choices:

 1 Never ask 110 how much cost something

 2 Give 110 a fistfull of money and he will give you a distressor + 888/24 + good stuff for 100 bucks

Jokes aside, 110 will always say cheaper than in Spain.

You cant get a 4.1 or 5.1 for less than 500 Euros

for a total of 1500 you are eventually in the HDX range already.

HD gray+blue converters (192 IO / 96 IO) cost 400 to 1000 still. Rarely you see an empty chassis for 250 bucks. I wonder if a empty blue can work only with SPDIF without cards.

[IIO]

what do you think about cracked PT 2010 for mac? with native audio driver and unlimited tracks?

[smilesdavis]

what do you think about cracked PT 2010 for mac? with native audio driver and unlimited tracks?

ah ye unsanity my hero

[Protools5LEGuy]

With this

https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B071ZDS4CB

my MacPro uses the original Multiface thru an ExpressCard. But needs to be powered. Not a big trouble.

I think that RME Hammerfall Multiface has the longest lifespan EVER in a soundcard.

From Mac OS 9 to Big Sur AFAIK. I am using in El Capitan with PT 10.3.10 HD and it seems more stable than the M-Audio I was using before.

And now I have to decide between Focusrite Liquid Saphire 56 converters vs RME Multiface. RME is the MasterClock for the LS56.

RME also sends ADAT clock (Or 2-4 stereo stems) to my new Mac OS9 MIX++ rig with a Mix Core+ Mix Farm + DSP Farm II + DSP Farm + Original ADAT Bridge.

At last you can call me Protools5TDMGuy   

Mix Core + Mix Farm cost me both 60 bucks.  Maybe in the future I will get another Mix card, not so sure by now.

I tried that setup on the MDD 1.25 Uni I have but gave me lots of errors on tests. Finally is working on my dual GHz Digital Audio with a 12 cm extra fan. 

The 2 Mac Pro + G4 DA are in other room for a silent room.

The best approach for my studio will be to return the LS56 to the main DAW to have 2 ADAT stems to the PT5 TDM ADAT bridge. I guess I could mix with 20 bits returns(Original unit ADAT depth limit) but I am the search for a cheap 24bit ADAT bridge.

Other good approach is to use the 24 bits SPDIF onboard on the original ADAT Bridge and convert it to Optical (I would need 2 Coaxial to optical SPDIF converters, already have 1) to have an stereo 24bits insert from PT5 TDM

I have to say that I am shocked by the quality of the TDM package. Drawner + TC Works X-something + LexiVerb blew my mind, just to name a few

[Protools5LEGuy]

What can I say? 2023 was a fun year in gear investment.

Mac Pro 3.1 with Focusrite LS56 on capitan with PT 10 HD but mainly for  HiJack running Sonarworks for room correction. Occasional Mainstage as guitar station with Apogee GIO on Capitan and Mojave . I also use it to browse internet and record Youtube or Spotify. Plan to install Logic on Monterey just for the fucking Atmos.

Mac Pro 2.1 with Digi 002 mixer on capitan with PT 10 HD as my main mixing rig.

i5 2500K at 3.4 GHz with 8 GB RAM RME Digiface W10 with Protools Ultimate 2021.7 just for The God Particle or Mastering& 2Bus stuff. I guess it is my digital ADAT Patchbay

G4 MDD 867Dual with 2 Mix Cards + 2 DSP Farm with PT 5 TDM, ADAT bridge 24+ a ADAT bridge not 24
. It can be my 2nd DAW or ADAT DSP for the MP 2.1   Also, plan to use Panther with PT 6 TDM + latest findings.

PowerBook 17" GHz ALU G4 RME Multiface that needs OSX thanks to CardBus not working on Mac OS 9    PT 5 to 8 LE on OS 9 + Panther + Tiger  + Leo. I use it as a line to ADAT

HP EliteBook 8470 i5 3xxx 12 GB RAM with 3 Windows systems for another RME Multiface with its Express Card + M-Audio FW Audiophile + FW solo. Or Digi 002 or Cyan M-Box, depending on the project. This is my main portable. Trying to install Capitan + Monterey this week.

A ASUS Pentium4 portable for the above RME multiface with a PCMCIA in case HP is stored. This is a just in case, because both RME Multiface can be driven by a single portable recording presets and using them in stand alone mode for maximun silence.

Now the guitar stuff. 

I couldnt resist to an M-Audio Black Box with pedalboard for 60 bucks. It is the cheap version of an Adrenalinn with awesome modulations. The guitarist knows what I am talking about. Sound to my ears somehow better than original Line6 POD and it has SPDIF out. Perfect for another setup I plan do with my unused Audiomedia III or Digi 001.

[Protools5LEGuy]

Can be compared the digidesign 888 24 against the Focusrite LS 56, Digi 002 or RME original Multiface   

An 888 24 can be had for 50 bucks and 882 20 for less.

[teroyk]

PowerBook 17" GHz ALU G4 RME Multiface that needs OSX thanks to CardBus not working on Mac OS 9 

If you have flat RME Cardbus-card Multiface should work with Mac OS 9. But I am not sure does Mac OS 9 support Powerbook 17" Cardbus-slot?

[Protools5LEGuy]

If you have flat RME Cardbus-card Multiface should work with Mac OS 9. But I am not sure does Mac OS 9 support Powerbook 17" Cardbus-slot?

The 17" ALU works mostly on OS 9 but the Firewire 400 and the Cardbus. Maybe someone could take care of that unit and develop a new Mac ROM that enables the Cardbus. Wishful thinking

I have 4 ways to connect the 2 Multiface and the Digiface.

Own 2 flat connector PCMCIA HammerFall, one with PowerPC firmware and the other with Intel firmware, a PCI card, and an ExpressCard. I guess I should search for a Pismo or a Titanium for a Mac OS 9 setup, but Main use for the pair of RME Multiface is converters analog to ADAT and ADAT to analog. Now for my Yamaha DG 60, HK Tubeman, Focusrite Trackmaster and Yamaha FX500.

Later to have the 12 outputs needed for Atmos..

I will need to buy a RME USB DIGIFACE for the Atmos thing if I can't get to work with the Focusrite LS56 on Monterrey. Apparently, if you update the Mac OS X from Mojave to Monterrey on various steps~OS it can work. 

Release notes
This will be the last software release for the Saffire range as they are now discontinued, please see this article from our Help Centre.

Tested on:

macOS 10.15 (Catalina)
macOS 10.14 (Mojave)
macOS 10.13 (High Sierra)
macOS 10.12 (Sierra)
macOS 10.12 or later is required to run Saffire Mix Control 3.9. This version will not install on macOS 10.11 or earlier.

What’s New

Saffire Mix Control is now a 64-bit application

The thing is the installer is not signed for Big Sur +, but the App that moves it is 64 bit. So there is some hope. With SIP disabled, for sure. But I need to understand a little more about Open Core, just in case some kext have to be installed.

Firewire is very difficult to handle from Big Sur onwards. People report partial success with thunderbolt 3 to TB 2 to FW800 to FW 400 adapters.

Most people are selling cheap any firewire gear just because it is difficult to make it work.

[Protools5LEGuy]

Once I set up the ATMOS I swear to only update the Windows setup. 

I have way more gear than needed. 

I have absolutely no excuses to finish the album from my band.

I still have the same questions from years ago, but related to the new gear. In my opinion, ordered from better to worse

What is the best clock? RME Digiface vs LS56 vs Digi 002 vs ADAT bridge 24. I guess M-Audio Black-Box and all my FW Solo and Audiophile have the worst clock design+converters.

What are my best converters? LS56 vs Multiface vs Digi 002 vs Apogee GiO. GiO has fewer bits but it is Apogee.

Best Mic Preamplifier? Focusrite TrackMaster vs Focusrite Liquid Saphire 56 vs Digi 002.

Best guitar Pre? Yamaha DG-60 vs HK TubeMan vs BlackBox vs GiO

[Protools5LEGuy]

My mixing setup is not ITB or OTB but between various ADAT and SPDIF boxes.  It is inspired by a classic SSL studio with 2buss CLA, Pensado, and Jaycen Joshua style. But all ADAT or SPDIF are wired. Think of them as chains of 1, 2, 3, or 4 elements. 

SETUP A
MIX on MP 2.1, room correction on MP 3.1

SETUP B
MIX on  MP 2.1, DSP on MIX ++++, room correction on MP 3.1

SETUP C
MIX on  MP 2.1, DSP on MIX ++++, summing on PT Ultimate, room correction on MP 3.1.

In 2024 I am going to change the order of the chain to an even more modern approach.

MIX on MIX ++++, summing+modern DSP on MP 2.1, 2 buss on PT Ultimate and last, room correction.

Metric Halo Channel Strip is as good as SSL CS from Waves if used wisely. Lexiverb is as good as Altiverb or Waves IR.On the other hand, the TC Electronics plugs are great. The Voice Strip is GREAT and the Mastering one can be compared to Ozone or The God Particle. Maybe Peak TDM worth investigating more.    I still use Tech 21-Digidesign SansAmp as my guitar tone builder for most of my guitar sound just duplicating the track and using clean+overdrive or crunh+overdrive. Think Mac OS 9 TDM as the multitrack + SSL + Lexicon.

Now PT 10 HD as summing box with Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer you do the console sound + sound toys stuff if the delays from OS 9 aren't good enough. The green Mac OS 9 Line6 delay stuff is good for me. But if you want a different colour...

PT Ultimate for the Iron+ 2Buss or Mastering and Printing the file or master.