azinck3 wrote: > This is potentially quite off-topic, Just a tad. Perhaps if you think I have any good ideas, we should take this off to private mail.
> With what we have we're obviously not > looking for a studio-grade recording, just listenable, undistorted > sound. The problem is that it takes nearly as much work and talent to get a decent recording as it takes to get a very good one. Wonderful recordings take more. > Optimally the hardware should cost <$500. You should look at the FMR RNC compressor, two channel for $200. > I've spent a good deal of time thinking about this myself. After much > consideration, what I think would be optimal would be a simple hardware > box with balanced audio inputs, transport controls with an LCD display > for device status/settings, and a VU meter. The problem is that there is no mass market for such a thing. Some would even say that a SlimDevices SqueezeBox is not mass market. You should get a computer, audio card, an RNC and some software. For transport controls, you can use something like a Contour Shuttle Pro > The PC should just sit there and dumbly accept data. > This would prevent you from ever having to look at the PC. In fact, if > this were implemented via ethernet the PC could be locked away in a > closet somewhere. The PC can be used without PC controls, but it is going to take technical support. Of nothing other than to identify the date of the tracks you are recording. > USB and Firewire audio interfaces (with MIDI-based DAW control): There > are many of these out there the likes of edirol, m-audio, tascam, and > many others. Virtually all of these, however, lack transport controls, > decent VU meters Do you realize that good VU meters cost more than your total budget? >(most just have clipping LEDs), and all of them, of > course, rely upon relatively complex PC-based software for the actual > recording task (optimally, our Sunday-morning operators shouldn't > really even have to create a new audio file with the right recording > parameters, etc.--I just want them to hit record). That can be setup > They have many more features for > mixing and recording--these make it too easy for a novice to screw up > when all you want is a straight recording. Those features also add > cost. It isn't really the features that add cost, it is the tiny market size. The features are added to help people justify why they have to spend so much more than they want. Software such as N-Tracks is inexpensive, as are the 'home studio' versions of Cakewalk, Cubase, etc. > So (for those of you who are still with me at this point)...any > thoughts? Ideas? Something glaring I've missed? I keep thinking > there must be a device like this out there somewhere... You already have all the hard parts, the mics, cables, mixer, etc. For low quality work, any PC audio will work. Better is any $200 audio card, M-Audio Delta or audiophile series, lots others. -- Pat Farrell PRC recording studio http://www.pfarrell.com/PRC _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
